How to Stop Hating Food
You don’t have to love every meal. But a certain aversion to food is very uncomfortable when you are out of the house. The writer Amanda Mull, for example, would like her not to hate cucumbers. So she spoke to nutritionist and therapist Ellen Sutter. The trick is to only eat partially :
Food aversion can usually be overcome with gentle, constant exposure , which can start with something as simple as buying unpleasant food and letting it stay in the house. Sutter says adults should also be free to do what children do instinctively: put food in their mouths and then take them out without forcing themselves to swallow. This allows the person to get used to the taste or texture without necessarily associating it with a negative physical reaction, as swallowing what you don’t like can be difficult and unpleasant.
This is similar to the process of testing the edibility of a wild plant , in which you slowly introduce the plant into your body, in stages to mitigate any damage: rub the plant against your body and wait to see if it triggers a reaction, rub it in. on your lips and wait again, put it in your mouth, but don’t chew, and so on.
To get rid of your aversion to food, you should also pair the food you hate with the food you like. Mull, for example, puts hummus on top of his cucumbers. (Not that she or anyone else needs to eat the cucumbers alone.) You should also try cooking them in different ways, especially cooking – a process that reduces the bitterness in many vegetables. Change other ingredients often enough that your plan doesn’t backfire and forces you to associate the foods you used to love with the foods you don’t like.
Get the best option for the food in question: seasonally, professionally prepared, or in a popular dish that everyone seems to love but you. You can’t learn to love tomatoes in winter. Wait until they peak – usually when they are cheapest in the grocery store.
One of the downsides to hating food is when a group orders food to share and you need to add your disgust to the mix. Next time, let the group order it (along with the food you like) and try it yourself. If you can’t learn to love food in its most popular form, you’re unlikely to do better with the cheap, hobbyist version at home. After you’ve done your taste test, reward yourself with other meals.
Manage your expectations. Don’t expect to love every food you hate and don’t expect it to help you get rid of your allergies. You’re not going to suddenly train your body to handle peanuts. But green olives and Brussels sprouts can take some getting used to.