How can I become less of a picky eater...

How can I become less of a picky eater? There are so many flavors in the world and I wish I could get the happiness out of them that others do. But I am a pretty picky eater.

That on its own would be solvable just by exposing myself to these tastes more. But not only that, many foods cause me to become physically ill. I was at a one michelin star restaurant last week and ate something with blood sausage and pig's foot that, after struggling to get to the acceptable 75% stopping point on the dish, had to go to the bathroom and was unable to prevent myself from throwing up. I had also had a glass of wine with the meal, which I'm sure made my stomach slightly more volatile, but I drink plenty and almost never throw up from it alone.

So what can I do, Veeky Forums? Other foods that I get (at best) a gag reflex from include fish and seafood of any sort, certain spices, certain strange meat cuts, ...

I hope you like getting shit on by strangers

Get lost in a desert for a few days.

oh I forgot to mention, human feces also triggers my gag reflex, don't know if that's normal

Nay, he'll just shoot himself.

seriously though I don't want to be this way, is there something I can do to help?

Smoke weed

Starving yourself might actually work. Wouldn't recommend it though

I do :(

>is there something I can do to help?
just start trying different things, dont give in to your fears. throw up and gag over and over until you enjoy it.

Start small. If you don't like broccoli, start by making a simple wok that contains a little bit of broccoli. Just incorporate the stuff you don't like into other dishes, and eventually you are going to like them.

This. I hate spinach but if I mix it in my mashed potatoes with plenty of butter, it's amazing.

Then you're doing it wrong

>So what can I do, Veeky Forums
Keep doing what you're doing, just take it easy.

Instead of going to a restaurant and feeling obligated to eat 3/4 of the dish, just get takeaway or something and eat a little of it. No need to force yourself. And as you learned with the wine, don't go combining things you aren't so sure about.

Instead of hiding or "covering up" the taste of foods you don't like, why not learn how they are properly prepared instead?

how old are you

Serious advice.

Start with something you like.
If you only eat cheesy potatoes don't try and rush into boiled Brussels sprouts.
Lets say you like candy bars. Next time you are at the store instead of buying a snickers, try a Zero bar or a Skor bar. Don't just eat it, taste it. Compare it to other candy bars you've had. What do you like about it, what don't you?
Do this until you've tried the majority of variety's and then branch out into other foods you eat.

If you go with something completely foreign right away you are going to be so thrown off or disgusted that you are going to put off trying new things you aren't going to make any progress.
It's all about baby steps.

I used to be a picky eater. I thought onions were gross and smelled bad, was one of those self-labelled "carnivores" (hated vegetables), couldn't even stomach spaghetti as a kid. Then one day I realized "if people eat what I consider weird gross food all the time and even like it, could it all just be in my head?"

Now my diet is mostly vegetables, I will try almost any food at least once, I've gotten laid from varied cooking skills developed over adventurous eating, and haven't eaten fast food in years.

Hey bud. I grew out of ARFID but it helps to romanticize about certain things -- for me, pho and ramen were my first branches out, because I felt they had a certain ritual for eating. Chopsticks, slowly working your way through due to spiciness, drinking broth slowly to keep the noodle and broth at a good ratio... The procedure for eating is immensely important. Then I had fish with rice and broccoli, all three for the first time, because I could romanticize the idea of cutting a small piece of fish, putting it on your fork, and trying to include the other two to follow the etiquette of the dish. Same for sausage with potato and greens, I simply took my time and tried to incorporate the whole dish into one forkful and identify flavors. Tacos and pizza, while seemingly junk and not daunting to the average person, used to make me gag at the thought until I tried them in this precept(and they are dishes that naturally combine flavors, so it was easier). Hope this helps.

Do you have OCD?

I used to be an extremely picky eater, I know your pain OP.

You've got to figure out what makes the food unpalatable to you. For me it was smell, I couldn't stand the smell of certain dishes cooked one way, so I experimented with various spices I liked, sauces, and roasting methods. Texture will fuck you up too, I got over that by learning how to knife skills.

It just takes a bit of practice and the courage to try new things (even if you gag on them), you'll get there eventually.

wowweee thanks guys I didn't expect nearly this many responses, well I just got back from drunken dinner and my meal had a strong taste of fish from the broth that I hadn't expected. I ate the whole thing though and the fish taste, I noticed, went from mildly unpleasant to not really that distracting by the end of the meal so I suppose that's some progress. Looking forward to trying again.

This, I grew up vegetarian mostly so I did not eat meat for a longtime. I started out small and now it all the time.