Dietitian Confession #2

Dietitian Confession #2:
I Used to Be (and Sometimes Still Am) a Picky Eater

Just because I may know all the health benefits to salmon, or I could list a reason for every cell in my body why Brussels sprouts are important...that still doesn't mean I'm going to eat them!!

Yes, your local Dietitian just admitted she can be a PICKY eater.  In many ways, this trait makes my job challenging, yet also fun and exciting at the same time.  I can relate to those customers who have finnicky children, or if they themselves are extra particular in their food choices.  While my pallet has vastly improved over the years... (i.e. my mother recently visited my house and upon looking in the refrigerator asked me if I had any "normal" food to feed Eli - haha!  Buuuuuttttt I digress...) ...it's not uncommon during my work day to come across customers with VERY limited food preferences - if they eat only 3, 2 or even just ONE vegetable, my job is to help them make that work in a healthy diet.  Yes, it's not the IDEAL way to eat, but improving our health is all about small changes at a time, right?!  I just work with the cards I'm dealt with, people. ;)

Growing up, my preferred vegetables were - peas, potatoes, green beans, and corn.  Sometimes cooked carrots - but NEVER raw!  I ate almost every fruit (besides melons), and my main protein sources were peanut butter, eggs, chicken and bologna.  Pretty basic - yet not uncommon - for many kids nowadays.  I will hand it to my mother and family, though - while my preferred food choices were slim to none, my mom made sure I got a wide variety of food groups each day.  No meal was ever the same, and she always varied up my produce to help me get the most nutrition.

So what changed over the years?  Well, my degree in Dietetics was a good start.  I became more open minded to trying new foods and realized that YES, it IS true...your tastebuds DO change over time!  I used to hate broccoli, and now I love it (with ranch dressing on the side).  I was also that person who wasted SO much money going to Subway over the years and only getting meat, cheese, and mayo...now I load up my subs with lettuce, peppers, onions, cucumbers...etc.  Five years ago you would have never caught me eating steak regularly; now I'll order it from time to time when we go out to eat, or my husband will grill them at home.  And after learning my love for avocados in college, they are always stocked in our household - Eli and I literally eat them with everything!

But I really give the credit to three other sources: 1)  My husband,  2) The Food Network and 3) Pinterest.  You see, I got VERY lucky to be married to such a wonderful cook (he attended cooking competitions in high school and almost chose a culinary degree).  His homemade chicken Parmesan and chicken & dumplings are two of my absolute FAVORITE dishes on earth.  He makes almost everything from scratch, and is the sole reason I've tried many new foods in the past 6-7 years.

My love with The Food Network also stemmed from my relationship with Dee, as he was always watching cooking competition shows.  As I've started watching the network more, (along with already being a food/nutrition professional), I've become more interested in trying new recipes and ingredients featured.  This then led to my Pinterest obsession - I use it for food craft ideas for work AND finding new easy recipes to try out at home.  There are so many recipes I've pinned that I've served multiple times for lunch/dinner - Pinterest is an awesome resource for anyone needing a dinner pick-me-up (if you aren't already addicted). ;-)

Back to my picky eating - while I'll eat most things now, there are still just a handful of items I refuse to consume.  Fish and mushrooms are at the top of that list, and I don't see that changing anytime soon!  Luckily, I work at a grocery store and have the nutrition knowledge to know there are plenty of other healthful protein and vegetable sources to fill my plate with.