There are many options for picky eaters to add more greens to their diet.
One person online is bringing a green, leafy, fibrous issue to the American kitchen table. Many grown adults still have trouble getting more vegetables in their diet, especially people who hate veggies or grew up hating them. The majority of people already know that a diet rich in vegetables can benefit them and have a healthier life than without them. So why is it so hard?
Picky eating isn’t uncommon during childhood, but more and more adults are identifying themselves as picky eaters. In a recent Pennsylvania University study, out of 489 participants interviewed, 35.5% were self-identified or qualified as picky eaters. So a Redditor struggling with this had a simple yet too relatable question: How do you incorporate more vegetables into your diet when you dislike vegetables?
A bunch of commenters on had some great tips. Most of them responded that it came down to preparation:
“Make good food. Seriously, if you don’t like a lot of vegetables I think it’s due to bad cooking. Quick example, I hated broccoli most of my life. It tasted like rubber and sucked. Well…. That’s because I only had broccoli boiled with no seasoning, and once I had it in stir fry with a bit of ginger and garlic etc… I love broccoli. I just hate boiled flavorless broccoli.”
Often folks that don't eat their vegetables because they haven't been cooked correctly.Photo credit: Canva
“I didn't eat cooked vegetables until I was 22 and doing a semester abroad. My mom would basically just boil the hell out of vegetables, and if she made a stir-fry (which was more of an asian-themed steam), the veggies would be almost gray. They tried to bribe me with things like oreos and candy to try and get me to eat them. Then, my host family introduced me to roasted vegetables. And we went to a Thai place pretty frequently where I learned that stir-fried veggies could still be crisp. When I got home and ended up doing a lot of the cooking, I started properly cooking all of the veggies and shocked my parents by actually eating them.”
“Buying fresh versus frozen is a big difference, too. Grilled veggies are awesome.”
“Broccoli is the ideal sauce delivery vehicle, as in a stir fry. The crowns just hold onto it so well.”
Grilling vegetables is a great way to try out different flavors and textures in each one.Photo credit: Canva
Other commenters that were even pickier went to more “exposure therapy” lengths to include veggies, or just outright hide them altogether:
“Hiding vegetables in food did the trick for me. Start small: Add a single tomato to your entire lasagna for example. Make sure you slice it into near infinite pieces to hide it. Next time, maybe add another vegetable. Or more of the same. The time after that you could slice one or more vegetables no longer into 1,000 pieces, but make the pieces a little bit bigger. This way, you can add more and more vegetables.”
“Pulse or chop the veggies VERY small, or even throw them in a blender for a little bit, just get them very fine. Then you can dump them into your meals like soup or taco meat or wherever. Kids (and some adults) can tolerate them much better when they're not so obvious. Heck, I do this with vegetables I'm not particularly fond of.”
“Blend them into sauces or cut them as small as you can get without driving yourself crazy by cutting them, then throw them into your dish. When they are itty bitty they are hard to avoid but the rest of the dish typically overpowers the flavor.”
Per study after study, article after article, there isn’t just one reason or theory as to why a person is a picky eater. Some studies say it’s genetic, others point to emotional trauma as a child, others say it’s due to fear of the unfamiliar, and all of them are valid potential reasons.
- YouTubeyoutube.com
Another strong contender to why there are so many picky eaters is that Americans often consume heavily processed foods since they are typically inexpensive and convenient. Due to how these foods are made, many vegetables within them are frozen or canned which not only diminishes their nutritional value but also alters their texture and taste. This can easily create an aversion to veggies in general since they either don’t taste good or fresh ones aren’t boosted with added sugar, salt, or fat to offset whatever taste they have.
If you’re a picky eater or just don’t care for certain veggies, luckily the methods mentioned above might help you. You may end up a veggie fan afterward or just find a way to hold your nose and tolerate it. If you have tried different cooking methods and other techniques but still struggle, know that you’re not alone. Research online for support groups such as Picky Eating Adults, Duke Health, or many other resources that are available to you.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
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Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."