Are you an extremely picky eater who loves your comfort foods and has crippling anxiety around eating ‘healthy foods?’ (I can’t be the only one, right?!) There’s just something about that side of peas that triggers you to completely shut down. Every muscle in your body tenses, your jaw clenches, and you just want to ‘yeet’ yourself out of existence. If you have this reaction to certain foods, read on to hear the importance of finding your ‘gateway vegetable’ as a great first step of dipping your toe into the beautiful sea of healthy(er) eating.
You may consider this ‘sea’ to be very ‘Mediterranean’ in nature. (See what I did there?) The Mediterranean Diet may be considered one of the most nutritious diets out there, but maybe we’re not cut out for all that just yet. Right now, we’re still a little trash panda, who wishes those peas would magically turn into a pile of salty, greasy potato chips! *Cue salivation glands*
Trash Panda Vibes
So, this is where I was at the beginning of my journey (yes, it’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me), consistently annihilating a can or bag of potato chips within minutes of getting home from the grocery store, eating toaster pastries for breakfast, pepperoni pizza for lunch, and ramen noodles for dinner or chicken strips with a big ole cherry cola (made with grenadine, because I was fancy like that, but also three refills, because zero self-control).
At times, it felt like a very indulgent lifestyle, just eating what tasted good (hello, chicken nuggies!), but it also came with a lot of shame and anxiety around food and situations where I had less control over what food was available. I was already a shy kid, so this whole ‘picky-eater complex’ was certainly not helping me out in the self-confidence department. But don’t worry, things can (and did!) get better.
Meet ‘Chef D’
When I was in high school, my mom started dating a man who cheffed at a great local restaurant in the next town over. We’ll call him ‘Chef D.’ At this time in our lives my mom, sisters, and I would have fun nights out at the restaurant, ordering the famous steak tips and sneaking glances into the kitchen to see Chef D hard at work while cracking jokes with the other staff. Then he would send a wink with a big ole grin in our direction before taking a quick break from the kitchen to ‘make sure our food came out alright’ (which it always did) and to make sure we didn’t leave before topping off our meals with creme brulee for dessert. My mom was so smitten with him and reveled in the idea that she was ‘dating the chef.’ I loved spending these nights with my mom and sisters while eating some of the best food I had ever had.
I admired Chef D for his kindness, his work ethic, and his uncanny ability to make my mom smile while being an absolute goof. As their relationship grew, and Chef D became a staple in our lives, he really started to change my experience with food and what I valued in it. Pre-Chef D, my favorite restaurant was… well to avoid calling them out directly, let’s just say it rhymed with… ‘chapel sneeze.’ This was absurd to Chef D. He taught me to value local restaurants and this crazy stuff he would call ‘real food.’ Touché, Chef D. Touché.
Even then, I was pretty exclusively sticking to my ‘beige diet,’ featuring various combinations of chicken, white bread, pasta, corn, white rice, cheese, crackers, chips, potatoes, gravy, and globs of butter. What more could you need? To me, those foods were safe and comforting. Yet, when I looked around, my plate always did seem a little sad compared to others’ colorful ensembles. Though a little jealous, I stubbornly accepted my fate as a picky-eater. (For the time being…)
Value of ‘Real Food’
To be honest, step one of my healthier me journey was not even to change the types of foods I ate. What did happen, was I started to value homemade or local restaurant food over the fast food, box mixes, or chain restaurant options. Groundbreaking, I know (*said sarcastically*), but I had previously mostly associated food with shame and obligation. Chef D was the first person in my life with a real passion for food, and that passion started oozing through my crusty exterior, leading to my first real mindset shift when it came to eating.
Real food was… fresh? Like before preparing dinner, we would actually run to a small local market and buy fresh ground beef and vegetables to be cooked minutes after we got home. And that cooking could be… Fun! — experimenting with different cooking methods and seasonings that brought out such different flavors in even the most mundane of ingredients. Mind. blown.
The Invitation
Chef D had a particular affinity for the grill, giving a nice char to my usual beige faves and really tapping into the spice cabinet. (He’s also the person who taught me you could put just about any spice on popcorn in lieu of the, delicious but played out, butter and salt combo.) So there we were, getting herby with it, and grilling up a storm when Chef D said to me, “Hey, you should really try a piece of this asparagus. It’s seriously good. You’re missing out.”
My stomach dropped, and I froze, feeling anxious at this request–a response triggered by many previous fraught attempts to try foods that were, to me, excruciatingly repulsive. This situation felt different though. Rather than a strict demand met with tearful forkfuls, Chef D’s request was an enthusiastic invitation. He genuinely wanted to share his love of food with me. I looked at him skeptically and then down at the green things in question.
Historically, (aside from some occasional broccoli smothered in butter and a healthy dose of salt) I had been starkly opposed to entertaining green foods. (Does this remind you of anyone?) But this time, I deliberated, noticing how well these asparagi/asparaguses were cooked and seasoned, and seeing pure enjoyment on my family’s faces while eating it. For once, food was not just a necessity, Chef D had actually managed to create a genuine experience that I may, in fact, have been missing out on.
First Bite
Forking a single asparagus over to my plate, I took a bite.
The part toward the top tasted a little nutty, or maybe like sunflower seeds? How does that even happen? That and the flavors of char from the grill, olive oil, onion and garlic powder were a combination I had never experienced before. “Not bad,” I said. It was so simple, yet that preparation made all the difference in the world.
With all eyes on me, I quickly tried to brush it off and move on. My family offered me more, but I was content just knowing what it tasted like and not hating it. I could feel their ‘we told you so’ energy wafting over to me, but it wasn’t like I was going to all of a sudden be a super fan. This was my journey and my pace.
Ripple Effect
After that, my diet stayed pretty much the same for awhile, except…
The next time we had asparagus for dinner, I took two pieces. And the time after that, three–until I was soon eating a full serving amount every time my family made asparagus. A couple years into college, I finally started cooking more for myself and learned to sauté asparagus on the stove top with the same seasonings that Chef D used for his grilled version.
These days I try all kinds of different foods, love testing out new recipes, and find a lot more enjoyment at the dinner table. Despite still despising salad (hence, the name of my site — and peas for that matter! except in soup or pot pie), I have grown into a much more adventurous eater over the years, which feels pretty great. And to think, it all started with Chef D and his grilled asparagus!
Conclusion
As a picker eater, learning to eat and enjoy vegetables is absolutely possible! My skeptical and stubborn attitude is not gone entirely, but comparing my eating habits now to my old trash panda days, I am absolutely blown away by how much I have expanded my diet and learned to love cooking and eating. The pit of shame, turmoil, and despair has faded, and I believe finding my ‘gateway vegetable’ was the first step that ignited a real sense of exploration and adventure into the wonderful world of food.
Well that’s it! I hope you at least found this tale entertaining and are maybe even inspired to try something new on your own quest for a gateway vegetable! Will it be asparagus, like me? Or something completely different?
Stay tuned for more insight, tips, and resources!
