At one point in our childhood, I’m sure we all have one food we couldn’t stand. Just by the sight or smell of it, we’d immediately turn our backs and would lose our appetite. We disliked it so much that we would tell our parents we were full just so we can skip eating it. A couple of years later, our tastebuds have matured, and these foods that we’d turn a blind eye to are now some of our favorites. Talk about life’s irony! Whether we pick them because of stronger flavor profiles or healthier nutrients, these foods went from being hated to being loved.
10. Lentils
Let’s start off with Lentils, a legume with edible lens-shaped seeds. Lentils are undoubtedly loved in India, but I’m not sure I’ve known one kid in the neighborhood say they love this food. Thanks to its texture, Lentils were often skipped by kids during mealtime; even if they were properly cooked or prepared, they still carry the texture that a majority of kids find unbearable. One of the best ways to let kids eat Lentils is by preparing them as a soup or stew, letting them expand and soak up the spices you cook them in.
9. Brussels Sprouts
Even though this sits at one of the healthiest foods on this list, I still wouldn’t prefer it on my plate. As a kid, I’m sure the sight and smell of Brussels sprouts kept us from eating them. Over time, as we grew, we then realized that brussels sprouts were not really the problem, it’s how they were prepared and cooked.
8. Lima Beans
Lima Beans deserve a second chance from us adults, which is very different from when we hated them as kids. They might give off an unpleasant impression because they are beans like Lentils, but once you taste them, you’ll surely have seconds. These Lima beans are best prepared as part of a salad, creamy bean mushroom, or even in soups and stew.
7. Parsnips
Parsnips, another food that belongs to the vegetable family lands on rank seven on our list. Parsnips are somehow similar to carrots and they also don’t have much flavor on their own, which maybe is the reason why kids found them bland or not tasty. The best way to cook parsnips is to roast them with a lot of spices or even add them to a soup or a stew and you’ll find yourself enjoying them more than you do with potatoes.
6. Beets
You may have known Beets as a weird-looking onion back in the day at your school cafeteria, or you mom might have prepared it as a salad one weekend. But now, you can enjoy beets after preparing and cooking them properly. For a superior taste profile, you can slice and bake them, or even look up an online recipe and cook Beet Carpaccio.
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5. Asparagus
I’m pretty sure no one really liked Asparagus when they were a kid, but now, our taste buds have matured and we now have a liking for these spring vegetables. Preparing and cooking these veggies really play a great part in liking or disliking them, and if you cook asparagus properly, like baking, roasting, and sautéing them, you’ll surely get a thumbs up from your guests.
4. Green Olives
Green olives may be the healthiest option out of all olives, but their saltier, tangier, and more bitter flavor makes them an unpleasant option than black olives. Hence, that’s why a lot of kids would skip eating these and would separate them on their plate after seeing it in their meal. Though a lot of adults have loved green olives now, there’s still a slight margin who are still not fond of it, including me.
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3. Onions
Onions are one of the top ingredients in our favorite dishes, but its bitter, sharp, somehow spicy taste made kids avoid them. Some kids thought they weren’t cooked properly, hence the taste. Plus, there’s a lot of onion types, which makes it harder for kids to like them if they tasted red onions’ peppery and spicy flavor at first. Since adults have more options, they can now opt for sweet onions rather than red and white ones.
2. Cheese
Cheese may be a surprising food to be listed here but yep, a lot of people disliked it when they were a kid. In general, cheese is a delight to be added to a meal, but if you had Blue Cheese or Brie as a child, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking ill of this sweet delight. Now, we’re all adults and we have more options to get the cheese we like and that would complement our favorite meals; there’s no turning back and saying we love anything but cheese.
1. SPAM
As surprising as it may sound, there are some people who hated SPAM when they were a kid. And this is not because of taste, but some disliked this food because their moms labeled it as “disgusting”, thus adapting this mindset and concluding that they hate spam. Now, they’re all grown up and has more options to buy and cook spam properly, they’ve changed sides and have widely accepted and loved SPAM as one of their favorite breakfast meals.
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From The Club
I’ve always been guilty of being a picky eater when I was a kid; I mean, eating veggies was not my strongest suit back then. Now, I can happily say I’ve outgrown my picky eater habits and have always looked for vegetables as part of my weekly diet. There’s something refreshing about having crunchy veggies and even some tangy bean soup on our weekly menu; it makes you feel full without all the unwanted fat and grease. But don’t be mistaken; I’ve always loved cheese and SPAM ever since I was a child, so I don’t get where the childhood dislike for these two guilty pleasures came from.