Why Are People Picky Eaters? The Hidden Roots Behind the Foods We Love (and Avoid)
This morning I had one of those beautiful, curious conversations with one of my teen girls — the kind that opens a whole doorway into human behaviour, childhood conditioning, and the wisdom of the body.
She was sitting at the table with a delicious, nourishing breakfast — an omelette with bacon, spinach, tomato, pesto, homemade sauerkraut and avocado. She looked at her plate and wondered aloud:
“How could someone not want to eat this… and choose nuggets and chips instead?”
Such a simple moment… yet it sparked a deep dive into something many families struggle with:
Where does picky eating actually come from?
And why do some people resist trying new foods their whole life?
As a holistic healer and naturopath, I see this all the time — and the roots reach far deeper than most people realise.
Let’s explore.
1. Your Childhood Shapes Your Taste Buds
We don’t often realise that we inherit our food preferences long before we choose them.
If your mum hated a food, it rarely showed up on your plate.
If your dad loved spicy dishes, your palate probably grew up around heat.
If an older sibling made a dramatic “YUCK” face at broccoli, chances are you absorbed that message energetically.
Children are mirrors… we learn not just by eating food, but by watching how the people around us react to it.
And sometimes, we simply never got the chance to build the taste buds for variety.
2. Culture & Environment Play a Huge Role
Where you grow up determines:
the flavours you’re exposed to
the spices that feel familiar
the textures you accept
the foods that feel “normal”
Someone raised in Australia may find fermented foods strange.
Someone raised in Korea grew up with kimchi as a household staple.
Someone who travels often has a naturally more adventurous palate.
Your environment literally creates your comfort zone with food.
3. Stress, Gut Health & the Nervous System Matter More Than People Realise
This one is big. When the nervous system is stressed:
digestion slows down
stomach acid decreases
enzymes weaken
the vagus nerve tightens
the gut microbiome shifts
And the body becomes more reactive, sensitive, and picky.
I’ve seen countless clients say:
“I used to love that food, but now it makes me feel off.”
Often it wasn’t the food. It was the state their body was in when they ate it.
If you tried a new food during a stressful or anxious moment, your body may have linked the discomfort to the food, not the stress.
Over time this creates:
aversions
food fear
picky eating habits
digestive issues like bloating or nausea
This is why children under stress often narrow their food choices dramatically.
And adults do the same, just with more socially acceptable excuses.
4. Nutrient Deficiencies Change How Food Tastes
Zinc, B vitamins, essential fatty acids, and gut imbalances can all:
blunt your taste buds
reduce appetite
increase cravings for sugar & processed foods
dull your excitement for nutrient-dense meals
If the body is depleted, it will often reach for the quickest source of energy: sugar, carbs, salt, fried foods.
Not because you're “lazy” or “fussy”…
but because your biology is trying to survive.
5. Habit & Memory Shape Your Food Identity
Humans are creatures of habit.
If you had one bad experience with a food (food poisoning, nausea, emotional overwhelm at a meal)… your brain says:
“I don’t want to feel that way so I won’t eat that again.”
And unless you intentionally explore outside that pattern, those rules stay in place forever.
This is why so many people say:
“I don’t like that texture.”
“I can’t eat that; it made me sick.”
“I only eat these 5 things.”
The pattern of eating becomes a story.
So… Why Is This Important for Holistic Healing?
Because your relationship with food mirrors your relationship with life.
What you accept
What you reject
What you fear
What feels safe
What feels overwhelming
What you “can’t stomach” — literally
Food is one of the easiest places to see your patterns, programming, nervous system imprinting, and emotional history.
And this is exactly the work we do inside my Transformation Journey Program.
When you look beneath the symptoms: whether it’s picky eating, bloating, headaches, fatigue, cravings, or digestive issues, we often discover:
✨ the emotional wound
✨ the stress cycle your body still holds
✨ the learned behaviours from childhood
✨ the gut-brain connection that needs healing
✨ the survival strategies your system created
The body is always speaking. Its my passion to help you decode the messages, unlearn the patterns and thrive.
Holistic Healing Brings You Back to Choice
When we address the root causes:
your gut heals
your stress lowers
your nervous system softens
your taste buds awaken
your food curiosity comes back
your digestion strengthens
your intuition around eating increases
You no longer eat from fear, habit, or limitation. You begin eating from connection, nourishment, and freedom.
Ready to explore the deeper layers of your relationship with food?
If something in this resonates, if you’ve wondered why certain foods feel hard to tolerate, or why your digestion reacts the way it does, or why your child (or you!) feel stuck in food patterns, I invite you to step into my Transformation Journey.
This is where we uncover:
what your body is trying to tell you
what patterns you’ve inherited
what your nervous system is holding
how to heal your gut, your energy, and your relationship with your body, mind and soul.
how to return to the version of you that feels alive, nourished, and empowered
You deserve to feel good. You deserve to understand your body. You deserve to reconnect with the wisdom that has always been inside you.
Learn more or book your session here:
sherylhockey.com.au
Abundant Blessings Sheryl