Picky Tastebuds & Witchcraft

Q&A
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I am unfortunately one of many picky eaters in my family. I am trying to incorporate more and more healing and helpful foods and herbs, but I am curious if anyone has any tips and tricks to help them or others in their family stomach some of the beneficial things they don’t like the taste of.

I have never liked hot drinks and rarely like tea, unless it was sweetened, iced and usually with some lemon or chai tea lattes. I really, really dislike bitter and floral tasting items, as well as I can truly say I cannot stomach Fennel, Licorice or Anise like herbs.

I am trying to convince my tastebuds to get on board, but even if I do come around I still want tips to help my family who are also extremely picky.

I tend to stick with fruity flavors and citrus for sweets or cinnamon, vanilla and a small touch of nutmeg, clove or ginger. For savory we always do black pepper, red pepper, onion, garlic, sea salt or Himalayan pink salt and occasionally I can sprinkle in some hints of sage, oregano, parsley, basil, bay leaf, cumin, or cilantro.

Trying to nourish my mind, body and soul, as well as my family’s , but these tastebuds are not getting the hint.

Thanks so much.

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I totally relate! One thing that’s really helped me is experimentation with different combinations of things you DO like with things you DON’T like. Sometimes one flavor can be strong enough to mask another, and sometimes the flavors, while not that great on their own, can come together and compliment each other nicely.

My one piece of advice would just be to keep trying, but don’t do it consecutively. For example, I used to absolutely hate brussel sprouts. Despised them and refused to eat them because they were gross. Over time though, and having an open mind (and open mouth), I started to try them with different dishes and seasonings. Now I know that if they’re cooked a certain way (usually with lots of garlic and butter!) I can eat a whole bowl to myself.

I’m not much of a kitchen witch, but persistence and continual exposure has seemed to work in my experience.

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I loath lima beans. Had to sit at table until I either ate them or it was bedtime. Many, many nights from table to bed.
Finally, learned to swallow them like pills.
Still hate them, they pop when you bite them.
Garnet

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:warning:DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional, nor do I claim to be. All concerns relating to health and nutrition should be discussed with a medical professional. I am also sharing my own personal opinions based on my beliefs and practices, so please do your own research and do what works best for you and your family. :warning:

I agree with what @MeganB suggested about combining things you don’t like with things you do like.

In addition, I wouldn’t stress too much about it because herbs/spices/etc. often have overlapping properties (magickal and mundane), so if you don’t like one herb, I’m sure there’s at least one more herb you could find that has comparable properties.

The following suggestions are based on my own personal beliefs and practices, so please don’t take the following as absolute fact. Your beliefs and practices are up to you to decide, and the following are only my suggestions :slight_smile:

You could also try taking capsules/pills of herbs you don’t like, but please discuss taking any herbal supplements with a medical professional before doing so, and keep in mind that children should never be given any herbal supplements before you discuss doing so with a medical professional, as children are more sensitive to any chemical compounds and they may be affected differently than adults by them, especially since kiddos are still growing and developing.

In terms of the soul/spirit-nourishing aspect, I believe that only a small amount of an item is needed to lend it’s magickal properties to something. For example, if you’d like to include rosemary for protection but you don’t like the taste or the impossible-to-chew needle chunks, you could just put a tiny pinch in or powder it and add the pinch. (Be sure to keep in mind to cut back on any herbs you use in powder form that aren’t normally used as powders because the flavor comes through much more powerfully when it’s powdered, at least in my opinion.)

A second suggestion for the soul-nourishing aspect of ingredients that you don’t like is that you could just leave them out altogether. In my opinion, what matters more than anything (in my practice, at least) is intention. If you want a protective aspect to the foods and beverages you’re preparing for your family, just focus on your family being protected and stir that intention into the food/drink.

As I’ve mentioned in other parts of this forum (I’m on my phone at the moment, so I’ll have to link to it later — if I don’t do it within a few hours, please poke me and remind me and I’ll do it :sweat_smile:), every morning when I make coffee for my mom and I, I take a moment to put my intentions of sharing my love and happiness by using my finger to trace a heart in the dry coffee grounds before I press the start button on the machine. It doesn’t require any special tools or ingredients, but my mom always says the coffee tastes better when I do that, even when I don’t tell her I’ve done so.

(Another note: I would never recommend doing anything magical to anyone else’s food/beverage without their permission, unless it’s just a super vague/general working like “I wish the Universe to bring you happiness.” On the other hand, doing some sort of prayer/spell for “Fall in love with me” is a whole other can of worms.)

In terms of the mundane properties of foods, unfortunately, I can’t suggest much other than what @MeganB already stated, and to make sure you and your family eating a variety of things you do like so that you’re getting a wide spectrum of essential nutrients, and take multivitamins and supplements (after discussing with a medical professional) to fill in any gaps you might be missing.

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Merry meet @SeasonsOfMeech! :blush:

You’ve got some fantastic advice here about ways to navigate around picky eating habits, so I’ll just jump in to share some empathy (and a very warm welcome)! :heart:

I used to be a very picky eater as a child, but when I started traveling to different countries and encountered some rather… different foods (horse sushi and stingray, anyone?) it became either eat or go hungry- my taste buds adapted quickly out of necessity.

My partner had a more sheltered life and is still an extremely picker eater- the best way around this seems to be exactly what others have said- to mask certain flavors behind other flavors. Even strong flavors like onion and garlic and most herbs can be masked in soups and sauces. Adding a “plain” element (cooked chicken breast, plain rice or noodles, bread etc) with the soup or sauce can help to hide unwanted flavors further.

Again, you’ve got some really incredible advice in the posts above- I hope you will find some creative ways to get your tastebuds on board! :blush: Good luck, blessed be, and happy cooking magick! :bowl_with_spoon: :sparkles:

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Here’s the link (a few hours late because I got distracted by work :sweat_smile:) to my daily coffee ritual. I hope it helps inspire you to find ways to incorporate extra magick into your nomz :green_heart:

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