Food preferences, explained.
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| | | The only food I truly dislike is papaya. When I was a kid, the rest of my family would happily munch away on this tropical fruit, but I always refused. To me, even the freshest, most perfectly ripe papaya tastes mildly like something I will not name here. | | Food preferences often appear to form without rhyme or reason. But is that really the case? Below, Kirsten Seele, a registered dietitian at Healthline, weighs in. | | | | | | | Eat up,
Ginger Wojcik
Newsletter Editor, Healthline |  | | Written by Ginger Wojcik
April 15, 2025 • 4 min read | | | |  | | | | Q: | What factors influence our preferences for certain foods? | | | A: | Our sense of taste (along with our sense of smell) helps us determine whether a particular food is safe to eat. Adults have between 2,000 and 4,000 taste buds on their tongue, and each taste bud has between 10 and 50 sensory cells that send signals to our brains. These senses help steer us away from potentially harmful substances, such as toxic or rotten food.
But as we all know, you can also dislike a food that is perfectly safe to eat. The reason for this comes down to a combination of factors, including past experiences, viewpoints or beliefs (cultural, religious, or otherwise), and biology and genetics.
The first question I ask my college students each semester is: "Why did you choose the breakfast you chose this morning?" I love this question because it helps us understand the complexity of food decision making. Some typical responses include: - I did not eat breakfast because I never have, not even in childhood.
- I chose my breakfast as it was accessible, easy, nutritious, etc.
- I chose my breakfast because it tasted good.
These typical responses can also explain why one person may love a certain food while another can't stand it. Perhaps the most obvious reason is a past experience. Maybe we had tuna noodle casserole right before we had a case of the stomach flu, and forever after that, the thought of it made us feel queasy. This can be true even if you were too young to remember getting sick — the experience can still leave an imprint.
Not only can a past experience steer us away from a certain food, but it can also create a dislike for similar or related foods. In the example above, that experience may lead to an aversion to all types of casseroles.
Once we become teens and young adults, we begin to create personal belief systems. This complex journey makes us into who we are, which can affect our food preferences, too!
For example, say you make the conscious decision to stop eating animal products on moral grounds. Over time, your decision not to eat animal products may develop into an aversion to the taste and smell of these foods.
Or your dislike can stem from learned behavior based on where you grew up. A classic example is how it's common for New Yorkers to despise pineapple on pizza.
Luckily, you can totally train yourself to like a food you currently dislike! According to research from 2019, the key is repeated exposure, which means regularly eating a little bit of the food you dislike to develop a taste for it. This appears most effective if it's done during childhood, but it may be possible in adulthood, too. | | | | | Kirsten Seele, Registered Dietitian | | | Want to learn more about food, diets, cooking, or some other nutrition subject? Let us know at nutritionedition@healthline.com and we'll look into it for you! (Heads up, we may use your response in an upcoming newsletter.) | | | | | | | Hungry for more? | | | | |  | | Join Our Eat Well Newsletter! | | Get recipes tailored to your unique tastes and interests by signing up for our Eat Well newsletter. Choose your dietary preferences, like gluten-free, vegetarian, or high protein, and we'll send you healthy recipes every month. | | | | Every product we recommend has gone through either Healthline's or Optum Now's vetting processes. If you buy through links on this page, we may receive a small commission or other tangible benefit. Healthline has sole editorial control over this newsletter. Potential uses for the products listed here are not health claims made by the manufacturers. Healthline and Optum Now are owned by RVO Health. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | What we're digesting | | 🙈 Why is my vision blurry or hazy? Aging is one common reason, but there are many possible causes. | | 💊 Medications and supplements to help lower cholesterol. Statins aren't your only option. | | 👤 12 unusual symptoms of diabetes. Understanding how to recognize symptoms is key to maintaining a healthy blood sugar level. | | 🦠 11 best probiotic supplements, according to Healthline dietitians. Plus, who can benefit most from taking them. | | | | | How did you feel about this newsletter? | | | | | Email nutritionedition@healthline.com with comments related to this newsletter or topics you'd like to see in future editions. The newsletter editors read every message that lands in our inbox — yes, really! We look forward to hearing from you. | | | | Until next time, |  | Take care of yourself, and we'll see
you again soon! | | | | |  | | This edition was powered by | | pineapple on pizza.️ | | | | |
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