You hear a lot about how important a healthy diet is for energy, well-being and longevity. Most people agree those diets are pretty much plant-based.

That’s fine for many people but there are also a lot of people out there who never learned to love their vegetables. 

One woman was determined to overcome her lifetime of picky eating and get to the heart of what makes some of us reject a host of foods.

In her new book, “Suffering Succotash: A Picky Eater’s Quest to Understand Why We Hate the Foods We Hate,” Stephanie Lucianovic explains how she transitioned to a “recovering” picky eater. In her late 20s, she even went to culinary school and is now a food writer.

She says she found a way to make a career out of loving food rather than hating it. She explains how her love for her boyfriend, a man who ate everything, motivated her to start trying new things. She says the fear of embarrassment was an even greater motivator than her fear of certain foods.

Stephanie reveals why there might be genetic reasons why certain people dislike certain foods, such as beets and tomatoes, and she offers tips for dealing with the picky eaters in your life, including children.