Everyone has their favorite foods. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try new foods, especially as an adult. As a child, you probably obsessed over sweets and enjoyed dishes with simple flavors and textures. But as you grew older, you likely found yourself taking to more complex flavors, like the sweet heat from your favorite Indian curry or the subtle notes of cedar and clove in your black coffee.

Your taste buds change as you age, which means even if you didn’t like something as a kid, you should probably give it another chance as an adult. Also, be open to new flavor profiles. You might not like raw carrots, but you might you enjoy them when they are roasted or cooked as part of a soup or stir-fry. The flavor profile and texture of foods change when they undergo heat.

Bottom line: Don’t write foods off just because you had one bad experience or because they don’t resemble anything you’ve tried before. Trying new foods, or trying new methods of cooking a food, is a great way to vary your diet.