Selective eating disorder? Or just a fussy eater?

[Lauraadele18]

Hi ladies,

My post may seem trival to some of you.....but im at my witts end. I am 27 years old and i have funny ways with food (as you would expect from most people) for instance i cant eat a piece of fruit without it being cut up first - in case its rotten inside or if there is a bug. If there is a mark on an apple i wont eat it, in the supermarket i pull all the boxes out looking for apples and it takes around 15 minutes for me to find 5 apples. I wont drink milk because of the thought of where it comes from etc. The reason i am posting is because i am desperate to become healthier and have a normal outlook on food. I can live with all the funny ways i think about food but the one thing i NEED to do is start eating vegtables and i would like to eat salad as well. I havent ate a vegtable since i was around 8 years old. My partner eats all types of food and he says just try it. 3 weeks in a row now i have bought 2 single carrots to cut up and eat as snacks and at the time of buying them i think i can just try it. When it comes to a time to try it i become what i think is anxious and i just dont want to - i know nothing bad will happen but i just cant do it and i think the childish part of my brain knows if i dont eat that i can have a bar of chocolate (or junk food for tea) instead. I read once it could be a selective eating disorder - but i dont want to sound dramatic. But its much more than being a fussy eater.

Does anyone know what help is avaliable? All i want to do is be normal and be able yo pick up a menu and chose anything other than burger and chips or fish and chips (without the peas). I dont want to waste a GP time as i seem to still be pretty healthy (from what i know) and i am willing to pay private for anything that might help?

Sorry about the essay! X

[Noregrets25]

Hello, have you tried pre packed frozen veg? That way you know it has no bugs or anything in it as it’s already been picked carefully and packaged?

Perhaps write a list of your fear foods, starting with the least scariest and try it. Try it everyday until you feel comfortable with it and then move on with the next one.

I’m no dr but to me it seems as though it is more about anxiety then food, Cbt therapy could help with this, if you go to your gp they can refer you but ask specifically for someone trained in anxiety and eating problems.

Good luck!

[Daffodils78]

Veg I find "clean" are cucumber (sliced or batons), frozen peas, tinned/frozen sweet corn or corn cobs, pickled beetroot, gherkins, pickled onions, coleslaw, potato salad (other prepackaged salad in dressing). I also slice apples. Eat precut fruit salad. Cut grapes in half. Don't eat bananas (too "fudgey" although they used to be a safe food) and don't like bagged salad, lettuce, cabbage, etc.

I couldn't explain it if I tried. Just my experience. First posted on EDs today and realised I most definitely am a restrictive eater.

[Daffodils78]

Oh and cherry or plum tomatoes (halved), roast root veg (cut fairly small or precut), cabbage medley or colcannon mash. The last one is like mashed potato, only with a little bit of cabbage and spring onion, so a gentle approach to veg eating.

[Gladybird]

Hi Lauraadele18, I'm sorry, I don't know how to help but what you're describing seems very much like my son, who is 12. (apart from the fact that he wouldn't eat veggies at all). He'd sit at his dinner, picking all visible strands of vegetables from it for hours and it's not because he doesn't like the taste, it seems like anxiety to me. I have been considering taking him to the GP to have him referred to a professional as I just cannot seem to make him understand or change his ways, even though he knows he's being silly and unreasonable when he picks at his dinner. As I've said, i have no solution for you I'm afraid, in fact, I feel I'm failing as a parent for not being able to talk sense into him, so if you have an update on your situation, I'd love to hear it, it may help me in being more understanding or guide him towards better eating habits.
Thank you and hope you manage to change your relationship with food soon. (Have you tried smoothies? Then you can't see the little bits that you may avoid otherwise.)

[TriciaH87]

Its called avoidance restrictive food intake disorder or ARFID for short. My 8 year old is similar only he used to put them in his mouth and would be sick. He is after 5 years seeing a dietician now starting to try the odd item for example a nugget in macdonalds took 2 years to eating a nugget at home. I suggest seeing your gp and asking to be referred to a dietician if you think its genuinely more than being fussy. We started our son off playing with foods of different textures and so on then just touching it to his lips and tounge and then to nibbling the item. Do it over a period of time and just see if you can go a step closer to swallowing a tiny bit then a little more the next time.