Have you ever met an adult who doesn't eat

[lottieandmia]

Any fruit or vegetables at all? I have a friend who says she never eats any fruit or vegetables at all.

I have never heard of this. I think surely it's very bad for your health. And limiting

My DD is the opposite - eats tons of veg and fruit, loves all types of potato, loves rice, noodles, pasta etc. She won't however, eat meat or fish or eggs - never has liked them, even though I regularly offered them to her, both while she was being weaned, and up to quite recently. We've now accepted that she's veggie.
The bizarre thing is, she's known, both at school and amongst our families, as 'the fussy one'. Other mums say, "ooh I don't know how you cope, ooh she's so fussy isn't she, ooh what on earth does she eat?" These are people whose kids won't touch veg or fruit - but because they'll happily devour a huge burger, my meat-hating daughter is 'the fusspot'. Really annoys me, (she's perfectly healthy BTW, full of energy, and gets her protein from other sources).

Galena, I know about portion sizes, and yes, I was eating full portions of the fruit and veg - otherwise I wouldn't have included them in my count. I also work it out based on what my plate holds. The majority of the 'space' is taken up with plant-based foods, with carbs / protein/fats having less room.

I know that potatoes aren't classed as one of your 'five a day', but as there was a discussion earlier on in the thread about their vit c content I included them. So ok, for the sake of pedantry, I shall revise my number of fruit and veg to eight. I hope the breakdown still helps the individuals who were wondering how to squeeze that amount of foodstuffs into their daily diet.

"Quite easily. I eat meat so order meat and ask for no veg, or we go to a place locally that does carvery."

So do you only eat plain English food? No Chinese or Indian or any ethnic food? Or do you get a Chinese, say, and pick out the veg?

How do posters with partners who have restricted diets manage when eating out?

Most restaurants do chicken and chips/steak and chips, even most Chinese and Indian takeaways. The only place I don't really go are sushi places but even then I can normally have cooked salmon. I don't think I've ever had an issue eating anywhere. I just order things that don't come with vegetables.

I don't really eat fruit and veg. I'm 8 stone, flat stomach, no stretch marks, toned, 3 kids, run and exercise frequently. It hasn't done me any harm I am fitter than the vast majority of people my age.

I've known a couple of people whose diets revolve mainly around chips and other white carbs. One was vegetarian too which meant she got very little protein. Neither are particularly overweight, but probably fit the description of skinny fat with little muscle tone. Both look tired and sallow and older than their real age.

I'm not a great vegetable lover, but have diversified with age, and have blended or included a range into sauces and stews to try to maximise nutrition. My introduction to broccoli occurred after a week of poor eating on holiday as our food choices were revolving around DS's multiple allergies. I was also exclusively breastfeeding a large and very hungry 4 month old. By the last day of the holiday, the portion of broccoli that accompanied my dinner looked appetising and I ate it. Until that moment, broccoli had always featured highly on my repulsive textures list. I'm sure that my body was desperately crying out for nutrients at that moment! I have reluctantly had to eat it since then, but I have to be careful to eat something else on the same forkfull to mask the nobbly texture.

"Most restaurants do chicken and chips/steak and chips"

We tend not to eat in those kind of places. DD is vegetarian so we eat in places that offer a wide range of veggie food, as well as non veggie food.

I think it's all genetic anyway. I look very young for my age and I don't eat fruit or veg. My brother only eats about 5 different foods and he could easily pass for 18 and he is 30

"My 20 year old son eats very little in fruit and veg. Nothing that could be described as salad, tomatoes only in the form of things like pasta sauces, ketchup and on pizzas, a few carrots and peas"

My 19 year old DD is the same. She only has fruit when she makes cocktails or drinks juice. She cooks, she just leaves out the veg. When we plan trips, I worry about what she will be able to eat.

" It hasn't done me any harm I am fitter than the vast majority of people my age."

Watch how to stay young, on BBC1, weight has nothing to do with internal body age, it's lifestyle and eating fruit/veg is a big part of that.

I run up to 120 miles a month. Trust me, I'm in very good shape.

LolDollSurprise I look young for my age and eat most vegetables. Go figure.

Yeah it's genes most of time though in my opinion.

I know about supertasters. Could this run in families?

My DH also has ARFID, whereas the children and I are foodies!

His diet more or less consists of bread, potatoes and cereal, he did have hypnotherapy a couple of years ago which worked for taking away the phobia but he's too set in his ways to change now (I Believe he's autistic like DS although he's never been diagnosed, took till he went to uni at 30 to be diagnosed with dyspraxia)

Eating out is fine, I do it a lot. Chinese for me would (a little of, we share) be rice, prawn toasts, ribs, chilli beef and maybe some s&s chicken. Indian - chicken tikka masala or similar. Pub grub - steak and chips, lasagne and garlic bread, risotto, any sort of fish with potatoes. I went to Prezzo the other week and had crab cakes to start, salmon and prawn risotto (asked for no leeks) and chocolate cheesecake for pud. No problems.

Interestingly, when I went to a Michelin starred pub, I did taste everything on my plate because I really thought it was wasteful to spend so much and not even taste it. I ate most of it, left some unidentifiable green leaf but did have some lovely little roasted onions and carrots which I've never enjoyed in my life before. I've not been able to recreate them myself (unsurprisingly as am not a chef, just a keen cook!) .

We are also autistic gene line confuzzled.

No, and tbh I'd find them really fucking weird.

DS twins don't have varied fruit and veg tastes and would throw up if you tried to make them eat a banana, but they get plenty of the type of fruit and veg that they will stomach. I couldn't imagine just giving up trying!

DD is the opposite and would eat nothing but fruit and veg 24/7 given the choice.

How do you cope eating out with restricted diets?

Easy, marry others in the autistic gene line

This thread is pretty depressing. My DB's daughter is like this and we're all hoping it's a phase she'll grow out of. It's awful to think she could still be doing it when she's an adult. They don't indulge her, but if she can't have beige food she just won't eat. No signs of autism.
I don't understand how people like this take a shit tbh. It can take her a good hour and lots of tears because she's so constipated. But how do you explain to a 6 year old she's on a fast track to bowel cancer?

LoniceraJaponica
When you say you tend not to eat in those places, what do you mean? Because Chinese, Indian, Italian, American, Spanish etc all sell some variety of meat with carbs, be that chicken and noodles, steak and rice or burgers and chips. They also all do vegetables. Do you eat at exclusively vegan restaurants?

You asked how people who are fussy manage to eat and I gave you examples of how it has literally made no difference to my husband having to "put up with my eating habits". We've eaten a Japanese teppanyaki restaurants with no problems even. It really doesn't limit me at all.

I suspect we're supertasters. I was fairly fussy as a child (ate fine at home as my mum was an excellent cook and my parents ate what they wanted, and my dad agreed I shouldn't be forced to eat liver). Main problem was people overcooking food and the one texture I still can't handle is mushy grey veg. Apart from that by 14 I ate a wide range of food and by 25 I'd be classed as hugely adventurous. I can taste the difference between lots of things others can't (gone off milk is a problem, but otherwise it's great)

Ds is a very restrictive eater and his only fruit or veg in over 5 years has been ketchup and one flavour of smoothie and some juice. The dietician says that's fine and to leave him be - he is a fit healthy child. Apparently MrNC was a bit similar but grew out of it in his late teens, and now will eat practically anything.

Ds has ASD and the psychs say we do too. Other adult restrictive eaters I know also have ASD though many people who know them wouldn't know that. I think it was easier for people who get repulsed by foods easily, back when there weren't nearly so many types of food you'd be expected to deal with and much less agony of choice, and things like school dinners would be more familiar and eaten slowly in much quieter surroundings.

"Do you eat at exclusively vegan restaurants?"

Funny you should mention that but the last few meals out were at a vegan cafe, Yo Sushi, a Lebanese place and an Italian. I didn't see a meat and chips on any of the menus.

I was extremely fussy as a child and so was DD, but we both grew out of it and are real foodies.

Yes me!!!! I don't eat fruit or veg because I don't like it!

I can eat some fruit but actually just choose not to because I don't ever fancy it or really enjoy it.

Occasionally I try to force myself to eat a little better and I can manage some rocket and red onion with feta & blasmic vinegar on but it doesn't last long and I soon stop

I basically live on bread, cheese, meat, pasta etc I love carbs

I'm not unhealthy nor am I overweight, I'm 5"6, 9 stone and a size 8 and always have been despite 4 children, my skins ok suffer a little with it being dehydrated and maybe diet would sort that out

But I have never had any health problems

I eat food from all around the world in restaurants. Mainly that is junk though like chinese, indian and italian (British style)

It is weird how so many autistic and those with autistic relatives do this, but manage to stay slim, very good fitness levels and often very, very young looking. In my completely non scientific, anecedotal experience only autistic gene line people can do this.