I am now 46 years old & can't remember a time I ate like a 'normal' person. I have always known my eating issues have been my problem so I avoid situations where my eating, or lack of it, could impact on others enjoyment. Normally I manage but holidays are really tricky. I love to travel, experience new cultures & see amazing sights but managing to get enough food inside me to function properly is so difficult. I have gone without food for days because I can't find anything I can tolerate putting near my mouth. I thought if I was hungry enough I would eat but I can't, bursting into tears at the thought of putting Street food in my mouth doesn't make great holiday memories. I dread locals inviting me to their homes, I'd love to go & share their culture but don't want to insult them by refusing to eat any food they offer. After 8 days in Nepal & no food passing my lips I found a stall selling almonds, I never knew a bag of nuts could make me so happy. I don't want attention or special treatment I want help & understanding. GP number 1, who was very overweight, laughed & said he had food issues too. CBT involved me crying in the supermarket because I had to purchase something I wouldn't normally be able to eat & take it to the session, even the thought of putting it near my mouth was enough to set me off. The sessions involved me gagging & crying while the practitioner got frustrated. When I was admitted to hospital for an unrelated issue they wouldn't discharge me until I started eating properly & couldn't understand why this wouldn't happen & told me I was just being silly. I don't want to live the rest of my life with these restrictions, I want to go for a meal & be able to order off the menu and enjoy the food I an given but I can't. Food is something I have to deal with every day reinforcing the difficulties I have. We need appreciate help from those who truly understand so our quality of life & physical health can be improved. My children, in their 20's, have inherited my food issues, without help how can we stop the cycle?

I'm 24 and have been a picky eater for as long as I can remember. I guess I ate everything when I was a toddler and then I just randomly stopped. I think I started out as a normal child picky eater but it progressed into a real anxiety.

Being a picky eater has really brought me a ton of self-loathing. I had an eating disorder when I was 15/16. When I overcame it, eating started to become a comfort for me. Instead of starving myself, I started to turn to food for comfort. Just like everyone else in the group, I mostly eat carbs and fatty foods. This has caused me to gain so much weight. Which is where more self loathing comes in.

Over the past few years I have definitely improved a lot. But I'm still so picky and struggle with losing weight because I don't eat very healthily. And I turn to food to comfort me a lot.

I long to be able to eat at restaurants without anxiety and to be able to eat healthily and actually enjoy it. I want to get over this more than anything. My boyfriend is West Indian and his family cooks a lot of foods that I gag just thinking about. I'd love to be able to eat with them someday.

If anyone has any advice on ways to work on this, I'd greatly appreciate it! The relief I felt when I found this website was amazing. I'm so glad to know there are others like me.

I honestly thought I was the only one that was a very picky eater. I cried when I found this website. I am almost 25 years old and have been a picky eater for most of my life. My parents tell me that when I was younger, I ate everything. But now I am very limited to what I eat: Cereal, Plain cheese pizza, plain pasta (with butter and cheese in top), breads/bagels, peanut butter, a few different nuts, some fruits and the only time I ever have vegetables is when my mom makes homemade soup (chicken broth with orzo, celery and carrots diced) that is it. I do not eat any meat/seafood. I hate going out to eat, other people's houses and really any social events. I have a fiancé that I have been with for 8 years now and he accepts the way I eat. But it's very hard when we go over to his family's house and I can't eat anything or they make me a small bowl of something I like. I always feel embarrassed and my family always points it out to me. I really want to change more than anything in this world but I cannot bring myself to do it. So far I have been good health wise but now I am gaining a lot more weight and my blood work is getting high in the wrong places. I really wish there was someone who can help me and change me. I would give anything to change. I have been at my job now for almost 3 years and now everyone is starting to notice my eating habits and it really hurts me that they don't understand...and no one understands besides the people on this website. I'm so glad I can write this on a website and not fear to be laughed at or made fun of. Thank you.

Hi, I am a picky eater and have been all my life. I am 41 and I eat mostly pastas and breads like with pizza. I do not eat 99.9 percent of vegetables. The only meat I eat is white chicken, and bacon and ham. I feel anxious and sick if I am at a gathering and the table has all these foods that turn my stomach. I am terribly embarrassed to eat with people so I avoid all eating with groups of people. I have maybe one friend who supports me and what I like. other people say negative remarks. My family supports me for the most part. I am pretty healthy but some people say I will get sick and used to tell me I would die. You are not alone. Most of us adapt to foods that are not really healthy and somehow we manage. As long as you are healthy and all. You are not a freak. You are human like everyone else. I try to learn to accept my habits. The way I eat even if not everyone agrees. I would eat healthier if I could like more foods, but I just can't. I am glad I have a group of people that can understand. I have a feeling I would make a truly great friend. We could go out and eat what we like. No criticism. 🙂

Hello all. I came across this site during my recent Google search on how to overcome picking eating. I've learned in a matter of minutes that it is considered an eating disorder in some circles.

My biggest issue that plagues & has plagued me is texture & smell of certain foods, namely vegetables.

I had some blood work done yesterday as part of my yearly physical & I got a phone call today about my cholesterol & triglycerides. It was expected, because I've heard it before from other physicians.

I don't really know what to do, I've added different things to my palate over the years, but after 32 years, vegetables of just about any type appall me. My palate expanded greatly during my time in the military, because I was so hungry during basic training. I've had other instances where I was able to overcome & add other things to my diet, most notably when I started working out routinely or trying to be an example to my children.

It's still a long road ahead, but I'm sure it will get better with time. Hopefully we can figure something out together.

This message is for all of you who feel so overwhelmed by the idea of attempting to eat like a normal human being, and want to try things but the irrational sensation of fear holds you back. I am 22 years old and I currently struggle with trying new foods. I basically grew up eating what everyone else on here eats. I recently discovered how awesome pizza was a couple years back and I regret not trying it before. (Seriously, I have an addiction).

I struggled with OCD my entire life, and not that "im a neat freak", the kind where I wash my hands till they're red, count my steps in groups of 4, would tap things certain ways and just so many more. If I didn't do a ritual right I would spend so much time trying to perfect it. The worst part is I was completely aware of how irrational my OCD was and it's just this force that makes you keep going.

After some therapy and being a rational guy I finally have overcome OCD to where I don't even think twice about doing my "things". BUTTT!!!!! I GET THE EXACT FEELING OF IRRATIONAL FEAR WHEN I AM PRESENTED WITH FOOD I AM AFRAID TO TRY.

I have a beautiful girlfriend who truly will eat anything. She loves all food and I'm sitting here in the corner with my pizza and fries. I'm trying so hard to try new foods for her and tonight I'm going to a fancy restaurant and no matter how damn scared I am I'm gonna eat some Braised Beef Short Ribs and mashed potatoes. I never had them and I think if I tell myself I'll like it enough I will. I am mainly trying to eat for her but I need to get this figured out anyway for public events and dinners.

It is true that normal people look at food and go "that looks good" and were like "oh no, that's gonna taste bad". I've even stared at food that looked delicious but didnt try it because of my fear of it tasting bad.

All I want you to know, is if you do want to beat the fear, just push yourself. I beat my OCD and I will beat this fear of trying new foods one baby step at a time.

Just remember it's literally all in our heads. The only reason this food is even tasting bad is because subconsciously, whether we like it or not, our brains like nah bro its gonna taste like shit. So we think it tastes like shit.

Once again I was just sick of seeing the posts of people accepting rather than coping, but remember this post is only meant for the people who want to change. Just do what makes you happy in the long run. My happy is learning how to eat and eat properly especially at these extravagant dinners and to be able to take my gf out who LOVES eating out. Best of wishes to you guys and I will keep you updated on my progress as I enter the ring. Peace out!

At 22 years old I just discovered ARFID / SED today. I have to say it feels nice to be validated and find that there's other adult picky eaters. But at the same time I feel like I have largely come to terms with feeling like "I'm the only one who eats this way." I'm just not sure how I feel.

Regardless, I finally feel comfortable describing in detail my diet to people outside of immediate family / my boyfriend. I mostly eat grains, dairy, and nuts. So basically bread, milk, cheese, yoghurt, and almonds (and some other nuts) are my staples (I'll eat french fries potato chips too, but I'll always go for something cheesy first). No "wet grains" as I call them: pasta and rice. No vegetables, and fruit only if it is ground up and served with a base of something else (Ex, I will eat strawberry ice cream if there aren't chunks of strawberry). I don't eat meat and that can be a source of confusion for a lot of people. I never describe myself as vegetarian. I will always say "I don't eat meat" and almost immediately people will assume I love vegetables. NO! I won't even eat tomato sauce so I have to order pizza without sauce. Not a fan of pizza by the slice places. I can stomach a half a piece of regular cheese pizza if its got less than average sauce and/or extra cheese.

Whenever I meet someone new I will avoid eating with them for as long as possible. There's 2 reasons. 1, eating out in general can be stressful for me if its not a familiar restaurant (i.e. I need to know the menu before walking in the door). I always fear I won't be able to find something to eat. 2, 99% of the time I have to custom order something/leave things off or order off the kids menu. I am very self conscious about my food issues and I don't want the person I'm eating with to judge me. So if I already know the person fairly well, then going out to eat is substantially more tolerable. So obviously this greatly limits social situations as I'm sure you all are aware just how integral food is with social life.

My parents' main strategy to trying to get me to eat more foods growing up was a combination of "you can't leave the table until you try something new" and telling me how everyone else will think I'm really weird for not eating this or that. I could always wait out their forcing me to sit at the table. I could sit there for 3 hours and have to go straight to bed after dinner. To me that was far less unpleasant than a noodle or an apple. My parents finally gave up when I was about 13. I've slowly improved over the years. Probably one of the most adventurous things I'll eat is gorgonzola cheese.

Well that's my vent for the day. Thanks for reading 😉

I don't think I've ever felt as comforted about my eating disorder than I have coming across this site and realising I'm not alone. My whole life, mainly as a child, I felt so confused and ashamed of myself and my eating habits. I genuinely believed that I was the only one in the world with this problem.
Since birth pretty much I have had these issues. All I ate was potato waffles and toast. I didn't know why, and it really affected me in ways I've only just realised looking back. I hated myself for having this disorder, and wouldn't wish my feelings of utter shame on anyone.
I am now 20 and have been through a hell of a lot but can happily say I have improved greatly. I have a story to tell if anyone would be up for speaking and trading. I would genuinely like to help someone improve in ways that I have because from experience living with this I know first hand that it can be really shitty on your wellbeing.

26 years old here. Been a picky eater since about the age of 4 or 5.

My diet mainly consists of pizza, cheetos, pastries and cookies, candies and a decent assortment of fruits...that I don't eat enough of. With the help of my always patient and understanding wife I've been able to add a few things to my repertoire, though nothing that I can honestly say I like. Just stuff that I tolerate, and barely at that. These include simple pasta dishes and a few vegetables.

I'm plagued with guilt and anxiety about my eating habits. I avoid social gatherings with co-workers and end up feeling left out and distant from them because of it. I'm unable to enjoy a night out at a restaurant with my wife, if we do go out it's mostly me sitting and watching her eat which is just awkward, and to my shame I sometimes lie to her about trying new foods she cooks for me. I worry about my health and more so than that I worry about the kind of example I'll set for any children we might have.

It's comforting knowing that there's many others like me out there that I can share my experiences with.