Just wanted to say thank you! I have lived my entire life eating the same handful of select foods. I struggled for years with anxiety and depression ( brought by anti social tendencies because of how I eat ) and dealing with Anorexia behaviors because I felt overweight but just excersizing wasn't keeping the weight I gained from my limited food choice down so I figured it was best to live off of nothing until I gained control of weight and then eat again and repeat the process.
I remember praying to God that my kids would eat well, that they wouldn't cringe at the invitation to dinner, that they wouldn't get physically sick in front of a group of people because of the food smells and trying so hard to swallow something just to be polite and not seem rude. I always felt alone with my problem. I would try so hard to eat things by forcing myself to eat them only to puke before sitting down at the dinner table.
I hope research can help those of us with this for it truly is not a choice. I would not choose this for myself, I would not choose this for my family to deal with.
Thank you for the work those involved in the website and groups who have strived to make this known and heard of. Make people aware that it is not a case of just picky eating but something more and that no one is alone in this.

I'm 23 years old and I've been struggling with food my whole life. I don't know what it is, but I'm extremely picky and probably have a variety of 5 food items that I eat.. pizza (cheese), chicken (boneless only), potatoes (french fries, mashed), and dairy products. My appetite has never changed since I was able to eat. It's affected my life in so many ways, and I'm beginning to think it's more than just being a "picky eater" because I cannot bring myself to try anything new. I get anxiety thinking about the look of it, taste, texture of it in my mouth.. and when it's in my mouth, I just gag because my mind is telling me it's disgusting and I can't digest it. I know I need to eat more, because I've been feeling extremely tired lately and I have a huge loss of energy - I can sleep for 12 hours, wake up for half an hour and go back to sleep for another couple hours. No one around me really understands and thinks it's me being "lazy" when I'm just having a major issue eating the foods that I need to give me energy. The last thing I want is to have kids one day and follow my footsteps in the way I eat because it has prevented me from going to a lot of social outings. It's not a matter of availability of food in the house either, because I can go grocery shopping with an unlimited budget and in the end I only pick out 2 things for myself because NOTHING else appeals to me. It's never been a weight thing either, because I actually eat a good amount of candy/baked goods. I feel at this point like I'm stuck and I don't know what the first step I would have to take is to become a healthier eater because I've been on this same path for so long and I'm hoping someone here can give me some advice on - either vitamins you can take, programs to attend or even meals that you had to cook for your kids to hide healthy stuff in it. I'm willing to at least start with anything after going through this for as long as I can remember.

I've wrote in here before but for some reason I felt the need to do it again. I am so disgusted with myself recently. I am gaining weight like no other because the way I eat. I've eaten this way sense I was 7 years old. I get made fun of at work, I can't go out to dinners unless they serve breakfast and Noone understands. They all tell me Oh just jump right in and try new foods. It gives me such anxiety. Tonight I decided that I'm done eating fast food.. which is just French fries. I felt like I was having a heart attack. Mind you im 23. Idk what to do.. I want to see someone to talk about my eating issues but the apointments are like 200 dollars a session. I can't just jump Ian and do it. I can't seem to find any tips on how to even start. I'm so scared I'm going to die within the next 2 years. I honestly have no idea what to dom :/

I've struggled for as long as I can remember with being so picky in the food I eat. My family has always thought it was strange that I have a small variety of food choices. I'll eat a perfectly cooked filet. I love white bread and basic cheese: cheddar, American and my favorite nacho cheese. PB & J, simply the best. Certain "junk" foods I eat because I can just tolerate it. I've been forced to eat things such as, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers just because people think it's funny to see what happens.. Ends in me gagging and throwing it up. I can't stand the smell of dressings, seafood related, or any veggies. I get picked on a lot from my in-laws. Luckily my family has backed off with the jokes after seeing what happens when I try to eat "new" foods. I've been diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, and seizures-- with no known triggers. I'm interested to see ANY feed back people have with luck they've had. Multiple doctors have told me it's a phase, but at 27-- it's no longer a "phase".

Nice to find others like me. Since I was 2-3 years I have eaten nothing but bread. I drink mostly anything, as long as it is not too thick. I am 41 and have a good job and keep in shape.
I do eat most candy and crisps, but not cake with cream or other too greasy stuff. I the same amount of candy as any average person.

When I was around 32, I taught myself to eat French fries. I only eat that rarely, since it is unhealthy 🙂
I would love to solve it, but really do not know how.
I have a young daughter of 16 months and another child coming this August and do not want to pass my habits.
Great to find this place 🙂

Thank God I found others like me....I am what you all have feared. My eating habits now have me with high cholesterol and pre diabetic....I don't know how to change, don't know what could help...I also have premature peripheral artery disease at age 40....if I don't change I will look the possibility of having my legs amputated down the road due to my circulation problems I already have, with impending diabetes, causing more circulation problems. I am so glad I am not alone in this battle.

How marvellous to find this site. How strange to feel so much better knowing so many are like me and that in some ways I am more fortunate with the variety of food I can eat. Here's hoping in time more medical experts will acknowledge it and seek to help. My whole life(I'm 51) I have cringed with embarrassment and to be fair annoyance at others intense interest in me around the dinner table, the keenness for my colleagues to revel in telling new team members "Oh she's very strange she only eats...." instead of quietly letting me use coping techniques to get through the meal time without being a spectacle, Carole Anne the freak. I think I now have the confidence to refer to myself as having a selective eating disorder and perhaps even mention it to doctors if they were to mention a diet related issue. Thank you

I feel so needy when I go over to dinner at my friends' houses. I'm still in high school (I'm 18) but SED has been dominating my life for as long as I can remember. Combined with my ADHD and bipolar I can't keep up. I often spend lunch alone and I go days without eating. Texture and smell are huge issues for me. I love plain carbs and sushi and sweets.

I'm 19, almost 20 and I have been a fussy eater since I was about 5/6. I also feel alone because my fiancé and her family are so welcome to trying new foods and I won't. It causes huge anxiety to me to try something new so I just give up. Texture is a big thing for me as most textures just make me gag or make me feel sick. I eat more now because my fiancé has helped me a great deal but I still have a limited diet. For example I hate cheese so Its so embarrassing constantly have to ask for a burger without cheese, pizza without cheese ect. Ive learned that I love to cook which has made me try more but I have to use passatta instead of chopped tomatoes because I hate the lumps. And if I do spaghetti bolognese I have to blitz the vegetables and sauce before I add it to the mince. I won't touch seafood. Ive gutted a fish in college and stuff but I won't eat it at all. I've gained so much weight because of what I eat. I won't eat any fruit and the only veg I eat is potatoes. It's nice to know it's not just me