I am hoping someone can help me answer a question. When I was 2 my Mom said I had my chin in my hand and turned my head to tell her to "Look at the Birdies" Somehow my hand slipped from under my chin and I bit my tongue. My parents took me to the Emergency Room. The Doctors said I almost bit my tongue off. They said I would always have trouble speaking, but that isn't true. (Thank God.) My Mom said I was always eating everything, never afraid or disgusted to try basically everything. After I bit my tongue, I wouldn't eat anything different. Very limited selection. VERY. And to this day my food choices probably can be counted on 1 hand. Maybe 1 1/2. Thank God I will eat chicken and a hamburger, although has to be EXACTLY right.
My question is, could I have bit my taste buds off, or disturbed them to affect me like this. I wouldn't think so if my Mom hadn't said I ate every new thing in sight. Then injury and BAM never to eat normally again. I am 54 now, and somehow am healthy. A little overweight and slight blood pressure elevation.
I would really like to know if this is why. I saw a story on Inside Edition and thi website was mentioned. I will eagerly be awaiting an answer if someone has knowledge of or possibly have an experience like mine? I am a big vitamin taker, not sure if this has attributed to my basic good health. Also, I am adopted and have no familial knowledge of eating habits or health. Thank you in advance.
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682 entries.
Hi im Ree and in my 40s, and I'm such a fussy eater, i cant eat fish, chicken, meat or vegetables, hardly any fruits i just feel like if i try it i will be sick, i stick with pasta, potatoes and pizza etc i really want to eat anything but frightened to how can i over come this
It’s only been really recently I’ve realised how much eating has impacted my whole life. I didn’t realise how much shame And pressure could be put around something Without you realising it, it feels like I’m slowly suffocating. I thought having a diagnosis was finally going to give me what I needed to get the help I need but I feel like I’ve been given a life sentence. I wanted so bad for years for people to hear my screams and please for help and now I finally have an answer I just feel so empty. The realisation that there will never be a “normal” for me again has been a lot to come to terms with but I guess we all have to start somewhere.
Hi I’m MaryKate I’m 23 years old and I have had issues with my eating since before I could talk. I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t gag or throw up at food. My entire life doctors refused to help me because I’ve never been over/underweight but I’m uncomfortably skinny for my age. 5’2 weight fluctuates between 95-115. I mainly eat pizza, fries, chicken nuggets, and snack foods. I’ve never had a vegetable in my life. Texture, smell, and even the look of curtain food will make me gag. And I will gag or vomit at almost everything new I try, even if I enjoy the food. I’ve been seeking help because I feel like I cannot start my life until I can physically eat. I don’t have any bodies issues and I desperately want to force myself to try new things or eat but it is impossible to do so. I’d like to communicate with this support group because I have never met anyone like me before and it is hard to live like this, especially when you feel isolated or abnormal.
Hello,
I am 29 going on 30 in 4months, and I have been a picky eater for as long as I can remember. Textures are a big thing for me, I won't eat many, many foods because of this. I won't try new foods for fear the texture will be displeasing and I have an anxiety about not liking food people give me. My diet is basically just carbs and sweets. I'm 5ft2in and weigh almost 200lbs. I've spoken to a therapist about my eating, and we are going to try EMDR therapy to see if a childhood trauma caused my picky eating. I've always thought I was alone with this, or at the few least one of a small group, but it seems this is bigger than I thought. It is awesome to have found this support group. To know that, I am not alone with this.
I am 29 going on 30 in 4months, and I have been a picky eater for as long as I can remember. Textures are a big thing for me, I won't eat many, many foods because of this. I won't try new foods for fear the texture will be displeasing and I have an anxiety about not liking food people give me. My diet is basically just carbs and sweets. I'm 5ft2in and weigh almost 200lbs. I've spoken to a therapist about my eating, and we are going to try EMDR therapy to see if a childhood trauma caused my picky eating. I've always thought I was alone with this, or at the few least one of a small group, but it seems this is bigger than I thought. It is awesome to have found this support group. To know that, I am not alone with this.
I had aspurgers growing up, a disease on the autism specturm. With that I had hypersensitivity to certian textures. Stuff like mashed potoats, stew, soups, pastas make me gag. I've been doing that ever since I was a kid. I'm trying to over come it. It has gotten a little better. But I can't try new foods in front of people. It hurts me all the time and I feel bad. Seeing this support group is actually really heartwarming to know that there are people out there who struggle with the same issue.
Please send me the information on the new site. I am 50 years old and have struggled with this disorder since before kindergarten. I have stories to share and definitely need the fellowship on this topic.
Hi I am jack from Boston Massachusetts and for most of my life I have ate the same food for most of my life. I still mostly eat the same things like potato chips popcorn grilled cheese chicken tenders all the so called "fatty foods". But I am happy with what I eat and if your happy with what you eat you and as long as your not harming yourself with what you eat you should not be ashamed with being a picky eater you should embrace it.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I am not the only person to deal with this stuff after finding this site! I'm 30 and I've been extremely picky for my entire life. I feel like I'm pretty good at avoiding judgement but I know for a fact that my pickiness has made me miss professional and romantic opportunities. I desperately want to eat more foods but I just don't know how to start. How do I begin when I've only eaten the same things for my whole life?
I am 29 and I can eat only 2 times in 2 days because I don't have favourite food . I eat when I'm in the mood to eat my today's favourite food could be my hated food tomorrow and I hate it. I don't know what's wrong with me I look skinny and malnourishedi'm 48kg. I feel blessed to find this website through YouTube documentary.
I have been an incredibly picky eater for my entire life. Both of my parents were relatively picky as well, and never really pushed me to eat new foods or try new things - if they wouldn't eat it, why would they make me? I'm now 23, and have so much anxiety surrounding food. I've never tried most vegetables. I have never tried any kind of sauce. I hate foods that are watery or soggy. I have never eaten soup. I'm very sensitive to texture, and that puts me off of trying new things. I also have anxiety about how my food is prepared - I want to know exactly what's in it and what it has touched. If I see something I don't like touch food that I am about to eat, I feel physically unable to eat the food. I'm an anxious and high-strung person outside of my eating habits, but my picky eating feels like it's on a completely different level. It frustrates everyone in my life that I refuse to try new things, and I feel guilty because everyone has to cater to my weird eating habits. I would like to branch out and start trying new foods, but I feel like I cannot mentally or physically bring myself to do so. I've lived with my eating habits for my entire life, and I'm accustomed to people reacting strangely to how few things I will eat. But the older I get, the more embarrassed I feel by my pickiness. I wish I could explain to people that I'm not trying to be a brat!
So, I am 36yrs old and I am have SeletiveEatingDisorder! I've been like this since the age of 4yrs old!! I am 7 out of 8 kids and I am the only one that have a very extreme palate.
I DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING THAT HAVE A mushy texture ! My list of this I do it is about 8 or Less!! My go to is french fries ! Breakfast ,Lunch and dinner!! They have to be done a certain way! In the past year I started eating and trying Chicken breast , it had too look and be cooked a certain way !! I Do not eat vegetables! None!! Nothing absolutely
nothing sea food !!! And the list of things I've never had is very long!! Restaurants, not a problem because usually they have 3 of the items I do it French fries, something bread or something chocolate and I am okay!! OR I JUST ORDER FROM THE KIDS MENU!! It's funny explaining my Selective Eating to ppl they never believe me. I've been with my bf for over 10yrs and he still dont get over how I eat!! Well this is my STORY!!
OF SELECTIVE EATING DISORDER
I DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING THAT HAVE A mushy texture ! My list of this I do it is about 8 or Less!! My go to is french fries ! Breakfast ,Lunch and dinner!! They have to be done a certain way! In the past year I started eating and trying Chicken breast , it had too look and be cooked a certain way !! I Do not eat vegetables! None!! Nothing absolutely
nothing sea food !!! And the list of things I've never had is very long!! Restaurants, not a problem because usually they have 3 of the items I do it French fries, something bread or something chocolate and I am okay!! OR I JUST ORDER FROM THE KIDS MENU!! It's funny explaining my Selective Eating to ppl they never believe me. I've been with my bf for over 10yrs and he still dont get over how I eat!! Well this is my STORY!!
OF SELECTIVE EATING DISORDER
I grew up as a picky eater and threw high school I started to grow out of it. Trying new foods, etc. As a kid it was only made worse by my single father desperately trying to get me to eat anything new. He took me on a roadtrip trip for 2 weeks when I was probably 8 or 9 and would nto let me eat anything unless it was cold green beans or peas out of the can. This made things much worse of course and I was sick from not eating during the trip I was vomiting up bile. Eventually at that point he let me have saltine crackers. Anyway, my picky eating worsened after that but began to get better once the pressure from him was relieved. Then in high school my mother who lived across the country died and I spiraled out of control of my eating again. I would try to eat the new foods I ad begun eating just a few years prior and I would gag and vomit. It got so bad I couldnt eat anything again but the "kids foods" i had been stuck eating my whole life prior. I am not stuck at 23 with not much change. During college I would try to eat different things in the dining hall so people wouldn't look at me weird, but in times of stress I would find myself in that downward spiral. I have always avoided eating with people and I have become an expert and eating just enough and moving food around on my plate to make me look like I enjoyed the food I was served. I now live with my boyfriend of 1 year and it bothers him immensely. I feel at a loss of what to do or how to get back in control of my eating. I can't afford therapy, and I don't even have insurance. I feel so extremely lost and frustrated.
So I came across this by looking up what cucumbers taste like because I saw this video that made pizza on a cucumber. I am so relieved to have found this page because I am 21 and have been dealing with this since I was little. Most people would tell me to grow out of it but some friends have understood. I have a really bad texture problem where I don't like mashed foods except for squash and don't eat fruits or veggies unless in a smoothie. I really want to break out of this and eat a salad like most but I have tried salad and never undestood why someone would like it.
I am 61 years old and have struggled with food as long as I can remember. In each and every person’s story, I see something I can relate to. If I could change one thing about myself, THIS would be it!
I learned about ARFID just a few months ago from the school Psychologist where I work, and I was so relieved and excited that there was finally actually a name for it, and it was being recognized as something more than just “picky eating.” I have spent a lifetime feeling so alone, isolated, freaky, and ashamed due to this.
I am a very social person, so this is very challenging, as so much of our culture, and every culture it seems, is centered around FOOD. I miss out on so much of the fun that I want to partake in, including travel, because of it. I’ve been judged, cajoled, told to “get over it,” pressured, had people get upset with me, get impatient, and even angry. I am left out of invites because I have turned down so many involving food. I have felt extremely uncomfortable in social situations, avoid most functions that involve food, experience incredible shame, have nearly had a panic attack just looking at a menu when I couldn’t see one thing I could eat… I feel nauseous just at the “thought” of some foods. Strong smells bother me, as do textures. Greens taste like dirt! I couldn’t eat take-out pizza until I was in my 20’s because it made me feel like I was choking.
The funny thing is, I love watching cooking shows, but there isn’t anything that they cook that I would eat. I watch other people eat a large variety of healthy foods, like my daughter and 3 year old granddaughter, and I just can’t fathom how they do it! More than anything, I want to find a way to really expand my food repertoire. I want to eat healthy food and actually be able to enjoy it. I want to feel carefree and adventurous when it comes to food. I would like to date again, but ARFID is a huge impediment to doing that with ease.
I’m glad to know I am not alone. I would appreciate being added to the support group.
Thanks!
I learned about ARFID just a few months ago from the school Psychologist where I work, and I was so relieved and excited that there was finally actually a name for it, and it was being recognized as something more than just “picky eating.” I have spent a lifetime feeling so alone, isolated, freaky, and ashamed due to this.
I am a very social person, so this is very challenging, as so much of our culture, and every culture it seems, is centered around FOOD. I miss out on so much of the fun that I want to partake in, including travel, because of it. I’ve been judged, cajoled, told to “get over it,” pressured, had people get upset with me, get impatient, and even angry. I am left out of invites because I have turned down so many involving food. I have felt extremely uncomfortable in social situations, avoid most functions that involve food, experience incredible shame, have nearly had a panic attack just looking at a menu when I couldn’t see one thing I could eat… I feel nauseous just at the “thought” of some foods. Strong smells bother me, as do textures. Greens taste like dirt! I couldn’t eat take-out pizza until I was in my 20’s because it made me feel like I was choking.
The funny thing is, I love watching cooking shows, but there isn’t anything that they cook that I would eat. I watch other people eat a large variety of healthy foods, like my daughter and 3 year old granddaughter, and I just can’t fathom how they do it! More than anything, I want to find a way to really expand my food repertoire. I want to eat healthy food and actually be able to enjoy it. I want to feel carefree and adventurous when it comes to food. I would like to date again, but ARFID is a huge impediment to doing that with ease.
I’m glad to know I am not alone. I would appreciate being added to the support group.
Thanks!
Iam writing this for my sister. She is 52 & a servere diabetic 1. She hid her pproblem for years. Our mother tried for years to get her to eat or try something new it no good. Now here we are she needs to be eating regular meals at set times. She lives on peanut butter & milk whatever we can get her to eat.
Hey there,
I am 27 years old and I have struggled with restrictive eating since I was three. It's so great to hear from people like me. Unlike a lot of people here, I enjoy a lot of fruits and vegetables. However, my issue has always been getting enough protein. I don't eat meat, can't stand cheese. I eat a lot of pasta pizza (without the cheese) bread, pb&j and garden salads. I won't eat cooked vegetables, though except for corn on the cob. It gives me so much anxiety when making new friends or trying to pick a place to go for a date (pre- Covid). Is there any hope for us? I would love to be part of the new group if you could send me an invite!
I am 27 years old and I have struggled with restrictive eating since I was three. It's so great to hear from people like me. Unlike a lot of people here, I enjoy a lot of fruits and vegetables. However, my issue has always been getting enough protein. I don't eat meat, can't stand cheese. I eat a lot of pasta pizza (without the cheese) bread, pb&j and garden salads. I won't eat cooked vegetables, though except for corn on the cob. It gives me so much anxiety when making new friends or trying to pick a place to go for a date (pre- Covid). Is there any hope for us? I would love to be part of the new group if you could send me an invite!
Hello all!! I just found this group, and I have to say I am so relieved and grateful to read everyone’s stories. I’ve never met anyone in my life who was struggling with being a picky eater who was over the age 12. I can’t eat any cold foods, which sounds so silly, but it is so very limiting and inconvenient. Veggies and fruits are really difficult to tackle for me. I hate all sauces or dips and basically live off a diet of carbs and meat. I’m worried about my health in the long run, and I just wish I could change and be like the mass population of people who enjoy all kinds of food and don’t have to worry about anything like this. Thanks for making me feel like I’m not alone in this struggle.
38 going on 8 - - - I had some traumatic experiences when I was a kid because I wouldn't eat fruits or veggies. My aunt & baby sitter would force feed them to me to the point of gagging. So I've had these issues all my life. I've tried to do a small integration of fruits and veggies here and there - but then found that I had issues with textures. (like the seeds in strawberries, or the pulp of oranges) I cannot do fish (traumatic experience having to kill and gut one at an early age) or seafood as a whole - the smell makes me gag. The smell of tomatoes and the texture of cold lettuce on a warm sandwich... the list goes on. It is definitely preventing me from eating a healthy life, even with bariatric surgery, I am over weight of which I mostly contribute to my pickiness. 🙁
I am so happy I found this page. My limited palate is causing anxiety and makes it difficult for me to lead a healthy lifestyle. I’m overweight because the bland food I eat lacks nutrition. I’d give anything to like or even tolerate vegetables to or not gag/puke at textures, smells and tastes. I have a daughter who is 2 and a picky eater and I’m fearful she’ll end up like me