Problem with food

LegacyUser

Hi All
I have a problem when it comes to eatting some foods.
My daily diet consists of breads, cerals and crackers. I occasionaly eat apples and chip and some dairy products. I have no problems eatting crisps, chocolates ans sweets.
I consider my self as healthy and slim and I rarely get sick or have a cold.

So my main problem is the embarressment and hassle of eatting out, i try to avoid it at all cost. The only thing i can eat on any menu is chips.
The taught of eatting fish or meat sickens me and Ive tried to eat plain vegetable and pastas but i cant bring myself to actually taste them once it comes to it..

I know this may sound silly but its like I have a fear of eatting or tasting food other than what i already eat..
I am in my mid 20's now and I have always been like this even when I was a child and it has always bothered me but its something I dont know how to dea l with.

Now my question is , is there anyone else out there like me?
can any one suggest a reason why I may be like this or can any one suggest a way that I can over come this?
would something like hyposnosis work?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

chamlis

You should exam the principle ingredients in the foods you do eat and the foods that you simply cannot eat.
Breads cereals and crackers are obviously grains. Chocolate, etc are sugar sugar sugar. These are foods with very high carbohydrate content. I'd guess that you actually have some sort of allergy to these foods. This manifests itself as an addiction.

Actually, you know what, I'm not a nutritionist. What do I know?
I can tell you however that I will never ever in my life, if it can be helped at all, eat fish. Any kind of fish. Or ANYTHING from the sea for that matter.
It's just not food to me. Not food I want to eat.

tbh

OP Is it the texture of the food that puts you off?

Crucifix

tbh wrote:

OP Is it the texture of the food that puts you off?

I'm a very picky eater based on texture myself.
Unfortunately I don't have any solutions to offer, but I'm definitely not looking forward to being an age where eating out is a bigger thing.

cooker3

I am exactly the same, when I eat out I only eat chips.
I have never even tried pizza, many vegetables etc
There are many foods I know I will not like even though I haven't tried, I would love to go out and eat anything on menu but just can't, it's quite an annoying problem which affects me a fair bit.

Ruu_Old

I am in similar situation to your own OP and probably the reason why I am skinny. I am one picky eater when I go out for food, which is quite often. I have learned to try other things. Start out small with a little bit at a time maybe some tasty chicken stir fry or something.

GuanYin

There was a pretty good study carried out by Nestle that looked at food perception. You can read a summary here.

Basically, we base our diet on familiarity of the flavours of the food we eat. The flavour of a food is biased roughly 70:30 in favour of smell over taste.

With children there are a couple of ways to deal with food aversion. The best studies I found were the ones that tried to get positive association with smell and tase separately.

One thing you could try, is to try some selected new foods with a nose plug or while holding your nose. The idea is not to focus on the aroma, with which you may associate the food (seeing as you don't actually taste it).

Try the foods, and if you like things based soley on taste, then allow yourself to experience the aroma - you may slowly come to associate the aroma with the taste.

Works well on kids (they use a drug to block the sense of smell for s short period) but there is no reason it shouldn't work for you.

If you have close friends or a partner who knows your problem and wants to help, it may even be a fun experiment for you both.

Gillo

Maybe I'm in a bad mood or something, but my initial thought was "Grown Up", you seem to be eating the food you like not the food you need. If you don't want to eat meat and or fish on the basis of been a veggie thats fine but you need to supplement the diet with other foods.

At the moment you are eating very little healthy food, are you taking a nutritional supplement such as pharmaton or megavites. Also don't equate slim with been healthy, it's certainly better than being obesse, but you are more than likely mal-nourished as opposed to a healthy slim.

Their is a sub forum in the fitness forum where you can post your diet and get people's opinions there, it's well worth trying. Although be warned chances are you are going to come in for some abuse.
EDIT; it's more for fitness logs, but they should be able to point you where you are going wrong

Black Swan

Perchance you may want to consult with a diet specialist?

ferdi

god a hate when people start picking things off their pizza or burger etc, but you just take the cake

it sounds like the actions of a stubborn brat of a child and i find it really wasteful and childish but maybe thats cause i love food so much (as my belly will testify ) OP, that sounds debilitating to be frank and i'd almost class it as an eating dissorder, you are missing out on so much enjoyment in your life, i dont know what i do if i would only eat crackers and chips, god how deopressing!

LegacyUser

'

foodProb wrote:

\r\nMy daily diet consists of breads, cerals and crackers. I occasionaly eat apples and chip and some dairy products. I have no problems eatting crisps, chocolates ans sweets.\r\nI consider my self as healthy and slim and I rarely get sick or have a cold.

\r\n\r\nJust because your are slim and not overweight does not mean you are healthy.I was like you, ate a poor diet yet and there was\'nt a pick on me.However its enevitable in time you will start to have effects on your health and start to put on weight eating this way.At least you have recognised this as a problem.You dont have to go all out straight away , you could start out with cutting out the crisps ,chocolate and sweets and substitute your chips for a baked patato.'

SideshowBob

Well, I'm a postgrad in uni and part of my research involves looking at food colours, flavours and how people percieve food, including how people decide whether or not something is worth eating without tasting it in the first place. There's a lot of stuff out there about it. As a previous poster said, there is a condition known as Food Aversion. From what I know, we all have it to some degree as kids, it's a protective thing to stop us eating berries that might be poisonous, raw meat, etc. that probably developed as we evloved. The research suggests that we have a natural attraction to the types of foods you describe eating - foods that will give us plenty of energy that we need as we grow (especially important for young children). There is also a certain amount of research (although it's highly disputed) that suggests that the human body will find nutrition in just about anything, especially with the type of conditioning that eating the same thing for years will bring.
Most of us are introduced by our parents to new foods as we get older. Some of us, perhaps naturally, like the new foods, complex tastes, etc. Some of us simply don't and it probaly depends on how willing your parents were to force you to eat something - if they didn't push you enough, you probably didn't get over the aversion. Of course, this may not be the case for the OP but it's a common scenario.

As for getting over it, I think first of all you need to go to a food/diet specialist to make sure you're getting all the vitamins etc., that you'll need in later years. If you're a girl, you'll want to think about osteoporosis, folic acid intake, all that. Secondly, you probably need to talk to a psychologist and find ways of introducing yourself to new foods. The reason I suggest this is that you probably need help just to get over the aversion thing first before even trying new food. But this isn't my area of expertise so you'll definitely want a second opinion.

And it's worth the effort, food is one of lifes great pleasures!!

Beruthiel

foodProb wrote:

I consider my self as healthy and slim and I rarely get sick or have a cold.

It's not possible that you are healthy, a body needs a healthy, balanced diet in order to function 100%.

The only thing i can eat on any menu is chips.

I cannot add anything to psi's comments.
I'll be honest and say I don't even understand this.
I absolutely love food, going to a top notch restaurant is one of lifes pleasures and I'll eat and try almost anything.

Tar.Aldarion

foodProb wrote:

Hi All
I have a problem when it comes to eatting some foods.
My daily diet consists of breads, cerals and crackers. I occasionaly eat apples and chip and some dairy products. I have no problems eatting crisps, chocolates ans sweets.
I consider my self as healthy and slim and I rarely get sick or have a cold.

So my main problem is the embarressment and hassle of eatting out, i try to avoid it at all cost. The only thing i can eat on any menu is chips.
The taught of eatting fish or meat sickens me and Ive tried to eat plain vegetable and pastas but i cant bring myself to actually taste them once it comes to it..

I know this may sound silly but its like I have a fear of eatting or tasting food other than what i already eat..
I am in my mid 20's now and I have always been like this even when I was a child and it has always bothered me but its something I dont know how to dea l with.

Now my question is , is there anyone else out there like me?
can any one suggest a reason why I may be like this or can any one suggest a way that I can over come this?
would something like hyposnosis work?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

I am like you, in fact, I probably like less foods than you. I hate nearly everything. It's annoying isn't it.
The only food I actually really like, meat, I gave up, things got very difficult.
Anyway, with time you slowly, very slowly grow to like more things.
You should try foods in health shops, especially ones you've never heard of. Keep trying foods until you get something you like. Get some cook books etc.
Do you not like the thought of eating meat, or is it the taste?
If it is the thought, try fake meats, quorn, realeat etc, they taste like meat but it will be soya or mycroptein.

Oh, and I can't eat out, no need to get embarassed, just don't do it. Making your own food is better anyway.You need to sort out what you are taking in nutrition wise, health shops, look stuff up or ask any specific question and I will try to answer it. You may think you are healthy but you are coming to an age where the lack of essential foods in your diet will start to show up more.

Why do you have a fear of eating foods that you don't normally eat?
Just spit out nearly every new food you taste, jsut like me.
I hope people don't get too insulted that I hate all the food they try to make me. (:

craichoe

Grand to know that people can be picky these days ...


Start smoking .. i hear you can eat a lump a cardboard and you wouldn't taste it


I think people are too soft on kids these days.... i remember my mam making me eat bacon and cabbage .. jaysus ... i'd eat it anyway though, because if i didn't i'd go hungry

tinkerbell

foodProb wrote:

I consider my self as healthy and slim and I rarely get sick or have a cold.

One thing's for certain - you are definitely not healthy. You may look thin but I can only imagine how high your cholesterol is. You don't have to be overweight to have high cholesterol you know.

I know you might not like "good" food, but really and truly, you need to just get on with it. There comes a time when everyone realises that they can't eat crap all day and get away with it. Go to a nice restaurant and have something with chips on the side, gradually wean yourself off the stuff and then you'll have a nice and varied diet.

ferdi

exactly, when i was a kid i'd have to sit infront of my food until i ate it, no amount of whinging or fit throwing made a difference, no namby pambying - the result? a strong immune system, an appreciation for all different types of food and a knowledge that one cannot always get ones own way - thanks mum

mickith

i have a freind that is like you OP but probably eats even less food than you. anytime we go out to restaurant or whatever he will get chips, pizza or steak or something. he gets the piss taken out of him but he nos thats all it is. a bit of a laugh. he is well used to it by now. as you said he has been the same pretty much all his life and eats what he likes.
i would say that you should eat what you like to eat. if you see something that you think you may like, try it. no one is gona force you to eat anything. as you said your healthy so eat what you want and dont feel like you have to change

dudara

Wow, it appears to me that you're setting yourself up for a world of trouble in later life. If you're eating that many carbohydrates, then you could be at risk from diabetes in later life, not to mention cholesterol and high blood pressure.

You need to bring more balance into your diet. Consult a professional dietician.

neuro-praxis

Can you cope with soup? You could eat plenty of bread with it. Soup is packed full of nourishing stuff but as it's liquidised you'd hardly know.

If you tried to introduce one bowl of soup a day into your diet you'd be taking a big first step to widening your tastes and your poor body would get some vitamins and minerals.

PurpleFistMixer

I have a similar kind of difficulty with food. There are particular foods (for example, onions) that I simply cannot eat, the sight of them in my food almost makes me sick, I have to take every single bit out before I can eat anything... which causes some difficulties when I eat at other people's houses as one might imagine.

However, as hard as it is, I think the simplest way to get over it is to simply force yourself to eat the food. Not necessarily gigantic amounts or anything. And then it sort of.. becomes less horrible. I usen't be able to eat yogurt that had bits of fruit or anything in it, but now it's doable because I made myself. And out of sheer hunger I've eaten sandwiches that have lettuce etc. in them, and I've grown to like or at least stand some foods (ie peppers).

As far as eating in restaurants goes... well, I suppose you could always try ordering a dish that contains something you know you can eat. That way even if there are lots of other things you can't eat, you just push them aside and eat what you can. Chances are unless you're making a big deal of it people wouldn't notice your negligence of the other food, and if they did they'd probably just be concerned for your nutritional health, so I don't think it'd be any reason for stressing.

cooker3

So where do you find a professional dietician and how much does it cost

Linoge

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Oh, and I can't eat out, no need to get embarassed, just don't do it.

Thats easy when you are young , even up to college, but when you begin working you're whole social life can revolve around eating out.

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Why do you have a fear of eating foods that you don't normally eat? Just spit out nearly every new food you taste

I think alot of people in here (through no fault of their own of course!) will have this POV, and logically of course it makes sense.

But you have to equate it to a phobia to understand, its like asking an iraqnophopic to let a spider crawl up their sleeve, but its worse than that for a person with food aversion.

The spider will just crawl up your sleeve and of course nothing will happen. For a person with food aversion the reaction could range from choking the food down, wretching uncontrollably and not being able to swallow, or actually throwing up. These are uncontrollable reactions and you can't even tell which food will have that effect. A restaraunt is not the time to be trying a new food! Even at home, you wouldn't exactly be enticed to try new foods if you broke out in a sweat when it went near your mouth, tried to choke it down and still ended up spitting it out.

To the OP, as said previously, your diet is far from good (really, you must know that deep down). What you can start doing at straight away is at least varying the foods that you do it, however small. Change the types of cereals you eat, (stick to the healthy ones - Porridge, Weetabix, Muesli, Fruit and Fibre, All Bran etc.), crackers - try rye etc, there are hundreds of different breads to try. Its an easy way to intoduce yourself to new flavours, which will help you. A bit healthier too.

Tar.Aldarion

Damn I hate macs, just deleted my reply.
here we go, with a shorter one...

Linoge wrote:

Thats easy when you are young , even up to college, but when you begin working you're whole social life can revolve around eating out.

Ah yeah actually, that might happen. When I leave college, social life may be more meal orientated, that's happening pretty soon. Although I was forced to eat spinach at dinner last night by my gf and I didn't puke, good sign.
I will have to improve or throw a lot of meals... (:

I think alot of people in here (through no fault of their own of course!) will have this POV, and logically of course it makes sense.

But you have to equate it to a phobia to understand, its like asking an iraqnophopic to let a spider crawl up their sleeve, but its worse than that for a person with food aversion.

The spider will just crawl up your sleeve and of course nothing will happen. For a person with food aversion the reaction could range from choking the food down, wretching uncontrollably and not being able to swallow, or actually throwing up. These are uncontrollable reactions and you can't even tell which food will have that effect. A restaraunt is not the time to be trying a new food! Even at home, you wouldn't exactly be enticed to try new foods if you broke out in a sweat when it went near your mouth, tried to choke it down and still ended up spitting it out.

Hmm, yeah, if it has reached a state of being like a phobia at this point, it's going to be very hard. For people like us it is nearly impossible, even without any phobia, to overcome the hate of a food. Have to try it over and over and over, putting bits of it in meals we like.
That's going to be pretty hard for you OP if you have a fear of new foods and especially as you would have to put things in your mouth that you hate.

To the OP, as said previously, your diet is far from good (really, you must know that deep down).

Yeah, you know it yourself OP, it's not healthy. You may tire easier than a normal person, be on the verge on diabetes, have high cholesterol etc and not know it.
Before I got glasses for lectures I thought my eyesight was 100%, you just don't know how better feels until you experience it.
At the best case you may feel healthy at the moment, but soon and later things will get much worse and you have to sort it out.

What you can start doing at straight away is at least varying the foods that you do it, however small. Change the types of cereals you eat, (stick to the healthy ones - Porridge, Weetabix, Muesli, Fruit and Fibre, All Bran etc.), crackers - try rye etc, there are hundreds of different breads to try. Its an easy way to intoduce yourself to new flavours, which will help you. A bit healthier too.

As long as the OP doesn't fear it too much. If he is like I was then, he might like one cereal and hate another, and so on. I could eat rice crispies, not rice snaps, Muesili and not all bran. Only one brand of peas, spaghetti, beans, corn etc, I would detest all others.
Plain wedges were even too spicy for me, which even I find hard to believe now. I only got over this by adding foods I hate to foods I love, little bits at a time. Most recently I can eat garlic potatoes and spinich, that took years... At least I can eat healthily, without trying the OP is in a bit of trouble.

I hope you can get over the fear and try even foods similar to the ones you likes like Linoge suggested because I can't think of any other way of getting to like more foods.

thebman

I was like that eating unhealthy all the time but never putting on any weight and I also have the right blood pressure and everything for my age.

I decided I needed to stop it and grow up and started forcing myself to eat foods I didn't really like. I did it by eating food that wasn't too far away from food I liked (like I didn't really like spicy food so I got something that wasn't really very spicy but had a bit of spice in it). After a while I got over it.

A lot of it is psychological I think. When you find yourself thinking this is going to be horrible or something as your going to eat something, try just telling yourself to cope on and that'll be nice or at least alright and then eat a small amount of it. Afterwards you'll probably think it isn't that bad and then after a while you'll be able to stomach it regularly.

Húrin

foodProb wrote:

Hi All
I have a problem when it comes to eatting some foods.
My daily diet consists of breads, cerals and crackers. I occasionaly eat apples and chip and some dairy products. I have no problems eatting crisps, chocolates ans sweets.
I consider my self as healthy and slim and I rarely get sick or have a cold.

So my main problem is the embarressment and hassle of eatting out, i try to avoid it at all cost. The only thing i can eat on any menu is chips.
The taught of eatting fish or meat sickens me and Ive tried to eat plain vegetable and pastas but i cant bring myself to actually taste them once it comes to it..

I know this may sound silly but its like I have a fear of eatting or tasting food other than what i already eat..
I am in my mid 20's now and I have always been like this even when I was a child and it has always bothered me but its something I dont know how to dea l with.

Now my question is , is there anyone else out there like me?
can any one suggest a reason why I may be like this or can any one suggest a way that I can over come this?
would something like hyposnosis work?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

You don't need me to tell you what healthy food is. Just take it like a man and shove it in your gob.

Nevyn

Húrin, unhelpful and off-topic posting will get you banned from this forum.
Do take time to read the charter which contains the rules and abide by them.
Have a nice day.
Thaedydal

greenkittie

PurpleFistMixer wrote:

There are particular foods (for example, onions) that I simply cannot eat, the sight of them in my food almost makes me sick, I have to take every single bit out before I can eat anything... which causes some difficulties when I eat at other people's houses as one might imagine.
.

Oh god i know your onion pain. When out at a restaurant with foreign people waitressing trying to explain that you cannot handle any onions in your food cause just be so embaresing and annoyng.

gurramok

I sympathise with OP and understand the fear and sickness that occurs when certain foods are to be eaten.
For example, i cannot eat any greens bar peas(only green that tastes good for my gob somehow)
Lettuce is another green i can only eat as part of anoverall burger!

If i was to try to eat greens like brussel sprouts/cabbage/spinach etc, it would literally make me vomit, my body just rejects it immediately when i get taste like vile in my mouth.
Though i can eat any meat/potato, it is difficult in a restaurant when your the odd one out by leaving greens on the plate and not able to eat a full dish !:)
Maybe the aversion thing really exists at different levels for people.