who exactly is 'we', gave up? most research is paid for by corporations. so unless you are a corporation, I don't think you need to worry

You are paying for it in the sense that you read the article and supported msnbc or any other of the major news networks. Livescience is a group that exists solely to collect interesting information and science articles so that they can be sold to the news organizations.

We as a society need to stop enabling negative behavior. Over the ages, someone who was a picky eater would have the option of starving or getting over it, or someone with germ phobia, cutting, OCD, etc. would not be excused and coddled.

We are a spoiled culture and it's reaching a point of ridiculousness. I don't recall hearing about these things during the time of primitive man or even during my grandparents time.

I have this and i'm grateful that we have reseachers studying this! If it wasnt for research i would be extremely underweight because I can't stand the sight or smell of certain foods. Sometimes i go without eating because i can't stand the food.

i am a selective eater, and NOBODY has coddled or "enabled" me. family and friends have all said to just deal with it. it sucks, because they don't understand that i just cannot even fathom eating the things they love, but i don't ever make a scene out of it. i just....DEAL WITH IT.

just because someone has an issue doesn't mean they cry about it.

and your grandparents time hadn't heard of AIDS or HIV either, comprende?

Actually, truepatriot, in old, old times all you'd get to eat was something you caught while hunting and maybe a few vegetables if you could find them. So you certainly wouldn't notice a picky eater.

Bad comparison. AIDS and HIV did not exist before the 70's. What they are implying is that this always did exists and we are not discovering it. Or maybe it did not and something has changed. I have known picky eaters throughout my 60 year life. It usually is a specific thing or things. Not virtually everything as was pointed out here.

Yes, there have always been "picky eaters." No, you would not necessarily know about it unless those people were the kinds of individuals who get into history books: kings, popes, generals.

There were plenty of "eccentrics" back in the day--and it was almost better when people with Asperger's syndrome or OCD or this "picky eating" syndrome were called "eccentrics." Back in the day, everyone else just "dealt with it."

Let's say that Aunt Emma was "eccentric"--she washed her hands constantly. As long as she did everything else she needed to, nobody really cared. They would roll their eyes occasionally, but mostly ignored it.

This is why Emily Dickinsen, who certainly had some form of OCD, could live a perfectly peaceful life in her house. There was less pressure on everyone to be exactly the same as everyone else.

By the way, gay men were called "confirmed bachelors" and gay women were called "old maids." Their function in society was to take care of the orphaned children or motherless children of their siblings. Nobody really cared back then because, back then, people minded their own frigging business.

Why do we care if a picky eater wants to starve themselves? I sincerely doubt there were very many picky eaters during the depression.

All doctors and researchers are in the disorder business. They only add new ones, never take any away. Why?

How about finding out if it affects this guy's health? I've eaten peanut butter everyday for 70 years and have other picky habits. So what? I'm healthier than anyone I know my age.

Wow, thanks. After eating PB daily and being 51 yo, I now feel normal. After receiving a b-day present of an 5lb jar of PB and huge serving spoon one year, I am glad to hear there are others like me:) I am also a milk addict...but so what. I can think of worse addictions.

Yes, every time a government grant is given for research they have to publish the results. That's why you always see opposing results for coffee, sugar, alcohol etc etc...

...Got pain? Take two aspirin and call me in the morning!

yes Freedom 1, and that grant money comes from the taxpayers, not corporations as mentioned by someone earlier. Corporations/foundations get grant money to fund their research. Your tax dollars at work:)

Exactly my sentiment. What an assinine excuse for a study. I was a very picky eater as a kid and beyond. I married a Thai woman who is an excellent cook among many other talents. Salty, bland food ?? HA HA HA ... YEAH, RIGHT ! Might as well said picky eaters are all left-handed. If anyone fits this article's criteria as 'suffering' from the Alleged 'mental disorder' (RLMFAO), it is/was me. Tell ya what ... you don't outgrow 'mental disorders'. I think this 'study' is just a crock of $h!t. Really. Pretty soon they will state that 'everyone' suffers from one 'brain disorder' or another. Really pathetic how the Medicine Machine tries to get us all to buy their little pills $$$. How did I overcome my 'illness' ? I started trying other foods ... and discovered everything I had been missing out on. Now it's FUN trying other foods. The media should not publicize crap articles like this one, People just might believe this crap. What a shame.

I was a picky eater too until I joined the Marine Corps, guess what you will eat anything if your hungry enought. while in the Philipines I would have killed and eated a baby seal with a spork if I could have found one.

food disorders are a luxury that you only find in well developed countries, I guarantee you no one in somalia is a picky eater.

Even in the P.I. you could find plenty of meat in any barrio of a decent size. Larger towns was no problem. Out on the islands and in the really isolated places it was harder unless a water buffalo "accidentally" got killed. You are right though, after a week of not eating you will force yourself to eat even if you have to puke two or three times before you can finish it. Generally it is a good idea to not ask what the meat is. I now eat only what I want now though and it's going to stay that way!

Funny thing though, wherever I was in the jungle or coastline, island or mainland there was always San Miguel beer. Leave us also not forget the local home brew.

"The problem with America is that there is just too much damn food...do you think anyone in Rwanda has a lactose intolerance?"

Chris Rock

Bean, the term "Old Maid" was never synonymous with lesbianism and your contention that everybody just went their own way and let gays raise a bunch of orphans is laughable!

you must be from the Know Nothing Generation!

What da Bean was saying, other people didn't care nor delved into others personal lives. It has been only the last 30 years where everyone is compeled by who know what to air ALL their dirty laundry!

Also, I'm a very picky eater, but can ALWAYS find somethng to eat here in the good ole USA. Besides, it's much cheaper being picky also!

To Bean@home: Welcome to the age of the internet...where the whole world is your nosy next-door neighbor and/or meddling aunt who can't leave well enough alone.

Besides, maybe things were better back then for those who are easily disgusted by others' peccadilloes, like you. However, why should homosexuals, people with OCD, or "eccentrics" shut themselves away from society? Do you really think people should not be given the chance to lead a normal life because you're easily offended?

I agree. If there is a legitimate neurobiological issue involved, let's focus on that. The name is dismissive and ridiculous for an actual disorder and suggesting that picky eating ranks up there with anorexia or bulemia is a disservice to people with these disorders. I have no doubt that there are people whose pickiness transcends normal human behavior and that it might even be pathological, but then it isn't truly 'selective' is it and the term has the potential to medicalize a whole segment of the population who just may have different views on food and not just those with a real impairment.

Makes me think of a new ad out for a drug for 'difficult menstrual periods.' As opposed to what? Happy, fulfilling menstrual periods? Good grief, not every aspect of the human condition is a disease requiring a treatment from a pharmaceutical company. Besides the fact that efforts to turn everything into a disease are simply marketing ploys with little relationship to to true biological phenomenon, people are willingly putting all sorts of chemicals into their bodies to treat mundane issues that often resolve on their own if left alone. This is insanity. Maybe this researcher should do a study on 'gullibility about disorders disorder.'

I just wanted to respond to your comment

"suggesting that picky eating ranks up there with anorexia or bulemia is a disservice to people with these disorders"

I think it is a disservice to blow off people who truely have an eating disorder, that could be called picky eater for lack of a better term. I have worked with DD adults for 12 years and I agree I have seen what your grandma would call a "fussy or picky eater", diagnosed with an eating disorder and anorexia, because ..ya they were picky eaters, and not as heavy as the obeses society that we have come to live in. While many others have a true disorder are never labeled. I know one person who needs to chew every bite a 100x, why.. because he is afraid of choking. guess what meat is not in his diet. He also has problems with textures so that kicks a lot of things off the menu as well. Is it something he can just get over? nope. It is a true eating disorder just as anorexia or bulemia. He struggles to eat

If you had a difficult menstrual period you'd know what it was. Extreme pain, maybe very heavy flows - heavy enough to keep you home, etc. Look it up. Just because you don't have something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

If you or someone you know is having menstrual periods heavy enough to keep one home...please visit a gynecologist. There are excellent procedures to treat this disorder. Left untreated severe anemia could result.

And Michele is right, there are no "happy menstrual periods"...that is from anyone I know that has them.

Amen, Michele. You said it better than I could. I would not be surprised if a pill is currently in the offing to treat this 'newly discovered' "disorder".

Counseling works. Our very petite kid put herself on bread and water at age four. She is very bright, she felt as if she had no control over anything--she didn't, she was a kid--so she controlled what she ate. She couldn't afford not to eat, she was so small to start with, so we sought competent help for her. Therapy while she was very young helped her avoid depression and anorexia in her teens, she's now a very bright college athlete, still petite but picky only in that she is vegetarian. She has not eaten meat since she was 14 months old even though others in her household were meat eaters, I always thought that was interesting. My other kids became veggies when they had crushes on other veggies as teens, but this kid seems to come by her dislike of meat naturally.

Put these clowns in Africa for a few months. I bet they get cured within a week. What a joke this over fed country has become.

I wonder if anyone in Ethiopia has this "disorder"? What a joke this over fed, over stuffed, fat, whiny country has become.

http://www.dukehealth.org/clinicaltrials/the_food_fad_study_finicky_eating_in_adults

http://www.dukehealth.org/clinicaltrials/the_food_fad_study_finicky_eating_in_adults

Thank You.

TOM----GOOD ONE! lol

Wow Marko! What a strong reaction to Tom's comment. After reading his two- sentence long comment, I didn't see where he claims to be a doctor OR a Republican. Youre' one judgemental dude... kinda like Tom.

TOM, I suppose cancer and strokes are imaginary, get over it, stop pretending to be sick. Remind me to never go to your office for an infection.

Hey Marko -

Funny thing is, I just don't think dismissing things is an answer.

Oh, but you do. You pulled the "Tom must be a Republican!" crap out of your ass because he said something you didn't like, and then proceeded to dismiss him by saying we should "exterminate" him and all those like him. Sounds like somebody is letting their impotent rage about the midterm elections spill over into other areas of their life.

I can see it now. Marko is at work, and his coworker walks by and says, "Hey Marko, how's it goin'?" Marko screams, "WHY ARE YOU REPUBLICANS ALWAYS ON MY ASS WITH YOUR QUESTIONS ALL THE TIME?!! WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO CLUB SOME BABY SEALS AND DUMP OIL IN A RIVER AND LAUNCH NUKES AT SOME ENDANGERED SPECIES?!?! I OUGHT TO ROUND YOU UP AND EVERYONE LIKE YOU AND PUT YOU ALL IN A RIGHT WING DEATH CAMP SO THE LEVELHEADED PEOPLE LIKE ME CAN GET BACK TO RUNNING THE COUNTRY!!!"

um, my mom has restless leg and it is quite painful for her. think before you speak, jerk.

my mother has restless leg and it is quite painful for her. think before you speak, jerk.

Spoken like someone who has never had RLS. It's bloody horrible.

Jason, stop being a jerk. I have side effects from a medicine that mirrors RLS at times. Uncontrolled twitching in the legs as well as the neck and tremors in my hands. It's called Tardive Dyskinesia. Constant muscle action is painful after a period of time. The muscles start cramping and can be tender. Sadly, the med I was put on that gave me TD was given to try and help me be able to eat. My diet is as limited as the people who have this, although mine is from a stomach condition that causes severe pain and nausea every time I eat. What I wouldn't give to be able to go out with friends and eat whatever I wanted. But after 2 years with the condition, I have developed food aversions caused by the pain from eating. I avoid certain foods at all costs because they have caused such discomfort in the past.

Wow--just, wow. I just love it when people who have never had a neurological problem in their whole lives just tell people with neurological problems to think positively.

Are you going to tell the left-handed person or the color blind person to just "think positively"? How about the person who has had a stroke and cannot count any more?

A brain issue is a brain issue. If this person could think his way out of it, he would have. He's got a very strong motivation to do so, but cannot. The article points out that he's only ever heard of one person with this syndrome who was able to find something on most restaurant menus to eat. That's pretty much a demonstration that this is not an issue of mind over matter.

So, exactly how does this man's problem affect you, anyway? The article is meant to let people who have this problem know that there is treatment, that it has a name, that there is a support group--and that perhaps a treatment that will make it possible for them to function better will be found. I don't really think it was aimed at you, Pollyanna.

I think people should learn to mind their own business and stop telling people to try things that, duh, they probably already thought of on their own. If I had this syndrome, I'd just claim to have bizarre food allergies and explain that I can eat such a small range of specially prepared food that I'll just sip on the water, thanks.

Why is it that people understand "food allergies" better than some sort of brain issue? Go figure.

Ha...I have 2 very rare immune issues. One of which has a very strong neurological component. I know fully well of what I speak, not to mention I am a celiac and allergic to dairy (the casein specifically)...to a very dangerous degree. So yes, actually, I know very well of what I speak.

Here is the deal, the article showed these people in a very 'poor me' light...60+ years and 2 failed marriages, pessimistic for the future. Dwelling on the 'only 1 person' instead of focusing on the how that one person was able to do it.

I know support groups online well, as someone who cannot go out w/out the help of others, I relied on them for a long while. One can choose to say 'only one person ever got better and all these others did not' or say 'that guy is awesome, he is better, we can ALL do it.'

Mind over matter is very strong. Give it a try, just as those who believe in prayer know for themselves the power it provides them. You can call me a Pollyanna all you want, but I have walked and will forever walk the walk of one w/a very serious disease. I know what it means to sit up in the morning and say I AM IN CONTROL, THIS WILL NOT DEFINE ME.

Any real psychologist will tell you there is great power in the way one genuinely approaches life...half full glass or half empty...it is 100% the power of choice.

Pollyanna

LOL

I think you missed the point of this article completely...

There seems to be a big difference between those that are simply picky (the type you mention), and those with a serious issue.

John-S is right you completely missed it.

My parents did the whole "eat what's in front of you or don't eat at all" thing, and they tried/made me eat all kinds of things. however, today, i am a super picky eater (possible SED patient) and now i won't even LOOK at most of the things they fed me.

So now you know one.

I am the parent of one adult picky eater (thought not to the extent described in the article) and the relative of another. Next to flavor, texture is a big driver for their preferences.

I can tell you for certain that I did NOT allow any of my kids to eat "whatever they wanted." I tried not to make food an issue of contention, but coaxed them to periodically taste things they didn't want, and if a substitute was necessary, it needed to be nutritionally acceptable.

Still, I agree that this is not something I have heard of among people raised in situations where food was often scarce. I eat a wider variety of foods than most people I know, but was still considered picky by my parents who grew up in the Depression. It may be that simply knowing that preferred foods are physically available is enough to kick-start the negative reactions against others.

Whatever the reason, it is a problem for the people who experience this. Given how many go to lengths to hide it, it doesn't fit that they're crying "poor me" over this. The more that is learned about it, the more likely it is that a solution can be found. As outsiders (for any personal issue), we need to find a balance between crying "poor you" and snarling "idiot, stop complaining and fix yourself."

And I am so sick of reading complaints and comments of worthlessness about every study reported.

"those with a serious issue."

There is another disorder that affects everyone from newspaper editors, newscasters, politicians, teachers, and almost all others. It is "issue-syndrome". It is the compulsion to use the word "issue", instead of the word "problem". Magazines have issues, people have problems.

Dang it, I must have an issue, with problems!

The big issue I have with this "disorder" is that in some countries or areas with limited diets, we don't hear about them having an aversion to certain foods like we do here in the U.S. I can't imagine an Asian not liking vegetables or an Inuit not liking fish. Why don't they compare this study with those other countries where they don't have an option of processed peanut butter, sugar cereals, Kraft mac and cheese, etc. and if this "disorder" occurs there at all. Maybe they need to figure out why our country has this issue and other areas and cultures don't and are able to adapt to the foods they are given. Maybe we just have too many choices here and the over processed foods are spoiling some palates.

Because most of the time a "picky eater" means you don't like food that is good for you.

I agree with eyetoldeweso. A few good days going hungry could cure most of this disorder. The real problem is that most picky eaters are not in the slightest motivated to change. Every day I hear a parent tell a child "you wont like that". How do they know? No wonder kids grow up to be so picky.

My parents started with the "Eat what we serve or go to bed hungry" thing.....so I went to bed hungry. And then I lost weight. Too much weight. So now they just go with the flow. I've been a super picky eater for as long as I can remember, and I didnt have an explanation for it, I just figured my taste buds were different from others. But I guess its something more. I think its a thing with flavour, texture and the appearance of food, but thats just my two cents.

No kidding, we had six kids and a chronically unemployed alchoholic father. If you didn't like it, you went hungry. Problem solved. I ate certain foods out of neccessity, not like. Get over your sight, texture, smell issues and get some help. I am so sick of spoiled brats eating whatever they want because a parent doesn't want to deal with an unhappy child. Disappointment is part of life and sometimes your dinner will be just that. If that is as bad as your day gets, consider your sorry ass lucky.

I grew up on processed foods and we ate in restaurants all the time. My brother was a very picky eater (probably not quite to the degree as the people in the article, but not far off- he had PB&J for lunch every day of his life), but I've always been very adventurous. If we saw something new on a menu I just HAD to try it. My parents would make jokes about it. I'm still always finding new foods, and I eat healthy whole foods now that I get to choose. I feel bad for people with this disorder, I think of all the great things they are missing out on. I hope they find a treatment for them.

I was raised in an eat-what-you've-been-given-or-go-hungry household and I frequently went hungry. I am now an adult picky eater. Now you know one.

I was also raised in a house where you eat what you are served or go hungry. I would actually go hungry for days before eating certain foods. Make fun of it all you want, but just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't real. My mother raised her own garden and served full meals with all the food groups from the time I was small. All of my siblings love different kinds of food and I am extremely picky. I try new foods hoping I will "get over it", but it ends with me being frustrated. Now you know another one.

You know two, although not quite to the extent in the article. Mine is caused by food aversions formed due to a stomach condition. I was also raised in the same type of household as skate_08. I was also raised to clean my plate, but now I'm lucky to even want to eat more than twice a day, let alone finish everything I have on a plate.

If my kid had been raised in an eat-or-go-hungry household, she'd be dead. She was that determined to control her food, even at age four. She's alive and thriving as an adult because we backed off on that one issue.

Good call Fog...I suppose I fall into the category of picky eater as well then. I don't eat fast food, processed foods at all, I find them gross.

Funny, people tell me 'I could never get my kids to eat that'...and the 'that' could be anything from spinach to quinoa, etc...my response is always that kids will eat what they are served and what they see their parents eating. It won't all be their favorite, but they learn their habits and attitudes about food from their parents. Healthy consumption and attitudes equals a healthy outlook!

Thanks for the thought...all hail the healthy picky eater. ;-)

I realize this has nothing to do with the problem being discussed, and I do sympathize with those who have an honest, life-affecting issue, but it brought to mind a personal experience from the '80s:

When my daughter was being evaluated for kindergarten, the speech therapist asked her to name some foods (just to check her pronunciation of sounds). Her first question was, "Do you want to know the ones I like or don't like?" The teacher said either was fine. She then told her, "Well, I like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus,..." I had a hard time not laughing. Today she and her husband try all sorts of ethnic foods, eat almost no processed foods or meat and love trying new recipes.

That is awesome Just Me! Sounds a bit like my own children...once one came home from some time out with friends 'starving', I thought he had said they were going ot eat while out and inquired why he didn't eat...his comment was 'they didn't want anything but fast food, I said I would pass and eat some fruit when I got home.' ...at the time he was 8, almost fully grown now and chooses healthy things to eat most all of the time...eats what he learned at home.

to No One in Particular -- while I agree with much of your comments, the part about "kids will eat what they are served and what they see their parents eating" is wishful thinking at best... With three kids, I can say my first born was much like that- a decent eater (once the Terrible Two's ended) and as a teenager I can still get him to try just about anything... and I'm big into green veggies, salads, whole grains, etc. My middle child is middle-of-the road... tries a lot of things, but frequently goes into it with the preconceived notion he will NOT like it, and therefore doesn't end up liking it. My youngest I suspect will fall into the category described by the article... at 6 years old he still has what I consider to be an overly-developed gag reflex and throws up CONSTANTLY when I try to get him to eat certain things (vegetables especially). I can understand the mind-set that the middle child gets, so we still make him take the "No Thank You" bite of everything served, but to throw up?? that seems more along the lines of "unable to tolerate" things- whether its flavor or texture, I have no idea... but we deal with this almost daily.

NJMOM – How did you come up with that phrase “overly – developed gag reflex”? No disrespect intended but I think that phrase is a sham and I’ll explain why. I have been all over this world and seen many things. I saw my first dead person when I was 11 or 12 and it was very messy. I saw my first gunshot person when I was 13 and that was very messy. There is a lot more but here’s the point, I never threw up once. Now if you start putting things in front of me that I don’t like I will throw up if I try to eat it, no ifs, ands, or buts, I am going to heave. Many of these things I ate when young but can’t now, go figure. This is one reason I think the term “overly – developed gag reflex” is an invalid term. Heck, I am almost normal compared to some of these folks but that doesn’t mean they do or don’t have a problem. If he continues to be a picky eater then you need to help accept it so that he won’t be traumatized socially when he gets older.

NJMom, I will give you the benefit of the doubt w/your son. I have no doubt there are exceptions to the rule and I have a close friend with an Autistic son and he has certain peculiarities associated with the neurological issues he faces.

Generally though, I think children are too coddled as a whole. As a society we try to explain away, assign blame, etc, all over the place...to an unhealthy degree. I am sure there a bunch of studies to explain why that is. ;-)~

I was raised in an extremely abusive home by a bipolar individual. It was very difficult, this on top of some severe health issues of my own that I was pretty much left to handle on my own. I could have become a pessimist, but not a chance...life is too awesome for that. I could blame my past, parents, family, genetics, whatever, spending countless hours wasted on it all. I spent time in therapy and came to a very strong realization...I am in charge of ME! The buck (so to speak) stops with me, so if that means I cannot deal with something, that is on me to figure out a own solution (a fix, workaround, acceptance, asking others for support, the whole nine yards). I have some pretty significant health complications that I face every day, but I don't hide from life and would not trade my issues to another person...I know them well, I am stronger for them.

That is the way I parent my children. As a parent, I am not perfect, admit when I make mistakes and admit I won't always know my mistakes and expect the same of my children. That goes for eating and whatever else...life simply IS every day, whatever we make of that is of our own doing. My children are served a meal, it isn't always what they want, and I have seen my youngest gag and choose not to eat something. That is more than fine, I am certain to ask him to give it a try again at another time (not the next week, etc, realistically 9-12 months, etc...kids do grow and change). If it doesn't work out for them, so be it, they have the choice, but the rules are still in place as a framework. What I won't do is serve them something unhealthy in our home outside of a dessert or 'treat'. Meals are organic, veggie and whole grain heavy, and there is a meal prepared from scratch at least 6 nights a week. When we go out or what not, that is a different story, they can choose whatever they want, but in our home, though it isn't always easy (sometimes it is downright exhausting), the foundation is a healthy one w/a dessert or treat thrown in here and there...I have no desire to raise an obsessive 'I couldn't have that so I eat a million of them now' type of eater.

Maybe I am just lucky that my kids follow the example set, even the oldest who is far into the peer pressure of teens phase, and for that, I am thankful.

No One particular, I can attest to what NJMOM-990262 is saying. I don't understand it but, truth be told, what she is saying is what my spouse says to me. He physically reacts (gags, vomits) to foods to which he has an aversion. It is something psychological. I know his mother struggled with him when he was a child. I don't think his siblings have this issue. It is very frustrating when trying to cook a balanced meal. I have hidden vegetables in food (pureed) at times, he tells me not to tell him. He will eat most raw veggies, though.

Von Fisch, I wish your husband well and hope that if he wants to change this eating issue (not suggesting he does, we all have our own uniquenesses we find perfectly fine in ourselves) he will seek help.

As for hiding veggies, I do that...not to hide them, but to add more veggies to foods that don't really lend themselves to certain veggies. Ex. I always puree at least a cup of spinach into pasta sauce, so you don't have to be doing just to hide it...but kuddos to your spouse for wanting those healthy benefits despite his inability to eat these items.

Thanks for the response. I think the only thing that would help him would be a hypnotist! -and I have great doubts it would work anyway. It can drive me crazy sometimes and my husband wishes it wouldn't be this way either.

I think he does have a sensitive palate in addition to this, though. In things he does enjoy, he can tell when something is a little off to him or not quite "perfect" while I'm like, it tastes fine to me! He'll still eat it, he'll just think it wasn't very good.

thank you for the validation, Wren.

when this disorder was first publicized a few months ago, you wouldn't believe the amount of emails/texts/phone calls i got saying, "now we know what's wrong with you!"

thankfully, i can always find at least one thing on a menu that i'll eat, even if it's just a grilled cheese or chicken strips or rice. but it can be very difficult in social situations, especially going places i'm not familiar with or eating food made by someone who doesn't know me.

Wren, I am not sure that most people want to criticize (though I could be wrong). I think many people are tired of hearing of the 'poor me' syndrome.

As you can see from my post above, I am sympathetic, but to the point that it is time to face the demon...ie, the disorder of an issue with food. If it is a true allergy, well, that is a horse of another color so to speak (though one that can also be addressed healthily). But, if it is a psychological issue, it can be addressed. Will it be fun, oh no, not at all, will it be worth it, yes.

You see, I have a very serious disability, it came on as an adult and has altered my life in more ways than I could ever have imagined. I have heard all kinds of 'gosh, if I had to deal with that I would just die' or other laughable statements. The deal is this...it isn't fun, it is not psychological (like possibly this food issue is) it is physical disability. But, after the initial shock, my family (spouse and kids) sat down and came up w/a plan to move forward. Doctors and at home tactics involved, when there are setbacks, we address it...but we always move forward. There is never a 'this is too hard' or a 'I cannot do this'. never. period. end of story. That is counterproductive, a disservice to myself, my family, and society in general...and absolutely never a 'oh look how great I am doing'. If others see our struggle from the positive light we chose to live in, great, if they do not, we are not boastful people and that would be rude...we are human, living and learning.

I used to belong to several support groups and walked away from them (again right or wrong not my point here). I found each of them to be more of the desire to lean on each other and say 'you are right, it is so hard' instead of truly looking for the solutions to positive living w/the constraints of a disability. Sure, there were and are people trying to do that, but they are the minority and it was very easy to get sucked into 'poor me' with so many others lamenting on their daily struggles...I walked away because I knew I could do better for myself and in representing my disability, without any of that type mentality...it is a slippery slope.

To circle back, it is not a matter of stepping in someone else's shoes. None of us knows the struggles of others, but we ALL have struggles. I think when people hear of a health (or other) issue where the subject group seems to be pessimistic and not owning/accepting their issue and tackling it, that makes people shake their heads. Right or wrong, I think that is where that criticism comes from.

I agree, there needs to be more compassion and understanding. So many people are quick to judge and define others experiences for them. In a world with over 6 billion people is it really such a shock that some people experience the world differently from you?

I think the science of how animals recognize food is a very interesting topic and it bears to reason there is variation out there for it. How can cats who naturally eat raw meat that they hunted recognize dry cat food as edible? How do any of us recognize our processed foods like bread which has no resemblance to anything our foraging ancestors would have come across as food? There must be physiologically based processes that allow animals to do this and any biological process built can be broken or have variation so why is this so shocking?

What I took away from this article is that most of the challenges these people face, like many disorders or disabilities, is social prejudice. Please don't assume that when others are different from you that it must be a vice.

I agree with you about this

No One,

I belong to two support groups for gastroparesis. And while there are those there for the pity party, most of what I see is looking for possible treatment options, or letting others know what is working for one person.

I look at it as a way to help others learn at the start of their diagnosis, as there is very little literature out there that the docs give patients. They are just told "You have this, there are very few treatments, and no cure. Go on and live your life" It is hard to do that when everything is affected by your condition to a certain degree. I understand that you have serious medical conditions, and know what I'm talking about. And I'm glad that you have found a way to deal with any limitations you conditions place on you.

But not everyone is as resilient. Just last month on one of the support sites, a man posted a suicide message and no one has heard from him since. Not everyone is able to deal with the massive limitations, either physical or emotional, that these types of conditions cause.

Emily, thank you for pointing out the social prejudice. People who see me at a restaraunt form opinions very quick. I am overweight, caused by my body going into starvation mode. Often I can only tolerate ice cream or a drink. Occassionally I can eat something like mac and cheese. I get looks from both the employees and the other customers when my order comes. It is extremely unconfortable for me to eat out with friends, knowing that people are going to be talking about what I am eating. Even a church group I go out with almost every month still comments on my order. It makes it very difficult to go out and enjoy other people's company when every one is making assumptions.

SJM,

I understand what you are saying, I was simply trying to explain why I think people might end up criticizing. And kuddos that your online support group is truly that. I have no doubt there are those like that, it simply wasn't my experience...though I will credit it with connecting me with someone else with my condition, which is extremely rare, I have never actually met another person with it, and took a long while before I met a doctor who had...'only in books', was a common statement.

I also know what you mean about initial assumptions made by others. I know that is a hard one to tackle, to get to the point where what others think honestly doesn't have an impact at any level, a huge obstacle.

As to the resilience though, I think it can be within everyone. I am not perfect, I absolutely have my moments where I am down...but it is all about approach. I have a dear friend who recently was diagnosed w/an illness she will live the rest of her life. We talked about how hard it was emotionally, that the physical part was less difficult than then psychology and emotions. My advice, which she has said has been very helpful, and I learned from the first doctor I ever saw. Go through the grief, give it a timeline, allow yourself to experience it and then tell yourself that part is over...and believe it. From that day forward, every day, wake up and be thankful (sounds a bit cheesy when you first do it and can be hard w/physical or psychological obstacles). Get up and say outloud the things that you have to be thankful for that day, different things, things you have to dig to think about at times. It starts every day on the best note. If needed, also write it down. It will be needed when the going gets tough. I was somewhat reluctant at first, but I did it, and now many years later, it is just who I am, even on my worst days, there are always fanastic things that are better than 'being sick'.

To my friend I also recommended both of Michael J. Fox's books and the book Perfectly Imperfect...books written by people w/huge life struggles, but who always see things with an eye to being the best they can be and loving the life they have...inspirational books and people.

As for those outings, like with the Church group, I hope you can overcome your worry of their assumptions, everyone has them, just be you...the best you that you are, their assumptions are not who you are and don't define you, enjoy what you can. I am also a celiac and casein allergic, to a deadly degree. I have no doubt I have gotten strange looks and have heard some crazy remarks, but in time I have been able to know those things are not a reflection of me. I hope for that for you as well!!

I can feel compassion and sympathy for someone if they have an eating disorder that is in their mind, I just choose not to be around them.

Grilled cheese sandwiches generally do not have any spices (salt is a mineral, not a spice) that would trigger the sour or bitter tastebuds....hence, they are considered bland.

Mike, I don't like the texture of spinach, but I eat it anyway. Actually, for a long, long time I didn't like the taste of it either, but I ate it anyway. I have found ways I now enjoy it and know it is very healthy for me.

I would say to you this...be empowered to make a better choice for yourself. However you can do that, on your own or w/support (loved ones, medical, support groups, whatever fits your life), you deserve it for yourself.

Sure, pizza is great, as are many of the things you listed, though not necessarily the best diet for a healthy diet.

You didn't mention if you are happy with your diet (but said it might be borderline addiction), but if you are not, please consider, you have it within yourself to make a change and I wish you well!

I think I would fall under the category of "finicky eater"...never had corn in its basic state and refuse to eat it or anything that it has been mixed into...same goes for mushrooms.

I'm trying to develop a more open mind about the food I (don't) eat, but I'm still a work in progress.

Mike make a decision to change and do it. You are more powerful than you seem to want to give yourself credit for. If you learn to like all kinds of food then then you will always want whatever there is to eat.

That is right Scottnrg! Go Mike!

P.C. Moblee...keep up the work in progress, everyone is at some level! Good job!

P. C. Moblee --

My daughter was born prematurely in 1971. She weighed 4 1/2#, dropped to 4, and was in the hospital for a month simply because she wouldn't eat. Doctors insisted she needed to have Similac with iron (the standard of the day). When she came home, it was not unusual for her to sleep 4-6 hours, then drink 1/2 - 1 1/2 ounces. She didn't start to really eat till she was put on solids.

When she was about 16, we found she was actually very sensitive to corn. (Formula is mostly corn syrup.) She did not like corn-on-the-cob, popcorn, Fritos, tacos -- any of the typical foods teenagers liked. What had happened was that as she grew up, she did not like the way corn made her body feel. As a result, she convinced herself she just didn't like foods made with it.

Amazing how our bodies and minds work together to deal with their reactions to many situations in our lives.

Ricky, You're going to be in for a lot of pain later on in life

The "dark green stuff" prevents disease and illness. The crap you eat causes disease

Just Me, that's exactly what my daughter weighed at birth, but she was full term (we're not big people). She actually went home at four pounds, she weighed 12 pounds at one year. She's now a 95-lb college athlete, on track to graduate in three years. She was not bottle fed, but stopped eating meat of any kind at age 14 months. There must be something in meat that her body rejects, and she was bright enough to figure that out for herself at an early age. It is amazing.

I suspect you are lucky to never have had anything go wrong with your health, and I hope someone tells you that when you break a leg that it is all in your mind - get over it!

Technically, potatoes are vegetables. We just don't think of them as such because of the low-carb dieting fads these days, and the fact that most consume potatoes not as baked potatoes without any toppings except maybe some seasonings (the healthiest way), but as French fries.

The potatoes must have had enough vitamins to keep them going without malnutrition issues...or did they take a multi-vitamin?

They would be very lonely men with a pathology Gina if people did not accept their picky ways. It is not that your friend CAN'T eat the pickle juice, it is that he WON'T. He must be a joy to be around.

Maybe your a Vampire?

Scottnrg

They would be very lonely men with a pathology Gina if people did not accept their picky ways. It is not that your friend CAN'T eat the pickle juice, it is that he WON'T. He must be a joy to be around.

Scott: You must be a real joy to be around with your closed sick mind!

I try anything. I can eat anything. I am open to a variety of things because I choose to be. What many are trying to do away with is their own personal responsibility, for what they eat, how they live etc. I would not enjoy being around someone who is closed mined about food, weather, health etc. I can accept that people are that way, but I can not understand it. If people actually said I will not eat this or that because something in my mind does not allow me to I would have more respect for them. This is not a physical disorder in most cases it is a mental condition that we in this country have the luxury of indulging.

You sir are intolerant! If you were REAL friend you would buy some boneless chicken when he is coming for dinner. Their are many people who won't eat any kind of meat with the bone in. It's just more T-Bones, Porterhouse steak, and Pork ribs for the rest of us!

Good grief Hawk are you kidding?

Steven I think that is exactly right. I will eat almost anything and like it. It might not be my favorite thing in the world, but those who expect every single thing they eat to be their favorite taste a spoiled beyond my ability to accept.

Your friend should get help.

I think that is the point, if he is wasting away and cannot do anything about it, friends/family should step in and guide towards getting help.

If he still chooses not to get help, for whatever his reasons could be, that is his choice, negative or positive, it is his choice.

Sympathy is something we can all have, but it should have a limit or we become part of the problem. We should all also be able to step in, if feasible, to help our loved ones, but the ultimate choice in how to live a person's life resides w/in that person. This goes for all kinds of disorders, diseases, etc...one can have such a thing and do the things to be genuinely healthful and joyful. I speak from true experience, not this particular disorder, but from physical disability.

i think you and i could be friends, based solely on our diet!!! :)

my friends sometimes bitch about my limitations, but i never say that our group can't go somewhere because i don't like the menu. i either find (or modify) something --even if it's a glass of water--or i politely decline the invitation.

flutiefan-2723232 - Not a problem, in fact it would be great to have a dinner companion who truly understands what this is about.

I also agree about the situation and friends. There are few places I can't go and find something on the menu. My friend know this and realize I have always been this way. They also realize I have never been a pain in the butt about it.

For the rest of you, that's what being a friend is about. Family usually understand but that's what family is about too. For some of you I pity your friends.

The Old Hawk --

You have pretty normal likes and dislikes, but nothing like the issues the article is talking about. Your diet is varied, not just a few items, and just because you're a meat-and-potatoes type of guy doesn't make you different from a great many people who grew up as farmers, etc. and ate those types of meals everyday.

Just Me-1436687 -

You are correct, I didn't realize just how picky some people are. I still empathize with them as I have found myself in the same position of being someplace where what's available is not for me. It doesn't happen very often now but when I was younger it would happen, again not very often.

I still feel for these people who have even greater restrictions on taste and would go out of my way if they were going to be guests at my house. Some have said we learn from our parents - mine weren't picky about anything and I started getting picky as I got older. Some others have posted these people should have to go without until they are hungry enough, I covered that in some other posts, and it is not a solution. I also don't think you can come up with a pill that will fix this and pot won't either. Wish there was an easy solution.

"Family meals should be fun, she said. They are not a time to argue, reprimand about grades, or harass about eating habits."

While I agree, picky eating is a real situation, I find it hard to call a disorder. I certainly don't agree with the above solution either. When I was a kid, I had to eat what was on the table, and I couldn't leave the table until I finished. I think the problem is exactly opposite of what the article suggests. Parents need to force kids to eat a variety of foods at the dinner table, and quit being so darn soft and accomodating. I'll bet you'll find parents of picky eaters simply spoiled their children, and ignored the responsibility of training their children to eat right, and instead adopted a strategy of the least resistance.

Dinner time should be structured, period. Everything served should be eaten, and it is time to socialize with your children about anything and everything, including grades. Obviously, tempers should be kept in check, but if repremand is deserved, then it can be served with a slice of pie for desert, as long as they eat their vegetables. If not, it's time for bed, no xbox, no tv, but finish all homework first. This method has worked just fine for generations, and since we've broken with proven methods and adopted a kinder gentler approach, we now have eating disorders recognized by the board.

This article should serve as a reality check on parenting, and should not be adapted as a solution to a picky kid. MAKE them eat their food. Eventually, they'll learn to like it, and even crave it as they get older. We adapt to life. Life doesn't adapt to us.

And what does it mean to be a trained Psychiatrists for something like this? Do you honestly think the cure is based on anything more than a simple opinion?

Picky eating sydrome, give me a break. Way too much self inflicted drama in life.

In the end, once a child reaches an age to make their own decisions and chooses cheetos and oreos for nuritiousment, then so be it. I don't care for vegetables either, or bland food, but in order to stay healthy, you have to eat healthy foods. As an adult, you have a choice, and if your choice is clogged arteries and a heart attack, more power to you. I don't care. If you want a cure to make food more palatable, than smoke a joint.

violently vomiting for 24 hours is not because of like or not liking a certain food! Some people just cannot eat certain foods.

Well said Isis! I whole heartily agree. See my post. I don't feel I have a disorder or illness. It amazes me that many of these people talk about a friend who they deep down apparently can't stand.

People with quirks real or perceived are what makes the world interesting. If you're coming to my house for dinner I will be telling you what's on the menu ahead of time. That way we can come to some accommodation for the meal instead of me blind siding you. I suspect many who are saying "let them go hungry" have no idea what it's like not to eat for a week or so, I do! No one who comes to my house for dinner will go hungry for any reason if I can help it. That includes their children.

I have no idea what it is like to go hungry BECAUSE I will eat anything, not in spite of it.

If you read some of the posts, the people here who are finicky or picky eaters were raised in households where you ate what you were given, and expected to clean your plate of everything. I was raised that way. But there were things as a kid that I honestly could not bring myself to eat, no matter how hard I tried. I would literally sit for hours at the table if my parents or grandparents put something on my plate that they loved, therefore I should as well.

I have become a very picky eater due to medical issues. But that doesn't change the fact that texture and consistency make certain foods either very hard or impossible for me to eat because of reactions in the past.

That thing with texture that people keep talking about is in your mind. Don't you want to be in control of your own mind?

Actually, it's not all in my mind. I have constant nausea, which makes me very sensitive to textures and smells. If it is not the right texture, gagging starts. I do everything I can to avoid that cause not only is it uncomfortable, but once it starts it's hard to get it to stop without medical intervention. Often it leads to dehydration

I am a picky eater, but not to this extreme. I think it started when, as a child, if I were served a food I didn't want to eat, like spinach or broccoli, I was forced to eat it anyway. Invariably I would throw up from it and then I would be punished for throwing up. To this day I flat out refuse to eat any cooked green vegetable. It may have been different if I were allowed to decline. Maybe as I got older I would have agreed to try these foods on my own, but after the experience of having to eat something until I vomitted, and then being punished for it, there is no way I would voluntarily eat it. I have a short list of foods that I absolutely will not eat, nor anything that has these items in it: cooked green vegetables like spinach, broccoli, asparagus; mushrooms; tomatoes; mayonnaise; milk; fish (although I enjoy shellfish like lobster and crab) and joghurt. Luckily, I can usually find something to eat on any menu and my food aversions have not caused me to avoid any social situations. While I believe that my hatred for these foods is "all in my mind" I also believe it is because I associate these foods with traumatic instances at the dinner table from my childhood. I think my parents, albiet with the good intentions of trying to make me into a well-rounded and healthy eater, conditioned me into becoming the picky eater that I am today. Each person is different and we should be allowed to decide what we do and do not want to eat. Oddly, my older sister would also refuse to eat many of the same foods as a child but she was never forced to eat them. Today she happily eats asparagus, spinach, broccoli and many other foods that she woud refuse as a child. I think the difference is that she was able to develop her own tastes for these foods and does not attach any bad memories to them, whereas I, because of my childhood experiences, seem to have a mental block against them.

Clearly you are no psychologist, isis-1618599. Antisocial Personality Disorder isn't for "shy" kids. Being Antisocial is a nice way of labeling someone a psychopath.

Antisocial Personality Disorder is another made up "illness" that's listed in Big Pharma's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness. Besides, listen to the words "anti" and "social". Name it like it is damn it!! Anti social sounds like a loner to me, and there is NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING wrong with being a loner. If someone is a psychopath, they're a psychopath for the love of God, call it that, but that stupid pseudoscience manual adds little blurbs and words, so they can come up with yet ANOTHER disorder, so that they can bill parents for the harmful, and sometimes fatal drugs that can lead to suicide. It is shameful to label every NORMAL behavior as an illness, and throw a drug at it.

Parents, listen up, don't buy into psychiatry. Don't send your kids to mental wards or asylums. They are hell, I was put in one for no reason other than stress, and was drugged beyond recognition. When you send your kids to these places, they will not come back the same. Your son will no longer be your son. Your daughter will no longer be your daughter. These disorders and drugs are nothing more than playing Russian Roulette with your child's brain and body. If you are one of the parents who actually has their kid drugged, then I pity and pray for your children, and shame on you.

Someone with antisocial personality disorder has an anxiety attact in crowds to the point that they feel the only way to function is to hide away in their room/home. Being a loner by choice is different. Again, if you haven't experienced it or had a loved one experience it, it must not exist.

T.Sims - While I am not a professional I share and make a couple of suggestions for you. My wife ate one meal a day for almost the whole thirty years I knew her. The difference being that she could eat almost everything. She did start eating breakfast on weekends with me though it was more like brunch and she would eat dinners on these weekends. I wouldn't be so concerned about eating once a day as long as you are healthy. I personally consider it odd but hey, I've already posted about how picky I am. If you think it might be a problem for you then print the article and see a head doctor, it couldn't hurt and may do you some good.

As to cooking to your standards, you didn't say what your standards are. If you can't stand rare meat then you should make sure you don't have to face it. If something is to your standards but the others are eating it differently does it still offend you? I have a friend who eats everything and I mean everything! I have invited him over for events like the Super Bowl, and others and when he shows up he'll eat snacks and such. He will never touch could food, BBQ chicken, ribs, etc. If he comes over and I am cooking he still won't eat. He maintains and it is his right, nobody cooks in a way that he likes or can eat. I don't think he has a phobia or illness of any sort, it's just a preference. That's his standards and he sticks to it. Everyone is different and I can't complain because I am picky too. Take a serious look at your standards and you may consider adjusting them.

Thera are foods I will not touch with a 10 foot pole; there are people I will not eat when they cook, even if I witness them doing so; there are foods I eat other people will not touch with the 10 foot pole; ... I guess you are getting the drift.

I love food which i pick to eat. Oooops - I must be a picky eater :)

When I go to visit my friends, and I know what they cook, I will tell them in advance what I will not eat, no matter how good it is - to them, and I cae less what they think. If U go to a social function and do not fill like eating - I DO NOT EAT. And I do not have the problem with it - I just enjoy the company. If others have problem wit me not eating, well that is their problem - not mine.

Some may think I am just one selfisf SOB - may be. I just love me.

Smooth you might tell me what you will not eat, and you would not eat. You might think ME selfish but I would not enjoy the company of someone so picky anyway.