Saturday 31 January 2015

I am an adult picky eater

I am an adult picky eater, I have been picky all my life. Literally since I was born I would be sick every time I was fed, my diet is still pretty restrictive.

There are a few terms for it, the one I identify most with is Selective Eating Disorder (SED). some of the other definitions talk about avoiding food and it causing weight loss which is not my experience, or that of many other picky eaters I have had contact with over the years.

I don't know why I am the way I am, honestly I don't remember having a bad experience with food or anything like that but I am the way I am. I accept the way I am, but it doesn't mean it doesn't annoy me.

There is nothing worse than going for lunch with your friends and not being able to find a single thing you can eat on the menu. Thankfully this doesn't happen to me often as most places will have something I can eat like a burger or a sandwich, but it does happen occasionally.

I have been a freelance writer for years now, but I have never written about being a picky eater. Mostly because I genuinely didn't think anyone would be that interested in it. However last year after a terrible day at the doctor (I will no doubt get to that story later) I did a simple google search and my world changed.

I found out that I am not the only person like me, I am not weird there are many others like me. There is even a name for it (a few actually) and support groups which have been immensely helpful to me. I realised through the online support group I joined, that its not just about getting help for myself, its about the group coming together to help everyone from picky eaters, partners of picky eaters and parents of picky children. Seeing what parents go through with their children who struggle with food makes me think about how lucky I am that my mother was always so positive about food when I was little.

Most picky eaters can tell you horror stories about being force fed or made to sit at the table for hours until they ate their vegetables. I had none of this from my mother, my father was a bit of a different story (I will probably get to that at some point too) but for the most part, growing up I was ok.

I decided to start this blog after writing an (as yet unpublished) Ebook about my experience growing up as a picky eater. Writing the book made me realise that I have so much to say on the subject and that maybe I can help others going through the same thing. More than that, maybe I can help 'normal' eaters to understand what people like me go through. Its not about simply being fussy, its about physically not being able to eat certain foods.

Being honest, I am not too sure where this blog will take me. I will likely start off with a few posts explaining my food issues and what it was like for me growing up before moving on to more day to day life as a picky eater.