Picky Eating Disorder

[ItalianBbae]

so i recently found out that picky eating is actually a form of an eating disorder. my mom has always said im a picky eater. i wont eat certain foods because of their textures. i like the taste but the texture disgusts me. i dont eat many fruit or vegetables at all. any type or berry or melon i wont touch. and also sometimes if i have a bad experience with food, like i see it rotten or something, i wont eat it at all anymore because every time i see it i think of how gross it looked. because its seen as a "disorder" i feel like its something that should be dealt with, but at the same time is it really affecting my life? i was just wondering what other ppls opinions were about this "disorder"

[PlayingPretend]

My mother is similar. She can't eat certain foods based on textures. She can't eat any form of meat unless it's chicken, and that cannot have skin or bones and it has to be cleaned meticulously to the point she won't eat it if she has not cleaned and prepared it. She can't learn about the process of making food, i.e. cheese, or it puts her off it completely. She cannot eat anywhere where she does not like the smell. And so on and so forth. For her, this, in addition to everything else (I am positive she has some other form of an ED), does compromise her health. But like my sister? She's an extremely picky eater but based on what she'll eat or substitute it with, she remains quite healthy. I think whether it needs to be dealt with or doesn't has to do with your health. If it's affecting your health or otherwise affecting your ability to perform in this, this, or that, then I would deal with it. If it's not, then quite frankly, I would say you fall into the category of people who are just picky.

[Angel]

What is the exact name of this disorder?

I know that a lot of eating disordered people are "picky" with their foods and will eat or refuse to eat certain foods. If this isn't really affecting your health I don't think it's something to be too concerned over.

[ItalianBbae]

where i heard of it called it selective eating disorder

[Angel]

Oh I see now, there's not much in terms of information on it yet is there?

I imagine something such as this would be difficult to diagnose.

[NorielM]

If you wanted to change that, why don't you g to a specialists?? i guess it would be a big help.

[emma01]

Yes it is an eating disorder, but unless it is seriously affecting your health, either causing you to be extremely underweight, giving you no energy, irregular heart beats, low pulse, low temperature or low potassium etc or cause you to not menstruate, then I would not say it was a cause for concern.

It is absolutely normal to be put off by textures. This is actually common in everyone. Well...I am 99.9% sure on that. There is no problem in that. Because you aren't eating fruit and vegetables, I am guessing you are getting the correct amount of calories a day...as omitting fruit and veg won't mean you miss out on many calories. But these are healthy for you and contain vitamins essential for a healthy life. The fact you just wont eat berries or melons is not a cause for concern at all.

I am kind of rambling here, but some examples where I think SED would be a problem was if
- you refused to eat anything soft or chewy in texture (omits pretty much everything EXCEPT crisps and crackers, apples and raw vegetables) Like you would eat raw carrots, but cooked ones no way. Do you see the problem here?
- you would not eat anything which has ANYTHING else touching it/on it/in it. This means no cereal and milk, or toast and jam, no sandwiches, no pasta in sauce or with vegetables, no meat with gravy or no fruit and yoghurt.

The first example is an e.g. of a type where you would be missing out on so much food, the second is an e.g. of where SED would be taking over your life because you could not eat so many things as very rarely do you just eat 2 slices of bread for lunch. See what I mean?

[BECCALICIOUS!]

I actually have a similar problem so I'll ask in this thread. I have a terrible aversion to foods that are "mixed" together, i.e salads, soups, most actual "dishes" at restaurants. I also have high anxiety towards trying new foods, especially vegetables. This does make my life harder when going out for dinner at certain places or even eating at friends' house, as I have a particular aversion to home-cooked foods. Should I be worried?