Blog reader and friend Yasmin sent me this awesome article that I wanted to share here today, called “Food Phobia”.
While I’m 100 percent guilty of having an aversion to many foods (be it texture, taste, fat content, calorie content) I am not really afraid of any food.
Therefore I can’t imagine living like Dave Nunley, who is is a food phobic in the UK. According to the article, he has primarily subsisted on grated cheddar cheese since birth.
Yup, you heard me right. He’s eaten grated cheddar cheese every day of his life.
The article goes on to say, “This isn’t as uncommon as you might think. Unlike fad diets that eschew one corner of the food pyramid for another, food phobia is an actual fear-based aversion to a particular kind of vittle, either due to taste, association, or texture. The disorder, which psychologists believe has links to obsessive compulsive disorder, can lead to nutritional deficits, a compromised immune system, and a lot of awkwardness at dinner parties. Orthorexia, a similar condition, is an obsession with healthful eating that can at times become so severe that it leads to anorexia, but food phobics find their meals dominated by their fear. Ironically, legendary egg-shaped director Alfred Hitchcock was an admitted ovophobe, and was “revolted” by eggs.”
Now, I’ve talked about orthorexia here — recognizing there was a time when I was borderline orthorexic myself.
But whereas orthorexics can be annoying to be around (I know, I was one — pot, meet kettle)… food phobias can be very serious, and can have health implications – such as severe nutritional deficits.
How about you? Have you ever met a real food-phobic? Are you one? If you’re recovering from an ED/DE … was there any food that you feared?
Blog reader and friend Yasmin sent me this awesome article that I wanted to share here today, called “Food Phobia”.
While I’m 100 percent guilty of having an aversion to many foods (be it texture, taste, fat content, calorie content) I am not really afraid of any food.
Therefore I can’t imagine living like Dave Nunley, who is is a food phobic in the UK. According to the article, he has primarily subsisted on grated cheddar cheese since birth.
Yup, you heard me right. He’s eaten grated cheddar cheese every day of his life.
The article goes on to say, “This isn’t as uncommon as you might think. Unlike fad diets that eschew one corner of the food pyramid for another, food phobia is an actual fear-based aversion to a particular kind of vittle, either due to taste, association, or texture. The disorder, which psychologists believe has links to obsessive compulsive disorder, can lead to nutritional deficits, a compromised immune system, and a lot of awkwardness at dinner parties. Orthorexia, a similar condition, is an obsession with healthful eating that can at times become so severe that it leads to anorexia, but food phobics find their meals dominated by their fear. Ironically, legendary egg-shaped director Alfred Hitchcock was an admitted ovophobe, and was “revolted” by eggs.”
Now, I’ve talked about orthorexia here — recognizing there was a time when I was borderline orthorexic myself.
But whereas orthorexics can be annoying to be around (I know, I was one — pot, meet kettle)… food phobias can be very serious, and can have health implications – such as severe nutritional deficits.
How about you? Have you ever met a real food-phobic? Are you one? If you’re recovering from an ED/DE … was there any food that you feared?