Problem Eating Food

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I mentioned this in another post, I have an on again/off again relationship with food. I weighed 30 lbs until I was eight years old, mostly because the only thing I wanted to eat was corn, broccoli and sliced bread. Then I was okay I guess through most of my teenage years and I learned to enjoy different things. Now I'm probably worse than ever and I eat only because I don't like the feeling/sound of my stomach growling. In a normal day I will have a cup of coffee or tea and one other thing, like today I had broccoli.

I'm allergic to dairy which is like 90+ percent of the American diet, so I eating out is a nope. Some things I won't eat because I don't like the texture or the way it looks. I might like the way something tastes but I don't necessarily enjoy eating.

Does anyone else have a problem eating most/all food? Do you have food allergies, and do you think that contributes?

I don't have any advice or help to offer, but what you are doing is more or less forced starvation. There is no way your body will get even remotely close to the energy it needs just from broccoli.

You should seek help.

I mentioned this in another post, I have an on again/off again relationship with food. I weighed 30 lbs until I was eight years old, mostly because the only thing I wanted to eat was corn, broccoli and sliced bread. Then I was okay I guess through most of my teenage years and I learned to enjoy different things. Now I'm probably worse than ever and I eat only because I don't like the feeling/sound of my stomach growling. In a normal day I will have a cup of coffee or tea and one other thing, like today I had broccoli.

I'm allergic to dairy which is like 90+ percent of the American diet, so I eating out is a nope. Some things I won't eat because I don't like the texture or the way it looks. I might like the way something tastes but I don't necessarily enjoy eating.

Does anyone else have a problem eating most/all food? Do you have food allergies, and do you think that contributes?

the older i get, the pickier i get. clif and luna bars are great. candy is fine. sweet potatoes, most fruit, is ok. but red meat i have a problem eating.

go to a medical doctor, nutritionist, or clinical psychologist. bring an article about avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and discuss it with them.

having said that, plenty of people eat way too much, and that has huge problems too.

and plenty of people eat unhealthful diets and do unhealthful activities. big deal.

likewise, i obsessive compulsively count servings. eat past bloated. usually before i eat i do not feel hungry, but after starting, the more i eat the more i want to eat.

likewise, unless something contains a lot of carbs/fat/sugar, usually i do not find it appetizing.

Yeah I agree with this...you can't live on a cup of tea/coffee and only one minimal/small food item a day such as a piece of broccoli. Also does the tea or coffee have caffeine? That is a stimulant which makes your body use up even more energy that you're not getting from the food you don't eat.

Also it is quite possible to eat and avoid dairy...there numerous food choices that don't contain any dairy.

I've had a dairy allergy for 5 years or so, so I know I can live without it. Having to read the labels on everything does restrict what I can and can't eat.

My tea or coffee is usually decaf, and for my coffee I will add a dairy free milk like coconut milk or almond milk.

I didn't mean that I only eat one piece of broccoli... that would definitely be a problem, and I promise my family would notice and commit me to a sanatorium - though at that point, I would go voluntarily. I think I was misunderstood. I mean I eat as much broccoli as one would if they were having it in a meal. I basically meant I only have one meal a day, not one piece of something. Sometimes it's broccoli, sometimes it's stir-fried veggies and turkey or chicken. Yesterday, I had a bowl of chili. Today, I had beans and ham. But I generally only eat that one meal instead of the 3-6 that other people have. I guess I should have specified.

It sounded far less dramatic to me when I wrote it, and I didn't mean to cause any concern. I've seen people diet and only have veggies for a day, or just have a large chunk of protein along with a bunch of liquids, or eat 800 calories or less. I don't consider any of that to be starving yourself. I'm not anywhere near being underweight (not overweight either - my BMI is within healthy normal range), and don't have symptoms of dehydration or malnutrition. I drink plenty of water and take a vegan multivitamin every day. I don't think that counts as starving myself but that could be a matter of perspective.

All I meant was that I don't live to eat, I eat to live.

I understand eating to live and not living to eat. I'm right there with you on that one. I get really confused when people do things like eat when they are sad or bored. It would never occur to me to be sitting around bored and think, "Hm... know what would be fun now? A sandwich." Really? Just no. I've never been a big fan of food. Most of it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I can't just go buy a frozen pizza or something, I have to make my own from scratch if I don't want to feel awful in a few minutes. Not that I would eat a frozen pizza if I could, they always seem so soggy and smell like something died, I think. Pizza tirade aside, I wish someone would make a pill you could take in the morning that would give you your daily calories and nutritional need. I'd be all about that pill.

Anyway, I can't digest animal proteins. I'm a vegetarian and would be a vegan, but I really love cheese so yeah. I also like honey and will do a greek yogurt every other day. I can't do milk, makes me sick every time.. same with eggs. I have to be very label mindful... can't eat at most restaurants either. I end up preparing most of my own food down to things like hummus and pitas. My stomach appreciates the lack of whatever it is that comes in store bought foods that make me sick. Food preparation is a big part of my life since I have to eat five small meals a day to get my daily calorie/nutrition needs met (it's important to me since I was really underweight and malnourished for awhile there). I can't just eat three bigger meals since I eat really slow and get stuffed fast and then feel like I'm going to puke if I have to choke down another bite. I could probably eat less if I cut back on the exercise, but that's not happening. *shrugs*

I believe that food digestion problems have to play at least a little part in eating problems... I mean, if eating food has historically made you feel awful, it seems logical that you would not want to go around eating up tons of food and stick with what you know works for you. I know it plays a part in all this for me. If a food that once did not make me feel sick starts to make me feel sick, after a few times I just stop eating it. Even if I liked the food, I'm done. But I'm also really picky and struggle to feel hunger clues (if I'm not on a strict eat schedule I discover I'm hungry when I sugar crash) and I was not properly fed as a child, so I'm not really sure what my deal with food is... probably some mix of all of the above, but I certainly have food problems.

And that was rambly... movin' along now...

I uave ceoliacs disease and am allergic to most of the foods in an americn diet.

I would suggest two things.

You can buy a medication that will help with the stomach noises. You probably have pain cramps with it, but you might not know how to recognise it, and you associate unpleasantness with the sound. This is how I was.

If you like the taste of a food but not the feel, try preparing in in a different way. I hate the feel/look of soft tofu, but I love it fried crispy.

Doesn't matter if you ate several kg's of broccoli, you still wouldn't get the energy you need. Broccoli is 33 calories/100g, an average woman typically maintains weight on 1600 - 2000 calories. And although broccoli is very nutritious, it won't meet your protein and fat requirements either.

A big concern here, if you're eating that few calories daily, is that you will screw up your metabolism, and eventually gain fat really easily, this is a process called metabolic adaptation.

You could eat ALOT more, and still maintain weight, or even slim down.

Dossa, as soon as I read 'frozen pizza' my mind was like 'ew soggy'. And I would love to have a pill with all the day's nutrients in it. And honey is the one thing between me and veganism. I love honey. I do love pitas too, and I make them occasionally. Oddly enough, I can eat 3 larger meals a day (just don't want to) because I don't get full. Ever. I have no idea what that feels like. As a preteen I was very active - I would run 5 miles a day, swim 30-60 minutes and walk probably another 5 miles. I think my metabolism never changed from that time. I also don't throw up although I can feel nauseated...my mom is the same way.

I get it about being turned off from a food if it makes you sick. When I see shellfish now it just looks rubbery and disgusting. x_x

Feral botanist - Thank you. I also dislike the texture of tofu but I use it to make vegan cream cheese and yogurt. I also use it as an egg substitute in baking. My stomach noises don't come with pain. I figure I get this from my mom since her stomach does the exact same thing. We call it talking. it just makes noises all the time whether we are hungry or not but it never hurts or comes with any discomfort. It is weird when it happens in public, especially in a quiet environment (but kind of funny sometimes). It probably means something, not sure what. But I know it isn't always hunger or thirst.

Closet Genious - I understand. Eating just broccoli is not an every day thing for me. It was just an example - yes I have done it, I'll probably do it again but it was not meant to be taken as "my diet only consists of broccoli". I'd be bald from a protein deficiency and dead from malnutrition. As I mentioned, I am not underweight - my BMI is within normal range and so is my body fat percentage for my height and weight. And I am not undernourished, so I must be eating something.

Out of morbid curiosity, have you been vegan your entire life?

Deathbox - no actually. I'm not vegan. I prefer vegan food but it would be very expensive for me to be a vegan and get the proper amount of nutrition. I go through phases where meat repulses me and I won't touch it, so I'll sub it with vegan proteins - so I have vegan days but it's not my diet/lifestyle.

If I'm looking for something to buy to eat, I prefer to look for vegan options because cross contamination is unlikely and I know I won't have to worry about milk being among the content.

I think sometimes it would be easier to just tell people I'm vegan considering all the things I don't eat. It's a lot to explain otherwise and I get tired of repeating it.