The prospect of big family dinners during the holiday season can make many people happy, but for Léa, it’s rather a difficult time to get through. She has food neophobia, an unrecognized eating disorder.
Since her childhood, Léa, late twenties, eats mainly pasta, fries and rice. “I’m not picky, it’s just that other foods, like fruits or vegetables, scare me. I first touched red meat with my hands when I was 20 and didn’t like it at all. Eating it is not part of my goal either.”
Food neophobia is a common passage in children, between 2 and 6 years old, when they no longer want to taste new flavors, but in the vast majority of cases, it passes over time. Others get stuck with this disgust and fear of unfamiliar foods.
“I can eat starchy foods with no problem because the tastes are quite neutral and the textures are easy to chew. I eat pasta and rice, with butter and/or mild cheddar, but no other sauces. A few years ago, I also started eating hard-boiled eggs and a little chicken, but I still have to force myself.”
A complicated childhood
Léa’s mother took a long time to understand her daughter’s reality. “She tried every way to get me to eat green beans or broccoli, but I was physically unable to. Even though I had wanted to eat it to please him, my mouth was tense and I was unable to open it.
Through trial and error, however, Léa discovered that she could from time to time eat pureed vegetables, if there are no pieces. “I have difficulty with textures, admits the young woman. With fresh vegetables, it crunches to the bite, a feeling that is very unpleasant to me. The thought of biting into celery or eating a salad gives me chills, just talking about it.”
The look of the others
When she was younger, Léa often heard that she had fits, that she was just difficult, but her mother fortunately understood fairly quickly that she had a more severe phobia. “When my mother started introducing solid foods when I was a baby, she found that I had difficulty with certain foods. Later, she let me eat what I liked, without insisting too much.
Today, the gaze that others continue to be heavy. “I often pass for the difficult girl, but I name my eating disorder quite easily. People then understand that this is not a whim, but a real problem.”
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Can food neophobia be cured?
Like most eating disorders (ED), food neophobia can be treated, but the patient must be willing to make an effort. Meeting with a dietitian to learn more about foods can be a good first step. Then, the consultation of a psychologist is necessary to try to settle certain traumas. Then, it is up to the patient to try, step by step, to diversify his diet at his own pace. We can set a new food per week, in small quantities, trying to cook it in different ways.