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Janet Helm writes: One guy is addicted to raw meat. A woman only wants to eat french fries. Another man lives on pizza. People with food obsessions are the focus of a new show called “Freaky Eaters” that premiered this month on TLC. The series, based on a British show of the same name, profiles people who the hosts say have bizarre culinary compulsions.
Each week, psychotherapist Mike Dow and celebrity nutritionist J.J. Virgin sweep in to stage a food intervention and fix the freakiness in 22 minutes. But while the show claims it helps a freaky eater “confront the painful truth behind the food obsession and come face to face with the destructive side effects of their addictions,” judging from the first few episodes, some of the treatments may be wackier than the so-called disorders.
In one episode, Dow and Virgin attempt to get a french fry obsessed woman to shun her potato fixation by forcing her to eat fries that have been dyed blue. A young girl is told to paint with broccoli stalks and jelly to help her better embrace vegetables. Another woman who is supposedly addicted to sugar is blind-folded and fed raw kale to help her retrain her taste buds. (That didn’t go over so well.) A pizza-addicted guy suddenly feels like he can ditch his daily pizza habit after an emotion-filled session with his parents helps him realize that they’re not disappointed in him after all.
The tone of the show is just so dramatic – with such language as “solving the mystery” and beating the “addiction that is destroying his life.” Really? Maybe these folks are just extremely picky eaters and need to get out of a rut. Maybe they do need to jumpstart a healthier lifestyle. But are these truly addictions?
As a registered dietitian, I’m conflicted about reality shows like this. Maybe some of these people do have eating disorders that need more help than what they’ll get in front of a camera. Ongoing sessions with a therapist or a registered dietitian who specializes in disordered eating would be more beneficial than a quick, televised fix that gets them to temporarily step away from a french fry.
Do you eat like a freak? Share your twisted dietary tales.
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I eat yogurt every single day. Does that count?
I know there are many skeptics out there, but having a raised a now 20 year old son, who has only ever eaten a handful of things, this is a sad & debilitating condition. When he was a toddler, I assumed it was typical behavior, but as he got older, it got worse. I searched everywhere for help, tried every thing you can imagine and even took him to several psychologists/ psychiatrists/therapists who claimed they could help him. The last step was an eating disorder specialist (from Johns Hopkins), who told me that if I didn't leave him alone and let him eat what he wanted, I was going to force him into a serious eating disorder. He was 7.
My son is an extremely bright, full time college student doing terrific, but is crippled by anxiety over food in social settings. He avoids them at all costs to prevent embarrassment.
I know the show over dramatizes certain things, but discovery this show the other day, totally blew me away knowing that he is not the only person suffering from this. When I told him about it, he was in complete shock as well. He's lived his entire life, thinking he was the only one with this problem.
That orange pig Snookie only consumes alcohol every day,
lol!
Wow you are a registered dietitian?
With credentials like that, who needs a the opinion of a psychotherapist?
LOL!
When I was married or living with roommates the only way I could be sure that a favorite food or dish would still be there, when I wanted it was to make sure it was something other people didn't like. I developed a taste for some more exotic foods or food combinations out of self defense. When my wife and I went out to eat I made sure to order something she didn't like, which kept her from eating off of my plate. Sometimes strange food preferences are a matter of self defense and survival.
Haha. I do the same thing!...
You can't even share a bite or two of your meal with your WIFE? That seems a little extreme. I should think you could at least let your wife be a little more intimate with your food than roommates. Silly man, try to open up a little with the little woman.
Gary I think that you have found a pragmatic way to widen your food choices and keep the weak minded around you from mooching. It would not work if I were your roommate, I can eat anything.
Why should he have to? She can order what she wants & eat it all. I never understood people who order one thing but want to eat what you get. It doesn't make sense to me. If you want what I'm eating, order what I order. If you want something to share, order something to share. Why should someone have to give you bites of their meal??
exploitation of the weird, debased and insane...great programming!
Cereal. I eat it everyday, a couple of times a day.Every night before bed I have to have a bowl of cereal or I cannot fall asleep.
I LOVE CEREAL.
Weak minds pure and simple. All day long I hear, I don't like this and I don't like that. I would like to send picky eaters to a deserted island without food for a while and see if they cannot find more power over their taste buds. I can't eat dark chocolate for example, or I can't eat cherries, yes you can, you just won't.
I won't eat chocolate or ingest caffiene, because if I do I suffer a migraine that is very much like a stroke. What about that makes me have a weak mind? Still, I haven't developed a single food diet or obsessions such as the ones on this program...
I think we were talking about picky eaters not people with a physical allergy or response to eating food. If caffeine gives you migraines (by the way you can't taste caffeine), you are wise to avoid it. I was talking to the people who simply do not like the taste of or texture of a thing. A very specific example I often hear is I can't eat fruit in my chocolate. I ask them why and they say because it does not taste good. Really? All fruit, all chocolate? These are people who have made up their mind that they will not eat a thing and it is not a physical response. It is to those people that I say make up your mind to think differently and you would be amazed at what you can eat. I wish I did not have to even be around picky people but I work in the food industry and it is always in front of me. I honestly cannot relate, and when someone tells me they do not like something I often will ask them why. If they can tell me I do not like this because... and finish the sentence, I walk away respecting their choice and give it little thought. Most cannot tell you why they do not like a thing just that they do not. I guess it is like all things in life, I respect people who think for themselves, kn ow themselves and question their ideas. Food is no exception. Again I say the best therapy for a "picky" eater would be a chance to actually go hungry. Also I am not talking about anorexics, because their mind has actually overcome their hunger, further proof of my point.
does getting nookie from ur special lady count
Bravo!!!! Scottnrg
Oh Scotts, why so mean? What if I'm a picky eater but it isn't a problem? At least for me it's not. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone else in the world CARES what I will and won't eat. There are things you won't eat, I guarantee it. They just might not be considered "food". But there may be a few things that you think are food aren't food to me. I'd barf it right back up and it would be an unpleasant scene. You don't want that, do you?
I completely agree, what i eat is noones buisness but my own, unless I hire a nutritionist and then it is theirs too but only cause I am paying them to make it theirs.
I eat only peanut butter and jam sandwiches. hav edone this for the last three years. i eat 4 to 5 of them a day. I will not eat anything else. I dont know why i started doing this, but now i cannot stop. Other food makes me feel sick now if i try to eat it.
@babbette you must be joking. If you truly only eat PB&J sandwiches everyday, how do you live with that knowledge? How can a picky eater know that they are a picky/difficult eater and be happy with themselves the way they are. I am telling you it is a deal breaker for me, I cannot tolerate such weakness in people around me. If you want to live that way then fine, but go do it somewhere else. Take your allergies, and your phobias and your mental weakness far, far away from me.
Guess not everyone is as perfect as you, Scottnrg. Some of us, unfortunately, do have a few flaws. Mine is not this exact one, but I have others. I guess you can count me out, too.
@seen too much, I never said I was perfect but I assure you where I do find flaws I actively seek to improve and am not resting comfortably in the knowledge of them. I prefer to be around strong minded people, and the ability to see your weakness and the desire to improve is actually a strength.
Scott, being rude to others is not a strength.
Sorry that is not my intention, to be rude, just very direct. Being around picky people has simply worn my tolerance down.
Picky eaters are also often rude. My cousin's boyfriend is a nightmare. ALL he eats is cheeseburgers and their components. Nothing else AT ALL. He comes to Thanksgiving at my grandmother's and eats maybe a roll (one year he wouldn't even eat that), one year she made him special hamburgers according to the recipe HIS OWN MOTHER gave my grandmother and HE DIDN'T eat them. At my other cousin's wedding, he left to go to McDonald's because he didn't see that they had cheese on the buffet for the hamburgers THEY ORDERED ESPECIALLY FOR HIM... RUDE, RUDE, RUDE.
I once went to a friend's house for dinner and they fixed fish. I am allergic to fish and it gives me hives and makes me vomit. Guess what, I was POLITE and ate the darned fish. I knew it wouldn't kill me. I'd rather be miserable than RUDE any day. There's no way I could put up him and his mother should be ashamed that she allowed him to grow up this way (he's eaten like this since he was TWO).
If they are in your house fine, but anywhere else they don't need to leave, they have the right to eat and not eat whatever they want, whether its at there home or a resturant or even a party at someones house
You didn't have to eat the fish in order not to be rude. It would be perfectly polite to ask what they planned to serve when you were invited, explaining that you have food allergies. I would find it uppsetting to find out I served food to a guest that caused them to have any kind of allergic reaction, even if it wasn't life threatening.
I am not a very picky eater myself and will generally try anything that I haven't tried before, but if I do not like something I am not going to eat more of it or eat it again. there are ploite ways to refuse food, politeness does not and should not ever mean that you have to suffer.
When I invite guests, I ask them if they have any food allergies or sensitivities. So much easier than being embarrassed because I cooked a lasagna dinner for someone with a tomato allergy...
This is news?
C'mon Sheep! Wake up and quit buying into this crap!!
The only thing I must consume every day is coffee....one whole pot of it....that is usually gone by early afternoon. Once that is gone my productivity steadily dwindles til bedtime.
I used to be a VERY picky eater but it began to have a detrimental effect on my health. So now I will eat stuff I really don't like the taste of simply because it is good for me, and you know what, not only do I feel much better but I've also lost excess weight. It's a matter of will power IMO, nothing more. It isn't going to kill you so just scarf it down fast and be done with.
@reality I am glad you made a change and that it helped your health. I am not a picky eater, everything does not have to taste like dessert or the best thing I have ever eaten for me to eat it. I can eat almost anything that is meant to be food. I would not eat dirt or coal, but I probably would taste it to make sure. I truly believe it is a case of matter of mind over matter. What amazes me more than the fact that people are picky in their tastes is that they seem to be comfortable with that. I take control of my mind. There is no food that prompts my gag reflex. If that is what is happening to these picky eaters then I will cut them a little slack, however most people who declare "I just don't like the taste", should spend a little time hungry, or a few weeks with my father. When we were children if you acted like you did not like something, he gave you an extra helping. Trust me I learned to be able to eat anything very quickly. I truly believe it is a mental/mind issue not a true matter of the way things taste. I work in an industry where I am constantly offering people new things to try. So often I hear "oh I know I won't like that" before the person has even tasted it and "oh it's not so bad" or "that it is good" if they do give in and try it, that I am tired and sickened by grown up childish picky eaters.
Your palate/appetite can be retrained... as a child I loathed tomatoes and now eat them raw, diced, sliced, stewed, sun-dried, you name it. Same with broccoli, onions and cauliflower. The one exception is Jello or anything that quivers, such as custard, pudding, etc. Have never been able to restrain OR retrain my gag reflex on those.
As a former anorexic, I often have to force myself to eat through waves of nausea or dislike simply because I know that I have to have the calories. I wonder if this thing could be something similar-maybe a power/control disorder like anorexia, a numbing behavior, a way to feel safe-I don't know. Most anorexics do limit their food to very few "safe" choices, and some will literally throw up if they have to eat anything else. It's not necessarily a conscious choice on their part. I remember at one point at my lowest weight (and I got there initially b/c of anxiety) not being able to take in anything without gagging. An anorexic often does not want to give up his or her best coping method and therefore does not want to change; they are forced to do so b/c of medical issues or they die. People like this article may be able to go on for much longer. I don't know.
I think the entire concept is nuts. Eating certain foods all of the time is not an addiction, it is a preference. I eat just about everything but I must confess that I lprefer raw meat although I do eat it cooked also. There are enought real addictions out there without looking for non-existant ones.
I have met SEVERAL people who shun just a particular type of food. Pickles, for example. An aversion to vinegar's taste may seem reasonable, but I detest those that will not give a particular food a try.
The "Real Picky Eaters", the ones we are talking about as having a disorder, are not merely children who haven't grown up and are being obstinate. The people we are talking about here DO have a very strong Gag reflex. In the case of Amber, the French Fry lady, it was PROVEN that she has a genetic defect. In the show it was said to be "very rare". I submit that it is not so rare. Amber belongs to a self help Yahooo group "Picky Eating Adults" who have had over 7000 member over the last 7 years. Only 2000 are participating member. These people to not wish to be this way. Are humiliated, are hiding their affliction as best they can and would love to either have a "cure" or at least all the genetic testing and the research to show all that this is beyond their control.
As a mother of such a child, who began gagging and spitting out foods from the moment he switched to solids, it so tiresome to listen to the same hackneyed solutions of "starve" them, punish them, ignore them, etc that have done so much damage to my child. The medical commumity,much less you lay people who have very decided opinons based on very little science, has not the benefit of proper research on this and is of little help. Exposure such as this ridiculous and insulting show, Freaky Eaters, is necessary to start to get a public interest for this Sensory Integration Disorder (SID).
Yes it IS a gag reflex and these people are very courageous and not weak minded, having to live all of their lives being misunderstood and the recipients of such relentless bashing.
Actually I was not talking about anyone with a genetic disorder. I was talking about people who refuse to try new things, decide they do not like something without ever trying it, and limit their likes to a few items. There are plenty of them to pick on without ever having to address a genetic inability to eat something. I am sorry for your situation but I believe this would be the exception and not the norm when it comes to "picky eaters". For most people everything begins in the mind and they have made up their minds that they cannot eat certain foods.
Scottnrg, have you given any thought to making up your mind to not force your beliefs on others on the internet? You're very pushy, and very rude. Making your point once is fine. You don't have to respond to every person by making your point ad nauseum. Unless, of course, beating dead horses a genetic disorder in your family?
So I made my point? This particular issue is something that I deal with every day, and I admit I have a lot of passion about it. I can not force my beliefs on you. Each response was exactly that, a response to a particular comment not the same comment over and over. Most people do not read the entire thread, and many simply check back to see what if any replies the comments may have received. If you did indeed read all of the comments, I can certainly see where you might think I am making my point over and over again. I have seen rude on newsvine and even though I do have a strong opinion about this particular issue do not think I was "very rude" to anyone. The push you feel might come from the feeling behind my comments and I apologize to you for that. I have not however changed my mind about the underlying reasons behind people being picky eaters or my feelings about their "disorder".
Scott, you have no real way of knowing who has SID, which is a neuroligical disorder and who, in your opinion, is simply weak minded. I am telling you that it is not as rare a disorder as you think it is, as doctor's think it is. I have the proof of 7000 members of the picking eating adult group. That is a pretty large number of people for something that has had so little publicity.
These people have had to live with emphatic opinions such as yours all of their lives. You are simply not in a postion to know or understand who it is you are dealing with when you are exasperated by a picky eater. YOu do not have the knowledge to discern whether it is a "lazy" person or someone with SID.
This is not as rare a disorder as you would like to believer and these people are just beginning to have the courage to come out of the closet. Try and be a little more open minded and consider that at least some if no many of those people that you have condemned as weak minded, actually have this disorder. You just do not know with any certainty otherwise.
Sorgesu
Re: I have the proof of 7000 members of the picking eating adult group. That is a pretty large number of people for something that has had so little publicity.
7000? In a population of 120,000,000 is 1 in 17,000,000. It is extremely rare. Why are you so defensive?
Haha! I'm right there with you. Every single morning for the past three years I've eaten a bowl of cereal and a banana for breakfast. Everyone who knows me knows better than to finish off the cereal or eat the last banana.
SCOTTNRG
Yes - It sounds like you are trying to force your beliefs on others. Why do you care so much about the choices other people make? If you are that sick of hearing it at your job, then here's a newsflash: GET A NEW JOB!!! For someone who says that they are so passionate about this issue and are proud of being able to overcome a 'weak' mind, perhaps you should find a career that you are equally passionate about. And no, working in a food establishment where you are constantly faced with other people's choices (that you clearly don't agree with) doesn't count.
If you put half as much energy into something else as you do into judging other people, you would be very successful. I still cannot figure out why it matters to you so much that another person may have a 'weak mind' as you call it. It sounds to me that you are unhappy with yourself, and so you are projecting that onto others. Oh wait... what am I thinking... you don't have any weaknesses... you conquer them with your mind. We should give you and award!