“Eat you veggies”, is the phrase typically persisted by
parents to children at dinnertime. While, “Eat your chicken nuggets”, is a
statement that ceases to exist at the common American family’s dinner table.
Except in families with children with “food neophobia”, which literally means
fear of trying new foods. For Parents with a child obtaining this disorder,
finding nutrient-dense foods to compensate for their child’s restricting phobia
is a complete struggle.
According to the Graham’s, cooking meals at home for their
young daughter Erin is described as a “daily nightmare”. Erin is an extremely
picky eater with the food neophobia disorder, so trying unfamiliar foods for
her is like having to pull teeth. Mr. and Mrs. Graham struggle daily to satisfy
both Erin’s taste buds and nutritional requirements, which unfortunately
results in a failure most days.
Little Erin’s diet consists mainly of “waffles, pancakes,
some fruit, grilled cheese sandwiches -- with only American cheese, of course
-- chips, French fries, crackers and lots and lots of peanut butter, but only a
specific kind.” You can see how obtaining a balanced, nutrient-dense diet is
utterly impossible with Erin’s unique phobia.
Imagine having a child with such an extreme fear of trying
new foods that even bribing the child with a delicious desert wont make them
budge. Classic child- favorite foods including pizza, spaghetti, hot dogs, and
hamburgers make these select adolescents cringe at the thought of eating them.
Unaware people may jump to conclusions thinking that Erin’s
parents “give in” too easily, but Dr.’s have actually diagnosed her with food
neophobia. The Graham cope with their daughters disorder to the best of their
ability.
For instance a scenario at dinner included Erin’s father
performing a tactic that proposed a deal with her. He would give her a piece of
bread if she would eat half a cherry tomato in exchange.
"Erin, just do it and be done…after you can have a
piece of bread, okay?"
Her dad pleaded. Erin struggled to keep the bite-size tomato
down.
Erin Graham’s takes the meaning of “picky-eater” to whole
other level, which has her parents constantly intervening. All parents alike
the Graham family with a child obtaining a “different relationship with food”
has been required to adapt to their child’s food needs, which in turn can lead
to a permanent lifestyle change.
What might you suggest to these families throughout the
world to help manage their food-intolerant children mange a nutritious diet?
Are you a picky eater? If so what foods can you not bear eat?
Goodness knows what I would suggest because I don't have much patience (Hence, why my "children" are the four-legged, furry kind). However, it does appear to be a legitimate problem and this leads one to wonder about its origins. How/why does a child develop this disorder? I wonder if it might have its origins in some other types of food allergies or intolerances. In the past, I often avoided bread and pasta but didn't have a specific reason. Then, eight years later I learned that my body literally rejected the protein (gluten) that is found in these foods. Was it a coincidence or a subconscious message?
ReplyDeleteEven pets can be picky on what they eat. My dog will NOT eat dry dog food unless there is something that he will eat mixed into it.
Deletewow. I honestly would not even know how to go about this. My sister is a pretty picky eater, the pickiest in our bunch. Even she is not this bad though. I love trying new foods, and I love almost ever single kind of food there is, so the fact that people actually struggle with trying to eat something delicious, is just beyond me. I like the fact that Candice brought up food allergies in her comment, because that is possible too. You always see commercials about pediasure for kids, because they aren't getting the essential nutrients they need, but the commercial doesn't even do it justice. It's a lot bigger of an issue, then the commercial leads on to be.
ReplyDelete