How can I change my diet when I can’t swollow fruit or veg.

[Pip292]

I am 18years old, I weigh 14.7stone. I don’t eat fruit and veg and haven’t for the past 15 years. I have tried but whenever I put it in my mouth and start to chew something stopps me from being able to swollow it and I start to be sick. I love the smell/look/taste of fruits and vegetables but I can never seem to swollow it. Have you ever heard of this? Can you do anything to help me? I’m an active person but this is getting me down and means that I am not able to diet how I would like to.

[Hidden]

Hi Pip292 - you have had no veg since 3 years old?

I would advise seeking a doctors advise - please find your local GP's numbers and give them a call. 15 years without eating fruit or veg .. you must have found that hard and i am sure your GP will give you great advice.

[Pip292 in reply to Hidden]

No, I will do thank you!

[Hildegard88]

Given that you like the taste of vegetables and can swallow other foods this suggests a psychological disorder. I have Arfid, an eating disorder, and I have difficulty eating mushy foods like mashed potato. It seems to cling to my tongue in a way that makes me feel I’m choking and I gag. I also sometimes have trouble chewing raw vegetables because of the effort required. Cooked vegetables or vegetables in a sandwich or wrap aren’t a problem. I cannot eat most foods that other people eat. I reject foods based on taste, smell, appearance, texture etc.

Arfid stands for Avoidant, Restrictive food intake disorder. It’s only in the most recent edition of the DSM-5 so most doctors and psychologists won’t have heard of it. Even my psychologist who works with eating disorder patients hadn’t come across it before.

I would suggest contacting your doctor to rule out any physical cause and then get a referral to a psychologist with experience in eating disorders. In the meantime, make sure you are taking a good quality multivitamin- again see your doctor or a dietitian for advice.

Good luck.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Hildegard88]

Really helpful, thanks Hildegard

[Hildegard88 in reply to Hildegard88]

Again, I’m not a medical professional but my guess is that something traumatic happened when you were a toddler, perhaps a choking episode. This has left you with a fear of the food even though you no longer remember the cause. Possibly eating tiny, minuscule portions of vegetables (the size of a grain of rice) would be a start and gradually build up from there. That’s what I have to do to introduce new foods.

[Pip292 in reply to Hildegard88]

Thank you for your info! I will be speaking to my gp tomorrow, didn’t know it was this serious x

[Hildegard88 in reply to Pip292]

It’s only serious if you have nutritional deficiencies. That’s where it becomes serious. I’ve had a real problem with fruits (too sour) and vegetables (too bitter). I read somewhere that sufferers of Arfid need to try a new food 50 times to accept it rather than the 5-6 times a “normal” person needs. Just remember that most doctors and psychologists haven’t heard of it as it only appeared in the DSM edition in 2013 and there is currently no research in adults.

Mind you, I’m not saying that you have the disorder. I do.

You could check out a program on YouTube called “The truth about fussy eaters”. It shows a boy who went legally blind because he wouldn’t eat vegetables.

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and welcome Pip292

First of all, to lose weight you need to consume less calories, so in theory it doesn’t matter what you eat, if you reduce calories you should lose weight. However, I agree with the other two responses, this matter needs medical advice as such a restrictive diet does not sound healthy. Please go to see your GP. I’m sorry we cannot help you with this matter.

Wishing you well

Indigo 😊

[Pip292 in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thank you! Helped a lot

[13Valerie]

I'm so sorry you have this problem.

It must be difficult for you.

Can you swallow soups and smoothies?

[Pip292 in reply to 13Valerie]

Yes it is quite annoying and gets me down a lot and yes

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg]

Recovering from hiatus hernia and on a forced liquid diet earlier this year I had to blend everything so bought a Nutrabullet . Small steps so make something you like and can tolerate like a choc /vanilla milkshake and add one ingredient. Maybe best to add something with limited flavour like carrot or avacado and only add a bit . As a Mum with 5 boys all different in terms of food I understand how hard this can be . Professional help is great but if this is actually controlled by you this may be more satisfying in the long run .

[morgo36 in reply to focused1]

this is really good advice and an easy place to start. Milkshakes, smoothies. Well blended home-made soups also.

[Pip292 in reply to focused1]

I am going to take your advice thank you for your help

[Appletofrenchbean]

Dear Pip292 I suspect you have tried, chopping, blending, making into smoothies or soup. If not why not give it a go. As others suggest a GP’s visit is a must, it they can’t, don’t or won’t help don’t worry request a specialist, psychologist, CBT or a psychiatric referral. Your problem needs full physical and psychological investigation. These may help find the cause of your swallowing problem. As an ex RMN I can assure you that it is amazing how many physical disorders can show in strange ways. Good luck

[elliebath Maintainer]

I agree with others above, you should see the doctor to help you with your aversion to the texture of fruit and veg .

However in the meantime your body is missing out on some important nutrients so try making your vegetables and fruit into soups and smoothies. It is not difficult , all you need is a knife to chop them up and a cheap electric blender.

Edit: just saw that Appletofrenchbean suggested the same! 😊

[SoSueMe 7lbs]

You could also try putting small amounts of veg into sauces like curry or chilli or gravy and blitzing it smooth.

I hope your GP can help.

[G1nny]

Can you drink V8 ?