I am very interested in the psychology ...

[QSis]

... and/or physiology of extremely picky eaters. Particulary adults.

This interest is prompted by some other threads where posters admit to being picky eaters who won't eat long lists of such and such, won't eat foods that touch, etc.

I've tried to find info online, but I must not be googling properly, since I'm not finding a lot of information.

I'm thinking that the causes of/reasons for being picky eaters are varied and multiple, but I'm wondering if there is a common theme.

If anyone knows stuff about this phenomenon and is willing to share, I'd appreciate it!

Note: I'm not as adventurous as Tony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmerman, but I am not at all a picky eater. My parents never allowed us to be! But there MUST be more to it than strict parenting. Right? I would like to understand more about this.

Lee

 

[cara]

I think it's just, what you are used to...
what you got from your parents or who ever..

 

[GotGarlic]

Here's an article about the psychology of eating: Psychology Today: Food: The Science of Scrumptious

There's an entire Web site for adult picky eaters: Picky Eating Adults

Interesting.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I think it's a fascinating topic, Lee. Most of us eat at least once a day so we all have some kind of relationship with food.

For me, I think it's that I have a vivid imagination. The look of a certain food can set off all sorts of thoughts in my head and make it desirable or repulsive to me. Also the smell. But just the idea of where it came from can also do it for me. And I mean truly repulse me to the point that if I tried to eat it, I would choke. I don't know why but I have always been this way. Really, I'm a person who will order the same thing in a restaurant every single time if I like that dish rather than try something different. Before anybody gets excited, I know I'm missing out on lots of different things. And I have tried to make myself eat things that aren't appealing to me and it doesn't help.

Because of the way I have always been, I told myself I would never make anyone eat anything they didn't want to when I had kids. And I never have. I really believe that it is my job as a mom to prepare a variety of healthy foods and their job to choose what they will eat. I didn't know if that would be a good thing or not but it has worked out OK. Most of my kids will eat anything and all of them will eat a very wide variety of things. One son started out as a very particular eater and even though it worried me, I respected his choices. He just seemed to grow out of it and now at 15, he will eat all sorts of things that I find disgusting.

As a side note, none of my kids has a weight problem, which is statistically unusual. I don't know if this is because they have been allowed to choose their foods and never pressured into eating anything or if it's because I have always been a bad cook or if it's just a lucky stroke of genetics.

 

[plumies]

Having a physiology and psychology educational background, I've never heard of a direct relationship between being a picky eater and what one looks like. It's like saying someone who loves food would be/should be obese. And we know this isn't the case. A person's physiological makeup is partially responsible for the way one looks. Other factors that influence are what and how much we eat, what our physical activities are, state of health, and some other environmental things, just to name a few. I don't believe being a picky eater would guarantee a svelt physique, unless only choosing to eat vegetables and low calorie/fat type foods.

For example, I have a cousin who is the most pickiest of eater I have ever met and he is grossly obese. The list of foods he would eat can probably be counted on fingers and toes. His foods of choice? Pizzas, processed crackers with lots of cheese, chips and dip, fast food take outs, soda (not the diet kind), and KFC. Oh yeah, I forgot, and Hot Pockets. That consists of 95% of his weekly meals. He might occassionly have some Chinese food when he visits his parents.

My belief is that what we eat as adults are heavily conditioned when we were kids. But I also believe that our tastes do/can change as we get older. Our bodies change, our lifestyles change, and all that can effect what we like to eat. I bet most of us on this forum can come up with at least one food item that we either liked or disliked as a kid but now feel completely different as an adult.

 

[GotGarlic]

Having a physiology and psychology educational background, I've never heard of a direct relationship between being a picky eater and what one looks like.

Where did this come from? I don't see where anyone said something like this in this thread.

 

[Jeekinz]

I think it's just, what you are used to...
what you got from your parents or who ever..

Yup.

I know people that can't let different foods on their plate touch each other. I used to eat one item at a time until the plate was empty. I would usually eat the thing I least liked first and went on from there. LOL

Some folks just don't like/want certain foods because there didn't experience them as a kid. OR had waay too much of it.

 

[plumies]

Here's an article about the psychology of eating: Psychology Today: Food: The Science of Scrumptious

There's an entire Web site for adult picky eaters: Picky Eating Adults

Interesting.

The Psychology Today article is very good! The specifics on bitterness is a perfect example of how people learn to like something but can also be influenced by our taste buds. Some people have more bitter trigger taste buds than others. Heat (spicy heat) is another sensation that we learn to like. Most children cannot tolerate too much spiciness.

Not to get too technical but how our brain is wired for taste have a lot to do with what we like to eat (as well as non-food related items). The article does a good job explaining the theories behind this.

 

[plumies]

Where did this come from? I don't see where anyone said something like this in this thread.

I'm sorry but it's wasn't meant to offend anyone and I'm not sure what you mean by it. I was just stating that during my studies and research days, I don't recall reading or hearing about studies that proved of direct relationship that QSis had asked.

Edit: Oh, I take it back. I do understand now what you mean. I reread and was focusing primarily on picky eater=physical appearance. Sorry about that. I do understand that QSis was asking about why picky eaters are the way they are.

 

[DietitianInTraining]

Interesting topic..

I used to be an extremely picky eater (those who don't know me would probably say that I still am..) I completely agree that it has to do with your parents and how you were raised. My husband grew up, not having a choice of whether or not he liked green beans, onions, etc.. He either ate it, or went hungry. There is very little that he "won't eat".. My parents on the other hand,couldn't justify letting me go hungry, so they'd replace what I "didn't like" with what I did like. I very much "set my menu" when I was little.. and I think that's crazy.

I also, seemed to only like the foods my mom liked. (She is a VERY picky eater, but would never admit it.) I can't remember her ever trying to feed me something, that she wouldn't eat herself. She NEVER tries new things, so I never tried new things.... until I moved out.

My parents are still amazed at how much my eating habits have changed. Like I said, i'm still a picky eater, but I am MUCH better now that i'm older, and on my own.

I would still have a very very.. very long list of things that I won't eat, or "don't like", but I know i'm absolutely nothing like I used to be. I'm a bit closer to normal now.. lol

 

[suziquzie]

I'll eat just about anything....
But I don't want them to touch on my plate. I can't tell you why.
My family laughs at me, but at Thanksgiving and large meals I either use more than one plate at a sitting, or have some things on the first round and the rest on the 2nd.
Something in my head says, "they weren't cooked as 1 dish they shouldn't BE one dish"
I'm not super wierd, I will put gravy on my mashed potatoes and turkey, but I dont let the taters and turkey touch....

 

[plumies]

Suzi, I understand. One of my food quirks would be not having the taters touch the gravy because it'll make my taters soggy. I can't really tell you why, either.

 

[PanchoHambre]

Interesting topic.

I eat almost anything. My brother who grew up in the same house with the same food on the table every night eats a shockingly limited diet. He enjoys the foods he likes but they are amazingly limited basically to simply cooked meats and breads. The only vegetable he willingly eats outside of a potato is a raw salted baby carrot. The only fruit he eats are apples (sliced). The only place I have ever seen him eat cheese is on pizza and he will only eat plain cheese pizza. No rice, no pasta, no soup, no milk on his cereal, no pie. No "ethnic" food of any kind. A hamburger is meat, bread and a litte ketsup... all lettuce tomato pickle etc will be removed from his plate.

I have never understood. we had great and varied food on our table every night... he never ate most of it. He is an adult and is still the same way. Beyond his food issues he is a pretty normal well adjusted kid.

In all I dont understand. My anuts and uncles mostly eat everything but of my cousins (there are 14 of us) about half have strange food issues and dont eat most of the great Italian family foods. The other half of us relish food. Go figure.

there are a few things I dont like but most of them I have changed my opinion on... I do hold the line on the organs wont go near em and I really dont like my eggs runny but that's about it.

 

[DietitianInTraining]

lol yikes.. maybe i'm still worse than I think..

The only veggies I like are potatoes (any kind,shape,or form!) corn, and Olives (is that a veggie or a fruit?)

The only fruit I like is Apples and Grapes...sometimes kiwi if it's not too sour..

And I take everything off of my hamburger except for the cheese and ketchup!!! (no lettuce, pickle, tomatoe,etc. either...)

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I have no formal training on this so take it with a grain of salt. It is pure conjecture formed from other things I do know, or have heard about. It has been shown that mothers who eat a wide variety of foods, while the baby is still in the womb, generally have less probelms with picky eaters. It has been proven that many flavors end up in the amniotic fluid, and hence, are tasted by the growing child.

I also do know that as we grow older, our taste buds become less sensitive to certain flavors. My Dad over-salted everything he cooked. He blamed it on the fact that he smoked like a chimney and that the smoking made him less sensitive to the salt. So to my pristine young tatebuds, the food tasted extremely salty. And yet, I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. but I have been known to over salt foods to many people's tastes, while others have said that I don't use enough salt.

Training and exposure do play a part, but are just one piece of the puzzle. My sisters and I ate at the same table every night, and were admonished to eat our veggies and given the usual threats of "No deserts if you don't eat your peas" kind of thing. I always ate all of my food. I loved nearly everything I tried from the get go. My youngest sister, on the other hand, can't stand peas to this day, and used to hide them under her plate when no one was looking. She got caught of course when the table was picked up. But she continued to do it. On the other hand, she used to steal sips from my step-father's beer, again when no one was looking. She loved the flavor from about as soon as she could walk. And it's a credit to her that she has always been a fairly light drinker. Me on the other hand, I have always hated the taste of any beverage with alcohol in it. I tried for two years to "develop a taste" for alcoholic drinks, with no success. I didn't quit drinking for religeous reasons. I quit before I heard of the church of which I am now a part. I just couldn't handle the flavor or the effects on my body. I wanted to move way to fast to allow anything to slow me down.

So, there are physiological differences that affect what we do and don't like. There are sociological stimulus, such as the availability of food types, and the training we received from our parents, as well as shunning foods for a host of reasons, everything from texture (I can't deal with slimy things, but love canned sardines and meats surounded by aspic).

I only have a couple rules about foods. I won't eat any mints except basil; I won't eat any foods that have been cooked with an alcoholic beverage, I avoid slimy foods, and the foods I eat have to be relatively healthy. And yes, I have eaten my share of potatoe dishes, either swimming in, or loaded with butter, but not after I learned about nutrition and how much harm can be done to a body by eating junk food and too many carbs and/or fats.

Do I like french fries? I love them. But I dont' eat them very often. Does cake taste great? Certainly. But again, in extreme moderation.

In a perfect world, our bodies would only like what our bodies need. Unfortunately, there seems to be little reason for our likes and dislikes. Some we are born with, while others are learned.

Luckily, I like so many things that it's easy for me to cook a very healthy meal and enjoy it. The only thing that slows me down in the health food dept., is that good food costs more money than does junk food. What does that say about our society?

That's my take on it, right or wrong.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[plumies]

That's my take on it, right or wrong.

IMHO, I don't think there is a right or wrong since I feel so many things contribute to what we like or don't like to eat at any given time. That's why we are all unique!

 

[suziquzie]

Yeah, see if we were all the same, they would only sell separated plates!!!!
And I would be in heaven.....

 

[Maverick2272]

I am not really a picky eater, and will eat most anything. But, there are things I don't eat much of today just because we ate so much of it growing up. Bologna being one of them, had so much of it growing up, still won't eat it today. And yet, my kids love it. My son, on the other hand, hates veggies. I have no idea why other than the kid next door doesn't like them either and his mom doesn't make him eat them. So, no scientific evidence there, but observation says maybe they aren't his favorite foods and he figures he can get away with not eating them like the kid next door? Both my daughters love veggies though.
My dad always used to accuse me of not liking peas just because the kids at school told me not to like them. Hogwash, I just didn't like the mushy taste! I also remember as a kid I would not eat spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, or brussel sprouts. Today, I love cauliflower and broccoli, but still don't like the others although I will eat them if served up with no complaints. I have even been known to eat peas on occasion!

 

[auntdot]

Hi QSis, I think you are right on the psychology aspect.

Know a number of folks who are very picky eaters, and they are generally not really responsive to to anything new in their lives.

Have a bil who will not, as far as I can determine, eat anything different than the food he was introduced to before the age of, oh, maybe six or so.

Meat and taters. The same thing every day for breakfast. Pizza with cheese, not double cheese, and no toppings.

But his life is as rigid as his food preferences are.

And know other folks like that, too many. It is a shame, so much good food out there that some people will never be able to let themselves evjoy. I feel sorry for them.

As far as psychology goes, I took 101, had to. But as far as I could tell the prof had as much insight into humans as he did into clams.

Food and shelter are the two things we all need to maintain. We all want to survive.

So my guess is that you are getting into a very complicated area.

But it might be fun to explore.

And what the heck you are with friends here.

 

[AllenOK]

I might be able to shed a little light on the subject. However, I'm dealing with a definite "pyscological" case in my house.

My oldest step-son, Stephen, is now 13. He's autistic, but "just barely". You have to be around him for several hours or a couple day, to really pick on the fact that he isn't a typical kid.

My other half, PeppA, told me that Stephen used to eat anything and everything that was put in front of him.

Then, he started school. Immediately after that, he locked into this behavior of only eating meat. If I make a "regular" meal of meat, starch, and veg, he will only touch the meat. No gravy. The only way to get him to eat any veggies is the tomato in spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce, plus the veggies on pizza. He'll eat the crust for pizza, bread for sandwiches, tortillas in quesadillas, rice that's in PeppA's Spanish Rice, and pasta for spaghetti and Beef Stroganoff.

He absolutely refuses to eat my clam chowder. He will NOT touch it. He'd rather go to bed hungry, which he has done on several occasions. If I make something with even a hint of heat to it, he won't touch it.

Stephen and I go round-and-round about him not wanting to eat my food. I do realize that this is the autism kicking in and locking his behavior. He will probably never get away from this behavior, even though I'm trying like crazy to get him out of it. It doesn't help that I was raised up with "eat what's on your plate or go hungry", and his g'mother, who is currently living with us, believes that if he won't touch what I make, she is fully within her rights to feed him a PB&J later on when I've gone to bed.

Personally, I do have a few hangups on food. I can't tolerate the smell of canned spinach. For some reason, it nauseates me. I'll eat fresh, raw spinach all day long as a salad. I'll eat cooked spinach that's been incorporated into something else, like spanikopita, etc. I also cannot stand the smell of cooking liver. BLECK! In fact, the only way I'll ever eat liver is a good dish of Dirty Rice, so heavily seasoned that I won't taste it. I haven't tried any other organ meats, to my knowledge, excluding what incorporated into commerically product meat products like potted meat, hot dogs, etc. I also refuse to consume nervous tissue, especially from cattle. I realize that Mad Cow Disease / Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy is really, really, rare, in this country, but I don't want to risk it.

I used to abhor Shepherd's Pie as a kid. Not sure why. Now, I love it, although I rarely, if ever, fix it.

I can't stand the texture of canned peas, which is what my mother always made. Give me fresh or frozen, though, and I'm happy. Now, if I can just get the kids to eat them.....

I remember, years ago, hearing something about "non-tasters", "tasters", and "super-tasters", when talking about kids and their sense of taste, and that this has an impact on what they will or will not eat, especially certain veggies.