Posted on Sunday, 12th September 2010 by Brooke Richmond
As a child, Stephanie Schwab would only eat white food.
“Cream of wheat, cottage cheese, and noodles and anything that was bland or white. That’s what I would eat and I wouldn’t eat anything else,” she said.
Even now, there are still entire food groups she just won’t touch, which can make things difficult when ordering a meal.
“I am kind of like Sally from ‘Harry Met Sally’ when I’m very specific about how I order. ‘I want this and I don’t want that,’ and that can get a little tiring sometimes,” she said.
Now some researchers believe highly restricted diets may actually be a form of eating disorder. Dietician Lisa de Fazio says it can interfere with their lives.
“Many people avoid social interactions and dinners. They panic going to weddings,” she said.
And there are health concerns.
“The main nutrients that are lacking is potassium, iron, B-12, vitamins A & C,” said de Fazio.
“They’re not getting the vitamins and minerals they need. They’re not getting the calcium they need, so it impacts growth,” said Dr. Nancy Zucker, Asst. Professor in Dept of Psychiatry and Duke Center for Eating Disorders.
Dr. Zucker and researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are launching the first national public registry for adult finicky eaters.
“What we’re trying to do is to learn more about what picky eating is like for adults. What it persists of, how it impacts their functioning and so, hopefully soon, we’ll have some answers in terms of the number of people it affects and how impactful it is,” she said.
They’re also inviting picky eaters to share coping strategies with one another.
“A lot of people manage it incredibly successfully. So the strategies that they’ve probably learned to not let it get in their way can be helpful to other people,” said Dr. Zucker.
Like finding acceptable substitutions to make sure you’re still getting proper nutrition.
“It’s very important to supplement your diet if you’re a finicky eater,” said de Fazio.
Researchers still don’t know what drives finicky eaters and hope the registry will be able to clear up some of the mystery. They invite all picky eaters over 18 to share their experiences by taking an online survey.
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