I remember when I stopped eating, I was two years old.

I had to have eye surgery and while recuperating in the hospital I had to
wear eye patches.

Since I couldn't see what I was eating, I just stopped eating. Not for just
a few weeks but for the next 20 years.

One night in bed at the hospital I woke up and remember my Mom's hand
didn't reach out when I called her and I panicked. I tore off the eye
patches, slid out of the bed and walked down an empty hallway to a giant
round waiting room with chairs around the circumference. There was Mom with
my aunt and uncle. I couldn't hear myself crying but I knew I was. I
started walking towards them and they rushed up and saved me. And that's
the last I remember about being two years old.

It's not everyday you feel helpless and abandoned like I did. It really
scared the heck out of me at that time. So Mom never forgave herself for
not being there 24 hours a day at my side as I lay in temporary darkness
for those few days.

I kept to my guns and stopped eating.

Before the surgery I ate everything, so I was told many many years later.
TOUGH! I'm not eating anymore!

So, what did I eat for the next 20 years?

Bread and butter
Chicken and turkey white meat
Rice
Veal cutlets
Steak
Potatoes
Spaghetti in butter.
Cereal
Milk
Cookies
Bread and butter with chicken roll slices
Plain hamburgers, no condiments, no cheese
Lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, artichokes, corn, apples
Pancakes with butter and syrup
Ice cream
Split pea soup (? Never figured that out ?)

No... eggs, cheese, ketchup, mustard, onions, beans, pork, fish ('cept fish
sticks), tomato, mayonnaise, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus and hundreds of
other foods.

My folks took me to the doctor and said "he only eats bread and butter and
milk. Doc said, "he seems to be getting enough protein, etc., let him be."

At 6'3", I'm the tallest of all the family generations!

College was easy since with a cafeteria meal card I could have whatever
crap I wanted 3 times a day and still have some variety with my milk. Even
chocolate milk!

I was never overweight, rather a string-bean!

After college, I was on my own. Got my first apartment. Couldn't cook much
and continued to eat crap.

I got to know the neighbors in the building and one day a couple living
right above my apartment invited me up for a small Sunday breakfast and I
accepted. They called me Sunday morning to come up. So I walked in and sat
down to a breakfast of homemade pumpernickel bagels and cream cheese.

Well... I was trapped! I had to try it, not wanting to insult their
generosity. So, I took a bite and began chewing and all of a sudden part of
my brain sprang to life and I could taste a flavor I'd remembered prior to
my eye surgery. I didn't say a word, just gobbled them down. The whole time
thinking to myself this is a miracle!!!

It was a pretty friggin' remarkable occasion and I remember it like it was
yesterday.

A week later they invited me up for dinner and I again accepted. This time
I walked in and sat down to spaghetti in homemade marinara sauce and
parmesan cheese (YUCKKK!!!). I bit the bullet again and spun some on a fork
and ate it. When it hit my tongue, I lit up!!! There was no mistake!
Silently, "I've had this before and I remember loving it. And wow does it
taste delicious!!!" I finished it with great haste and had a second
serving.

Very soon after, I began trying other things. My first scrambled egg was a
hurdle, as was my first cheeseburger and my first tuna-fish sandwich with
mayo and on and on, confidently breaking down food walls I installed at 2
years old. Every taste rang a "delicious" bell!

I remember visiting the family soon after and my interest in eating
everything for dinner came as quite a shock to everyone except me! I wonder
if Mom didn't secretly weep tears of joy later that night.

Nowadays, everything but lima beans is fine. There are still plenty of
foods I have yet to try, but I'm happy with my progress over the past 27
years since a pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese changed my food life
around.

Andy

"Andy" <q> wrote

> Nowadays, everything but lima beans is fine. There are still plenty of
> foods I have yet to try, but I'm happy with my progress over the past 27
> years since a pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese changed my food life
> around.

That's quite a story, Andy, thanks for sharing.

nancy

Nancy Young said...

>
> "Andy" <q> wrote
>
>> Nowadays, everything but lima beans is fine. There are still plenty of
>> foods I have yet to try, but I'm happy with my progress over the past 27
>> years since a pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese changed my food life
>> around.
>
> That's quite a story, Andy, thanks for sharing.
>
> nancy


You're welcome.

Andy

Andy wrote:
> I remember when I stopped eating, I was two years old.
>
> I had to have eye surgery and while recuperating in the hospital I
> had to wear eye patches.
>
> Since I couldn't see what I was eating, I just stopped eating. Not
> for just a few weeks but for the next 20 years.
>
> One night in bed at the hospital I woke up and remember my Mom's hand
> didn't reach out when I called her and I panicked. I tore off the eye
> patches, slid out of the bed and walked down an empty hallway to a
> giant round waiting room with chairs around the circumference. There
> was Mom with my aunt and uncle. I couldn't hear myself crying but I
> knew I was. I started walking towards them and they rushed up and
> saved me. And that's the last I remember about being two years old.
>
> It's not everyday you feel helpless and abandoned like I did. It
> really scared the heck out of me at that time. So Mom never forgave
> herself for not being there 24 hours a day at my side as I lay in
> temporary darkness for those few days.
>
> I kept to my guns and stopped eating.

(snip)

> I got to know the neighbors in the building and one day a couple
> living right above my apartment invited me up for a small Sunday
> breakfast and I accepted. They called me Sunday morning to come up.
> So I walked in and sat down to a breakfast of homemade pumpernickel
> bagels and cream cheese.
>
> Well... I was trapped! I had to try it, not wanting to insult their
> generosity. So, I took a bite and began chewing and all of a sudden
> part of my brain sprang to life and I could taste a flavor I'd
> remembered prior to my eye surgery. I didn't say a word, just gobbled
> them down. The whole time thinking to myself this is a miracle!!!
>
> It was a pretty friggin' remarkable occasion and I remember it like
> it was yesterday.
>
> A week later they invited me up for dinner and I again accepted. This
> time I walked in and sat down to spaghetti in homemade marinara sauce
> and parmesan cheese (YUCKKK!!!). I bit the bullet again and spun some
> on a fork and ate it. When it hit my tongue, I lit up!!! There was no
> mistake! Silently, "I've had this before and I remember loving it.
> And wow does it taste delicious!!!" I finished it with great haste
> and had a second serving.
>
> Very soon after, I began trying other things. My first scrambled egg
> was a hurdle, as was my first cheeseburger and my first tuna-fish
> sandwich with mayo and on and on, confidently breaking down food
> walls I installed at 2 years old. Every taste rang a "delicious" bell!
>
> I remember visiting the family soon after and my interest in eating
> everything for dinner came as quite a shock to everyone except me! I
> wonder if Mom didn't secretly weep tears of joy later that night.
>
> Nowadays, everything but lima beans is fine. There are still plenty of
> foods I have yet to try, but I'm happy with my progress over the past
> 27 years since a pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese changed my food
> life around.
>
> Andy

Great story, Andy, because I kind of suffer from the same problem you used
to. I started to get anorexia back when I was about 13 because that's when
I developed colitis. Food to me = severe stomach pain followed by a trip to
the bathroom. I thought to myself, "Why go through that? Why eat at all,
if food makes me sick?" I'm 5 feet 7 inches tall and at my lowest I weighed
114 pounds due to the affliction. I started lifting weights and my appetite
finally kicked in, but food still made me ill. I just knew I had to eat in
order to be a body builder and so I dealt with the frequency and
inconvenience of the colitis pain. Eventually, 10 to 15 years later when I
stopped lifting so regementally, I ended up being about 30 pounds
overweight.

For the past 4 years, I've been back on the food repulsion thing again. I
eat one bite and end up at the toilet. I love talking about food, I love
the idea of food, I love cooking food, I love collecting recipes, but when
it's all said and done, I don't want to eat what I made or what anyone else
makes. I'll make a meal for myself, take a bite or two and put it away. We
go to a restaurant, I'll take a bite or two, wrap the rest up, and I
eventually throw it out. It's such a waste. I'll easily go up to 3 to 4
days without eating anything but a mint or something. Since I've been sick,
it's gotten way worse, too. I feel the food in my mouth and I get nausea.
I can be *so* hungry, too, but food in front of me turns me off.

So, yes, I can appreciate your story, completely. My husband, OTOH, is an
absolute glutton and won't stop eating until you quit putting food in front
of him. (Not putting food in front of him doesn't work well in a
buffet-style restaurant, though. <g>) He's got to totally monitor his
weight and food intake in order to prevent him from becoming "The Fat Man"
again. For me, I think my adversion to eating is partly due to anxiety and
obviously I'm still battling the anorexia that I thought I had conquered way
back in my mid 20's.

In any case, if I *am* hungry, I don't berate myself if the only thing that
appeals to me is a heavenly, sweet, caloric piece of baklava, because that
might be the only thing I'll eat for the next few days. :~)

kili

On May 23, 6:32 am, Andy <q> wrote:
> I remember when I stopped eating, I was two years old.
[snip]

wow. cool story.

Did you ever gain your eyesight back again?

Karen

Chatty Cathy wrote:

> I have noticed it with a quite a few of my friends - both with them and
> their children as well - they seem to like what they grew up with and
> are not all that keen to try anything that could be termed "strange food".

That's not the case with the kids I raised. One was picky from birth
and still is; one was willing to try anything, and still is.

>
> Anybody else think that if children are not "exposed" to certain foods,
> say between the ages of 2 and 6 y/o, that they will never really
> develop a taste for it, or that it will "take some doing" to get them to
> try something "new" when they are adults?

Nah. I think it might be a factor, but I also think that kids have
preferences just like anyone else does, very early on.

Serene

>> Anybody else think that if children are not "exposed" to certain
>> foods, say between the ages of 2 and 6 y/o, that they will never
>> really develop a taste for it, or that it will "take some doing" to
>> get them to try something "new" when they are adults?
>
> Nah. I think it might be a factor, but I also think that kids have
> preferences just like anyone else does, very early on.
>
> Serene


I think the exposure is good, but from what I have seen with our son is
that he has some tastes that he seems to have been born with and they
are very similar to some of his father's tastes. Things that he just
likes that I am not particularly fond of. I think it's very funny
sometimes to see them eating these things together.

I'm going to claim the ice cream lust as that's what I craved in the
last few months of my pregnancy.

--
Caryn
Caryn Nadelberg - Mommy to Sam and Queen of the May
www.carynen.blogspot.com

Cathy - I can relate to your problem. I have a herd of grandkids.
Amazingly, the middle daughter's husband and their kids, will eat
anything that hasn't hit the floor yet. . .The poor dog feels left
out, when they are around.

However, my youngest daughter's husband, and their kids are the
pickiest eaters I've ever seen. Just about everything must come out
of a can, a box, and be "un-messed" with.

We will be together this weekend,and it's gonna be a lunch meat, hot
dog, potato chip weekend. The kids won't eat deviled eggs, potato
salad, or anything that has mayonaise or mustard. I have made some
baked beans, but I've been really careful to not make them too
"exotic."

I have the same fears you do, about taste development. . .I do know
that when my 10 year old grandson was a baby, I baby sat him, and made
all his food. During that time, he loved most anything I made for
him, but he has been prejudiced by his dad, and all those things he
ate as an infant, he won't touch today.

Good luck to you!

Myrl Jeffcoat
http://www.myrljeffcoat.com

wrote:

> I have the same fears you do, about taste development. . .I do know
> that when my 10 year old grandson was a baby, I baby sat him, and made
> all his food. During that time, he loved most anything I made for
> him, but he has been prejudiced by his dad, and all those things he
> ate as an infant, he won't touch today.


I've heard another theory that has to do with normal growth rates.
Infants have voracious appetites. Parents are often amazed at how much
a baby will eat in proportion to her size. Some time around toddlerhood
and 4 years old, the child stops growing so fast. Proportional to size,
they need less food. The child sensibly stops eating when she's not
hungry, but the parents aren't prepared for the change. The child says
she's not hungry or that she doesn't want food or that she doesn't like
the offered food.


Parents don't realize they're doing it, but they push food on the kid.
In the kids' mind, the food really does look yucky because the thought
of eating it really does make the kid feel sick. A 4 year old isn't
able to distinguish where the feelings are coming from, the desire not
to eat, or the desire not to eat that yucky egg. Before you know it,
the kid is turned off certain foods for life.


Which is why the best advice is still for parents to offer a variety of
nourishing foods, spend no family food budget on junk, and let the kids
eat whatever they want from the foods offered.


I have another question for the picky eaters in the group and especially
the parents and grandparents of picky eaters. Are any of these picky
kids unhealthy or overweight? I was a picky eater who didn't grow out
of it until my late teens. I was a skinny kid, have been a slender
adult, and now that I'm looking at the extra pounds that come with
peri-menopause, still don't fall into the overweight category according
to the charts. I call it picky kid's revenge. Other than trying to eat
more fruits and vegetables, I've never dieted.


--Lia

On May 25, 7:58 am, Julia Altshuler > wrote:
> wrote:
> > I have the same fears you do, about taste development. . .I do know
> > that when my 10 year old grandson was a baby, I baby sat him, and made
> > all his food. During that time, he loved most anything I made for
> > him, but he has been prejudiced by his dad, and all those things he
> > ate as an infant, he won't touch today.
>
> I've heard another theory that has to do with normal growth rates.
> Infants have voracious appetites. Parents are often amazed at how much
> a baby will eat in proportion to her size. Some time around toddlerhood
> and 4 years old, the child stops growing so fast. Proportional to size,
> they need less food. The child sensibly stops eating when she's not
> hungry, but the parents aren't prepared for the change. The child says
> she's not hungry or that she doesn't want food or that she doesn't like
> the offered food.
>
> Parents don't realize they're doing it, but they push food on the kid.
> In the kids' mind, the food really does look yucky because the thought
> of eating it really does make the kid feel sick. A 4 year old isn't
> able to distinguish where the feelings are coming from, the desire not
> to eat, or the desire not to eat that yucky egg. Before you know it,
> the kid is turned off certain foods for life.

I swore I wouldn't do that. I remember sitting at the table until
bedtime with some food or other that I didn't want sitting on my plate
uneaten.

My daughter was what we called the "air baby". She would eat and
nurse normally, then all of a sudden, had little to no interest in
food. The next morning, her clothes would not fit! Hmmmmm. This
pattern lasted until she was about 5, when she became a picky
eater<g>. My response was to give her tiny portions of everything,
which she had to eat (a teaspoon or so to start). Then if she was
hungry, she could have more.

At 15, she now has definite preferences, but eats a reasonably well-
balanced diet.

> Which is why the best advice is still for parents to offer a variety of
> nourishing foods, spend no family food budget on junk, and let the kids
> eat whatever they want from the foods offered.
>
> I have another question for the picky eaters in the group and especially
> the parents and grandparents of picky eaters. Are any of these picky
> kids unhealthy or overweight? I was a picky eater who didn't grow out
> of it until my late teens. I was a skinny kid, have been a slender
> adult, and now that I'm looking at the extra pounds that come with
> peri-menopause, still don't fall into the overweight category according
> to the charts. I call it picky kid's revenge. Other than trying to eat
> more fruits and vegetables, I've never dieted.
>
> --Lia

I felt it was the overriding of the child's "appistat", the signal
from the stomach to the brain that they've had enough, that caused
obesity and eating disorders. The "clean your plate" syndrome. I've
trained myself to not eat everything on the plate when we eat out, and
to take smaller portions at home. Doesn't always work, but it's
better than it used to be. The kid is now learning to order by what
she will eat.

maxine in ri

On May 25, 8:58 am, Julia Altshuler > wrote:

> I have another question for the picky eaters in the group and especially
> the parents and grandparents of picky eaters. Are any of these picky
> kids unhealthy or overweight? I was a picky eater who didn't grow out
> of it until my late teens. I was a skinny kid, have been a slender
> adult, and now that I'm looking at the extra pounds that come with
> peri-menopause, still don't fall into the overweight category according
> to the charts. I call it picky kid's revenge. Other than trying to eat
> more fruits and vegetables, I've never dieted.

I was a picky eater. Unfortunately, what I picked were
things like french fries. And because I was the sole kid
in a house with four adults, they always found it easier to
make me macaroni with butter, salt and pepper than fight
with me over food.

I have been overweight or obese as long as I can
remember. It's a struggle, even now when I enjoy healthful
foods like vegetables, to refrain from gaining, much less
lose any. And menopause isn't doing me any
favors in the metabolism department.

Cindy Hamilton

In article >,
Chatty Cathy > wrote:

> Been thinking about picky eaters again....
>
> I have two children (many years apart). DS was the first-born - and when
> he was a "toddler" we had little or no access to seafood or shellfish,
> with the result that he never had much of either. To this day, he
> dislikes anything remotely "fishy". He will eat almost anything else,
> tho'. OTOH, our younger one (3 y/o) has been exposed to many kinds of
> food, including seafood/shellfish and she seems to like it all.
>
> I have noticed it with a quite a few of my friends - both with them and
> their children as well - they seem to like what they grew up with and
> are not all that keen to try anything that could be termed "strange food".
>
> Anybody else think that if children are not "exposed" to certain foods,
> say between the ages of 2 and 6 y/o, that they will never really
> develop a taste for it, or that it will "take some doing" to get them to
> try something "new" when they are adults?

I think a lot depends on the kid's personality and tastebuds, as well as
the parent's attitude to food and trying new things.

Someone at lunch today referred to Agent Weasel (my daughter, who's just
turned nine) as "fussy", because she doesn't eat scones. I don't think
of her as fussy because she will try just about anything. I also think
it's important for me to be just as adventurous about my food as I
expect her to be. For instance, I didn't discover sushi until I was
into my 30s! The Agent sees me giving things a go, and she'll give them
a go too. She's made some wonderful discoveries that way.

Also, this is the child who likes strongly-flavoured food, has been into
curry since she was a pre-schooler and bought herself a treat of 72%
cocoa chocolate, with her saved-up pocket money. I've no worries about
her turning into a fussy eater, unless it's in the direction of holding
out for the good stuff!

Miche

--
In the monastery office --
Before enlightenment: fetch mail, shuffle paper
After enlightenment: fetch mail, shuffle paper

On Sun, 27 May 2007 16:36:46 +1200, Miche > wrote:

>I've no worries about
>her turning into a fussy eater, unless it's in the direction of holding
>out for the good stuff!

I never thought of myself as "fussy" (I'm the one who eats *anything*
except cooked endives) until I found myself in the hospital for 10
days and confronted with awful food. Now I know I have one kind of
fussiness: I just can't eat bad food. I survived on whatever I could
find that was edible on those trays (not much, vegetables were few and
invariably overcooked, meat and fish were bland, fruit were canned and
syrupy - blech) plus what I asked my SO and friends to bring (fresh
fruit, cherry tomatoes, Italian crackers, plain yogurts, OJ, and small
dry sausages). I lost a ton of weight during those 10 days (can't say
how much exactly since I had a broken leg and could not climb on
scales, but from my clothes when I got out, I'd say at least 4 kgs,
which is a lot for such a short time), faced with bad food, I just
lost my appetite. Oh, and I found out *why* I was so fussy and hated
vegetables so much when I was a kid: I just hate boiled vegetables.

Nathalie in Switzerland

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 22 May 2007 18:20:07 +0200, Chatty Cathy wrote:
>
>> Anybody else think that if children are not "exposed" to certain foods,
>> say between the ages of 2 and 6 y/o, that they will never really
>> develop a taste for it, or that it will "take some doing" to get them to
>> try something "new" when they are adults?
>
> I was exposed to very few types/styles of food as a kid. Today,
> there are very few things I won't eat.
>
> I even ate my first serving of cottage cheese (full fat, large
> curd) just this last Sunday. It always scared me as a kid.

I don't know many people who eat it out of the container like I do :-)
Sometimes I add a dash of black pepper. Yummy stuff!

Steve Wertz wrote:
>
>
> I was exposed to very few types/styles of food as a kid. Today,
> there are very few things I won't eat.
>
> I even ate my first serving of cottage cheese (full fat, large
> curd) just this last Sunday. It always scared me as a kid.

We often had cottage cheese fruit salads as summer time dinners. Mom would
lay a dollop of cottage cheese on a lettuce leaf, and serve it with some
variation of fruits, pickles, egg, tuna or salmon salad, maybe devilled
eggs, radishes, carrot sticks. I never disliked cottage cheese, just didn't
see much to like about it, though it was quite edible with piece canned
peach or pear.