Confessions of a Picky Eater
When Disgust Becomes Too Strong
Alex Williams | Pacific Lutheran University
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| Disgust, voiced by Mindy Kaling |
A popular fan-theory that came out after the films release had to do with the parents expressions of emotion. While Riley's emotions are all unique in their presentation, her father's emotions (top) seemed to all be variations of the character "Anger", whereas her mother's emotions (bottom) were all variations of the character "Sadness".
If you did a similar characterization of my brain anywhere from my early years until I was nearly a teenager, all my emotions would be variations of Disgust.
Were anyone to have told 8-year-old me that by adulthood she would be eating octopus sashimi, chicken tikka masala and fruits or vegetables of any kind, she would probably lose her mind! I grew up an extremely picky eater, having found one area of my chaotic life that I could control- what went in my mouth. From first to fifth grade, I had exactly the same lunch every day: a peanut butter sandwich, a bag of chips or crackers, and a Little Debbie snack cake. Failure to provide exactly this food would result in a catastrophic meltdown from Little Alex.
Psychological Links
I didn’t understand the psychology of controlling behaviors like these until I started taking psychology classes in late high school. A lot of research has been published about Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) which was officially recognized in the DSM-V and is said to affect up to 5% of children worldwide, though it is still in the preliminary stages of study. There are key differences between normal "pick eating" and this eating disorder, expressed in the coinciding social anxiety and obsessive compulsive behaviors of ARFID. This usually lasts into adolescence and even early adulthood if left alone. My breakthroughs really picked up around age 12-13 when I started counseling for my anxiety.
My diet was the result of a chaotic family dynamic characterized by the absence of both my biological parents, an uncle who worked almost constantly and- later on- a custody battle that meant I was unsure of who I would be living with week-to-week. My expression of control was an extremely common one- certain longitudinal studies suggest that up to 50% of children experience a period of selective eating at some point. However, as I got older and it didn't resolve itself as with most children, I started to have health problems like sensitive skin, brittle hair and even a kidney stone at age 11 (something usually found in adults, which is only common among children in developing areas of the world with very poor water quality).
Moving in my with significantly more affluent stepmother and father was the first step to overcoming my problems with food. Unlike my aunt and uncle, they enjoyed home cooking and did it far more often. They could sacrifice the time to prepare and serve meals with more variety and quality. Not only that, but we could afford to go out to restaurants that reflected all sorts of cultures and culinary interests. Naturally, I fought very hard against this shift in my diet and begged for the chicken nuggets and peanut butter sandwiches of my past. My parents were persistent, however, and through their efforts I discovered an easy-going and fun side of food that I had never experienced before!
There were multitudes of experiences that they could provide for me that I hadn't previously had access too. I had never eaten out at a restaurant before, I had never travelled outside of the United States or anything of that nature. Having parents that could afford and were willing to spend $300-400 a month of groceries for a family of four was a unique privilege that I am incredibly grateful for.
With the advent of convenience foods in the mid 20th century, dietary habits like mine became easier and easier. The "nutritionism" mindset also played a role in the decrease in quality of our day-to-day foods. Products like Sunny-D replaced orange juice, claiming to have more vitamins and minerals than regular juice; Snack-Pack pudding boasts a calcium content equivalent to a glass of milk. Meanwhile the actual foods that contain those nutrients have been thrown to the wayside. The blame doesn't fall entirely on the consumer, much of it can be attributed to the multibillion dollar industries that advertise and perpetuate these food trends because it is so profitable for them.
On top of that, marketers often target children in the ways they design and package food- particularly less healthy foods. Kids are drawn to the middle aisles by bright packaging, sometimes including TV or storybook characters, and other aesthetics that are specifically engineered to appeal to youth. With the amount of advertisement that children are being exposed to at younger and younger ages they are essentially conditioned to view these types of products as more desirable. As a parent, feeding into children's strong-willed desire for instant gratification is typically easier than combatting ensuing temper tantrums in the middle of the grocery store.
Patience, I've found, is the best way to work with picky children. My own brother, age nine, is now falling into the same patterns that I did. He has become a high anxiety child who eats even less than I did at my worst- refusing staple foods like eggs. My mother is very low income, just like when I was growing up. She only has access to the limited produce sections and vast middle aisles of stores like Walmart and Fred Meyer. Since my brother doesn't have control over what food is purchased in his home, he, like many low-income children, is subjected to the limits imposed on my mother by her situation.
I've watched my mother struggle against Colby's typical child stubbornness, giving in consistently. She has perpetuated his anxiety-driven struggle for control over what goes in his mouth and it's more economical for her, like my aunt, to buy the cheap and low-nutrition foods she knows he'll eat than to risk wasting food and her limited funds. Offering ultimatums has given me a greater degree of success by offering him the illusion of control (bribes have included comic books, other foods, and TV times). Overusing these can, however, lead to a whole new level of power struggle, so exercising caution is key.
Despite the difficulties, try to curb picky eating is incredibly important. Even in low income households, shopping at farmers markets when possible- many of which are accepting WIC and SNAP/EBT vouchers- and avoiding convenience foods all together can make a huge difference in children's eating habits. Educating oneself and trying to avoid subscription to philosophies like nutritionism can also help ensure that you're making better informed food decisions for yourself and your family and keeping Disgust in check.
Word Count: 1585
My diet was the result of a chaotic family dynamic characterized by the absence of both my biological parents, an uncle who worked almost constantly and- later on- a custody battle that meant I was unsure of who I would be living with week-to-week. My expression of control was an extremely common one- certain longitudinal studies suggest that up to 50% of children experience a period of selective eating at some point. However, as I got older and it didn't resolve itself as with most children, I started to have health problems like sensitive skin, brittle hair and even a kidney stone at age 11 (something usually found in adults, which is only common among children in developing areas of the world with very poor water quality).
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| My 2016 trip to Japan had some of the best food experiences of my life |
There were multitudes of experiences that they could provide for me that I hadn't previously had access too. I had never eaten out at a restaurant before, I had never travelled outside of the United States or anything of that nature. Having parents that could afford and were willing to spend $300-400 a month of groceries for a family of four was a unique privilege that I am incredibly grateful for.
My past of picky eating has become extensively intertwined with my sense of identity and influences the way that I choose food now. I find that I am usually very uncomfortable eating at new restaurants or in front of people that I'm unfamiliar with. Despite the fact that my tastes have evolved dramatically, I still find myself hampered by my food habits growing up. Conversely, however, my awareness of the causes and connotations of picky eating has influenced me to be more adventurous in my eating whenever I can- typically at home and in other more private settings. Cultivating greater comfort with more diverse foods hasn't been easy, and my personal Disgust is always trying to influence the way I eat, but the understanding of the health impacts as well as the overwhelmingly positive experiences I have had both outweigh the lingering anxiety that I have.
No parent wants their child to end up with health problems, anxiety and social problems- so how does it happen? Why Isn't it easier to stop picky eating early and raise healthier children?
No parent wants their child to end up with health problems, anxiety and social problems- so how does it happen? Why Isn't it easier to stop picky eating early and raise healthier children?
Societal Facilitation of Selective Eating
The biggest issue with my eating- as well as many children worldwide- was that it was greatly facilitated by the Western diet and the types of foods/preparation methods that we encourage in today's society. In class discussions we have repeatedly addressed the culture of convenience eating that America has built up, not only that but the culture of cheap consumerism. I grew up in a relatively poor household in which my eating was reinforced by the food we had access too. We were frequenters of Walmart, the one of the ultimate perpetrators of Western consumerism, and since we lacked the money to afford fresh produce, it was far easier for my aunt to feed me all the chicken nuggets and oatmeal creme pies I could eat rather than spending a significant amount of money on more nutritious foods that I would turn my nose up at. Not only that, but as mentioned earlier, my aunt really hated cooking.
With the advent of convenience foods in the mid 20th century, dietary habits like mine became easier and easier. The "nutritionism" mindset also played a role in the decrease in quality of our day-to-day foods. Products like Sunny-D replaced orange juice, claiming to have more vitamins and minerals than regular juice; Snack-Pack pudding boasts a calcium content equivalent to a glass of milk. Meanwhile the actual foods that contain those nutrients have been thrown to the wayside. The blame doesn't fall entirely on the consumer, much of it can be attributed to the multibillion dollar industries that advertise and perpetuate these food trends because it is so profitable for them.
 |
| What kid wouldn't jump up and down for Spongebob Mac& Cheese? |
Patience, I've found, is the best way to work with picky children. My own brother, age nine, is now falling into the same patterns that I did. He has become a high anxiety child who eats even less than I did at my worst- refusing staple foods like eggs. My mother is very low income, just like when I was growing up. She only has access to the limited produce sections and vast middle aisles of stores like Walmart and Fred Meyer. Since my brother doesn't have control over what food is purchased in his home, he, like many low-income children, is subjected to the limits imposed on my mother by her situation.
I've watched my mother struggle against Colby's typical child stubbornness, giving in consistently. She has perpetuated his anxiety-driven struggle for control over what goes in his mouth and it's more economical for her, like my aunt, to buy the cheap and low-nutrition foods she knows he'll eat than to risk wasting food and her limited funds. Offering ultimatums has given me a greater degree of success by offering him the illusion of control (bribes have included comic books, other foods, and TV times). Overusing these can, however, lead to a whole new level of power struggle, so exercising caution is key.
Despite the difficulties, try to curb picky eating is incredibly important. Even in low income households, shopping at farmers markets when possible- many of which are accepting WIC and SNAP/EBT vouchers- and avoiding convenience foods all together can make a huge difference in children's eating habits. Educating oneself and trying to avoid subscription to philosophies like nutritionism can also help ensure that you're making better informed food decisions for yourself and your family and keeping Disgust in check.
Word Count: 1585
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