Re: Food textures - question for Hillary - hope it makes sense

November 16, 2005

Hillary - I hope you don't mind me asking - but I'm trying to understand Mads'

eating issues more:

The textures thing - is it that you still find the textures of the foods you

mention difficult to swallow and chew, or is it an association that you

originally found them difficult, or have you just never liked the idea of eating

bananas because they are squishy and the thought of eating something squishy

reminded you of something nasty, or is it inexplicable like my sister always

hated carrots because she felt they tasted " like bombs " ? (Goodness knows what

made her associate carrot taste with bombs?)

Thanks

Gillian

Hillary nsen wrote:

Hi Liz,

I am a 23 year old adult with RSS. Your son's eating habits sound a lot like

mine. I was, and still am, a very, very picky eater. I definitely have issues

with texture (still), and to this day, the list of things I will not eat is

about three times as long as the list of things I will eat. I think I eat

pretty well nutrition wise (especially when I compare what I eat with what my

peers eat), BUT I tend to eat a lot of the same things all the time. I

didn't eat meat until I was probably eight or so because I absolutely could not

stand the texture, and I still refuse to eat any meat product that has been

ground (no matter what it is). I don't eat red meat or pork, bananas (b/c

they're squishy), peas (for the same reason), pretty much any condiment but BBQ

sauce, anything fried, apples (the mush factor again), and the list goes on and

on (I won't bore you with the whole list <grin>). I have ALWAYS adored any

kind of soy product, which helped me get protein in the

early years when I wasn't eating meat (the consistency and texture is much

softer and less rubbery than actual meat). I would say that I still eat some

sort of soy " substitute " an average of three nights a week.

Anyway, my point in this whole ramble is that, while it's not ideal for a

child to be extremely picky, it is possible for an extremely picky child to

grow into an equally picky adult and still eat fairly well. I wish I had more

suggestions for you, but like others have said, just keep offering him

different foods and see if he'll try a wider range of foods on his own.

Welcome to the list, by the way.

~Hillary

23, RSS

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November 16, 2005

Hi Gillian,

No, I don't mind you asking. I'm trying to think of a way to explain my

distaste of certain textures...I wish I could tell you that my aversion to

certain things could be tied to a deep psychological scar from my childhood,

because then my aversions would seem logical. Unfortunately, they're not

logical at all. I really cannot describe it any other way than I hate the way

certain things feel in my mouth (esp. the " mushy " things). It has nothing to

do with taste, bad experience, bad associations, etc. I just don't like the

way they feel when they hit my mouth. It also has nothing to do with chewing

or swallowing. I'm sorry, I know that is not a very satisfactory answer. I

will say, however, that my aversion to ground meats probably comes more from

what I know goes into those products than it does with the way they feel in my

mouth. I ate ground beef, turkey and sausage from about the age of eight until

I was thirteen or so - I blame that aversion on a

burgeoning awareness of the world . I had many, many hours of both feeding

and speech therapy growing up, and none of those professionals seemed to be

able to explain it either. And in all honesty, I'm not really sure how much

good the feeding therapy actually did me.

There are certain things when I put in my mouth (mostly the " mushy " things

like bananas) that make me want to vomit because of their texture. I also have

an extreme aversion to/dislike of butter or butter related products. I can't

stand the way they taste, look, feel and smell. I have no explanation for

this, either, it just is. As I said earlier, I really wish I had a better,

more revealing answer to give you, but I don't understand my aversions much

more than anyone else does . I will say, though, that I have gotten better

about at least trying things as I get older. There's still a lot that I try

that I don't like, but at least I try it.

In an interesting sidenote, I've always LOVED more ethnic type/non American

foods (Thai, Indian, Mexican, any and all Asian cuisine, Ethiopian, etc.).

~Hillary

23, RSS

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November 17, 2005

Thanks Hillary - actually your reply is very satisfactory. I had been thinking

that eating would improve with growth hormone as more muscles grow in the

intestines and also, that if we were careful not to push Madeleine too much to

eat difficult things, she wouldn't have any texture problems. Your reply tells

me that while these may work in her case they will not necessarily work.

Thanks,

Gillian

PS I must admit I'm not the greatest at eating ethnic food - so in a way you

probably have a more varied diet than I do!!