I posted this in the "nutrition" forum before realizing that this is probably a much better place for it.

Until I was about 2 years old, I had no problem eating anything my mother would feed me. Then, one day, something "clicked," and suddenly, a wide variety of foods became intolerable.

This has continued to this day. The "acceptable" and "unacceptable" foods have never changed, in those 22 years.

It has become clear to me that the issue has to do with the texture of the foods rather than their taste. For example, tomato sauce (with no chunks) is great, but I could not eat a whole tomato. Fruit-flavored drinks and candies are fine, but fruit itself is impossible. Cooked meat is fine, but undercooked meat is intolerable.

There is something about a particular kind of "squishy" texture that is intolerable to me. I cannot help but gag. The thought of eating one of the offending foods is truly sickening, to the point that I am not sure I would be able to do it even if my life depended on it. My negative associations are so strong that even having a bowl of fruit on the table when I eat is very disturbing--the smell particularly, but also the sight, is truly revolting.

I'm sorry if the emotions and images I'm conjuring up are disturbing. I'm trying to give an accuate picture of the situation, though.

I read somewhere on the web, in a not-so-reliable-seeming source, that food texture hypersensitivity is higher among people with ADD than others. I was wondering if anyone here has the same issues I do with food texture. I have met one other person who is *exactly* the same as I am in this dimension--we have precisely the same list of excluded items.

I haven't had any luck getting over this problem with Adderall or Wellbutrin (not that I was expecting to), but I was wondering if anyone has found anything that can help. It would be really great if going out to dinner became a pleasure rather than a stressful experience, and it would be really great if I could start eating healthy vegetables rather than just taking supplements.

Brandnewvibe:

I've been a picky eater since I started eating solid foods. I know my pickiness is related to textures. I cannot eat broccoli or zucchini, I like spaghetti, but cannot eat tomatoes, . . etc. Most of my food issues are because of 2 textures within one food item.

Some suggestions:

I make myself try food I have never had or food I haven't tried in a while. As I've gotten older, I've been able to add new or newly retried foods to my repertoire - such as squash, sweet potatoes, falafel, salsa (with a small amount of chunky veggies). I even tried Calamari this weekend (fish is one of those foods I don't like at all.), which wasn't horrible.

You can try behavior modification, using positive reinforcement. For example, everytime you eat 2 bites of spaghetti, with some small chunks of tomatoes in the sauce, you get a bite of a favorite food. If you think you won't like a food - try it anyway. I really didn't want to try Calamari this weekend - but I made myself (and as a reward - got a shot of tequila :) and it wasn't too bad. I tried a falafel in NYC (I was a bit timid to try - because I don't enjoy most vegetables) and loved it. I promptly came home and made it for myself.

You could make a smoothie with fruit, that way you'll get the nutrients.

Plug your nose. Smell and taste are completely related. If you plug your nose, usually you can't taste the food.

I eat un-ripened nectarines, bananas, pears.

The more I open up to trying new foods, the less aversive I am to the food I thought I didn't like.

me, myself, and I think that ADD and sensory issues tend to go hand in hand, some people having more issues than others.

Best wishes!

I appreciate the kind words and advice.

Regards

I don't have any advice, but I wanted to let you know that you aren't alone. I can't stand crunchy vegies, drippy burgers, bread that is too dry, jell-o, chunks of tomato in my sauce, etc. I gag, choke, and so on. Not pleasant.

Cyndi

hehhehe... Until I was diagnosed and started doing research on ADD, I had no idea that food texture was an ADD thing-- I just thought I was a bit wierd :) But I've realized that I can sometimes mix a small amount of the food into whatever I'm eating (b/c its not the taste that bothers me, just the feel in my mouth). I can't stand sqishy things either or foods that feel a bit grainy (like some ravioli mixes, etc.) I was wondering-- beside the texture thing, do you have problems touching each other? Like, when I eat, I end up using a couple of plates for different foods, b/c I can't stand having them touch each other---drove my mom nuts when I was a kid :)

"Texture Eating" is a sensory issue that is high in ADHD because we process information diffrently from the norm. It is also high with other diagnosis..autism spectrum being one.
Some people only like spicey foods or foods with a bland taste. My brother cannot stand anything too cold..he always digs ice out of his drinks and lets his icecream get mushy.
I like anything spicey (ketchup is on the spicey list by the way). And certain food textures are not even up for consideration...usually grainy textures, or mixed textures.

One of the things they use for kids are small oral vibrators or even vibrating teething chews. For adults using vibrating toothbrush will also be a good thing, but brush your entire mouth not just the gum and teeth areas. This does help if you have a strong gag reflex.

i cant stand any of my food touching each other, and i can't stand sauce on my food. I drove my folks crazy growing up. I would rinse off a steak before eating it rathr then eat the bbq suace.

fortuntely my wife understands, she keeps my stuff seperate.

theres certain foods i also wont eat bcause of there texture. I always thought that was just me, and im glad to see theres others who feel that way to.

And I thought I was the only person that washed cooked foods....lol

The Out of Sync Child ...by Carol Stock Kranowitz is a great book regarding Sensory Integration Disorder and kids.


For adults, getting a referral for an Occupational Therapy evaluation is usually the first step to a diagnosis.

I've been thru OT twice as an adult and had a blast.It was difficult for me tho, due to the severity of the problem.

I don't have any food texture sensitivities but my OT friend has told me there are excercises for that.

I do include the question of food sensitivity in my sensory screening;especially as it relates to kids who have trouble swallowing pills.

Good luck.:)

Food must be eaten in order: hot egg things, hot veggies, potato, meat(if not veg), salads/cold food, and preferably do not get intermixed unless you are already eating a casserole and it's expected.

When I ate meat routinely, liver was out because it was liver and because it felt illegal in my mouth. I also loathed liver pate and any meat that bounced (e.g. calamari).

But I'm a bit quirky on food since the beginning. I like to blame it on the fact that my mother tried to get me to stop breast feeding onto cow milk which I was allergic to and then I had to switch again to soy and therefore developed a whole "complex" around it.

I have just found this site. I can't believe there are people that have the same "issues" as me. I can't eat fruit or vegetables- anything that you have to crunch to bite into it but is actually juice, really upsets me. Prime example is a tomato. Or an apple even. I also have a problem with cold food. I can't eat something that is usually served warm when it's cold. It always has to be boiling hot. I won't ever eat meat if it's not charcoal burnt- if there's any form of red blood juice coming out of it, I won't eat it. If vegetables have been anywhere on my plate I won't eat a thing off it. Salad is particularly upsetting. The white / wet / greenness of it all is excruciatingly painful for me to deal with. I am incredibly weird, I realise this. No foreign food has ever passed my lips- chinese, japanese, thai- there's jut too many different textures and flavours involved. I ordered a hamburger the other day and my friend tried it and mentioned she thought it tasted like lamb. I threw up and wouldn't touch it again. What is wrong with me? I have never been diagnosed with ADD though, do I have that too?

I can find a single lima bean in any dish simply by its texture. EW!

Crazy :cool:

most .....>> things tast bland to me the things that dont are over powering dorm

I have the same exact symptoms. I use to eat every single thing as a child up until about 3 years old. What I don't get is that I use to be able to eat sardines and mustard as a child, but now I can't even look at a piece of fish or smell mustard at all. I can probably list about 30-40 things I can eat without gagging. I gag at everything I don't like and cannot help it. Everything must be hot or overcooked. I love pizza, but cannot have the cheese soft or undercooked. I like pepperoni and that is it (or just cheese). I too don't like spaghetti sauce with any chunks in it, only just the sauce. There is not one vegetable that I can eat. The only fruit I can eat is blended, very blended and nothing green. Only reds and orange colored fruits. I can only eat chicken as a meat source and it has to be very cooked. And if I hit a chord or a bone, you better move because everything I ate will come right back up. And if I eat chicken, I must have a lot of BBQ sauce, no exceptions. I love hot dogs but absolutely hate brats or sausages. I can only eat hamburger in a meat taco and that is it (of course with a lot of hot sauce). I can eat no white sauces, only reds. I.E. BBQ sauce and French dressing. It is tearing my life apart. I am always the topic of discussion when eating out with someone I don't know and I am always getting made fun of. I understand people don't get it, but I too don't get how they can eat half the stuff they do. I am definately making an appointment with a doctor after reading these posts. Maybe there is some help out there. Thank you all for your posts, this helps greatly.:)

Hey Pickyeater.

I too have had food issues, for example it took me until I was 17 to eat mashed potato comfortably but I could eat mashed pumpkin without a problem, I dislike foods that drip such as oranges, watermelons, some burgers depending on whats on them and I hate spilling food on my skin as it feels horrid, however since I've grown up I'm able to tolerate these little issues a lot better now.

My advice is to do some research on Sensory Integration Disorder otherwise known as Sensory Processing Disorder (which is what I have as well as ADHD etc) and perhaps get some sort of diagnosis and treatment.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!

((Hugs))
Selena:)

I just stumbled onto this thread on this site and it amazes me. Everyone in my family has always treated me like I was weird (they also never believed that I had ADD until I was 24 and got checked out on my own).


For me

1) Food cannot touch
2) if multiple foods, I need to eat each part separate. Like Fries first, followed by burger
3) I cannot handle certain textures...these include most veggies and fruits...so you can imagine how healthy I am. I eat a burger it needs to be plain. I eat pizza it cannot have veggies. I like the taste of onions, but I cannot bite through a piece of onion on a pizza.

the smoothie idea is a great one...I need to buy a blender now...haha


its amazing how much of a relief this is to me...haha. knowing that there are more people like me...and it also angers me that this monkey on my back (ADD) is making my life even harder than I originally thought.


now I am off to really look over these forums and see what else I need to know!

I posted this in the "nutrition" forum before realizing that this is probably a much better place for it.

Until I was about 2 years old, I had no problem eating anything my mother would feed me. Then, one day, something "clicked," and suddenly, a wide variety of foods became intolerable.

This has continued to this day. The "acceptable" and "unacceptable" foods have never changed, in those 22 years.

It has become clear to me that the issue has to do with the texture of the foods rather than their taste. For example, tomato sauce (with no chunks) is great, but I could not eat a whole tomato. Fruit-flavored drinks and candies are fine, but fruit itself is impossible. Cooked meat is fine, but undercooked meat is intolerable.

There is something about a particular kind of "squishy" texture that is intolerable to me. I cannot help but gag. The thought of eating one of the offending foods is truly sickening, to the point that I am not sure I would be able to do it even if my life depended on it. My negative associations are so strong that even having a bowl of fruit on the table when I eat is very disturbing--the smell particularly, but also the sight, is truly revolting.

I'm sorry if the emotions and images I'm conjuring up are disturbing. I'm trying to give an accuate picture of the situation, though.

I read somewhere on the web, in a not-so-reliable-seeming source, that food texture hypersensitivity is higher among people with ADD than others. I was wondering if anyone here has the same issues I do with food texture. I have met one other person who is *exactly* the same as I am in this dimension--we have precisely the same list of excluded items.

I haven't had any luck getting over this problem with Adderall or Wellbutrin (not that I was expecting to), but I was wondering if anyone has found anything that can help. It would be really great if going out to dinner became a pleasure rather than a stressful experience, and it would be really great if I could start eating healthy vegetables rather than just taking supplements.
THANKYOU!!!!

Ive tried to explain why I wont eat seafood because I dont like the way it feels in my mouth or to chew....its got NOTHING to do with flavour....the 'mouth feel' is enough to make me gag....swallowing it is just so far out of the question its ridiculous... I think I could successfully amputate a limb with a rusty spoon as a preferable alternative.

So this is a normal thing in ADD then? I just thought I was really strange....

Im 18 years old and i've always thought i was a freak. i can't eat fruites or veggies or meat or hardly anything because the way it feels in my moulth freaks me out . i bassicly surivive on crackers.
i want to thank everyone who posted on this forum for showing me im not alone and giving the strength to seek help.

warmwellcomes bellbabe your most wellcome we alot alike here on the fourms dorm

My name is Dani and I'm 20...I have always known there was something keeping me from eating certain foods...My family does not know how I survive with only eating a small variety of foods...I can't eat mixed flavors...like pizza, salad, stew, soup...I can eat steak by itself or dip it in sauce...I can eat fries in ketchup and also beef...but i cannot eat a hamburger put together...its not just the texture but the taste that makes me cringe...I'm so glad I finally figured out that I may have a eating disorder and that I'm not just being stubborn...I would love to talk to others with the same problem...

hey dain you can contac me anytime here
i allways be happy to talk to you

and i more than understand what your going though as well

dorm

OMG. I had never put two and two together, but my adult stepsons, who I know find out have ADD, have food issues like that!!

The younger one, in his late 20s, refuses to eat anything with "sauces", he hates the texture of sauces. He also refuses to eat anything that leaves something on his fingers (like Cheetos or Doritos.) He also hates swimming and hot tubs, becuase of the getting wet (but he showers because he has to.)

The older one, who has the most ADD in the family, only eats the same things over and over. He orders the same things and tries to eat in the same restaurants over and over.

My youngest stepdaughter has had food issues her whole life, and she's mildly ADD. She has an issue with taste.. before I came along she would eat so much because of the taste sensation that she would literally throw up. Yet her family continued to let her eat this way (she's battled her weight since she was 6.) She said that she can't get enough of how things taste, and is obsessed with it. The older stepdaughter has fought her weight her whole life because of food issues (and she's more ADD than her sister.)

My husband, who I know also find out has ADD, is addicted to food, as well. He does not seem to have taste issues, but just a generally unhealthy addiction to eating.

This is quite interesting, as I'd never considered that the unusual food issues they all have, could be their ADD. There are other sensory issues with them, but I'll see what else is in this forum for that. Wow.

I will want to keeping eating past full because of the good taste. Or I will just keep eating out of inattentiveness.
I will also go looking for food out of restlessness and boredom, another fidget outlet I guess.
I have been very aware of this since high school though and have been working on it, so its not an issue, just something I have to remind myself of. Its just about full time habit now to tell myself; "Uhh hunny, you're full"

its allways been and iusesss and allways will be i think

shame really

but i still like food

dorm

Meat of any kind when I was young my mom used to make me or at least try to make me eat meat I would pick around the hamburger helper and just eat the noodles I hated it for the longest time but now I am ok with a little bit.

i dislike meat even now i dont like the way it feels or the consitent any fat on the meat i wont eat! in the end

dorm

RedHairedWitch: You mean everyone doesn't eat when they're bored??? o.o Are you serious?

Oh, man...just had one of those undiagnosed ADHD moments there. I thought everybody in the world did that. My family does, but most of them are waiting on their own evaluations now. :P Wait 'til I tell my sister!!

i'm an inattentive male, and didn't realize this was an add thing, but i eat ANYTHING. at least anything that is lukewarm... however, i cannot tolerate hot foods. if it's steaming, it BURNS to me. i usually wait till my food is cold before eating it.. so i end up doing something else while the food is cooling.

regarding textures, i feel like i'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. I LOVE TEXTURES. i gotta admit that i'll take texture over taste quite often...i mean, i'll take a bite of a cookie.. and then have a craving for some cottage cheese.. or rice. spaghetti is good chunky not saucy.. sashimi.. and anything crunchy is good...sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, greasy, milky, crunchy, dry, cold, slimy, textured combinations.. anything complex...is what i like. i like playing with the food in my mouth too (veggies usually). i wont eat crunchy bread tho cuz it tears my mouth up. sorry if this grosses some of you out..hehe

i tend to have hypersensitivity to saltiness along with temperature. i eat a LOT of meat and fish. i like most veggies and fruits except i have an aversion to iceburg lettuce. shudder.

Yup, count me in as another one who's hypersensitive to food textures!!! For me, the *worst* are mushrooms and uncooked tomato.... but many vegetables, and some meats, bug me as well. Two of my nieces have ADHD and strong food texture issues too.... the younger, age six, refuses to eat rice because she can't stand the way it feels in her mouth.

I was telling doc a while ago about this. Medication helps reduce this. When I was a kid I was infamous because I could not eat lumpy pudding or lumpy mashed potatoes. I wouldn't let food types touch one another. I ate them (pretty much still do this even with meds) one at a time until completion. Could not eat a bite of one and then a bite of another. People in public always notice this.




For me

1) Food cannot touch
2) if multiple foods, I need to eat each part separate. Like Fries first, followed by burger
3) I cannot handle certain textures...these include most veggies and fruits...so you can imagine how healthy I am. I eat a burger it needs to be plain. I eat pizza it cannot have veggies. I like the taste of onions, but I cannot bite through a piece of onion on a pizza.



now I am off to really look over these forums and see what else I need to know!

I'm new here and am amazed at the abundance of information and similiarities...I definetley have a texture issue, have since I can remember. Anything "mushy" and "slimy" like oatmeal, cream of wheat, lumpy gravy,oh yes a personal favorite...green jello with cottage cheese and pineapple, barf. It will not go down my throat, gag reflex wont let it. I also have a hard time with butter and mayo. I had no idea this could be an ADD issue.

Amy

I eat my fruit before it's ripe...ripe banana's make me gag...but I love them when they're green.

I also really like stale food. Not bread! But chips, popcorn, and crackers...maybe it's because they are bland...dunno, just love stale stuff...haha!

I do prefer bland food that's really salted...basically, I love salt. But I can't eat too much of the same thing. When I go out for dinner, I never order something like pasta b/c I know it's just one thing. I need the dinner to have side dishes so I can sample different flavours. My dream meal is those appetizer platters..but they tend to be too expensive and too much food for just me! Sometimes I will stop eating before I'm full just b/c I'm bored of what I'm eating. But I can go and munch on something different no problem!

Does anyone else find that things like really pepperminty gum and mouth wash actually HURT you mouth?! For me...the stinging is so bad I have to spit it out and drink something quickly!! I find this with regular toothpaste too..but not to the same degree. However, those fruity flavoured toothpastes really gross me out. When I watch people swish mouthwash around their mouths I am in utter awe of them...how are they not in agony?!! One time I tried one of those breath strips that you put right on your tongue...oh my...I literally had to scrape it off b/c it hurt so much!!!

Wow... so many things people say here are so true for me as well!!

Most things i dont like because of texture. Zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms... most vegetables of a similar texture i just cant eat, they make me gag. The only vegies i eat are willingly are carrots, beans, peas. Brocolli and cauliflower ill only eat if its covered in cheese sauce - but its not to do with the flavour of them. I hate raw tomato, even cooked tomato. only good tomato is purreed in pasta sauce - i dont even like tomato sauce. Corn on a cob botheres me, as does celery cos stuff gets stuck in my teeth. I dont mind cucumber but really would rather not eat it.

The only meat i really eat much of is chicken. When i was a littl kid mum used to make rissoles and i used to chew them and chew them - i couldnt swallow it. Regularly she used to make me spit it out before bed cos i couldnt swallow it. Also with lamb;beef i spend forever chewing it because i just cant swallow it. Dad works in the meat industry so there is always really good quality beef/lamb in our house and i will always choose chicken/fish over it anyway. I just cant deal with the texture.
Im ok with pasta sauce with mince in it and stuff, but much prefer creamier or smoother pasta sauces.
I dont deal with salad. I hate combining vegetables like that. All the sauces are gross as well.
Most condiments i cant deal wtih either the flavour, the texture or something else.

I like cheese and carbohydrates. And fruit juice. And yoghurt. and chicken/ham. I like apple sauce, gravy, mint jelly, bbq sauce, cheese sauce, garlic sauce. sweet chilli sauce. I love garlic flavoured stuff.

Apricot chicken i have issues with..... especially knowing mum puts french oinion soup in it... and yet its sweet??

As far as fruit goes, i can deal with some textures better than others.....I dont like eating apples but i like the flavours, i find eating apples requires lots of effort. I dont like eating oranges cos of the texture but i like the flavour. Grapes feel weird. My mum always used to cut mango up so that it was in strips - cant deal with the stringy bits off the seed of it though. I really like kiwi fruit and eating it with a spoon. Same with passionfruit. Watermelon i squish in my mouth before i try to swallow it - cant chew it.
I eat my bananas unripe as well prefer fruit to be under ripe than ripe or over ripe. I wont eat fruit if its even just a little over ripe of just at that bit more squishy stage.

Fruity toothpaste grosses me out, and mouthwashes hurt me too!! Im allergic to salicylates so i have Peroxide and Baking soda mint flavoured Colgate toothpaste.

I looooove dips and bikkies but i always need to have a drink with them.

Seafood i cant stand the smell or texture of most. i like squid in stuff, and processed prawns ( eg prawn toast) - cant eat any of it fresh.Other than squid and prawns i wont touch seafood, except packet crumbed fish as a better option to beef.... and even then its a matter of which is worse.

Apparently as a kid i used to eat oysters/pipi's ..... i can think of nothing worse!!! Slimy or kinda squishy food like that and tofu makes me want to throw up!!!

I also get carsick if i dont have mind flavoured suff to chew/ suck on in car trips.

I am new here I am 34 and I have battled with texture problems forever. I am unhealthy I had a physical today and I failed it at 350 pounds. I am tired all the time. I cant eat chicken or steak, pretty much the only meat i will eat is burger beef or venison. I cant eat vegetables or most fruits because of the way the feel in my mouth. I love pasta with red sauce and pizza.

I have a 1.5 year old son and I have a hard time keeping up with him. I have never been diagnosed with ADD.

After reading this whole forum I am wondering if anyone is having any luck with treatments I need help and do not know where to begin. Please let me know what worked for you.

I do not like to be medicated.

Thanks

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I am new here I am 34 and I have battled with texture problems forever. I am unhealthy I had a physical today and I failed it at 350 pounds. I am tired all the time. I cant eat chicken or steak, pretty much the only meat i will eat is burger beef or venison. I cant eat vegetables or most fruits because of the way the feel in my mouth. I love pasta with red sauce and pizza.

I have a 1.5 year old son and I have a hard time keeping up with him. I have never been diagnosed with ADD.

After reading this whole forum I am wondering if anyone is having any luck with treatments I need help and do not know where to begin. Please let me know what worked for you.

I do not like to be medicated.

Thanks