Medicine

Woman Ate Only Potatoes for 20 Years and Talks About the Consequences of Such a Diet

potato
29-year-old Jodie Shaw from the UK said that for 20 years she ate only potatoes. The woman has a rare mental disorder – fear of food.

Shaw noted that even as a child she could not try different dishes. People with selective eating syndrome avoid specific foods, sometimes almost all – like Jodie.

The British woman tried to explain why she cannot even try other foods – according to her, she has a mental block on food. She eats potatoes to survive, they don't bring her any pleasure.

Shaw works as a nurse. It's hard work, and considering the way she eats, it's almost “unbearable.” The woman suffers from a lack of vitamins and microelements, she has chronic fatigue, skin problems, and problems with all her organs.

The British woman takes vitamins, but they cannot replace proper nutrition. She admits that she has serious problems. Shaw works with a therapist, and sometimes she manages to eat a couple of spoons of cereal. She would really like to enjoy food, but this feeling is unfamiliar to her.

— Some people have to eat through a tube,— the woman told Jam Press.

Selective eating disorder is an eating disorder characterized by a refusal to eat certain foods because of their texture, color, aroma, taste, or as a result of a negative experience of eating them.

People with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and phobias are at risk.

The causes of selective eating disorder are divided into four groups:

  • Psycho-emotional. Refusals are associated with the fear of re-experiencing a negative experience (vomiting, suffocation, heartburn).
  • Physiological. Limitations can be associated with digestive characteristics (heartburn, nausea, bloating).
  • Personal. They are formed as a result of strong experiences, trauma. For example, the decision to give up meat can be the result of observing the killing of animals.
  • Social.

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Important! Information is provided for reference purposes. Ask a specialist about contraindications and side effects and under no circumstances self-medicate. At the first signs of illness, consult a doctor.