Someone I know no longer can eat vegetables because any time he does they make him sick. Literally. Since eating more vegetables is how most people save their money on food how can someone like this, who can't have any vegetables [for the stated reason] save some money on food?
Hopefully you'll excuse my bluntness here - particularly as - to some - this may sound a little insensitive and possibly even harsh - but as what you have just described Denis Hard - is not a physical intolerance to vegetables - but a relatively common condition - generally referred to as ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder ) or SED ( selective eating disorder ). The more important aspect here - rather than that of saving money - is that - as the cause is a psychological/mental aversion problem - meaning it is not a physical one - and one of the major risk factors with this disorder is malnourishment and all the complications that go along with that - the kindest and most beneficial thing that could be done for your friend - would be to encourage them to seek help from someone qualified in this field - especially as - the only solution to this problem - is to find the root cause for the mental aversion.
I agree.. he needs help. Most people would be quite fine with this sort of aversion, but it's no joke.. we NEED veggies. It's either that or his diet is poor enough and his gag reflex sensitive enough that just slowly winding down his intake of high fat/sugar/salt will lead to less and less a reaction. Taste buds do change as diet does. But definitely, he needs to see someone about it if it's truly that bad.. he can't go forever without proper nourishment.
I'm kind of in the same situation. I cannot eat veggies except a very select few of them. My gag reflex used to kick in even on olives and mushrooms, now I trained myself to tolerate them. I'm a very picky eater, and it's weird because when I was a child I used to love some vegetables.
I have issues with quite a few fruits and vegetables, so it's not always mind over matter. I think what I would do is try to have your friend tested, to see which types of food affect him/her and go from there. Over the years, I've learned that I have an intolerance to onions and garlic. I've also ended up in the emergency room after eating mushrooms. Sometimes it can help to limit intake, such as eating very small portions, and other times specific foods must be avoided. Many of the foods that cause me issues are ones I really love, so I still eat them. My reactions are not life threatening, but the inflammation can be painful, so I do try to limit my intake of the offending foods.
Fruit in bulk is always good. Avocados and Tomatoes are fruit - so you could always make your own pasta sauce. Bagged, dry beans save a lot of money (not sure if he's allowed legumes). Another thing that you could do is make smoothies with the stuff that he can actually eat (even if he doesn't like them -blend with things that he does), and freeze them. Smoothies are great for masking foods that you don't like and getting vital nutrition. Plus, they can prove to be very cost effective. Just do loads of research on what the boy can eat, you'll find that you might have a lot of options. There are tons of wallet friendly recipes online.
To be fair - although I hear you and do agree that allergies, intolerance and sensitivities to foods are not always a case of mind over matter - particularly as they are more often than not - very real. I would just say - as this is an area that I have a great deal of knowledge of - allergy or intolerance testing in this instance would not be beneficial. For the simple reason - that as of yet - not only has there never been a case of anyone being allergic, intolerant or sensitive to whole food groups - as in the case - all vegetables ( all of which belong to different food/plant families) but an allergic, intolerance or sensitivity reaction would only occur - if a specific vegetable or specific vegetables from the same plant families were eaten - not when every type of vegetable was eaten and therefore as this person cannot eat any vegetables - as they are said to react to all of them - and excluding whole food groups - rather than just a specific food or foods - from the diet in this way - are a classic and very commonly known symptom of SED - strongly indicating that - this is not physical problem but a physiological one - a different approach is needed.
OMG that's crazy! Thanks @Denis Hard ard and gata montes for highlighting this! I can quite honestly say I wasn't even aware of this situation. I love my fruit and veg so much, I would never have imagined someone could have such an aversion to them, enough to make them sick! I find it interesting that it's not as rare as I would've thought and even has a name. It makes sense that it's a deep seated psychological issue, and I too would have your friend seek help. My main worry would be for his health, as he's clearly missing out on vital nutrients.
I agree, I just couldn't imagine life without FOOD! The good stuff.. the REAL! lol. I had no idea this was an issue for people until maybe a few months ago.. my son came across a video of a guy that got sick whenever he ate certain foods. No idea what train of vids brought him to this guy lol, but he wasn't messing around. He literally got sick after eating most foods.. not veggies.. he actually could eat most veggies apparently.. but most other foods. As I watched, I thought to myself, his body is actually doing him a favour lol, the foods he was trying to eat weren't things he should be eating anyway and his friends and family were seeing him as deprived and pushing him. It reminded me of my son when he was little.. he has an Autism diagnoses and many with autism have a huge aversion to certain foods.. even whole food groups. Maybe a connection? Something similar going on in the brain? A sensory sensitivity? Who knows.. but now I see there is a name for it. Interesting!
It must have been so hard with your son when he was little, @JosieP! I mean, it must be very hard for anyone, regardless of age, but seeing a young child going through that must be torture. Plus some of them can't properly articulate what's wrong. A parent may even think their child just doesn't want to eat. It kind of puts things into perspective, and makes you realise just how lucky you are that you don't have to go through all that!
Yes.. it was difficult watching him eat only certain foods, but I wasn't yet a health spaz.. I was glad he was eating anything at all and as long as he ate, I was happy. So was his doctor. Now I look back and I'm upset with the whole thing. If I knew then what I know now (combination food/nutrition/health AND about autism), things would have been much different. It's a very common thing with Autism and it's a huge struggle, but with what I've come to learn on my own, I was finally able to get him over it on my own and he's now enjoying a full spectrum of foods. If I can get him to try new foods and eventually love them, the person the OP is talking about can most certainly come around lol.
Aww I'm glad you guys have found a way around the whole thing, @JosieP I never knew that about kids with autism. I don't think there's any reason for you to beat yourself up over, because you did the best you could with the little knowledge you had at the time. It's just a shame that you've since acquired a lot more information you could've had use for at the time. But that's just Sod's Law isn't it? I'm glad your son is for the most part ok now, and is now a grown, strapping lad
This is the first time I'm hearing of this condition but I have heard of other similar behaviors. I once came across a show called my strange addiction and there a girl was featured who could only eat french fries. I found it so difficult to understand that I refused to believe it but I know that show would maybe just exaggerate at the most but surely they wouldn't invent it just to have a story. I also came across a few articles of the exact same condition wherein they only ate fries and I think eventually one of these people were host aliased for malnutrition.
