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This book will probably extend your lifespan by much longer than it takes to read. https://charleseisenstein.org/books/the-yoga-of-eating/ https://charleseisens

This book will probably extend your lifespan by much longer than it takes to read. https://charleseisenstein.org/books/the-yoga-of-eating/ https://charleseisenstein.org/books/the-yoga-of-eating/

mruts 8y ago
I’m exactly sure what that book is about, but reading the description, it seems to be geared for people (women?) who have trouble eating healthy and want to. I’ve never really met someone like me before, but let me explain my seemingly unique situation. You know how when you look at garbage or vomit you have this viceral reaction of disgust? That’s me, but for most food. I don’t even like to look at salad, it makes me want to vomit. I’ve been this way since I was born (according to my parents) and maybe if I worked really hard and CBT or something for years I could overcome it. But why fight it? I’m not overweight, if a little bit out of shape. I’m happy with what I eat (steak, pizza, plain hamburgers, chinese food with no vegetables, candy, etc) and feel fine (though I don’t have anything else to reference I guess).
- nate_meurer 8y ago
  I know two people just like yourself. One has a texture aversion, to the point of gagging, and both eat very plain diets like what you describe. They were essentially raised on the American kids menu (hamburger, fires, chicken nuggets, macaroni, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc.), and the picky eating became worse over time, continuing right into adulthood. The younger of my acquaintances is in his 20s, skinny but with a gut, visibly undernourished to my eyes. My older friend is in her 40s, and is suffering severe health problems likely due to or exacerbated by her diet. I have many friends and acquaintances who put no effort into directing their kids away from their picky eating habits, and the kids invariably end up living on the canonical kids-menu diet. Some kids naturally grow into more balanced eating habits and preferences, but many don't, and those parents are setting their children up for a lifetime of health issues. This may or may not have anything to do with you. It's just what I see in my circle.
  - mruts 8y ago
    You know, that's fair. Maybe my parents could have done something. I don't really remember or really know. But at this point in my life (I'm 26), I'm not sure I can do anything to change it (or if I could, it would take a tremendous amount of will power). I take vitamins and omega-3 pills, and, hopefully, this will be enough. But I feel the ship has sailed on my food habits. If I had a kid, I think I would probably try to encourage them to eat healthy food. I'm not really sure how hard my parents tried, but they're good parents, and probably they tried at least a little bit. If your kid doesn't want to eat the food you want them to eat, what should you do? Force feed them? At some point, you just have to accept that they are who they are, and they (and you) will have to deal with the consequences.
    - nate_meurer 8y ago
      > But I feel the ship has sailed on my food habits. No! NO NO NO NO! It's never too late! Will power, yes, but you can do it, and I'll tell you, no exaggeration, your life depends on it. I know it doesn't feel like it at age 26, when the shear force of youth can power you through tremendous abuse and neglect. But that won't be true for long. Your brain is an adaptive, plastic, brilliant fucking miracle of a learning machine, and you've spent 20+ years training it on a tiny, bland set of flavors and textures. It makes sense that retraining it will take time, but I think it'll happen faster than you imagine. I have often heard that children become accustomed to new flavors and foods within a small-ish number of exposures -- around ten or so. I believe this is true for adults as well, at least nearly so. Start small, and make it easy on yourself. Pick a dish or type of food you find challenging. A good prepared dish, not something spare and ruthless like a bowls of spinach, but rather dishes prepared with taste in mind, like a good curry. Eat at a reasonably priced restaurant or get it from a store so you can work on it with minimal effort. Appetizers. Don't force yourself to clean your plate, but give it a good try, every time. Take your time, let the flavors and textures become familiar bit by bit. I bet it won't take more than a dozen tries. Then move on to the next thing. All kids can be made into picky eaters. The most stubborn picky eaters are created in an instant the first time parents give in and allow the kids to determine the menu. That's insanity. Every two-year-old understands clearly the kind of power they've thus been given, and they'll fight hard to keep it. For my kids, we enforced a simple rule: we never made them eat their entire meal, but they had to try everything. And I mean really try, not a token lick. We put some effort into learning how to cook tastefully, and we we made each meal for everyone, no substitutions, so we didn't train them to win PB&J by refusing to eat dinner. I forbade kids-menu food when we went out to restaurants. Starting as soon as they could eat solid food, they ate what we ate. As a result, I had kids I could take anywhere and eat any almost kind of food, even when they were toddlers. There were struggles, and they still have their preferences; my youngest still doesn't like salads, but she eats them without gagging or complaining. Most importantly, we've given them the foundation for expanding and refining their tastes. They're not hesitant to try new things because their palates are experienced, and they know they won't be punished if it turns out they don't like something. My oldest in particular loves food. She eats blue cheese with a spoon. She loves caviar. Fucking caviar. This took patience and consistency on the part of my wife and me, and it's still a work in progress, but it's a fundamental, critical part of parenting. It's one of the few things I feel I didn't fuck up as a parent.

This book will probably extend your lifespan by much longer than it takes to read. https://charleseisenstein.org/books/the-yoga-of-eating/ https://charleseisenstein.org/books/the-yoga-of-eating/

mruts 8y ago

I’m exactly sure what that book is about, but reading the description, it seems to be geared for people (women?) who have trouble eating healthy and want to. I’ve never really met someone like me before, but let me explain my seemingly unique situation. You know how when you look at garbage or vomit you have this viceral reaction of disgust? That’s me, but for most food. I don’t even like to look at salad, it makes me want to vomit. I’ve been this way since I was born (according to my parents) and maybe if I worked really hard and CBT or something for years I could overcome it. But why fight it? I’m not overweight, if a little bit out of shape. I’m happy with what I eat (steak, pizza, plain hamburgers, chinese food with no vegetables, candy, etc) and feel fine (though I don’t have anything else to reference I guess).

nate_meurer 8y ago
I know two people just like yourself. One has a texture aversion, to the point of gagging, and both eat very plain diets like what you describe. They were essentially raised on the American kids menu (hamburger, fires, chicken nuggets, macaroni, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc.), and the picky eating became worse over time, continuing right into adulthood. The younger of my acquaintances is in his 20s, skinny but with a gut, visibly undernourished to my eyes. My older friend is in her 40s, and is suffering severe health problems likely due to or exacerbated by her diet. I have many friends and acquaintances who put no effort into directing their kids away from their picky eating habits, and the kids invariably end up living on the canonical kids-menu diet. Some kids naturally grow into more balanced eating habits and preferences, but many don't, and those parents are setting their children up for a lifetime of health issues. This may or may not have anything to do with you. It's just what I see in my circle.
- mruts 8y ago
  You know, that's fair. Maybe my parents could have done something. I don't really remember or really know. But at this point in my life (I'm 26), I'm not sure I can do anything to change it (or if I could, it would take a tremendous amount of will power). I take vitamins and omega-3 pills, and, hopefully, this will be enough. But I feel the ship has sailed on my food habits. If I had a kid, I think I would probably try to encourage them to eat healthy food. I'm not really sure how hard my parents tried, but they're good parents, and probably they tried at least a little bit. If your kid doesn't want to eat the food you want them to eat, what should you do? Force feed them? At some point, you just have to accept that they are who they are, and they (and you) will have to deal with the consequences.
  - nate_meurer 8y ago
    > But I feel the ship has sailed on my food habits. No! NO NO NO NO! It's never too late! Will power, yes, but you can do it, and I'll tell you, no exaggeration, your life depends on it. I know it doesn't feel like it at age 26, when the shear force of youth can power you through tremendous abuse and neglect. But that won't be true for long. Your brain is an adaptive, plastic, brilliant fucking miracle of a learning machine, and you've spent 20+ years training it on a tiny, bland set of flavors and textures. It makes sense that retraining it will take time, but I think it'll happen faster than you imagine. I have often heard that children become accustomed to new flavors and foods within a small-ish number of exposures -- around ten or so. I believe this is true for adults as well, at least nearly so. Start small, and make it easy on yourself. Pick a dish or type of food you find challenging. A good prepared dish, not something spare and ruthless like a bowls of spinach, but rather dishes prepared with taste in mind, like a good curry. Eat at a reasonably priced restaurant or get it from a store so you can work on it with minimal effort. Appetizers. Don't force yourself to clean your plate, but give it a good try, every time. Take your time, let the flavors and textures become familiar bit by bit. I bet it won't take more than a dozen tries. Then move on to the next thing. All kids can be made into picky eaters. The most stubborn picky eaters are created in an instant the first time parents give in and allow the kids to determine the menu. That's insanity. Every two-year-old understands clearly the kind of power they've thus been given, and they'll fight hard to keep it. For my kids, we enforced a simple rule: we never made them eat their entire meal, but they had to try everything. And I mean really try, not a token lick. We put some effort into learning how to cook tastefully, and we we made each meal for everyone, no substitutions, so we didn't train them to win PB&J by refusing to eat dinner. I forbade kids-menu food when we went out to restaurants. Starting as soon as they could eat solid food, they ate what we ate. As a result, I had kids I could take anywhere and eat any almost kind of food, even when they were toddlers. There were struggles, and they still have their preferences; my youngest still doesn't like salads, but she eats them without gagging or complaining. Most importantly, we've given them the foundation for expanding and refining their tastes. They're not hesitant to try new things because their palates are experienced, and they know they won't be punished if it turns out they don't like something. My oldest in particular loves food. She eats blue cheese with a spoon. She loves caviar. Fucking caviar. This took patience and consistency on the part of my wife and me, and it's still a work in progress, but it's a fundamental, critical part of parenting. It's one of the few things I feel I didn't fuck up as a parent.