Freaky Eaters

I typically am not one to judge what people as I eat as I am famously known for being a seriously picky eater.  For example:


**I hate anything creamy based with exception of Mushroom Soup and more precisely it has to be Campbell's Mushroom Soup.  Anything that has a creamy sauce makes me wanna vomit.
**I hate cheese.  With exception of grated Kraft Parmesean cheese it all disgusts me.
**I hate when my food touches.  I sometimes think that I should also purchase the plates with sections in it like Finley has.  This would solve all my problems.  And yes I know it all goes down the same tube but it makes NO difference to me.  Some exceptions to this would be a noodle based stir fry + tacos + vietnemese. 
**When I eat, I eat all the same thing at once.  For example, I eat all my meat before starting on the next food group.  In Vietnemese, I eat my spring rolls followed by my shrimp followed by the noodles.  Same idea with stir fries.  Yes I am weird but not as weird as some.


I could go on + on with things I don't like but I will stop for now and go on to what is the real purpose of my blog.  Freaky Eaters as seen on Dr.Phil earlier this week.  Now I thought I had serious problems but compared to these people, I couldn't be more normal!


The first guest on the Dr. Phil show was a girl who only ate french fries.  Not just any french fries but the crinkle cut variety and they couldn't have burnt ends.  If they did, they were cut off the fry and hidden under her napkin.  She eats french fries for every single snack + meal.  Nothing else.  When she tries to eat other food groups she says she gags + vomits.  She has been to several therapists, psychiatrists + doctors who keep telling her that it is in her head.  She disagrees with this because she claims she wants to change.  She has a daughter who also will not eat anything but french fries.  She had genetic testing done and found out that it is not genetic.  Her daughter is simply picking up on her unhealthy eating habits.  She still believes that she is genetically inclined to eat fries.  She craves them all of the time.


Dr. Stork from "The Doctors' (LOVE him) was also a guest on the show.  He said that he did a study where he quit his healthy diet and starting eating fast foods + just junk.  He said that by day 3 he craved fries because of all the fats + chemicals that were found in the fries.  He said that by eating french fries 2x a week you are 27% more likely to get breast cancer.  The fries itself are not but the obesity and the increased cholesterol levels contribute to this.  She did not seem willing to change which saddens me because she has a young daughter that she is essentially destroying due to her awful eating habits.


The second guest had a similar problem to the girl above - with a few exceptions.  She ate plain pasta, salad + bagels on top of her french fries.  This is what her diet consists of. This also started as a child and one time her uncle made her eat a piece of meat and she kept it in her mouth for 3 hours until her mom came + picked her up.  She said that she also gags and vomits at the prospect of eating anything other then her 4 staples.  She has tried to change and has gone so far as gone to a grocery store bought a cartful of food, came home + cooked it but couldn't bring herself to put the food in her mouth.


Dr Stork's concerns were that she was not getting any protein and no essential vitamins and minerals.  He said that Bagels were one of the worst foods you can possibly eat as they are pure sugar and dense as hell.  


This lady was quite concerned about she was viewed because of her eating habits.  She said that there was a stigma about how we view people like her - especially when she was pregnant with her kids.  Hopefully her kids get their eating habits from their father - assuming he doesn't have a similar problem. Basically her whole reason for being on Dr Phil was to raise awareness to parents about picky eaters.  That we shouldn't force kids to starve because they won't eat what we cooked for them.  She said that studies are currently being done on people truly having problems ingesting certain foods.  


Another girl was addicted to coke.  No, not the drug but the cola variety.  She drinks 24 cans of coke a day.  A DAY.  She dips her food into coke.  She panics if she doesn't have a can of coke by her side.  She says she feels safe with it by her side.  It's her energy fix.  It gets her through the day.  When she leaves for the day, she has to have her 3 essential items: keys, cell phone + coke.  She has tried to 'cut' down but she goes through massive withdrawal.  She has had this 'addiction' for 15 years.  She is 21.  She claims that she is NOT addicted.


One can of coke per day increases your odds of osteoporosis, diabetes + obesity.  And she has 24 a day, 720 a month, 8000 a year.  Her calories from pop alone in one day are more then what the average person should intake.  It adds up to over 950lbs of sugar a year.  Her average diet, besides her pop consumption, consists of 3 chocolate donuts + grilled shrimp.  She loves chocolate she says.  Surprisingly, she looks great - but I would imagine if this continues, she won't in a few years.


She is unhappy with her love of pop and really wants to change.  She is fearful of a life without pop.  Both Dr Phil + Dr. Stork both said it would be the same as kicking a drug and/or alcohol habits.  They have the same crash, high and need to have more.  Dr. Phil was going to arrange for her to see an addictions councillor back home.  I feel that she can + will kick this coke habit.


The next guest was just plain bizarre.  Her freaky eating habit?  Chalk.  Yes chalk - having used chalk, I can't even imagine why anybody would want to eat this crap.  This guest ate 9 pieces of chalk on a average day.  She started when she was 14.  She only would eat white, chunky crayola chalk - that was her brand - kinda like cigarettes.  Her mom ate a different brand as did her Aunt - who she first saw do this.  She claims that chalk is kind to her, it calms her,  it's her first best friend, she finds it pleasant, it's kind to her inside of her heart.  Dr. Phil said that it was impossible for inanimate object to make her feel anything.  She respectfully disagreed.  


Dr. Stork was concerned that she might have a mineral deficiency that is driving her to eat chalk - which is made up of calcium + magnesium carbonates.  Typically if you are low in this, you eat some kind of medical chalk that helps you regain your balance.   She did reveal that she did have the onset of osteoporosis which was sad considering how young she was.   The good thing was that eating chalk is not terribly toxic as long as it is not inhaled.   


She wants to kick this habit and is currently in therapy where she is being introduced other coping mechanisms for her problems.  I hope she is successful in this.


The next guest lived on pepperoni pizza for years.  He didn't start out like this, in fact, he was your normal kid growing up.  But he got sick + was constantly vomiting and to replenish his body, he ate pizza  The only vegetables that passed through his system were the tomatoes in the pizza sauce.  He ate 469 pizzas a year which greatly increased his odds of cancer, heart disease + diabetes.  When he woke up he had massive headaches and heart palpitations.   So on this Freaky Eaters reality show that will air on TLC they told him that he had to kick the pizza addiction or he was not gonna live long.  His insulin level was 59.5mg and it should be 2 - 12mg


So he kicked his pizza addiction for another one: chicken and rice.  Still no fruits, veggies, dairy, sugar or anything else.  He really wanted to eat other food groups.  He tries to incorporate other foods into his diet but he can't.  However, unlike the 2 french fry ladies, he doesn't have the gag reflex when he tries to eat other foods.  He just finds them all unpleasant.  But he is heading in the right direction and the only one I believe that really wants to change.  Was going to meet with a nutritionist through Dr. Phil.


The last guest ate only raw meat and has been for the last 6 years.  He claims he has never gotten sick and even he did he thought it would be worth it.  All consequences are minor and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  He buys the cheapest cuts, doesn't wash the meat and eats it.  He likes the taste + texture of raw meat.  He wasn't on the show, it was just a video.  He said he likes it and has no desire to ever change.


Dr. Stork was concerned with this freaky eater.  Raw meat is full of microscopic organs, viruses + parasites.  It is full of unhealthy bacteria.  The problem actually isn't with the meat itself but with the way meat is handled in slaughter houses.  The reason we cook meat isn't to improve taste per se but to kill the bacteria, viruses + parasites.  If you continually eat raw meat, it is only a matter of time before you come down with one of them and end up with e coli, bloody diarrhea and killer abdominal cramps.   Dr Stork said it is just plain disgusting.


This was a very fascinating show to watch and was surprised of the lack of control that the parents had over their children.  I can't imagine Finley or Penelope coming up to me at the age of 3 and insisting they only eat french fries.  Well, they might, but it certainly would not be something that I would endorse.  And a pop addiction at age 6?  Are you kidding me?  If I told my mom I was only eating french fries - she would have just laughed at me + made me eat my spaghetti or whatever it was we were eating for supper.  I just don't get it.