Everyone has heard of anorexia and bulimia. But these eating disorders are far from the only ones.
There are people around the world who can only eat certain colored foods. Still others are addicted to water. About 5% of women between the ages of 15 and 35 are affected by some type of eating disorder. Among them are those with neophobia – the inability to try a new type of food. This problem sometimes also affects young children. For them, experts advise parents not to force them, but to explain to them the benefits of a given product. It is also an option to put them on the table in the company of other children who will set a good example.
Neophobia usually disappears around the age of 6. For some people, however, it remains a problem for much longer.
A possible explanation for this condition could be something happening in the person’s life – like choking on food, for example. As a result, a person may begin to avoid a certain type of food and thus give his phobia a “field of expression”.
The reasons for neophobia may lie not only in the personal experiences, but also in physical features.