I HATE The Term It Feels ?? So Belittling - Tumblr Posts

i think a lot of people don't understand that most "picky" eaters actually have heavily restricted diets, and it is no more possible for them to eat the foods they don't "like" than it is for someone who's genuinely allergic or intolerant. my girlfriend would be considered a "picky" eater by most, but the thing is, i've seen what happens when she tries something she doesn't like: she ends up gagging, runs to the bathroom, and if she's lucky, she just spits out the bite without throwing up everything in her stomach in the process.

it's not a matter of "choosiness" as the term "picky" would imply—she genuinely can't eat those foods even on a physical level. it's sensory triggers relating to taste and texture that prevent her from eating these foods, but the physical symptoms they result in are just as severe as someone with an allergy or intolerance. just like them, she would starve if she didn't have foods she could eat, because it's not a matter of choice for her any more than it is for them.

most "picky" eaters can't just force down the things they don't like, because it's physically impossible. and yet, their dietary restrictions are not considered real restrictions by most, just because they're caused by sensory triggers rather than an innate physical inability to properly digest said foods. it's ridiculous, and very ableist to neurodivergents, among whom sensory based dietary restrictions are very common.