I hate the thought of eating

[ncs94]

I'm a 16 year old girl, i have no issues with body weight or image but my eating habbit is really frustrating. Firstly, im a vegetarian as i hate the thought of people being able to eating another previous living creature, the thought of it makes me feel sick to put flesh in my body. That immediatly makes what i can eat very restricted. Also, im unable to eat a meal if the different food on my plate have touched, for example a liquid or sause has touched another food. The thought of dairy products such as milk, cheese and cream makes me feel sick much the same as meat, i cant bring myself to eat sea food either. But the very little food i am able to eat, just doesnt apeal to me. I'd rather have dry bread for example than any cooked meal as i just find it so hard to digest. I cant understand how a certain amount of food is needed per day, when i could quite easily go a day with just eating a couple for crackers for example.  I was wondering is this shows any signs of a possible eating disorder? If so should i go to a doctor or speak to anyone about my eating habbits to try and make eating easier for me?

[Narble]

Zoelula makes good points about the continuum nature of eating disorders.

However, there are other disorders that result in "disordered eating" such as you described. For instance, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or even just mildly obsessive-compulsive traits can result in having to precisely cut and arrange all food before eating it, keeping sauces separate, avoiding certain food groups. People with OCD, as well as those with developmental disorders such as Asperger's Syndrome, often display this behavior, as may anyone whose thought process is disturbed.

If you're feeling confused or distressed about your eating, do consider talking to a mental health professional. That should help clarify matters for you.

[Zoelula]

Diagnosing an eating disorder sometimes is very clear, and sometimes it's not so cut and dry. You could say that eating disorders, exist, to some extent on a continuum. Some people might choose very specific ways of eating (I don't know where you live but here in California vegetarians are very common), and be fine with it. I personally am a vegetarian and absolutely enjoy cooking a very wide variety of gourmet foods while eating no meat or fish.  Others might have issues with food that are extremely restrictive and cause problems in their everyday life and/or with their health.

That is the question to ask yourself. Are these issues causing a problem for you? Is it hard for you to eat out or to eat food someone you live with makes? Do you spend a lot of time every day trying to find something you are ok with eating. What about your health? You say you can go a day with just eating a couple crackers. If you do that regularly you are going to have issues such as fatigue from not getting proper nutrition, low weight and eventually more serious health problems. If you are unable to change your habits and they cause a lot of stress for you (they must cause some stress as you are posting here!) then, yes, perhaps you should speak to someone.