Are people really this obsessively picky about food?
Are we surrounded by people who eat almost nothing, or only what they consider healthy? Data and anecdotes about extreme food pickiness.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Food: why have so many people become unbearably selective?
Some people bring their own instant noodles to a christening because they eat nothing else. Some weigh 120 kilos and live on burgers and pizza. And some antiestéticar sugar, cholesterol, meat hormones and pesticides on vegetables. The phenomenon of extreme food pickiness is nothing new, but in recent years it seems to have exploded. Behind it lie everything from genuine medical reasons to pure social phobias.
The two extremes: those who eat nothing and those who eat almost nothing
On one side are those who reduce their diet to a handful of processed foods. A woman over forty has spent two decades eating nothing but tomato pasta and instant noodles. At the other extreme, those who refuse to try anything they consider "unhealthy": carbs are rejected, fats, shellfish (compared to insects), fish (deemed to smell repulsive), white bread, chocolate and even fruit — accused of being fattening and "for sissies". The irony is that both groups share a rigidity that often has little to do with actual health.
Health or neurosis?
The statistic that justifies many of these attitudes: in Spain there are five million diabetics, 90% with type 2 diabetes linked to obesity, and half of them undiagnosed. By the time you turn 55, not watching your diet takes its toll. But the line between reasonable caution and obsession is blurry. Some have allergies confirmed by the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, while others simply trinc fads like the antiestéticar of preservatives or chemophobia. The maxim that comes up: "Neither too much nor too little".
The pleasure of eating, called into question
A minority current argues that eating is a chore and should only be fuel. "Just enough protein and calories to shape the body," they proclaim. Against them, the defenders of gastronomic enjoyment: "If you don't like fish in any of its forms, you have the palate of a little girl". The clash is as much cultural as medical.
The question left hanging is whether we have lost the ability to eat without guilt, or whether — with the data at hand — it is better to err on the side of caution. The answer, as almost always, depends on whom you ask.
Related discussions in the forum
Some people bring their own instant noodles to a christening because they eat nothing else. Some weigh 120 kilos and live on burgers and pizza. And some antiestéticar sugar, cholesterol, meat hormones and pesticides on vegetables. The phenomenon of extreme food pickiness is nothing new, but in recent years it seems to have exploded. Behind it lie everything from genuine medical reasons to pure social phobias.
The two extremes: those who eat nothing and those who eat almost nothing
On one side are those who reduce their diet to a handful of processed foods. A woman over forty has spent two decades eating nothing but tomato pasta and instant noodles. At the other extreme, those who refuse to try anything they consider "unhealthy": carbs are rejected, fats, shellfish (compared to insects), fish (deemed to smell repulsive), white bread, chocolate and even fruit — accused of being fattening and "for sissies". The irony is that both groups share a rigidity that often has little to do with actual health.
Health or neurosis?
The statistic that justifies many of these attitudes: in Spain there are five million diabetics, 90% with type 2 diabetes linked to obesity, and half of them undiagnosed. By the time you turn 55, not watching your diet takes its toll. But the line between reasonable caution and obsession is blurry. Some have allergies confirmed by the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, while others simply trinc fads like the antiestéticar of preservatives or chemophobia. The maxim that comes up: "Neither too much nor too little".
The pleasure of eating, called into question
A minority current argues that eating is a chore and should only be fuel. "Just enough protein and calories to shape the body," they proclaim. Against them, the defenders of gastronomic enjoyment: "If you don't like fish in any of its forms, you have the palate of a little girl". The clash is as much cultural as medical.
The question left hanging is whether we have lost the ability to eat without guilt, or whether — with the data at hand — it is better to err on the side of caution. The answer, as almost always, depends on whom you ask.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (42 replies).
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