A 25-year-old woman who lived on a diet of cheese and onion crisp sandwiches since she was two years old has finally eaten a proper meal after undergoing hypnotherapy.
Zoe Sandler from the United Kingdom spent 23 years of her life eating two packets of her favourite crisps every day after other foods left her feeling physically sick, Wales Online reported. She munched on Walkers crisps in buttered white bread since she was a toddler. Her parents even tried introducing her to other foods, however, Ms Zoe would turn her nose up and refuse to put anything in her mouth.
“Apparently the only thing mum could get down me were crisps which I used to suck until they were soft. I remember being at school when I was little and having crisp sandwiches in my lunch box. They were the only thing I liked to eat,” Ms Zoe said, as per the media outlet.
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The 25-year-old revealed that she would typically eat dry cereal for breakfast, followed by a crisp sandwich for lunch and dinner, occasionally switching from her preferred cheese and onion crisps and trying other flavours, as their texture did not bother her. Ms Zoe also went on to say that Christmas was a difficult time for her as she never wanted to eat the food on offer. She limited herself to “Yorkshire pudding but never with gravy”.
However, now, as she recently found that she had developed Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - a lifelong condition that affects the brain and nerves - Ms Zoe committed to improving her health. She contacted hypnotherapist David Kilmurry, who previously helped fussy eaters. And after undergoing two two-hour hypnotherapy sessions, she has been able to enjoy her first taste of fruits and vegetables alongside other foods.
“I can't believe how nice strawberries are and I even tried a Wagamama chilli squid which was really spicy,” Ms Zoe said, adding, “I'm looking forward to trying curry and lots of other different foods”.
In a social media post, David Kilmurry informed that Ms Zoe has been diagnosed with Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), also known as Neophobia - which is basically a phobia of food that limits a sufferer to a handful of simple brands specific beige safe foods, cooked and eaten the same every day. Mr Kilmurry said that ARFID sufferers can go years without trying anything new.
“In a very short amount of time with myself and at home she has been calmly eating new meals and incorporated many new high-grade fruits and vegetables to her ‘safe' foods list,” Mr Kilmurry said.
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Further, the hypnotherapist informed that the 25-year-old has tried cabbages, blueberries, nuts and cranberries, as well as is excited to try several other foods. Ms Zoe, on the other hand, said that she is now dedicated to overcoming her obsession with crisp sandwiches in the hopes she can enjoy a proper meal at her wedding next year in March.
