They are the nightmare guests at dinner parties. But picky eaters have no control over what they like and could be suffering from an eating disorder, according to psychologists.
US researchers are considering giving picky eaters an official classification for the first time and plan to put them in the same bracket as those who have anorexia and bulimia.
Being a picky eater is commonly seen as a childhood phase. However, the behaviour can extend into adulthood
Being a picky eater does not carry the same health risks as conditions like bulimia but doctors worry that over the long term it could lead to nutritional deficiencies and cause bone and heart problems.
To reflect the concerns, members of the American Psychological Association plan to label them ‘selective eaters’ and put them in the ‘not otherwise specified’ category of eating disorders.
They will make their decision for the next edition of the respected Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Although considered by many to be a phase that children go though, thousands of adults are picky eaters and place strict limits on what goes into their mouths.
Research into the reasons why has been inconclusive although it is thought textures and smell could account for it.
Scientists have also speculated that a mild form of obsessive-compulsive disorder may play a part.
In the US, such is the level of interest that researchers at Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh have just started the first national public registry of picky eating which will allow people to log in and report on their unusual eating preferences and habits.
Typical of those affected by ‘selective eating’ is Bob Krause, 63, who runs an online support site called PickyEatingAdults.com that has 1,400 active members.
Mr Krause, who lives in Virginia Beach in Virginia, considered himself a ‘social leper’ who would not stay over at friends houses because of his eating habits.
Even now he will not go to someone's house before 7:30 pm in order to avoid any chance of being invited to eat dinner.
Other picky eaters frequently report problems with ready-made food such as sandwiches which contain mayonnaise but do not put it on the labelling, or have to ask that food in restaurants be cooked a certain way.
Picky eaters tend to gravitate to certain foods, including blander products that are often white or pale colored, like plain pasta or cheese pizza.
For reasons that aren't clear, almost all adult picky eaters like French fries and often chicken fingers, health experts say.
Frances Burrows, of British eating disorder charity Beat, said they regularly received calls from parents and adults about picky eating.
He said: ‘It tips over into a disorder when it becomes a problem to do with body image and how an individual perceives themselves.
‘One of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa is that a person has abnormal expectations of their body weight, for example.
‘Conditions such as anorexia develop due to very specific reasons whilst selective eating is usually something that people go through as a child, so there is something of a difference to picky eating.
'We get a lot of parents ringing up asking if there is something wrong with their child if they are only eating certain foods, and if you are in any doubt, it is best to seek advice.’
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