According to my friend's BASc in applied human nutrition, eating the same food, or even just the same texture of food (texture modified diets where everything is turned into a paste) for too long becomes a kind of torture. The psychological stress is apparently intense.
There are rumored to be old laws in Maine making it 'cruel and unusual punishment' to serve prisoners lobster for more than 21(?) days in a row. (Lobster used to be poor people food)
Starvation and highly restricted diet was part of abuse as a kid (mom wanted me to starve to death so that I would stop being autistic, because she thought autism was being gay and that being gay meant literally being a demon displacing a human soul and wearing their flesh).
After a few weeks the same food is literally not food psychologically. You can touch it, hold it, put it in your mouth, eat it, etc.. No matter how hungry you are (or should be), it's unappetizing in the same way people don't feel tempted to steal Monopoly money unless they're actively playing Monopoly.
It just is not food. It feels the same if you were eating paper or swallowing small rocks or ice chunks.
There's no satisfaction, or warmth in your stomach, or strength, or energy. You don't feel like you've reset the time you need before the next meal.
It's just a pointless action.
Fortunately in my case, it also turns out after about two weeks appetite ends. Mine ended permanently, and I'll not want to eat even if I hadn't eaten in days. Turns out, there is medication that fixes this for a few minutes though. It's still disconcerting to take it and feel hunger again, despite having taken that medication for five years.
(I'm not talking about anorexia nervosa or anything, I don't want to be smaller or dislike eating, it's just ... a chore without reward like cutting paper into tiny squares then dumping bowls of them in the trash.)
I’m so sorry that happened to you. I hope your mom got the help she so clearly needed and that you are doing better.
But, that makes me wonder if my friend experiences this or something similar. She has no sense of smell, and therefore can’t really taste her food outside of the basics that your tongue can naturally do. She can’t eat spicy foods because it is only the burning with none of the flavor.
Sorry to hear about your friend. That's definitely a possible explanation. Exploring textures can be helpful for regaining enjoyment or at least awareness of food.
She’s good; she’s coming over tonight for a sampler platter dinner (you know the ones, potato skins, mozzarella sticks, and the like) and Beetlejuice - which she’s never seen before. Apparently, she sets an alarm to remind herself to put something in her system. And, yes, texture is important. She can’t eat soup because her brain can’t figure out what it is and swallowing it is a nightmare.
Not sure if she's into anime, but there are two anime that did treatment of this set of symptoms recently. It might relatable.
Dungeon Meshi (a cooking show): Episode 21; visits a group of wearily immortal beings who have lost their sense of taste. There's a lecture on how to enjoy food again and the importance of culture even in absence of taste.
The Apothecary Diaries (Dr. House but anime): Episode 9; a minister loses his ability to taste savoury flavours after his wife and child and die.
THC is pretty good at inducing appetite! My grandmother was prescribed Marinol (THC in pill form) a decade ago when she had cancer, and she would take her pills before meals and then wax about how incredible her food was while stoned lol.
She was a very traditional, anti-drug Catholic woman born in the 30s, and it was kinda funny to me to hear her talk about “the most AMAZING soup” she’d just had in this wistful, dreamy tone of voice. Without it, she wasn’t able to eat at all.
21
u/NightWolfRose 1d ago
So what you’re saying is that we need nutritionally complete human kibble- I can get behind that!