Supertaster or Eating Disorder?
I wrote a blog post two years ago about my daughter being a picky eater. She is now three and a half and she is still a picky eater. Luckily, she has expanded her food preferences a little to include some leafy green vegetables and tofu. But it still has been a struggle to get her to try new things.
I recently came across an article from The Globe and Mail talking about a new type of eating disorder. Added to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder sufferers are particularly sensitive to food with certain textures or smells. They often prefer carb-heavy foods and bland foods with minimal texture or flavour. Yes, yes and yes. Give me a bowl of plain pasta and I will devour it. But add sauce, seasoning and flavour (or as I like to call foreign mystery things) then no thanks.
I was shocked that being a picky eater could actually be an eating disorder. Does my daughter and I both have an eating disorder? That sounds really serious.
I talked to a colleague about this and she said that I may just be a supertaster. A what?
I found an article from The Wall Street Journal explaining that supertasters generally experience taste more intensely. They have a heightened sense of taste. So they are more sensitive to bitter tastes and fatty foods, avoiding foods like broccoli, coffee, and chocolate while preferring foods that are blander. Yes, yes and yes.
1 in 4 people are supertasters. It is more common in women than men, and in Asian and African-Americans than Caucasians. Also, it is a genetically inherited trait. Oh.
So am I a supertaster then? Well, there is a test that can be done to find out. Both BBC Science and Scientific American have similar methods of testing this.
The test essentially sees how many papillae, where taste buds are located, there are within a quarter-inch diameter circle. People who have more papillae are supertasters.
I went home and did the test… And I found 28-32 papillae within the designated circle. So, I guess I am a borderline supertaster?
It is really interesting how much genetics plays in our food preferences. Being a picky eater, I tried to introduce my daughter to different foods and flavours quite early on. Yet, she sticks to the bland foods that I prefer. My maternal grandma is also a picky eater. So, I guess that sort of explains everything.
Whether it's an eating disorder, supertaster or neither, the most important thing is to maintain a healthy weight and eat a balanced diet. Both my daughter and I eat balanced diets, though limited in variety. So I guess that's ok?
For more interesting reads on taste and food preference, take a look at these books:
2 thoughts on “Supertaster or Eating Disorder?”
Yes, Jeanette, you can count me in as a member of the Supertaster club.
I am surprised that when I go to the Old Spaghetti Factory, I avoid the tomato sauce with all the added ingredients and select the burnt butter and Mizithra cheese plate. It is soooo good! It looks and taste plain but I love it to no end. Here is the website (and recipe) if you dare to try:
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/23/Spaghetti_with_Burnt_Butter38272.shtml
Bon appetit!
P.S. Unfortunately, I like (as well as my growing hips I must say) chocolate but it has to be plain milk chocolate or with sea salt or mint. I enjoy coffee straight black–no sugar, cream, or any other gobbledygook added.
Hi Ann, I’m glad to know that I’m not alone! The recipe looks good (nice and plain). But I would eat it without the cheese. I can only eat cheese on pizza.
My pickiness has always been an issue, especially when I eat out. People are always surprised with what I order. Luckily, I like steak and there is usually no ‘mystery, foreign things’ with that. Hahaha..