I have had far too many kids with eating disorders as patients. These were not only mostly girls with anorexia, but kids who would eat only certain foods. These were not foods they were allergic to but foods they just did not like. Once in a while I had to ask for help from a psychologist, but generally I solved the problems in a simple way. I asked the parents just to give the patient the same food that everyone else had and not offer special foods the kids would eat. Snacks were not permitted, so of the patients got hungry enough they started eating what the family did.
I think these problems started when special foods were provided and then the problem would get worse and worse. The family could not go out to dinner unless the particular foods were available. One mother was a physician and I think it was just easier for her to provide the special foods rather than call it a problem. That particular youth did need some counseling and for him I think a lot of it was attention-getting. He seldom saw his mother, never saw his father and was seeking attention. Gradually he became happier as the parents paid more attention to him. So for some food was certainly an attention-getting mechanism.
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