Food anxiety refers to feeling worried about the consequences of eating certain foods. For example, not wanting to eat coconut milk for fear of its high calories, not wanting to eat rabbit meat for fear of being judged by others, or other foods that can cause weight gain. On the other hand, there are also those who are worried that they will have an allergic reaction or choke.

Generally, people with food anxiety do not have body image or weight gain issues. But when that is the underlying cause, then a person will become more overwhelmed in their food choices. This is because they become overly restrictive because they don't know what to eat. 

Characteristics of People with Food Anxiety

Food anxiety can cause a person to feel sensory differences, fear, and even disgust with the texture of food. When this condition occurs in daily life, a person will tend to limit and even endanger their own health. Here are the characteristics of people with food anxiety:

• Drastically limiting the consumption of certain foods or types of food

• Picky about food texture

• Loss of appetite or interest in food

• Fear of having an allergic reaction or choking

• Becoming more selective about food over time

People with food anxiety will feel real tension when thinking about or deciding what to eat. This will lead to physical symptoms, such as faster heart rate and breathing, feeling "butterflies" in the stomach, and trembling and moist hands.

People with food anxiety are often picky eaters and even lose their appetite.

Negative Impact

This anxiety makes a person eat less or not eat at all, so their body does not get enough nutrients. The negative impact is that it becomes difficult to concentrate, irritability, dizziness, and fainting. In addition, depending on the amount of food consumed, a person may also experience the following:

• Drastic weight loss

• Growth failure in children

• Signs of malnutrition

• Withdrawal from social events

The impact of food anxiety is that the body does not get enough nutrients until signs of malnutrition appear.

Causes

Food anxiety is generally based on certain phobias about how food affects the body. This type of anxiety is common in children with sensory disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder. Food anxiety can also be triggered by negative experiences with food. There are also several factors that can influence food anxiety, such as:

• Nutritional value information

• Certain personality traits, such as perfectionism, impulsivity or novelty seeking

• Cultural, community or peer pressure about appearance, especially in sports-related organizations or other activities where thinness is a priority

• Negative self-talk about food or appearance, such as "I look fat"

• Negative messages about diet or appearance, especially from social media

Diagnosis

Food anxiety can generally be diagnosed using several strategies, such as reviewing growth and development charts, questionnaires, therapist evaluation, and referral to a nutritionist for consultation. In addition, depending on how much weight one has lost and the degree of malnutrition, one may need to undergo some of the following tests:

• Blood tests

• Urine tests

• Imaging tests (x-rays, CT scans, MRI, bone density

• Electrocardiogram (ECG)

In conclusion, food anxiety is a feeling of worry about the consequences of eating certain foods. For example, fear of its high calories, fear of being judged by others, fear of gaining weight, fear of allergies or choking. If this anxiety persists, a person may experience malnutrition. So, how to overcome it? Let's move on to the next part!
 

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