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Doctors warn about the risks of extreme fussy eating after a teenager went blind.
The 17-year-old boy lived on a diet of chips, pringles and white bread with an occasional sausage or slice of ham. Tests found him to have severe vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition damage.
He saw his GP when he was 14 complaining of feeling tired and unwell. At the time he was diagnosed with B12 deficiency and put on supplements but he didn’t stick to the treatment or improve his poor diet.
Three years later he was taken to the hospital because of progressive loss of sight. Doctors then found he was low in B12 as well as other important vitamins and minerals selenium and vitamin D. He had an aversion to certain textures of food that he could not tolerate and chips and crisps were the only types of food that he wanted or could eat.
He was not overweight but was severely malnourished and met the criteria for being registered blind.
Cases like this are uncommon but DR Atan said that parents should be aware of the potential harm of picky eating and seek expert help. For parents who are concerned, they have a picky eater she advised “it is best not to get to anxious about picky eating and calmly introduce one or two new foods every meal. Multivitamins tablets can supplement a diet but are no substitute for eating healthily. It is much better to get vitamins from a varied and balanced diet. Too much of certain vitamins including vitamin A can be toxic so you do not want to overdo it.
Supplementation of Multivitamins is recommended for all children up to their fifth birthday.
According to research, 89 percent of children go through a lengthy stage of fussy eating. So how do you deal with a picky eater?
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