While most people relish the thought of a delicious meal and consider food a form of self indulgence, this isn’t universally true. For a small percentage of the population, certain foods and food related items are feared to the point that they become an obsession and are to be avoided at all costs. When fear of a certain food or foods takes on this status, it becomes a food phobia. Here are five fascinating food phobias to chew on awhile. Be prepared! Pronouncing these food fears can be a real mouth full.
Arachibutrophobia – Fear of peanut butter
You won’t tempt a person with arachibutrophobia with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They’ll likely run in the other direction. The problem with the person suffering from this food phobia is they fear the nutty butter will stick to the roof of their mouth and they won’t be able to breathe. Strangely enough, the fear becomes more pronounced when they eat the crunch variety as opposed to the smooth. One sufferer described it as a feeling that the peanut butter would engulf them if it touched the roof of their mouth. So pronounced is this food phobia for some people that they can’t walk down the aisle in the grocery store that displays peanut butter.
Lachanophobia – Fear of vegetables
Yes, they’re healthy and nutritious, but that doesn’t stop some people from breaking into a cold sweat when they see them. The person with lachanophobia doesn’t discriminate, they intensely fear most vegetables. This food phobia starts in childhood and isn’t outgrown as the person becomes older. This food fear can be so pronounced that a person suffering from this disorder can’t even look at photos of vegetables without experiencing anxiety.
Consecotalophobia – Fear of chopsticks
You won’t find the person suffering from consecotalophobia sitting next to you at a Chinese buffet. They will go to any measures to avoid being confronted with a pair of chopsticks. How does a strange fear like this develop? Some sufferers reported being reprimanded with chopsticks as a child or being accidentally injured by one of them. Yes, it seems improbable, but you could get poked in the eye. Nevertheless, this food fear certainly makes it difficult to enjoy an evening at a Chinese restaurant.
Toxophobia –Fear of being poisoned
Life must be miserable for the fellow suffering from toxophobia. Before eating, he must meticulously inspect his food for signs of tampering. Who knows what strange poisons might lurk underneath the bun of that innocent looking hamburger? The toxophobic isn’t taking any chances. Eating out couldn’t be a pleasant experience for a person with this food phobia, who’s convinced that the world’s out to poison him.
Cibrophobia: Fear of food
The person suffering from this food fear doesn’t discriminate. He’s deathly afraid of food. Period. How does a person with this phobia manage to survive? Some report they haven’t eaten a bit of food in years, but subsist exclusively on liquids. This food phobia can also be associated with a fear of choking.
There you have it, five frightening food phobias you don’t want to have. You’ll sound very scholarly tossing these terms around at your next dinner party and you won’t have to worry about offending anyone affected by it since they won’t be there.
Now here is a special bonus, coming in at number 6 we’ve got Bananaphobia: Fear of bananas.
