This woman is too scared to eat anything but chocolate

This woman is too scared to eat anything but chocolate

Jill Hayman from Scotland can only eat 17 foods - everything else gives her serious anxiety.

jill hayman arfid
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Jill Hayman, 36, has sustained herself on a diet of bread, potato chips, chocolate, fizzy drinks, and jelly sweets. These are just a few of her "safe foods": food items that she is able to eat without fear, anxiety or nausea. 

But Jill is not just a picky eater. She suffers from Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), a condition which she believes began when she was eight months old, and would reject the solid foods her mother tried to introduce into her diet. 

The moment Jill perceives a threat - even if she is in the same room as someone who is eating one of the foods she fears - she begins to panic. She told The Sun: "My throat will close and then I have panic attacks. I can’t control it. I’ve been physically sick just speaking about food."

Jill's diet has taken a toll on her health, causing her to lose weight dramatically. In order to try and stay as healthy as possible, Jill has to have vitamin injections. 

The disorder has made life difficult for Jill, who has even had to reconsider motherhood as a result of her long-term suffering. She has started seeing a hypnotherapist who hopes to gradually introduce more foods into Jill's diet and thereby improve her health. 

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