I feel like chicken tonight... (& every night)

RYAN EATS ONLY NUGGETS AND CHIPS FOR 20 YEARS

A MAN with a rare food disorder ate only chicken nuggets and chips every day for nearly 20 years.

Ryan Howarth struggled to swallow anything other than nuggets and fries from the age of four.

But after therapy for his selective eating disorder he can now eat fruit, vegetables, sandwiches and more.

Ryan, inset as a youngster, said: “I used to think that’s what my life was.

“I just ate the foods I wanted to.

“When someone asked me to eat something else I reacted in the same way most people would react if I asked them to eat an exotic food, like insects.

“It all felt so foreign to me. And my family started getting worried that my diet could cause health problems later on in life.”

But after sessions with a therapist he can now eat anything. He said: “Now I’m eating so many different things. “There’s ones I like and there’s ones I don’t like, but I’m testing everything out. It’s amazing how I am enjoying foods I never expected I would like. I never thought I would like pineapple, but now it’s one of my favourites.”

Ryan, 21, of Andover, Hants, already feels healthier a month after introducing new foods to his diet. He said: “I feel like I have more energy throughout the day. That was no way to live.”

His mum Christiane, 45, has noticed a drastic change in his personality since he took up the new diet.

She said: “It’s incredible how much he has changed. He’s been more outgoing and he is helping me with things around the house.

“He recently went out to eat with his father. He hasn’t done that in years. “His eating disorder caused a barrier between him and the family.

“We had a lot of fights and heated discussions and we haven’t had any of those lately. It’s amazing what is happening. My son is coming back.”

Christiane also no longer has to worry about the health risks of her son’s eating habits. She said: “He looked pale and the few foods he ate can cause cancer.

“Now he’s starting to look healthier and I’ve noticed more colour in his face. It’s only the beginning though.”