UK teenager survived on croissant and pasta for 10 years due to fear of new food

Agencies | London                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com  

We all know that children are fussy eaters - they don't like taste, shape, colour or texture of particular foods. But a schoolgirl in England's Kent survived on plain pasta and croissants for a decade, according to a report in Daily Star. The 13-year-old, identified as Ciarra Franco, became scared of trying new food items after she almost choked as a toddler, the outlet further said. Since then, the teenager preferred a pack of croissants for lunch and plain pasta for dinner.

Ms Franco's mother Angela tried very hard to change her food habits and broaden her taste but were unsuccessful. "Since she was two, one of the only things she has eaten constantly is croissants for lunch and plain pasta for her dinner," she told Daily Star.

"She'd occasionally try plain cereal, like cornflakes, and ready salted crisps, but she's had a croissant every day for lunch for as long as I can remember," Angela added.

She later took her daughter to a hypnotherapist who helped changed her palate massively. "Ciarra has been able to try a variety of new foods such as Chinese takeaway and even fruits such as pineapple," her mother said.

The girl showed improvement after just six weeks by listening to music and expressing her food fears.

"She's tried so many new foods since her hypnotherapy and whilst she's still got a long way to go, her palate has changed massively," said her mother.

The family had contacted the hypnotherapist David Kilmurry after seeing an article in a local newspaper about a similar case he had assisted with.