What Are the Causes of a Preference for Bland Foods?

Physicians prescribe bland diets for ulcers, heartburn, nausea and following surgery involving the stomach or intestines. The foods on the diet consist of soft and not spicy foods that are low fiber with no alcohol or caffeine, according to Medline Plus. Some adults and children naturally prefer bland foods as their dietary choices. The causes for that preference involves conditions beyond their control.

Bland Diet

• Specific bland food diets exist for people who suffer from stomach and intestional problems or recovering from surgery. Food items on the diet include low-fat dairy products including milk, vegetables, fruit juices, applesauce, bread and pasta made with refined white flour and lean meat. Other allowable foods are pudding, soups, eggs and weak tea. These foods serve as examples of the type of foods people with eating disorders, or conditions, choose.

Adult Selective Eating Disorder

• Adult Selective Eating Disorder, also known as a very picky eater, is a condition where an adult eats like a kid, according to an article in msnbc.msn.com. The order manifests itself as a feeling that most foods are repulsive. The exceptions are bland foods that children eat: peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches. People with this disorder hide it by avoiding eating in front of other people or making excuses for not eating such as a stomach ache. No cause of this disorder has been identified, but it usually relates to problems with eating that began as a child.

Picky Eating Syndrome in Children

• While most children tend to exhibit some type of picky eating habits, some children exhibit more severe problems that might have a neurologically basis. The typical child with the disorder not only favors bland foods, but has reactions to other foods. The smell of certain foods may be so bothersome that the child cannot stand to be in the kitchen or at the dining room table. Certain food textures cause gagging or choking reflexes when the child tries to eat the food. Fear of eating anything new is a common factor. The child wants the same bland foods every day. Eating is a learned behavior, so parents should teach the child different eating habits, along with investigating to determine if there are neurological problems.

Autism

• One example of a neurological problem associated with preferences for bland foods is autism. Autism involves difficulties with sensory processing, such as a dislike of touching other people or being touched and abnormal responses to sound. That same problem when applied to food results in a dislike for certain foods due to their smell or texture. The autistic child and adult seeks comfort and finds it with the same bland foods.