Summer Monro lives with a medical disorder that prohibits her from eating anything. The phobia got triggered when Summer was only 3 and was forced to eat mashed potatoes. Now, even though she can smell good food and her heart tells her to eat it, her brain tells her otherwise and as soon as she brings it close to her mouth, she gags. Now, because of this disorder, Summer is forced to survive on chicken nuggets and crisps for the past 22 years.
advertisement
Summer Monro lives on chicken nuggets and opens up about her food phobia of vegetables and fruits. The woman says that her phobia is so bad that she turned down $1300 in cash to avoid eating a single pea.
Apparently, Summer is suffering from avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which is characterized by the person avoiding certain foods.
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Summer believes that her phobia was triggered at the age of 3 when she was forced to mesh potatoes when she didn't like them.
Since then, the 25-year old can only survive on Birds Eye chicken nuggets, Walkers crisps and chips, and even just the sight of fruit or vegetables is enough to make her nauseous.
Summer, a project coordinator from Cambridge, said: "All I eat is Birds Eye chicken nuggets or crisps. My weight fluctuates with what I eat.
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
advertisement
"I have tried to try fruit and veg, I tried to eat some apple but I physically can't. It's not that I don't want to try. It just makes me feel sick - there's a part of my brain that physically won't let me do it.”
Summer has tried therapy and hypnotherapy in a bid to overcome her ARFID, but admits she struggles to see a way to overcome her phobia.
"My granddad obviously wants me to eat more. He offered me a grand to eat one garden pea and I couldn't do it,” she added.
"I'm really bored, I don't get excited to eat. It's worse at lunchtime when people are eating sandwiches and I have a packet of crisps.
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
"I just can't see myself changing. I like the smell of food but if I try to eat it, it makes me physically sick.
"It puts a lot of pressure on me. My heart tells me I want to eat it but my brain says no. As soon as it touches my lips, I can't do it."
Talking about she developed this phobia, Summer said: "It started when I was about three. I would eat everything but one thing I didn't like was mashed potato.
"Someone forced me to eat mashed potato and that's where it all started. The things I eat now are crispy or crunchy.
"I can only eat thin fries and they have to be really crispy. Even when I cook chicken nuggets, I have to make them crispy."
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
advertisement
Though Summer admits that her go-to meal is also not a very safe choice for her as she avoided chicken nuggets for three months last year after discovering a vein in one of them.
Summer is on a restricted diet which has had an impact on her general health, as she explains: "It doesn't affect me physically but it does mentally. I don't feel lethargic or anything and I've had blood tests but they're all fine.”
The impact is seen on her relationship with her partner Dean McKnight too, as the couple has to cook two separate meals a day and Summer can only eat a bowl of thin chips when they go out for dinner.
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
advertisement
Summer said: "My partner takes it really well. When we first met, I didn't tell him about ARFID and we were walking around town looking for a restaurant and I ended up having to tell him because I kept saying no.
"When his parents visit, they make all these amazing meals and I can't eat any of them.”
Credit: Kennedy News and Media
advertisement
Even though Summer has struggled with the disorder for a long time but the good thing is that apart from the disorder, her life is quite good.
"A lot of people say they're surprised that I'm never ill. I'm also a very upbeat, happy person and people don't understand how I've got so much energy.”
Credit: Kennedy News and Media