Austin Davis, a 20-year-old man from Keystone Heights, Florida, claims to eaten almost nothing but macaroni and cheese for the last 17 years of his life.

We’ve featured picky eaters before, people who only enjoyed things like pizza or french fries, but Austin Davis isn’t one such person. Even if he tries eating something other than macaroni and cheese, and actually enjoys it, his body will immediately reject it and he’ll start to gag. Doctors say he is suffering from a psychological condition known as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, where new foods trigger negative physical side-effects. This condition is often linked to traumatic events, and Davis was indeed diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and removed from his home, after being physically abused by his father. This has negatively impacted his social life as well as his eating habits, but he wants to change.

Photo: wesweaver/Pixabay

“It’s weird for me to think of eating anything that’s not yellow,” Davis told VICE Media in a recent interview. “I don’t want to say I’m addicted to mac and cheese, because it sounds so weird, but my body won’t let me eat anything else. I didn’t choose to be like this.”

The 20-year-old says he’s actually sick of eating the same thing every time he’s hungry, but his body just won’t cooperate. Even if he tries something new that he likes, his gag reflex will kick in.

“As soon as it enters my mouth it’s like a sensory overload,” Austin said. “Even if I like what I’m trying, I’ll have an involuntary gag.”

 

Eating just one type of food, especially one that is calorie-rich but not particularly nutritious can be hazardous to health, And Austin Davis is fully aware of that. To negate some of the negative effects of basically living on macaroni and cheese, the 20-year-old Florida man works out four times a week. Apart from trying to stay in shape, he is also seeing a therapist who understands his condition.

“I definitely know that I have to maintain physical activity to keep myself fit,” Davis said. “It’s to counteract my terrible, awful carb-filled diet.”

Austin enjoys various brands of mac and cheese, from Kraft Deluxe to Annie’s or Bob Evans, but nine time out of ten he will eat his favorite, Velveeta Shells and Cheese.