A man who ate nothing but chicken nuggets and chips for almost 20 years is now tucking into a vast array of foods after undergoing therapy for his eating disorder.

Ryan Howarth, from Andover, Hampshire, has suffered from what has been termed as ‘selective eating disorder’ (a condition that is not recognised by the NHS) for the past 17 years, and struggled to eat anything other than the low-nutrition meal.

The 21-year-old would occasionally be able to eat steak, sausages, pasta and sweets, but chicken nuggets and chips made up 90 per cent of his diet.

Ryan Howarth, 21, has eaten almost nothing but chicken nuggets and chips for the last 20 years (Picture: Laura Daile/ Caters)

He has suffered from Selective Eating Disorder for the past 17 years (Picture: Laura Daile/ Caters)

His disorder became so bad that he cried for 20 minutes when his mum asked him to try root vegetable mash.




But after his family kept reminding him about the health risks of his diet, he sought out a therapist who was able to put him through ‘fruit and vegetable therapy’ and had him eating new foods within minutes.

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He said: ‘The way I reacted when someone asked me to eat more was the same way most people would react if I asked them to eat an exotic food, like insects. It just felt so foreign to me.

‘My family started getting worried that my diet could cause health problems later on in life.

‘Now I’m eating so many different things. There’s ones I like and there’s ones I don’t like, but I’m basically testing everything out.

Before the therapy, Ryan cried for 20 minutes when his mum tried to get him to eat rot vegetable mash (Picture: Laura Daile/Caters)

‘It’s amazing how I’m enjoying foods I never expected I’d like. I never thought I’d like pineapple, but now it’s one of my favorites.’

Just one month after he’s been introducing these foods to his diet, Ryan already feels healthier.

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Before the switch, he had a low energy levels, took vitamins to make up for the nutrients he wasn’t getting and relied on chocolate to keep him going through the day.

Ryan said: ‘It’s amazing. I feel healthier and I feel like I have more energy throughout the day.’

Another thing Ryan realised after changing his diet was that his eating disorder had a negative affect on his relationship with his family.

Does anyone love chicken nuggets as much as this guy? (Picture: Laura Daile/ Caters)

He is now loving life as a foodie and says he feels much healthier (Picture: Laura Daile/ Caters)

He would often eat by himself, leave the room when everyone else was eating and have arguments with his parents.

He alienated himself from everyone and dreaded going out to restaurants.

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Ryan said: ‘I never used to eat with my family. I feel like I was letting them down and I was also letting myself down.

‘Now I finally know what it’s like to sit and have a meal with my family. It’s really nice.

‘I always tried to avoid going to restaurants or only went to ones where I could order the few foods I liked. Now I can finally go out to eat with my family and have lots of different foods to choose from.’

He now gets to enjoy meals with his family (Picture: Laura Daile/ Caters)

His mum, Christiane, 45, thinks he is much friendlier since switching his diet (Picture: Laura Daile/ Caters)

His mum Christiane, 45, has noticed a drastic change in his personality since taking up the new diet and thinks he has been much more outgoing and friendlier now his diet is back on track.

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She said: ‘It’s incredible how much he has changed. He’s been more outgoing and he’s 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 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.’

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