‘Healthy’ woman hasn’t eaten fruit or veg, lives on nuggets

A British woman who hasn’t eaten fruit or vegetables in 22 years has revealed she lives on a diet of chicken nuggets, fries and potato chips — and says she’s perfectly healthy.

Summer Monro, 25, suffers from avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and the thought of eating an apple or a banana is enough to make her gag.

“I can’t remember the last time I ate a fruit or vegetable,” Monro told South West News Service. “I’d say it was when I was about 3.”

“I tried to eat some apple but I physically can’t,” she added. “It’s not that I don’t want to try. It just makes me feel sick, and there’s a part of my brain that physically won’t let me do it.”

Monro’s phobia is so severe that she even turned down her grandfather’s offer of £1,000 ($1,310) to eat a single pea.

“I just can’t see myself changing,” the Brit said. “I like the smell of food but if I try to eat it, it makes me physically sick. As soon as it touches my lips, I can’t do it.”

Monro said she skips breakfast and chows down on a bag of potato chips for lunch. Every single night, her dinner consists of six to eight chicken nuggets with a side of fries.

Shockingly, the fussy eater said she’s in great shape and doesn’t take any vitamins or supplements.

“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,” Monro said. “It doesn’t affect me physically. I don’t feel lethargic or anything and I’ve had blood tests but they’re all fine.”

Medics have been left baffled by the fact Monro is of regular weight, and say she is “fine” because she is getting “protein from the chicken” in the nuggets.

Monro believes her food disorder was sparked by the fact that she was forced to eat mashed potatoes against her will when she was 3 years old.

She has been to therapy and hypnotherapy in a bid to beat the disorder, but nothing has worked.

“It’s definitely something to do with the texture. The things I do eat are crispy, which is the opposite to mashed potato,” Monro theorized.

The Cambridge local lives with her partner Dean McKnight, 26, and they make two separate meals every day.

However, McKnight has been supportive of Monro’s condition.

“My partner takes it really well,” Monro said. “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.”

However, despite her supportive partner and her “good health,” Monro said she wishes she was able to eat more exciting foods.

“I’m really bored, I don’t get excited to eat,” she admitted. “It affects me mentally, especially when I go to restaurants and I sit with nothing. We went out for my sister’s birthday and I sat and didn’t eat and it made me feel crap.”