Girl with Extreme Fruit and Vegetable Phobia | Addicted to Pasta | Freaky Eaters (UK) | Only Human

18 year old Helen tree has an unusual problem when it comes to eating I'm absolutely terrified of food if someone puts a plate of fruit or vegetables in front of me or anywhere near me I feel sick and I just burst into tears usually her fear of fruit unfair just so extreme she can only eat one thing Helen is addicted to pasta my favorite food everything you know I have pasta Helen dreams of becoming a high-flying politician but unless she can overcome her past a problem she's risking both her career and her health getting her to beat her addictions will be the job of clinical psychologist Steven briars a nutritionist madly Savona not this job is to encourage you to eat new foods if you think oh I don't like it I'm not gonna try it then we won't get anywhere while Steven will try to wash away Helens tears by diving deep into her psychological fears along if she can stay down there no actually her anxiety will begin to sort of drop down over the next four weeks they'll try and reverse a lifetime of bad eating habits but looks like thick oak on up [Music] grade A student Helen tree knows a thing or two about politics and at just 18 she's already had experience of working in the houses of parliament politics is a huge part of my daily life I'm member of political party I'm part of this politics society when I leave University I definitely want to go into politics somehow but if Helen ever does make it into government her food policy will need a serious rethink she's addicted to pasta plain pasta every day sooner I have pasta it's been years and years and years since I've had me and veg and things like that I honestly can't tell you and it was Helen eats enormous amounts of plain pasta with only a side order of tomato ketchup to spice it up people ways assume that way is boring and repetitive but me eating is just eating I don't enjoy eating food it's a necessity for me when pasta isn't available Helens alternatives of cheese chips chocolate and bread are far from healthy but any attempts to try new foods always end in tears I know why we like it so what's the point it's quite an extreme reaction to food she doesn't like touching it particularly she just ends up crying but sort of what it is that scares me um is probably the unknown I don't know if I like it or not um I don't I don't like what it is [Music] none of Harlem's five siblings have problems with food and they struggle to understand her crying over carrots I find it really annoying why won't you eat normal food and why won't you just be normal people Callens family have learned to live with her odd eating but in just two weeks she'll be leaving her home in Kent to start a new life at Queen Mary's University in London I'm jetting meeting new people and telling them about my eating habits it's quite embarrassing I don't want anyone to think that I'm weird I just don't want it to set me back at my future career I think this is a really important time for Helen I think that she needs to address this now and change her way of eating even if it's just small steps I've tried as much as I can I've encouraged her to eat I can't think of any other way as a family that we can make her force her to eat something that she's totally against eating Helen's determined to deal with her diet once and for all but knows that once she goes to uni and loses the support of her family and friends it won't be easy it's a habit of a lifetime and I think I've been really really hard to crack that and I'll be amazed if I do to be honest because the reaction is so strong [Music] it's day one and Helen has come to London for her first meeting with the experts you up for things ready to go I'm quite nervous definitely excited as well so given that you're so excited should we just get cracking Natalie and Steven have a surprise in store for Helen which they hope will get her into the right frame of mind before the hard work begins Helen you're going to be doing something which I suspect is gonna be very very hard for you over the next few weeks and you need all the reasons to keep going that we can muster hopefully we've got some extra ones for you here so we're gonna leave you here to watch this and then we'll come back and talk to you about what you've seen okay we're all here for you darling we're all gonna try and help you we know it's not gonna be an easy thing for you to do you've got issues and you've got to deal with those with your food but everybody we have brothers and sisters all the family we're all here for you to help and encourage you I don't know how you've managed to stay so slim and gorgeous all these years so if the diet that you have and I wish that you could tell me the secret but I also really worried about you we are all worried about you not eating that's been a sore point with us for a very long time you used to eat well when you was a young baby why you changed on that but now I know your brothers and sisters tease you sometimes and perhaps we all do but we just want to see you eat a reasonable plate of food look like a baby when you try new foods you look like a baby spitting out something that they don't like you need more in your diet you need something green now and then I don't want to see you Keaney over from a heart attack I don't want to get a phone call like that before anything happens to me I would love to see you eating a healthy dinner please do it for my sake [Music] so I was that like it's really hard to see that everyone I care about talking about the thing that I try and keep private and just seeing how much everyone cared and how much it meant to people that was saying you a bit like a baby how did that feel hearing that that was really hard to hear because when I do try new foods I am like a baby and I know I am but I can't change that it's it's just a failure I have and some people are scared of spiders I'm scared of food and I can't change exit built-in to me are there any particular comments that when things get tough over the next few weeks are going to stay in your head and help keep you motivated semen and talk um and I know it's always bothered air and I just really want to do it just to prove to her that I can do it she needs old me [Music] in case Helen was in any doubt after hearing from her loved ones Natalie and Steven have one last nutritional wake-up call which they hope will teach her a valuable lesson before you you haven't really moved on have you any terms of the variety of you don't since the time the age when you were at school yeah all right Helen well let's have a look at this safe food of yours all right here we have a big vat of the stuff I think if we're gonna get any idea of the actual quantities that you are having we're gonna need a hand being dished up are 365 plates of pasta that's one for every day of the year a restaurant and store tables like that you won't even eat there odd yet yeah please tell me that is it you look quite sort of zoned out it's all the same color and it looks boring and it's a posture that you've said this is boring it's very limiting but there are major health implications going on here as well you are living essentially off mounds and mounds of white flour you know vitamin C where is it in your diet yeah do you feel good on it at least we feed him plated sometimes and not bursting with energy so I think it's showing me exactly what I do eat and what I'm missing out on I suppose we only have four weeks to work with you Helen what would you like to achieve by the end of that time I'd like to be able to go to a fancy event or a business dinner or something like that and to fit in all right so in four weeks time you are going to attend a forum will do and you are going to be eating just like everybody else how does that grab you terrifying if I'm honest but they thought that I could possibly do that is so exciting and yeah it's really exciting I'd love to do it good Helen now has just one month to overcome her unusual eating habits this is gonna be a really really tough one she's so entrenched in that diet of pasta and pasta and pasta and a bit of chocolate thrown in for good measure that it's going to be a miracle if we can really get her way on having a proper meal it was mind-boggling to think that that is what I put in my body and it made me feel horrible I really I can't believe it to be honest it made me feel disgusting and especially with my Nana as well - what chair say um I want to see me a proper meal before I'm gone I want to share it with her and I really want to do that and it is a big motivator for me [Music] today Helen is meeting with Nathalie to begin the process of weaning her off pasta Helen's blocked out some major food groups from her diet she doesn't have any vegetables she doesn't have any fish meat hardly any fruit and we've really really got to get her beyond that and what I want to look at is what are her food rules where do they come from and where does she break them herself and how can I help her break even more of them hello Helen come on in as you can see lots of different foods on the table and first up I just want to get an idea of what you will and won't eat and why I don't like mushy textures Oh soft textures too much I like things to be crisp and crunchy so you've just said to me that you really like crisp crunchy foods and you don't like soft foods but actually most of your diet is pasta and chocolate neither of which are crisp and crunchy so shall we investigate oranges we'd have to do we could go off and go to an Italian restaurant have a plate pasta yeah let's do I'm not gonna let you get away with that okay so orange what goes through your mind seeing all that pulp it sounds great but the texture of it reminds me of vomit and I really don't like drinking it when it's got bits in it yeah cuz if you think oh I don't like it I'm not gonna try it then we won't get anywhere but if you go okay let's see if I can tolerate this [Music] I don't like the texture it okay yeah so now the pulp is a step too far oranges are good for the immune system as they contain vitamin C but to get the whole 70 milligrams from one Helen would have to eat the pulp and the Rhine - instead she could get her recommended daily amount of 60 milligrams from nine strawberries 30 black currants or if she can't face fruit half a cup of broccoli will give her the same amount now what you say to these so in any given moment you're not going to particularly want to do the things I'm going to suggest [Music] over the next hour and Nataly tries to tempt Helen with a variety of different foods from bananas to peppers to celery but each time it's the same old story there's no point trying I'm not doing that and they're going to eat fish on me you wanna be vegetarian yeah okay I've been in situations before where people have tried to get me to make carrot and I really don't want to eat it and it's in my head dad's I want to eat it you can give it a go what's he so much I can tolerate it just well bear in mind that you wouldn't choose to be anything other than your pastor and your chocolate given half China yeah I just keep thinking about seeing the tape of my family and it's a really big motivator for me it's been 18 years and to sit here in an hour it's incredible really [Music] the fact that there is so many tears when confronted with these new foods really strange I mean I've had people spit them out and vomit gag refused to eat them but hearses this constant constant tears of a certain foods she would not try no way there was no budging her at all but now the real test is Helen going back home and really start the hard work practice practice practice I think with Lesley she worked well with me because she offers gentle encouragement but when she needs to be firm she is firm with me and I think I need that when I'm unsure whether it's Troy food or not she tells me just to do it and not to think about it and I think that works really well for me [Music] to help Helen get started Natalie the center home with a hamper of healthy homework tasks which you'll have to carry out every day time to guess that okay diet goodbye first off turn your back on temptation by clearing your kitchen table pasta cheese ketchup chocolate and crisps must go the food in the hand boob it's the next full week bidding the bags of pasta is the only way to get temptation out of the harm's way seeing this sheet of instructions from Natalie it's quite scary for me and that's basically what I eat every day so getting rid of all those foods is very scary I don't know what I really don they beans maybe no pepper tomatoes no new eat tomato ketchup yeah the one thing I was a little bit surprised at actually that I thought would be an easy option for her was that she'd go for the tomatoes because she loves tomato ketchup I've never expected it to eat everything I think it would be a huge task together to eat a lot of things but maybe that one will come [Music] Helen grew up in Sittingbourne Kent with her two brothers and three older sisters her fussy eating has been a problem since infancy it started for Helen when she was very young when she was a toddler I think the first two years of her life she ain't normally I mean as a baby she didn't used to love risotto so rice peppers all sorts of food but over the next four years Helens diet rapidly got worse by the age of seven she become hysterical when faced with new foods I used to get to the stage where you think you've got to eat something other than pasta but in the end it just become a battle of wills and she was so distraught and it was upsetting me eventually the family gave up trying to make her eat normally and now avoid the subject no one even suggests a Helen anymore to try anything differently because it's just too much of a sticking when she gets too upset and that leads us to get upset about it so it's just ignore it really today Helen has her first session with clinical psychologist Steven briars it's a chance for him to probe Helens childhood for the origins of her food phobia do you want to tell me when these eating problems first began I'm told as a baby I Street everything pretty much my earliest memory probably is when I was at three years old I was force-fed peeve and I really needed to lit and I wasn't allowed to go so I was force-fed and full age until I ended up wetting myself at the table and ever since then I haven't really eaten much since it's kind of spiraled downwards and I am where I am now okay well that sounds like a fairly traumatic incident so what happened after that then I wouldn't like eating food I wasn't comfortable with I don't really remember too much else about them that's illness so what happens to you if you are presented with a food that you are convinced for whatever reason that you won't like if I I don't like it I usually heave and I hyperventilate and such crying I can usually tell if I will like it or not in my head before trying it yeah in a sense it's quite a sort of child's way of thinking isn't it that you often hear kids rejecting things just on the basis of what it might be like as opposed to experience of what it what it is like did it cause a lot of aggro within the family did people get very frustrated with you yeah I come from a big family um who enjoys their feed I think people couldn't really understand that I didn't like food I suppose one thing that's going through my mind is you know you described a big family that's lots of competition for attention yep yeah were you conscious as a child of wanting a bit more focus um I would say conscious of it because there were so many of us we most were still got them well and we'd play together and do stuff together oh I'm not really sure about that silly honesty okay so it sounds as if it has set you apart a little bit within your family you give me quite a lot to mull over and then hopefully we can start to think about how we can take this forward [Music] helen comes from a big family and her negative behavior around food has probably been quite an effective source of sympathy and attention over the years if I'm to help her I'm gonna have to teach you how to draw on some of her inner strengths to place the things that she currently fears because I've never really spoken about my food problems with anyone I don't even talk to my family about these things so it was really odd but good thing to do because it's someone impartial and someone who doesn't really know the situation and can see it from an outsider's point of view which I think probably will help Helens diet isn't the only puzzle in her life for years she's been in and out of hospital with complaints of migraines and regularly suffers from fatigue Natalie wants to know exactly what a diet consisting solely of pasta has been doing to Helens insides I'm concerned for Helens health because the sort of restricted diet she's eating it would be really really strange if she wasn't deficient in something I'm quite an ill person I'd say in the past few days really really unwell so really done much that really too much either I'm a bit worried about blood test results if that's the reason why I do get ill and things like that I think you'll hit home a lot harder wait I'm not sure I'm ready for dr. Pixy McKenna is a GP with a special interest in eating problems she's analyzed Helen's blood tests and this morning she initely have come to hear the findings I suppose I'm interested primarily to know how you feel at the moment or you know on a day-to-day basis at the moment I feel really ill but I'm really tired as well right the problem is that you are iron deficient you've got anemia which look when we look at your diet surprise no surprise at all is it really you know we all know where we get our I never certain you don't get it from anything that you're eating in order to illustrate Helens anemia dr. pixie will use a model to show how her low iron affects her blood the reason in our blood his iron is a vital component of red blood cells and the red blood cells transports oxygen around the blood and if you don't have enough oxygen you feel tired weak exactly the way you feel okay let's have a look at some healthy red blood cells healthy red blood cells are full of iron and our bigger passing through the body slowly because they're going more slowly they're getting to the tissues and they're delivering oxygen they're doing their job efficiently but anemic blood often has less iron and this affects the size of the red cells we're going to show you what's going on in your circulation because your red blood cells they're smaller than they should be now what that means is that it go long your circulation they're going pretty fast don't you think yeah now of course what that means is they're flying around at high speeds so they're less efficient at delivering oxygen to the tissues that's actually why you feel tired and run down all the time iron from vegetables like broccoli gets absorbed into our bodies by the small intestine but iron alone won't help anemia the gut prefers an acidic environment for the iron to pass through into our bloodstream eating acidic citrus fruits such as oranges is essential for the maximum amount of iron to be absorbed the thing is Helen it's not really that much of a surprise is it that you're anemic but the good news is that there is something you can do about it you could be eating iron rich vegetables such as spinach it might not be easy but it's really straightforward I knew always knew that my diet was unhealthy but I never really realized the impact that it's had and I kind of brushed it off because I always thought I was okay in comparison to it run else but the deep down damage is there and it is quite scary [Music] Dixie's cautionary words have struck a chord so back home Helen hits the hamper nataly's asked her to try several new veggies each day to see what it's like still taste it in my mouth and I'm really not keen on it it's already dead like it's finished there's disappointing thing is I thought that would be the nicest thing out of all of them and if I don't like that it just puts me off of trying other things even more the final challenge is only three weeks away but Helens still on the starting block when it comes to new foods so Stephens arranged to meet her at the local sports ground for a rather unusual training session what Helen needs to do is develop a different kind of identity around eating and today what I wanted to do is to learn a skill from a much more kind of empowered assertive confident bit of herself Helen what I want to do today is think about this person that you seem to become around food because it is like almost a personality that you assume don't you I mean if you can imagine yourself looking in from the outside how would you describe the person that you would be seeing completely childish and wouldn't be just quite pathetic really on space okay if you weren't like that in relation to food and in fact were completely the opposite of that who would you be describe that person from it mm-hmm do you think this person would like risks and risk a risk taker so you need to think of this group of more confident positive characteristics as almost representing a distinct persona or personality but only you might even want to give her a name does the name come to mind all right so headstrong Sally okay the trick for you is to start acting as if you were her okay all right to begin with you won't feel like her but but I'd want you to sort of close down the option of always defaulting into this this vulnerable childlike mode to encourage Helen to really adopt the role of her more confident alter ego Steven is determined to put an extra spring in his step we have a task for you which I hope you are going to be able to approach the rather sort of different spirit you must be wondering why 40 here shall I show you what you're gonna be doing in an hour's time gentlemen ladies demonstration please [Music] so this is the gentle art of walking can you imagine yourself doing this I have no coordination or balance for me the point is not that we turn you into an excellent baka is to do with the way that you approach it I've done nothing like this through my silo and I have no coordination of balance I'm terrified is it really easily get you all strapped in Silan how you feeling no you're not it's thinking about strong Sally what would she be feeling at the moment uh-huh yep I really wanna do it and how do you think it's gonna go Ellen that doesn't look like strong stylist sitting there at the moment it would be great right will you say that to me again look at me this time it's set like you mean it that's great good yep ready oh I always keep moving immediately move from side to side always on the heels okay Helen what's your face saying to me at this point so fake it hold your head up look calm look composed you're gonna do this walk faster confidence is starting to show okay Helen remind me how strong Sally feels about this activity she's starting to sort of feel a way into this more confident more positive way of RIA responding to situations just as this kind of strong Sally alter-ego that she's created would do holding that roll keeping yourself in role is of course the real challenge because it's very easy when you feel fearful to let that slip we have one final part of the challenge I wanted to see whether you can do one length of this track unsupported all right oh I'll come with you yeah I like your actually I can do that that's what I want to hear [Music] climate is quite brisk pacer feeling scared I can't believe you've achieved this much in such a short time it's brilliant [Applause] when I first saw the challenge I thought there was absolutely no way I could do that but I actually did it and it was incredible and I think if I use that very mean wines when I'm trying new foods I think it'd be really beneficial for me today Helen's moving from the family home in Kent to start her new university life in East London and it's in front of people I think because what I do eat the moment is quite weird and quite childish and I don't want them to judge me I haven't really tackled vegetables yet and I really don't want to try them I'm not sure what it is about them but the thought of a vegetable repulses me laptop it's a new life and an ideal time for Helen to finally make changes to her diet with pasta band she's currently surviving on cheese sandwiches and jacket potatoes but with three years study ahead of her it's far from ideal I just hope she doesn't forget all her bits she's supposed to be doing with her food I think she wants to fit and she's going to try to eat some different foods I'm hoping so anyway as helen gets to know her new flatmates it's not long for her limited diet raises a few eyebrows I don't think I realized actually at first like how much what is that what that actually meant I thought okay she just doesn't maybe a few different things or something they were talking so we'd take it in turns to cook for the whole flat each night so if everything that we went through as possible menu ideas she said that she couldn't eat that if I say oh we're gonna cook this would that make her feel really uncomfortable because then she would feel she has to eat it is while Helen settles into her new life Natalie wants mum and Becky to get a taste of her old one right so I've got a favor to ask of you because Helens going through a lot with all of these changes and there's one thing that I think might give her that extra bit of support and that is that you to follow Helens old diet to the letter for a week a week I couldn't imagine a week of eating that food no I don't even like to watch guitar no really it's written and we'll put on about two stones I don't think Helen has any idea of quite how rubbish she must feel on a day-to-day basis because that's her norm yes whereas if you experience that a bit you can then explain that to her so is that you know yes or no I think I could do it for a few days I'd be willing to try it for that I feel the same I didn't do a whole week of it I don't wanna let me go for two or three days I love her but I don't know that much so with two members of Helens family starting their new diet of pasta and ketchup the question is how long will they stick to it so this is quite inoffensive food you know pastor and ketchup ate that all the time but not just together I love pastor actually but I like it with a nice creamy sauce it's just so unappealing the boring thought about eating it does make me feel a bit queasy [Music] [Music] it just on its own it just tastes swimmingly it just has no taste I didn't think you'd have this strong a reaction to catch up it does not belong with pasta it's horrible it's not the stage where you just put it in your mouth and swallow it quick you get rid of it it's making me heave actually I can't eat anymore one day in and both have called it a day as Helens family abandon her old diet at uni Helen's getting stuck into a new one but it's deep fried comes to the kebab shop for my team because I've got to eat really it's been hard because I don't really fancied anything I haven't wanted to try anything new it's not low else that I can have some relying on chips make your own roots not quite the iron-rich diet Natalie would approve of [Music] for over 15 years Helen's response when faced with new food has been to cry Stephens arranged to meet her mum and sister to try and find out why the truth of the matter is I'm still a little vague about the causes of Helens eating disorder there's a lot of emphasis that's placed on this story about the force-feeding of the peas when she was quite little but I'm wondering whether there weren't some other factors which may be equally significant to help solve the puzzle of Helens crying Stephens constructed a giant jigsaw each piece represents a significant event in Helens childhood struggles with food some of these pieces have things on them already which we suspect may be part of the picture but which it would be good for us to talk about some of the pieces of blank feel entirely free to take a pen and go and write something or draw something to represent this year that you think of your worth while discussing okay to solve the puzzle Stephens told them to pull out any pieces they feel might shed some light on Helens problem [Music] my earliest memory of rejection of food versus peas a traumatic experience being force-fed them it's probably one of my earliest memories have there been any other times at which a Helen was made to eat things that she didn't want to eat I remember being given a ham sandwich I don't remember being told to eat it I remember that quite vividly I could never understand that she wouldn't put it into her mouth so you don't know if you like it it becomes in the end it becomes a battle in the end it wasn't worth winning this is how much I care about it's not as if the only experience Helen had of being made to eat something she didn't want happened on this one famous occasion and I hadn't appreciated quite how significant this whole idea of them being looked and some kind of a power struggle probably was having identified Helens picky eating as a cause of tension in the family Stephen probes deeper your perceptions of the way that it either has or hasn't affected the life of the family I think you it sort of divides in a way doesn't it partly in the family that some are having a go at her for it and then others of us are defending her but I would always protect the most vulnerable or the most one in need I think which at times I feel that Helens left quite isolated by it there's more mum to go round a lot of people and you know what we know about you when you're presented with foods that you know you're not comfortable with you instantly go into what looks like a very classically vulnerable quite young State the pieces of the jigsaw are falling into place for Stephen and he's beginning to understand why Helen's tears have been so effective [Applause] one of the things that came across really strongly is that actually Helens eating issues do give her a particular identity within the family she instantly becomes that's very vulnerable very regressed helpless child who just screams protect me make it okay for me but actually as a strategy at an unconscious level it works quite well for Helen I don't purposefully sit there I think I'm gonna get attention if I cry it's just the reaction I have but thinking about it I think when I was really really small that's probably what happens and I think it's just been so conditioned into me that that is just my natural reaction now [Music] the next day in East London Nathalie meets up with Helen to find out how she's getting on how's it going with trying new foods you have a new vade the vegetable our struggle I'm really stuck in with those so have you laughs at all I have had a pizza and some chips as well okay well we certainly don't want you going down that roots of the unhealthy fast food the typical student thing so I just happen to have up my sleeve something that's gonna help us do that Nathalie has brought Helen to a trendy East End eatery where the food may be fast but it's served with the health conscious in mind what I want to show you is that fast food doesn't have to be unhealthy food so loads of things on here why don't you just scan that menu for a sec what did you just say I don't like it you don't know that yet the main thing I'd ask of you Helen is to just keep that open mind so I've chosen a few things for a silica [Music] so all vegetarian so things presumably that the willing to try new me I'm getting the impression that you're not actually willing to try anything do you really want to do this I really want to change but I just wish you could wave a magic wand okay well why don't we start with some peppers with some feta cheese on top so in theory quite doable for you because of the cheese okay the worst that can happen look is that you slip it into that just add red pepper yeah woman the excitement have actually been ensuite something makes it taste a bit better than mmm yeah good these are falafels and you can get them in any kebab shop I'm sure you'll be able to eat it I think it's so it's not something you'll have a problem with texture wise or anything you've just eaten chickpeas hmm you are turning to a real proper healthy vegetarian just go for it now carry on okay get that confidence right up there just keep building on what you've achieved feel really good so can you see yourself going out with your friends ordering foods like this and sitting down and having a little plateful like that I think not quite yet I think I'm not quite at that stage yet but I practice I can great to like it when Leslie laid all the food out in front me I thought there's no way I'd do any of it but I did do it and I'm really proud of myself that I feel really good with me being really quite firm and with some patience we finally got there in the end but I can't be there sitting on her shoulder all the way encouraging her to eat and then being there for the final challenge she's got to do this on her own [Music] it's been three weeks since Helen started her dietary makeover and while she's managed a bit of fruit and raw veg today will be her first hot meal without pasta soup smells as well tell her that leaking potatoes nice it's been the afternoon cleaning up my boy I know this is important for myself to eat this but the texture of it the smell of it everything about it scares me I really don't want to put that in my mouth that looks like sick I can't eat it up I really wasn't expecting it to look how it did and how it poured into the pan it really really reminds me of from it and I do feel really stupid the final challenge is looming but unless Helen learns to overcome her anxiety it's bound to end in tears Stephens gambling on a radical idea which will see Helen thrown in at the deep end today I've got something planned for her which I know is going to be something of a stretch for her but my hope is that if we can just poach her through it I can prove to her that she is capable of taking on stressful situations without falling apart Stephens brought Helen to Chester's aquarium but it's not the fish that are on today's menu little bird has told me that fish aren't your favorite thing don't forget a fish yeah what would be your worst swimming your finger Chuck because what we want to do today is actually get you kitted up in a wetsuit and put you in to the tank with them all right now we're not doing this just to be cruel to you or give you a hard time all right what I need you to do is handle the feelings that this experience is going to generate in you in a different way okay okay all right now I can see from your face that you know you're feeling this is gonna be a huge huge deal for you I can see you know if you can face the scariest thing in the world for you you're certainly gonna be able to deal with a few unfamiliar things on a plate [Music] she's going into the world that belongs to these sea creatures there's not gonna be anything she can do can to control the environment what she can do in this scenario is control herself now in terms of managing these really overwhelming feelings that you can get all right you have to go in there in the knowledge that actually these are just feelings all right they're your feelings and you can control them they don't have to control you Helen knows the Sharks are strictly monitored and she's completely safe but this doesn't help her anxiety and when she's scared the tears take over all right I know you don't want to and you will be fine honestly Helen is really really anxious I'm not entirely sure that she's gonna be able to get over this at the moment she's saying at the moment she really just does not want to go she can it would really help her if she doesn't it's just reinforcing there that if she gets upset in there she doesn't have to do the difficult thing this this is how you used to feel about all those things you're now cheerfully eating right you got past this feeling with those and you can get past this feeling with this with Stevens encouragement Helen regains control and takes the plunge to be honest I didn't think we were gonna get her down there she was so incredibly anxious beforehand but the longer she can stay down there now actually her anxiety will begin to sort of drop down I mean she is doing fantastic [Music] looks like Hammonds about to have a visitor as the situation becomes more stressful it's important Helen remains calm there's this huge great shark I think I sent shark swimming in about 25 feet one of the sharks is beginning to circle a panicked reaction now could draw unwanted attention interestingly the instructors are sort of talking between themselves because I think some questions about one of the Sharks behavior and clearly they're very anxious to make sure that Holland doesn't get completely spooked anything interesting down there [Music] big big big big respect to you well done well done and are you going to be able to sort of draw on this experience next time you're facing big food it's kind of pretty much the size of it it's not really it is you did fantastic I'm so pleased I think now I've done that I think I can do anything and if someone puts the plate for you down in front of me I will try it but otherwise have that feeling of you never know I might like it [Music] with only a few days to go until her final meal Nathalie introduces our now fearless Helen to as many new foods as possible it's Helens last chance to get used to unfamiliar tastes before eating in front of her family do you believe that you've just eaten some cucumber you just they called it wasn't too bad you look like you quite liked it if I may say so the beginning it was like oh I'm not even gonna try that whereas now you're a bit more gung-ho about it and that's the spirit you can only succeed like that I think Helens taken away with her more than anything the confidence that she really can eat unfamiliar foods and it's that confidence I think that will really give her the success that she's after it's exciting I've never been excited by food before it just feels incredible really just went for it and you succeeded and you can take that anywhere here's to your progress so far the final challenges tomorrow and only seems like yesterday when I started this process I've gone through so much and I've tried so many things at the same time it terrifies me and I think what am i letting myself in for there's no way I can do this I don't think I'm ready for it really it's the day of the big meal and Helen's desperate to prove she can eat comfortably in a formal setting big sister Becky's arrived to help calm pre-dinner nerves and help Helen get glammed up for the event can't wait to eat in a restaurant and have normal foods with you see you eating something that other people eat other people who are not freaks I'm feeling a bit protective of Helen today I want her to do well I think that Helen will feel like a failure she doesn't eat everything that's on her plate and I don't want her to feel that way because I think fact that she's willing to try things is just such a huge progress today means everything to me really I'm feeling the pressure at the moment because I'm gonna be in front of everyone and be on share eating I don't like doing that Nathalie and Stephen have organized a formal event at a plush restaurant in the heart of London's swanky Mayfair with her nan as guest of honor [Music] it'll mean everything to me it really will God long long for her to eat properly ladies and gentlemen would you please make your way through to the dining room where dinner is about to be served this is the first time in Helens adult life she sat down with her family to eat a normal meal Helens is the first meal out and it's a mixed vegetable tartlet begin are you gonna eat your vegetables give me a break after this first waitress broccoli so taste what trees exactly I agree [Music] one of the best things everyone else has finished but Helen's still struggling [Music] strange signs shown at her masters are all looking at him anyway - Tino you shall throw the food a little [Laughter] [Music] [Applause] I think it meant so much to my family to fit there and actually watch me a proper meal and order something off the menu my nan especially you could fit in her eyes that she was so happy for me yes I'm very proud of what she seemed I mean she had a really great plate she sat there and she managed it all and I was so impressed with her absolutely wonderful Helen I just wanted to say on behalf of everybody how proud we are of everything you've done over the last few weeks I never thought I'd see the day that you were eating these foods do you have mmm I've almost forgotten Helen how she was before because it just seems that what a lifetime away and she seems like a grown-up woman in there and no cry no tears like a baby I can just try things and I've never had that before it isn't even one month on and Utley's come round to see how Helens getting on pasta it's not yours don't tell me this shelf is yours here with salad and mushrooms Helen shelf has no pasta it has mushrooms chives and Mars - Helen has completely exceeded my expectations I knew that she was making some sort of progress but the sort of progress that she's made in the sort of timeframe that we're talking about is absolutely unbelievable I think I've grown up since I started the challenge and the whole process when I think back to how I used to be I used to cry all the time and spoke just immature really Helens introduced fruit and salads into her diet but has she really managed to give up her beloved pasta I am still eating pasta but I'm bearing it so much more now and I haven't had passed a plane since I started this process and I don't think I ever will against be honest - it's it's boring it really is [Music] click on-screen for more videos of extraordinary humans you

Channel: Only Human

Views: 226,905

Keywords: eataholics, afraid of fruit and veg, addicted to pasta, freaky eaters only human, girl addicted to pasta, freaky eaters, Only Human, freaky eaters UK, freaky eaters (tv program), Only Human channel, only human documentary, freaky eaters full episodes, eataholics full episodes, food addiction, food phobia, health documentaries, binge eating, eating addiction, weird habits, need help with binge eating, food addiction documentary, food addiction recovery, food addiction help

Id: utXlt2p7H4U

Length: 56min 2sec (3362 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 15 2019