Dad whose picky eating disorder means he hasn’t eaten a cooked meal in 29 years worries his daughter may have the same condition

When dad Colston Hughes, 32, went to a party as a teenager, he took a lunchbox with him containing food he could eat. He didn’t have any food allergies or dietary requirements – he just couldn’t stomach eating anything that had been cooked.

As the only person there with a lunchbox, Colston realised he was different.

The food delivery driver from Dursley, near Gloucester, hasn’t eaten a meal made from scratch for 29 years.

Colston has been living on a diet of crisps, toast, tinned spaghetti, and desserts. Cooked meals make him physically sick, thanks to the taste and texture, and he hasn’t been able to consume them since he was two years old.

As a baby, anything he was fed would be vomited out within minutes. Growing up, he quickly learned to make food for himself that he could keep down, which included tinned goods, cereals and snacks.

He also developed a need to ensure none of his food was touching, a habit he describes as symptomatic of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

At school he’d offer his free school meal to his sister and only eat her pudding. The lack of food meant he was hungry for most of his life.

‘I got used to eating one meal a day for four to five years, I was so used to it that I didn’t realise my body had gotten used to being hungry,’ he tells Metro.co.uk.

Today Colston still struggles with his dietary preferences, but is at a healthy weight and tries to be active.

But he worries for his three-year-old daughter Holly, who shows signs of ARFID, commonly referred to as ‘picky eating’.

Colston tells us: ‘When I was little, my mum would go to the chippies and I would just eat crisps, I was always skin and bones.

‘With cooked meals – the taste, the texture, the smell, the look, it makes me feel sick. I’ll never know how the nation’s favourite food is chips, they feel absolutely horrible. I don’t mind the smell of the chip shop though.’

Now married and a dad of four, Colson weighs around 11 to 12 stone, having put on three to four stone since meeting his partner, April.

Colston finally went to see a doctor for help two years ago. They suspected he had ADHD but didn’t say much about his diet, referring him to the mental health team. He didn’t pursue further treatment as life got in the way.

He felt the impact of his diet mostly in the morning, when it took an hour to get out of bed as he was so drained. Since taking nourishment drinks and going to the gym, he feels much better.

But this hasn’t ‘cured’ Colston’s issues – his dietary restrictions still affect both him and his family.

‘Our house is like a circus,’ he adds. ‘When we go out for meals, it’s not spur of the moment because I only eat dessert so I have to eat before we leave, which is a bit stressful when the missus wants just us two to go out for a romantic dinner.

‘It’s always had a strain on me growing up and dating. Luckily she’s understanding.

‘When we first started, I didn’t mention it, wanted her to like me first. Unfortunately, she’s a feeder so she would get angry if I didn’t eat. I told her about my eating after a year.’

Colston has to cook meals for his children, and says he’s getting better. He recently mastered cooking up a full English breakfast.

But his daughter Holly hasn’t been eating those specially cooked meals, raising concerns about her own dietary restrictions.

Doctors told Colston and April that Holly has some signs of autism. They’ve noticed that the three-year-old is also particular with her meals and often throws up if she’s given food that she doesn’t want.

Colston insists this can’t be a copycat act, as he’s always eaten his meals away from Holly so she doesn’t imitate his habits.

‘My biggest issue is Holly,’ says Colston.

‘She can eat french fries (not chips) and spaghetti hoops (I can’t eat hoops, just the shaped ones). She eats peas, sweetcorn and ham, which I don’t.

‘I’ve never liked meat, I’ve cooked it but don’t feel or like the look of it. It does look appetising, I can’t remember what it tastes like.

‘Astonishingly, Holly’s eating habits started when my partner was pregnant. My wife couldn’t eat anything.

‘Holly tried spaghetti and liked it and soon she started eating the same as me.

‘If it was anything else, she would be sick.’

April’s diet returned to normal after Holly was born, but Holly continued to be a picky eater. Though Colston worries for his daughter, he also feels a connection to her as a result.

‘Part of me loves her eating habits,’ he says, ‘It’s a bond that only we share. The other part worries, the mental side of it can really get you down.

‘But ultimately she’ll never be on her own because I’ll be there.

‘If she’s hungry, she tells us but doesn’t always know so we will take her to the kitchen and she picks out what she wants. She’s the same as me, she was a sickly baby, and has strong reflux, especially now that her tonsils are swollen (we’re waiting to have them taken out).

‘I’m at the stage where I’m not going to change too much but when it comes to Holly, I will try to eat better with her so she’s not scared.

‘For me, it’s more about helping her.’

Another thing Holly struggles with is brushing her teeth with toothpaste, which Colston experiences too, being repulsed by the minty taste.

All the sugar he’s consumed over the years has affected Colston’s teeth, something he doesn’t want his daughter to have to face.

Colston says: ‘I really don’t like mint or toothpaste, I didn’t brush when I was a kid as I would be sick in the morning so I avoided it but now I’m doing it and I’m teaching the kids too.

‘Holly hates brushing with toothpaste too but loves brushing with water. I try to get her to use it but luckily she doesn’t eat as much sugar as me.’

For his whole life, people have said he’s a fussy eater but Colston believes there’s more to his diet. He’s tried to get help for it and ‘get closure’ but to no avail.

The family’s hometown is small and has few mental health specialists.

Colston feels that doctors in the area are ‘years behind’ everywhere else. He wants more help understanding and dealing with ARFID.

‘I know it’s a condition – my main food is beige food,’ he says. ‘I’m just figuring out I may have a mental health condition. I just want someone to say “there’s nothing wrong with you”, I want the closure of knowing I didn’t make it up.’