When I eat a meal I can only eat one thing at a time. Say I'm eating Chicken, mashed potato's and corn. I have to finish my corn first, then mashed potato then the chicken. I dont even think about it at first but if I go to reach for something else on my plate I end up obsessing over it and eating whatever it was I started eating first.

Anyone know what this may be? Compulsive disorder?

I don't see anything wrong with eating that way. This is your style of eating, why worry about it ?

I don't either.. I just wanted to see if anyone knows what it is or if anyone else does it?

I don't, but had a friend that was that way once. Sometimes if I really enjoy one of the items on my plate, I will save it for last as a special treat though

I do this too!
I eat things from least favorite, to favorite.
I don't usually think about it when I'm doing it though, so I've never really tried eating a different way. This just works, so I do it.

I eat like this as well!

I think it's perfectly fine to eat your meal this way, I do it too sometimes. I forget I'm having a salad with my chicken and before I realize it, my chicken is already gone. So I'm left with eating the salad afterwards, but it doesn't really bother me.

I have always eaten that way. It depends on the food but I will eat food that will get cold faster first or work around my plate depending on where it is located. I usually save the main part of the meal for last or food that I think tastes the best for last. I will try to eat things together but it feels too weird. I think it is okay because it's not hurting you or anyone else. It's just a preference.

I am also someone who can not let my food touch other food.

Though I can eat like mashed potato's and gravy.. or other foods that 'go' together.

Unless it interferes with your life, damages you or others in some way, or you experience significant and harmful stress about it, it doesn't really warrant a diagnosis of any kind (I learned that in undergraduate and graduate psychology classes).


It's actually a very common preference, and I read one study that found that people who eat this way (as well as people who don't let their food touch on their plate) actually tend to eat less than people who eat little bites of different foods and people who pile their food on a plate so things combine.

Another study found that the fewer "flavors" on a person's plate, the sooner a person gets full (so people will eat less chicken/veggie/starch casserole than the same chicken, veggie, and starch served seperately on the same plate). The more "variety" in flavor-combination, the longer it takes a person to get full.

On a personal note, I used to save my "favorite" foods for last, but that meant that I often became full before getting to my favorite (and ended up eating the favorite anyway).

So now, I make a point of not doing that. I either eat my favorite item first, or make sure that I eat everything "fairly" so that I don't feel like I've missed out on anything if I get full before getting to it. although that's usually not a problem. I use an exchange plan, and plan my meals fairly carefully and usually have to stop eating because I KNOW I've had enough (I've reached my calorie limit). Usually I still feel a little hungry when I stop eating. No matter how slowly Ieat, if I feel full or even satisfied after a meal, I will feel overfull a few minutes later. My satiety sensors seem to be on a 20 to 30 minute time delay (even if I eat very, very, very slowly - I even use teeny, tiny forks and spoons to slow me down).

Oh i know.. I was just wondering what other people thought about it.. I've never seen anyone else do it..

My food can't mix together and I eat things one at a time. It can be a trait of Autism/Asperger's or OCD...doesn't HAVE to be, though. Some people are just quirky and may have habits or tendencies that fall along a spectrum without meriting a diagnosis for a disorder.

Same so that the last taste in my mouth is my favourite thing. I just have to remember not to overheat portions of the food I like less or I'll miss out or overeat.

I think eating in order (particularly in terms of favourite foods) is quite common. My entire family and husband does this!

I know a lot of kids and adults that do this. I can't do it though, I love to have a bit of everything at once!

I do this. It drives my husband crazy because he does the dishes (we do have a dishwasher...so..). I like to use a different bowl or plate for each food and then eat them separately. If I'm eating foods that cool too quickly, I will sometimes stagger the ready times so that the last food won't be cold by the time I get to it. When I was younger, my parents bought me a couple of those plates with dividers built in so that I would stop using three and four plates per meal.