Today I’m going to answer this question: Does fear of choking lead to picky eating?

Actually—yes, it does. And let’s first understand what picky eating is. Picky eating is this instance where you have a very, very strong preference over some foods and really detest others. You have limited options in your menu—not simply because of an allergic reaction or a medical condition, but because you have a strong preference that isn’t always logical.

When you go out to eat—say to a club or restaurant—you might find yourself being extremely choosy about the kind of meals you pick.

Fear of choking can lead to picky eating because some kinds of food may be interpreted by your brain as harmful or as having the potential to cause choking. For example, if the choking incident you had in the past happened while you were eating carbs or bread, your brain may now associate bread with danger. So what happens? When you’re trying to pick your meals, you will avoid bread. Not because you dislike it—but because your mind has marked it as a threat.

That’s one instance where fear of choking leads to picky eating.

The other common instance is this: Many people who have fear of choking cope with it by blending their meals. That alone creates a restriction—because not all meals can be blended. Unless you have a high-powered blender, there are foods that simply don’t blend well, or can’t be blended at all. So you end up avoiding those meals. Over time, you start preferring only the meals that can be blended easily.

And what happens over time? Picky eating becomes a coping mechanism. You use it to avoid meals that your mind has labeled as “dangerous.” So yes—people might say, “But picky eating is just my preference.” And yes, sometimes it is. But when it’s driven by fear, it’s not truly a preference. It’s not you choosing. It’s your fear choosing for you.

Once you overcome this fear of choking, it simply means you can eat the kind of food you actually want. If you want to take carbs, proteins—any kind of meal—you can, because the mind now knows that the food is not harmful. It won’t lead to choking. And that’s the beauty of healing: you go back to eating meals the way you used to, before your mind started perceiving swallowing as a threat.

Let me know your thoughts—especially if you’ve noticed that you avoid certain meals or prefer others as a result of swallowing anxiety.