I recently made a post about my Diet. I have received a lot of comments since asking about why I peel the skin off of my Potato. Everyone seems concerned that I am losing valuable nutrients by doing so.

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I also received a few comments suggesting that I was doing "a bit". Someone explained to me that this basically means acting. I can assure you that this is not the case. Here is some proof that my diet is real, this is a picture of my lunch from earlier today.

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Basically, the issue with the skin is that it grows in direct contact with dirt. I am unable to eat anything that is in direct contact with dirt. This means that I peel the outer layer off of any kind of root vegetable (potato, carrot, onion, etc..)

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This issue dates back to when I was 13 years old. I grew up in a very rural area and spent a large portion of my childhood playing in the woods surrounding where I lived. Usually I would go into the woods with someone, either my parents or a friend. On this particular occasion I went out into the woods on my own.

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There was a small river in these woods, more like a creek, but with a strong current. The river was surrounded by very smooth rocks which I liked to play with. I would build small fortresses with the rocks and play make believe games. On this particular day I was working on one of these fortresses when I slipped. I am not sure exactly what happened, but basically I believe that I hit my head and fell into the river where I was carried downstream.

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I woke up on the edge of the river in an unfamiliar location just as the sun was setting. My head hurt and I felt nauseous, I didn't know what to do so I covered myself in some brush and went to sleep.

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The next day I woke up and started trying to figure out how to get home. I should have known to follow the river back in the same direction, but I think I was concussed and therefore not thinking clearly. Instead of following the river, I wandered into the woods, thinking I would get back to the trail that lead to our house.

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Well, I walked all day and never hit the trail. I was finally starting to realize just how bad the situation I had gotten myself into really was. Once more, I covered myself in some brush and went to sleep.

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I ended up wandering deeper into the woods over the next two days. I had left my home on Monday morning. I walked all of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. At the end of Thursday as it was beginning to get dark I came across a small pond. Next to the pond was a large boulder that was hanging over the edge of a small drop off, forming a cave of sorts. I slept under the boulder that night.

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During the night I had a vision. It was most likely a dream, but I was sure that I was visited by an Angel. The Angel told me if I wanted to go home, I needed to stay where I was. And so I did.

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The next day, Friday, I quit walking. I sat under the boulder and waited, only getting up to occasionally sip from the pond. It was at this point that the hunger really set in. I didn't know what to do and my body hurt with hunger. So I started eating the dirt under the boulder. If I ate enough it filled my stomach to the point where I was not in pain from hunger.

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I don't remember much over the next week. I was in a daze, it didn't seem real. All I remember is the taste of the dirt and the feel of its grit on my tongue and teeth, the feeling of it coating my throat.

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One week from when I stopped under the boulder, the next Friday, I woke up to a dog licking my face. I was confused at first, and then I heard voices calling my name. I started crying hysterically. Next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.

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I was severely malnourished by the time they found me. Most people have told me it is a miracle that I lived. Anyways, from that point on the slightest smell or taste, even sight of dirt, was enough to cause a complete breakdown for me.

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I have been in therapy for PTSD and OCD ever since. I understand what I do is irrational but I am mentally unable to break the connection between my experience and food with noticeable amounts of dirt on it. Things have gotten better over the years, but I doubt if it's something I will ever fully get over.