Picky eating & mental health; Social media comments can haunt--but maybe not like coffee!

Anxiety re:  Picky eating

Excerpt from Lincoln Journal Star (8/3/15):  "Most picky eating harmless. But study says it can be a signal of young children's emotional woes. Parents of picky eaters take heart:  New research suggests the problem is rarely worth fretting over, although in a small portion of kids it may signal emotional troubles that should be checked out. Pre-school-aged children who are extremely selective about what they eat & who dislike even being near certain foods are more likely than others to have underlying anxiety or depression, the study found. But only 3% of young children studied were that picky . . . 
      "Most typical pickiness, including kids who just refuse to eat their vegetables [I will admit that I am not the world's greatest vegetable fan & don't eat remotely enough of them.] is probably merely 'normal dislike,' . . . These are kids who typically outgrow their pickiness as they mature.
      " . . . young children w/moderate pickiness are probably more likely to outgrow the problem than the severe group, although more research is needed to confirm that . . . 
      "Compared w/children who aren't fussy eaters, depression & social anxiety were at least 2x more common in kids w/severe pickiness attention deficit behavior & separation anxiety [spadbsa?] * symptoms  were more common in moderately selective kids." 
      MY COMMENT:  I don't want to mention any names, ** but I am closely related, either by marriage or blood, to several people who would fall into the category of severely to moderately picky. I think some of them have improved since childhood. They know who they are & should probably take these comments to heart.
* Is this a new mental health diagnosis that I am unaware of?
* Ooo, ooo, it's such a temptation, I can hardly stand it. I'll always remember the first Thanksgiving meal we hosted that involved two in-laws or future in-laws. Enough said. ***
*** Well, maybe not quite. When I was growing up, as food was passed around the table, I seem to remember someone who, I'm sure from altruistic motives, would often refrain from helping himself/herself to certain dishes w/the excuse, "Maybe I should wait until this dish has gone around to everyone, just to make sure there's enough for everyone. And, no, the other members of the family did NOT let this person get away with it, regardless of how pure the motives were.

Anxiety re:  On-line comments

Excerpt from Omaha World Herald (9/9):  "Comments online can come back to haunt you. Is it worth the risk? That's the question some professionals are asking themselves when it comes to using social media.
      "The risks & pitfalls of social media have been a frequent topic of water-cooler discussions across Nebraska the past week. the UNL hired former Omaha TV personality Jon Schuetz to be the new Memorial Stadium PA announcer only to dismiss him days later. A university official discovered a 9-month-old Facebook post in which Schuetz derided Chancellor Harvey Perlman following last year's firing of the head FB coach." [Wait . . . what? Comments made on social media can come back to haunt you? Oh, crap!]

Anxiety re:  Coffee

Excerpt from Norfolk Daily News (10/2):  "Little coffee OK, just don't drink too much. (Column by Sara Pfeifer). Coffee may taste good & get you going in the morning, but have you ever thought about its effects on your health? Coffee has been blamed for many things in the past, such as stunting growth, heart disease & cancer, but recent research indicates there are many health benefits that outweigh the potential risks of consuming coffee . . . Studies also have shown that coffee has health benefits such as reducing risk for Parkinson's disease, Type 2 diabetes & liver disease. It may also improve cognitive function & decrease the risk of depression . . . So if coffee is healthy for us, should we drink as much it as we can?
      "If you want to avoid adverse side effects from caffeinated coffee, the answer is no. The research shows that high consumption of unfiltered coffee . . . can also result in adverse effects, such as anxiety symptoms, especially in those w/pre-existing anxiety disorders . . . Up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, or about 4 cups of brewed coffee, appears to be safe for most healthy * adults . . . " [All emphases added.]
* I have a diagnosed general anxiety disorder, so I'm not sure I qualify as a "healthy" adult. I'm just sayin'.

MY HISTORY W/COFFEE:

• Although both my parents were coffee drinkers, I did NOT grow up drinking coffee with one exception.
• During the summer before my senior year in high school, I worked the graveyard shift at a truck stop restaurant. We had a six-warmer coffee machine, & the rule was, "Never run out of coffee." If we miscalculated, some of that coffee "cooked" for too long & became very strong. I drank coffee that summer while I worked, but as soon as my job ended, even before the end of the summer, I stopped drinking coffee.
• One summer, after I was married, Lois & I happened to be visiting my parents in Concordia, MO. Dad was out of town; I can't remember why. We ended up having to take Mom to the hospital in Sweet Springs for what turned out to be a bleeding ulcer. While she was in the hospital, she suffered a severe headache, which baffled the doctors at first until it was diagnosed as caffeine-withdrawal. But I digress . . . slightly.
• My caffeine "addiction" began with the advent of Mr. Coffee. My first call was to Luther North High School in Chicago, & it was during my tenure there that every office suddenly acquired a Mr. Coffee machine.
• Not only that, but whenever I stopped by an office--& I assume that I was not the only one--I would be offered a cup of coffee. It would have been rude to refuse, right?
• Soon, Lois & I began brewing coffee at home on Saturday mornings & drinking coffee at church on Sunday mornings. We were hooked.
• Ever since those days in the late 70s, I have been a coffee drinker, varying from 1-2 cups to probably the equivalent of a full pot of coffee per day.
• It didn't keep me from acquiring Type 2 diabetes, & it didn't prevent me from acquiring clinical depression.
• I have tried & been successful @ decreasing my coffee-intake from time to time, but rarely have I managed to drop below 1-2 cups of coffee per day.
• Right now I'm in a cycle of 3-4 cups per day, according to MY definition of a "cup."
• I DO understand that caffeine can be a hindrance to those who suffer from anxiety. I justify it by focusing on the "improved cognitive function" mentioned above.
• TRUE STORY:  We have always had coffee available in the LHNE school office and/or workroom. One year, many years back, I began getting a low-grade headache in the early afternoon. After about a week, I complained about it in front of a member of the office staff, who let slip that our administrative assistant at the time * had decided that "we" needed to cut back on our caffeine. She had made a unilateral decision without consulting ME to start brewing de-caf coffee. I was not happy, & we soon started brewing caffeinated coffee again. My early afternoon headaches went away almost immediately.

* She knows who she is. **

** A former admin assistant, not the current one, just to clarify. ***

*** I don't hold a grudge. ****

**** As far as she knows.