> From experience, I must say that as a kid,
> there were certain foods that I simply _could
> not eat_ without having a gag reflex. I'll use
> peas as an example, because I still have a
> problem with peas. I can eat small amounts of
> them in casseroles, soups, and other dishes
> where their taste and texture is masked or
> hidden, but make me chew up and swallow a
> spoonful of them and I'll come close to
> vomiting. Ugh. I hate peas.

How well I know that feeling.

I've always been a picky little child, although in the last few years I've been open to more (though I still can't eat a lot of foods). I've tried to explain to Mom more than once exactly what you explained: there are some foods I can try to eat, but after the first two or three swallows, I nearly gag them back up. I do gag. It's not voluntary, either, although it occurs most often in foods whose tastes displease me.

I also get that reaction when I try to keep eating after I lose my hunger. It's always just been my way to eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm not. When I feel incredibly full, suddenly I can literally eat no more. I get that gag reflex.

ri "Eats her spaghetti by dipping noodles into sauce on the side and crushes salt crackers ines into her chicken noodle soup" a