Comedian Jo Brand's daughter is desperately trying to get her boyfriend to eat 'normal' food after years of almost exclusively scoffing - chicken nuggets and fries.<br /><br />Maisi, 21, who uses the mononym, has undertaken the wholesome mission of helping her boyfriend to try new foods.<br /><br />Musician Maisi met boyfriend Alfie, also 21, during their first week at university in 2019.<br /><br />But since Maisi has known him, Alfie's diet has consisted of chicken nuggets, chips, and a few types of fruit and snack <br /><br />Maisi, from London, said: "The only evening meal he has is chicken nuggets and chips, he'll eat toast, some fruit and other snacks, but his meals are chicken nuggets and chips.<br /><br />"He would sometimes have peas if I was having them and made extra."<br /><br />Last September, Maisi decided that it was time for Alfie's diet to change and embarked on a mission to get him to try new foods.<br /><br />So far, the couple have seen a few breakthroughs as a result of their project, the main being pesto pasta, which Alfie, adored, and Greggs sausage rolls.<br /><br />But some foods did not pass Alfie's taste test, including BabyBel, Dairylea triangles and omelettes.<br /><br />Maisi added: "I think he's found the project really heartwarming. It's amazing to see it's actually reached people.<br /><br />"It's just the texture, Alfie's never had eggs before and I guess it's a very strange texture for him. There was a little bit of gagging. It's like butter's evil cousin."<br /><br />The project was completely unplanned - Maisi made dinner one night and decided to film Alfie while he tasted the food. <br /><br />The next morning, the video had over 1 million views. <br /><br />Maisi has continued to document Alfie's journey with regular video updates of her boyfriend trying new food and his reactions. <br /><br />She added: "I didn’t ever think that starting this series would help others, but it has.<br /><br />"I’ve had so many messages from people saying they’ve helped them and thanking us for normalising these type of problems.<br /><br />"It has encouraged people to get help and not be embarrassed to take about these problems."<br /><br />The project has raised questions that Alfie may suffer from avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) which is an eating disorder causing extreme pickiness.<br /><br />"I think it’s definitely possible, but I wouldn’t wanna say without actually knowing. But I’d definitely say it’s more than just being picky," Maisi added.<br /><br />"It’s something he’s struggled with all his life and has been really tricky. I think picky would be putting it lightly.<br /><br />"He’s had so many people reaching out saying they suffer with similar issues and the series has really helped them.<br /><br />"He’s also really pleased that he can eat more foods, specifically more healthy foods, because for him the focus is now on getting healthier as a result of these videos.<br /><br />"I think that since he’s been eating better he’s definitely seen a difference in how he feels.<br /><br />"I think it would have an impact on anyone having such a restricted diet."
