I just simply noticed one day. No one pointed it out. I was never conscious of it until I noticed it.
j-whitt and your eating habits seem to me to be a mild OCD thing. No offense meant, but how would you feel if you were forced to eat a little bit of one thing, then the next, and then have to come back to the first item?
When I notice that I'm doing it, I can eat other things without a problem. It's not something I have to do, it just my... Default I guess. I also don't care if the foods touch one another on the plate, lol.
When I was much younger and used to eat colorful candy, I sorted them by color. Then I would eat the color groups to make an equal number of all the colors. Then I would eat one from each color in the order of my favorite. Again with that, it was more of a fun thing to do, not a must. If I were,say, eating a pack of skittles or m&ms in the car where I couldn't lay them all out... I ate handfuls at a time with no problems. I know it's weird, but I don't care.
It's more a ritualistic behavior. But I don't become upset when the ritual is broken. The only thing I get really anxious about is time. I work backwards and figure out how much time all the shit that needs doing will take. Is usually with my kid. If he can't be woken up (he's a heavy sleeper) by 6:30 he will be late for school. In order to get up by that time, he needs to fall asleep by 8:15. 8:30 at the latest. If it takes him 20 minutes to get jammies and brush his teeth, and he will need some relaxation/family fun time and a snack. Which means he needs dinner by 6:30... But that was partly due to the weight I attach to dinner and family time.
But that worry is mostly alleviated now that I'm not working until 5:30 and playing "Beat the Clock" every night. I've learned to relax a bit.
I believe all news and research that supports my opinion, and dismiss the rest as conspiracy and lies.