Stenophagy is the practice of eating a narrow or restricted diet — from the Greek stenos, narrow, and phagein, to eat. In nutrition it describes diets limited to a small range of foods, whether by choice, as in very strict fad diets; by necessity, as in food scarcity or extreme poverty; or by medical requirement, such as elimination diets used to identify food intolerances. A stenophagic diet risks nutritional gaps because no small set of foods supplies every essential nutrient, so prolonged restriction can lead to deficiencies unless carefully planned or supplemented. Clinicians take a restricted dietary range seriously as a warning sign, particularly in children, the elderly, and people with eating disorders.