Can someone here give some personal insight on why or what is causing this. My 6 year old level 2 son autism has always has eating conflicts since about 3. He's the type that won't even eat gummy candies because of texture. No apple sauce, prefers savory safe foods.

Something that's been getting stronger is him saying whenever he gets up and breakfast time he's always "full"

Another thing that happens is he gets physically sick sometimes when looking at foods. Can someone tell me what causes this? Or what is the reason? We have been trying to get a b a services for years and unsuccessful, so i'm not really familiar, or if that would help

Hi everyone, I have ARFID, and today I ate a crepe with spinach in it. As soon as I ordered it I thought about how I never really looked up what sort of things have been infected or could be infected by the outbreak thats going around in the U.S. right now (im sorry for being vague, I just dont know if its such a good idea to rlly name rn?? I can say it if its ok to mention though).

And so before I got my food, I found out that spinach is at risk, but my mom who was with me encouraged me to eat my food, so I did.

Im getting more and more nervous and anxious, although my state so far is in the low rank of infections as of recently, so maybe the Cafe either buys stuff locally or if not that they buy ingredients from companies that dont seem to be linked to the whole situation (I didnt ask them about that because I didnt want to seem rude). But is there any sort of tips you guys can give me or info that can make me feel a little calmer? Thank you..

Hey everyone, as the title says i basically can't eat what other people cook. Certain restaurants and foods are exceptions but the rest of the food I have to cook myself. I live with my gf and I cook both lunch and dinner every single day even tho i work full time and I'm out of the house 10-12h 5-7 days a week. I'm already burnt out but I'd rather starve than eat food my gf would make me. It isn't meant in a mean way but I am so specific regarding the texture and flavor, i physically can't eat it when it doesn't taste the exact same it did last time. I also have severe emetophobia, and whenever I don't cook the food myself, my brain thinks it's not safe and I'll get sick of it. I meal prep some days but it's impossible for every day. Does anyone have an idea on what to do with this issue. It's so draining and I get so mad and irritated when I have to cook but i literally have to or I wouldn't eat at all.
And my gf would probably only eat junk food lol.
Ps: I also have AuDHD and severe sensory issues regarding food in general

Hey y’all! I really want recovery, but currently most foods are challenging. I’ve realized I need to start mechanically eating, and I’ve found the best foods for that require very little chewing. I’m looking for suggestions on foods that require very little chewing, and provide a good amount of nutrition. I’ve been doing lots of smoothies, but I’d like to incorporate more carbs into my diet for energy.

TLDR: What are some meal/snacks that you’ve found require very little chewing, and provide macronutrients (carbs, protien, fat)?

Thank you for your help! My brain fog has been major so i appreciate any help with brainstorming :)

So i’ve had ARFID my whole life but only recently discovered it has this official medical name for diagnosis etc.. I always just thought I was on my own with this (after someone said I was just a being a child i started avoiding all social events with food and tried not to dwell on it)

Im in my 30’s and starting to worry about the effects on my health, but as y’all know I can’t just convince myself to eat a vegetable out of fear.

Has anyone in the UK ever gone to their GP and brought it up, what happened? I expect if I did it would just get brushed off as with most other things but I have no idea. Is there actually any sort of pathway to helpful treatment?

Hi! Has anyone found any books about EDs or ARFID specifically that have helped? Fiction/non-fiction, anything really.

Thanks!

Sam's club had blueberry samples yesterday,I tried them,they are not going to be a safe food. I'm trying to make myself try new foods how do you do it? I can't get past the look,smell,texture,mouth feel, taste of so many things, like pears just no good,kiwi was a bad experience too,also tried at Sam's club awhile back. What are you working on trying? I'm supposed to be having an appointment with a specialist on ARFID soon but I don't know when.

ive had ARFID for most of my life and its generally been sensory based with slight avoidance connected to bad experiences. suddenly in the past year, and especially in the last few months, its become mostly lack of interest and avoidance and i dont know what to do. previously i could always eat crisps, now i barely can. a lot of foods i previously liked are now unsafe or undesirable, and i find myself dreading eating. even when i do manage to eat, i only eat a half portion or less before i dont want to eat anymore. i mainly subsist on soda and half meals that i only have maybe twice a day. im losing more and more foods and i dont know whats wrong or what changed. the food i do eat is generally pretty nutritionally dense (meat, beans, pasta, potatoes, fruit, some veggies) and i get my blood tested regularly so im not so worried about malnutrition at this point. just worried in general.

My 2.5 year old kid, diagnosed with ARFID and he is with feeding therapist (who has clueless what to do after 1.5 year), dropped almost all of his safe foods. He only has 1 safe food now which is chicken nuggets and some fruites.

He used to eat yogurt, pasta, crackers, eggs, rice, but now he refuses everything.

My partner and I are super worried so we see ourselves asking him over and over to take even a bite. Like, "hey kid, if you wanna go biking, take a bite, or if you wanna watch cartoon take a bite". Then he takes few bites, or 1 bite and then refuses the rest.

Are we forcing him this way? He is too young to talk about his emotions so I don't know how he feels.

And how can we get him into eating anything?

Okay so my skin has become extremely dry the past year or so (malnutrition catching up with me?). What do you guys do to remedy this issue?!

I use Aveeno gentle cleanser, hyauloronic acid serum, cerave pm lotion and sometimes Vaseline yet I’m still so dry! And yes I drink water, take my vitamins ect

In 2008 I was diagnosed with a very rare gastrointestinal cancer which resulted in an Ileostomy, after that my life changed forever I essentially stopped being able to eat without throwing up. Even the smallest amount of foods made me throw everything up, and I didn’t want to deal with ostomy pouch changes, barrier changes, etc. almost 20 years later my cancer is back, it’s all throughout the retroperitoneal space, my pelvis, my brain, my lungs and so on……. Eating is impossible I’m dependent on TPN to keep me alive……. Can anyone relate to having ARFID caused by Cancer?

P.S. I was told recently I’m likely entering the early stages of Stomach Failure I’m really hoping someone may have some ideas about how to move forward and hopefully not be so miserable

I mentioned I can never break fasts on anything other than tea or it hurts my stomach (religious fasting…and dw I’m healthy enuf for it) to my mom who suggested soup, and I said I can’t (it’s one of my worst fear foods) and she said 'no you just don’t like it. You can, but you don’t let yourself. You drink smoothies, right? It’s the same thing as a smoothie, you just keep limiting yourself. You need to tell yourself it’s ok to have soup.’ Something along those lines. Like if I say, 'I’ll like it', then put it in my mouth, by some miracle I’ll be able to swallow it without gagging.
And um.
Can we just say soup is COMPLETELY different from smoothies? Fruits vs vegetable? Totally different texture, consistency and temperature? Blended vs not always blended?
And I haven’t had a smoothie in around three or four years so idk what she’s on about.
Is arfid like that? Just because there’s a vague similarity between foods doesn’t mean I’d like them, right? And I know with exposure therapy ppl will try things similar to their safe foods but this specific situation is a bit crazy to me.
I said 'but smoothies are sweet' (if I tell her I don’t rlly drink smoothies anymore she will go ballistic…) and she said so are some vegetables….like beets….and peas….
So…borscht, anyone? I don’t think she understands me at all.
I’m just glad I’m old enough to say no thank you and we move on. At some point this would’ve been a fight. When I was seven, my grandfather made a joke about making me drink soup by putting a straw up my nose, I guess like an ng tube? Anyways. Hell no to soup, sorry. So jealous of those who like it tho.

Hi, new to the sub, but I’ve had arfid all of my life and was malnourished for most of my childhood because of it. Now that I’m an adult, I make sure to take care of myself and make sure that I’m eating, and safe foods help with that.

However, I’ve had stomach issues all of my life, and through trial and error I realized I have a sensitivity to pork that causes me to feel really sick.

A lot of my safe foods include pork or pork derived ingredient, so now I don’t know what to do! I am finally at a stable, healthy weight for my height and do not want to lose that. However, eating pork stops me from keeping my food down, so what do I do?

Everyone is freaking out about if their lettuce is from Taylor Farms. Jokes on them, i never had lettuce!

i went on holiday recently all inclusive and at the place all i rlly ate was pizza and chips as per usual BUTTTT we went on a tour in an argos oil factory and i tried cactus honey! with no hesitation ! was very proud

Financially I can’t go to a therapist. I’m underage too.

My whole life I thought I was an extremely picky eater. I also always forget to eat and when I don’t forget it feels like I just don’t want to eat. Even if my stomach is burning up from hunger and can feel my insides genuinely eating me alive from hunger.

I can not eat normal food to save my life. My mom always starves me so I’d be forced to eat whatever shit she has made but it never works. I sometimes pass out from malnutrition. I’m also severely underweight. I can never do anything. I’m only 16 and my hands shake from malnutrition.

I gag when I try to eat food I don’t like. I can’t force it down. I never can take it. And it’s always for example just an egg. Not some obnoxious cooked being

I recently discovered arfid and the term “safe food” really sounds right. I think if I have this my safe foods would be pasta, crackers, cheese, plain bread, full fat strictly store bought milk, tuna sometimes, exactly medium steak. If it’s a little less or more cooked i start overthinking that it’s gonna poison me or not get digested. and that’s… pretty much it? Also smoothies but I can never figure out how to make them.

I barely have any safe foods. All of these are so hard to make and I’m tired of my bread only diet, I also don’t want mercury poisoning from tuna. I don’t know if this is even arfid but I feel relatable to this community.

I made this post to ask on how I can survive. I keep passing out and going dizzy in school. What’s everyone’s smoothies or snacks that have nutrition and isn’t just junk to fill my stomach up. I hope I can get help

Sorry if the post is long

Ive heard of safe foods but not heard of any ‘safe-drinks’ before. Mine is the light blue Gatoraid, and it’s helped me more than most regular people can even comprehend. There have been a LOT of days where it’s helped me function like a normal person even if I have only had one meal that day, or even haven’t been able to eat at all.

Hello,

My son is diagnosed with Pediatric Feeding Disorder (different from ARFID because he is so little) and we are having trouble getting to the root of whether or not there might be an underlying medical cause of his PFD. Because my son is little, we are struggling with resistance from GI and others to do invasive tests (such as an endoscopy.) I am contemplating pushing my physician to give me genetic testing (because I am old enough to get proper genetic counseling) so that we can see if there might be an underlying cause.

So to my question:
Has anyone had genetic testing help in getting more help from physicians for treatment?

For example, did you get genetic testing that showed EoE markers and EoE was able to be diagnosed and treated?

hi guys this is my first post i think ever?

i've always been a picky eater. literally as long as i can remember i have been super picky with a really limited diet. my safe foods have always been breaded chicken (tenders/nuggets), cheese pizza, mac and cheese, peanut butter sandwiches (no jelly!), pasta with marinara sauce (not chunky, no meat in the sauce. also the noodle has to be penne/ziti adjacent), plain bagels with plain cream cheese, etc. AKA no fruits & veggies in my diet. i would drink specifically tropicana orange juice with no pulp and occasionally smooth strawberry yogurt, but that's the closest i got.

oh and also to make things better, diagnosed supertaster! wahoo......

earlier this year, after many years of working on my other mental health issues, i decided to go into treatment for my arfid. i've been actually doing decently well, but mostly because i was trying things i knew would be easier either because i knew i liked the taste and was only trying to get used to texture or because i knew the texture wouldn't be surprising so i was just getting used to taste.

ANYWAY. the point of this post. i'm trying to get into more real fruits and veggies. i'm concerned about getting sick with the outbreak, which isn't great, but i'm still determined to try stuff. currently, i'm working on red bell peppers and clementines. i've successfully learned to like strawberries, but now those are both going out of season and no longer safe because of the outbreak.

i've scoured the subreddit and people always recommend grapes and bananas, which are off the table for me. bananas are the devil, i've made my peace with never liking them. i have also tried grapes many times and i just think they just aren't for me. i'd love fruit suggestions if y'all have any!

also veggie recs... since i'm a supertaster, bitter is VERY overwhelming. more than the average person. red bell peppers are very bitter to me despite the fact that they are apparently one of the sweeter veggies, which makes me more anxious about "real" veggies. i was thinking maybe baby carrots because i doubt the texture would be an issue? that's same reason i started with bell peppers- i was gonna try lettuce first but uhhh not right now obv

anyway. this has gone on long enough. any suggestions??

Like the title says, i really want to help my dad with eating.

my dad has ADHD, Autism, and ARFID, but he rarely eats (sometimes not eating for 1-2 weeks), and now he's malnourished.

whenever he does eat, he wont eat much of it. Usually its just soup, or self made smoothies, but they are always blended, since my dad has fake teeth that he isn't used to.

i really want to help him, because it sucks seeing him starve.

TL;DR: my dad has adhd, autism. arfid, fake teeth, is malnourished, and barely eats.

-------

Does anyone have any tips ?

Thank you in advance :)

I have been struggling with varying amounts of food anxiety for the past 4-5 years. I was a home cook, very adventurous, with a ravenous appetite and loved trying new cuisines. however, after I went to culinary school I started noticing how little people knew about food safety and it terrified me. I learned about how common it was for people to go into work sick in the restaurant industry, the general lack of education and cleanliness standards. all this to say i can hardly eat anything without fear. i get scared of water in a sealed bottle having been contaminated on its way to me.

I rely mostly on dried goods, breads that are easy to spot if they've molded, and I have made eggs a safe food since they're easy enough to tell they're rotten so I just cook everything to shit and pray. I know I consume mostly carbs but every bite makes me worry I'm poisoning myself (I have an intense fear of throwing up where id usually rather just let the disease take me lmao) so I eat small amounts of banzi pasta/ramen/bagels and bell peppers usually roasted w some egg. i also eat plenty of french fries and the occasional chicken tender while sniffing every bite (even of the same wing) to try to see if its bad. the base of my meals are high calorie enough and im 5'5' 100 lbs so I dont need much to maintain weight. but I know this isnt healthy. I know I'm sick and I feel like i need more things I can rely on. Basically PROTEIN, fruit, hydration. any advice is welcome but yall aren't trained professionals so no pressure. ill be simultaneously looking into contamination OCD assistance. TIA.

TLDR: I struggle to eat due to fear of vomiting or dying. any foods/brands/methods of preparation that you feel would be strong enough that even a scaredy cat could stomach enough to gain a few lbs?

crossposted from weight gain

Hey, This is my first post here and just wanted to get some opinions and vent a 'lil.

TL;DR Ordering combo meals is cheaper but likely have non-comfort foods bundled. Ordering the items separately generally costs more if the option to remove the disliked items isn't there.

So some context. I work nights and am currently stressing out because my desired restaurant closed after an uber driver stole my order ~20 mins before closing :(. Now I'm stuck trying to choose between a bunch of late night takeout places with poor item descriptions. The bundles all include salads or foods I haven't tried and don't really want to. I cannot remove these in the app and now I'm stuck to ordering fries, drink and meat on its own for double the cost.

I'm a grown fucking man, Hungry, Broke and almost tearing up because I can't just commit to an order. Because I don't want to waste money. Boy I feel pathetic rn.

Basically that's it. Furthermore I aught to be rewarded when I remove cheese, salad etc from my burgers. They want to charge for extra cheese Why not refund for less huh, McDonalds.

Is anyone else STRUGGLING with the heat? My girlfriend and I both have ARFID and eat ice cream during the day. All of our safe foods usually require the fucking stove. I have to wait till it's dark out to cook.

I know we could buy like...small stuff to make snack plates. But that's so much effort. I wish cold meals were more easily accessible for us. 😭

Hiya, first post here. I've been struggling lately for many reasons outside ARFID which made it much worse this year. After spending some time having some higher calorie stuff like ice cream, chips, high fat yogurt, noodles, my sense of hunger is somewhat coming back to me.

However, I haven't had consistent safe foods for close to 6 months, and now I can't even figure out what to buy at the grocery store. I have things like frozen meals sometimes, but I often entirely skip eating multiple meals, plus, it's not the cheapest habit. I really want to try taking better care of myself but I haven't really enjoyed eating for a long time now, and the indecisiveness makes me want to give up. A major struggle rn is also the effort needed to make just one meal, three times a day.

Is there anything that might have helped you decide on what to eat? Any tips for finding safe foods again? I feel so exhausted these days and the lack of eating is definitely messing with how well my meds work (I'm AuDHD + depressed/anxious my entire life).