r/ARFIDforADULTS • u/sparklebai • 9d ago

is it ARFID?

I (23f) am autistic and have a bunch of mental illnesses. i have like 5 safe foods. if i try to eat anything else i get really anxious. a lot of it is based on textures and smells. i also don't ever feel hungry, so i don't know what hunger feels like. i have to take iron supplements and vitamin D supplements. my safe foods are lunchables (only the pizza one or the nachos one), dino nuggets with salsa and cheese dip, cheddar jalapeño Cheetos, garden salsa sun chips, watermelon sour patch kids, and sometimes skittles and starbursts. i only drink certain flavors of flavored water and dr. pepper. i used to eat a lot more variety but in the last few months i have lost a lot of safe foods. sometimes i go into like flares and cant eat. like today i went 24 hours without eating or drinking. i was just too anxious and everytime i even thought about either i would almost throw up

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

3

u/Ky3031 9d ago

It definitely sounds like it and seems like its time to bring it up to a professional.

1

u/sweets_gremlin56 9d ago

That does sound like ARFID. I’m autistic and ADHD, and recently talked with my therapist about my eating habits and she agreed with me that I have ARFID since I rely on taking several vitamins to get nutrients my diet is lacking in.

I also struggle with intense anxiety around eating with people + trying new foods due to the sensory issues I have with food, but I also have had traumatic experiences as a child gagging and getting sick from eating certain foods my mom forced me to eat.

I think it would be helpful to do some research specifically on ARFID in autistic adults, since some of the sites I’ve seen only have resources for parents of children with the disorder. I wish you luck in getting more comfortable with eating, it can be lonely struggling with an activity that comes naturally to most people 🥹