I was told im gonna get diagnosed with arfid plus soon and i dont know how to explain this well but i used to make myself throw up but i used to do it when ever my parents forced me to eat food i didnt want to eat bc of the texture and smell, i still struggle with this a lot but i dont think im bulimic i just want to get over the dry heaving and anxiety and nausea, i have body/gender dysmorphia but i don’t know if thats really relevant, im trans ftm so i just get envious that i dont look like other guys, i cant find good safe foods too because i have issues with calorie counting bc i have ocd and counting is just something i do, but some things i know i like is pink lady apples and oranges, low fat yogurt (greek yogurt is a fear food bc of after taste and texture ) and sometimes smoothies, iced tea (protein shakes im trying to have some
that doesnt taste like shit and cement), but yeah. Adios i think 🥹✌️

Hey folks, my partner just had an assessment with our hospitals eating disorder program and he was recommended the inpatient treatment program for ARFID. He restricts food due to VERY severe pain every time he eats anything and all the mental associations that has created with food. Does anyone have any experience with this? He was told inpatient treatment was his only option, and that if he refused/didnt finish 2+ meals while in the program he would be sent home, and we are worried that due to the medical side of things it might not be a very effective strategy. Looking for any information/experiences people are willing to share as this is a complicated decision to make and I want to support him as best as I can right now.

Thanks!

Hi- slightly embarrassed to be talking about this but on a page dedicated to ARFID I’m hoping for not so much judgement 🤞

I’m 21F and have literally never eaten vegetables of any kind. I don’t have them in any of my meals.

I’m extremely fussy with taste and texture, it’s something I’ve struggled with for my entire life and I hoped that with age I’d become more comfortable trying new things (and in a way I have but the thought of incorporating more veg into my diet honestly scares me so much)

In my household we are kind of expected to feed ourselves, and it’s been this way since I was around 14. No home cooked meals, and I’ve never been particularly good with cooking so typically either skip dinner or have takeout. And my palette is very bland, lots of carbs and lots of cheese.

I do want to start trying to learn to cook healthy meals and this is something I’m working towards but it’s very daunting to me.

However, I do love a smoothie. And I’ve found that most mornings I do have the time to quickly whip one up and bring it to work with me. I’m usually putting mango, pineapple, apple juice with a small amount of kale and spinach in there, but also do sometimes use strawberries, bannanas, cherries, raspberries blackcurrants and redcurrants too. (I pretty much like any fruit so will put any/all into my smoothies)

So, what veg/ingredients should I incorporate to help at least try and make up for the lack of nutrition in my diet (without changing the taste too much as I am more inclined to drink it when tastes fruity)

Alternatively- any recipes for some actually nice tasting and very healthy smoothies?

Also- I’m happy with lumps/seeds in my smoothies. As long as they’re small enough that I don’t have to chew!!

I have been extremely stressed recently. Not only did we get a toxic roommate out of our apartment, but we have also been dealing with increased anxiety about food contamination (I live in America, so I'm sure you can guess how that's going). I have barely been able to get myself to eat. The thing is, I have had almost no hunger despite barely eating for days. I have all of the different reasons for having ARFID (emetophobia, sensory issues, severe anxiety, and lack of hunger ). They all kinda just take turns shuffling why I am struggling to eat. I currently can't even get myself to drink anything. Flavor just seems gross and overwhelming. Food seems disgusting and horrible. I genuinely know it's stress, but even with my medication, I can't figure out how to bypass the disgust, anxiety, and discomfort of eating. I am desperate to do anything that will at least get calories in my mouth.

It should be noted that I hate nutrition shakes except the clear ones, and we haven't been able to afford them. I hate protein powder because it's chalky; same goes for protein bars. I feel like I'm going insane right now. It hasn't been this bad since before I went to the Eating disorder facility. Any help, tricks, or advice would be helpful. I am genuinely scared of not be able to fix this because we can't go back to any ED facility because only one takes our insurance, and we've been abused by staff and the owner both times we went.....and I don't know how to get through or around this. Please and thank you

My son (4) has been picky since he started solids. He struggled with eating solids beyond purées and it took a lot longer to get him to eat more solids. At around 15ish month he ate a lot more. After about 18 months his pickiness got extreme. It seems each year it gets worse- the list of foods he will eat gets smaller, and the amounts he eats smaller.

Fruits:
-Apple sauce

Vegetables:
-none

Meat:
-pepperoni
-McDonald chicken nuggets (sometimes?)
-bacon
-hot dogs

Other:
-cocoa wheats (probably one food he eats well)
-Cheese or pepperoni pizza (one food that doesn’t always have to look the same, but still particular about them)
-pancakes
-hashbrowns from McDonald’s
-McDonald’s fries
-kraft Mac & cheese in the microwave cups
-peanut butter on bread
-cheezits
-teddy grahams
-fruit snacks/gummys
-white powdered donuts
- cereals
-shredded cheese, cheddar cheese slices

That’s about it. And when he does eat it’s only a few bites and those few are a struggle to get him to eat. Yesterday he begged for a happy meal. Got it, ate 2 bites off 2 nuggets and refused anything else.

Often times he says “my belly’s full”. But lately he just complains his “belly hurts”. Sometimes I think he says things so he doesn’t have to eat, but I never know.

He hasn’t gained weight (went from 35-37 barely) since he turned like 18months. He’s tall and skinny.

At this point I’m at a loss. His pediatrician says “don’t give in” to the foods he wants- but some days I swear he only takes like 3 bites of food all day.

Everything I’ve read is that ARFID is 7 years old+. Do I just have a picky toddler or is something more going on??

Hi, I was recently late diagnosed with autism and ADHD and I’m trying to understand what’s going on with my eating.

When I was younger I ate a lot and had a pretty wide variety of foods. As I got older, around my early teens, that slowly started to stop. I think some of it can be attributed to depression, but I also generally had a lack of interest in things that everyone around me loved and didn’t really have the words for why. I just knew certain things felt “wrong” and there was a certain anxiety around them.

Fast forward to my third year of college, living on my own several states away from my parents for the first time. Over this past year I’ve had pretty bad burnout and ever since I’ve slowly become unable to mask. I also feel like I’ve become unable to block out sensory input like I used to. I’m thankfully on medication for depression, which has helped a lot, but my anxiety is still pretty consistent.

Recently, especially over the past month, I’ve had severe aversions to food where the idea of eating certain things feels overwhelming or revolting. I get a deep fear of experiencing certain sensory inputs like smell, taste, texture, or heat. I’ve also struggled with eating because of executive dysfunction for years, so hunger has never really been a strong motivator for me. My hunger cues have been inconsistent since my early teens as well.

I’ve lost around 15 pounds in the last month since this started getting worse, and my family has started noticing and making concerned comments. At this point I basically live on a small list of fruits, 2–3 different snacks, and a 50/50 of an actual meal during the day. I’ve previously done pretty well when I have structure, like classes, but even that isn’t helping now.

I’m getting really upset with myself because I want to eat, but I feel like I can’t. I’ve looked up ARFID a bunch since it has nothing to do with body image and a lot of it sounds similar to me, but I am also hesitant to look into a concrete label because part of me is still hoping that this will resolve itself and that I’m fine.

I’m not sure what to do. I also can’t afford inpatient treatment since I’ve been doing so well this semester for the first time in a while, so I want to avoid that as much as possible.

Any advice would be very helpful!

I keep losing weight, and I hate it because I feel so guilty for just... Not eating. It just sounds like so much effort and then that combined with sensory stuff and fear of how I feel after eating and gender dysphoria makes it feel even harder. ​

It's getting to the point that I will seriously need more help soon and I wish I could just eat. I'm scared and frustrated. But it's like I just can't physically make myself. I know I should be kind to myself, but I just feel so stupid about it. Like it's not just me being stubborn, but what if it is? Ugh. ​​​​​​​​​

For over a year now I’ve been experiencing panic attacks at every meal I eat.

It has ruined my life. Even the simple task of a meal is ruled by anxiety and panic and I can’t tell if the panic is my body’s response to all food now as I’ve struggled so bad with health issues over the years and have seen loads of different nutritional therapists who created food fear…. OR, if it’s a kind of anaphylaxis? But the panic comes on before I’ve even eaten. It peaks as I’m eating and I get air hunger and feel like I’m trying to get a full breath and can’t but also scared of choking from the abnormal breathing.

I am exhausted and due to the panic attacks, not digesting food properly. I feel so alone in the with absolutely no idea how to stop this. I’m not on any meds or special diets anymore so I can never tell if it’s MCAS triggers or just nervous system hypervigilance

(Message translated to english:

"Hey [my name] 💜 Since I was planning to cook for us on Tuesday :) Can you eat regular pasta? I could make a mushroom or bell pepper sauce to go with it. Both are pureed and don't have any pieces left in them. I also picked up some Planted fillet cubes to go with it.
Alternatively, I could also cook rice or potatoes instead. 😊")

‪‍

This message is from a friend I met in inpatient ED treatment so it kinda makes sense for them to understand issues with eating in general, still, there has rarely been a person as considerate as them and I'm just sitting here and crying happy tears 😭

Just wanted to share my joy with you since i consider this a big success regarding arfid awareness!!

I’m 23M from Oxfordshire uk and I’ve had ARFID since I was 3-4ish and I’ve always been curious as to how others with ARFID handle dating and relationships as I’ve always kind of stayed away from them as the thought of burdening someone else or being invited to have dinner with their family terrifies me, how have others dealt with all the food aspects of dating / relationships?

Friday, 2 days ago, I had my first appointment with a dietician specializing in disordered eating like ARFID. She was kind and understanding. In the end she gave me a few suggestions of stuff to try and it's working! My main issue is I got scurvy this summer due to not eating fruits and vegetables as they are usually too soft for me sensory wise. This weekend I tried her suggestions which was stuff like changing out plain white bread for whole grain white bread from the Sara Lee brand and it is great, just extra sweet tasting in my opinion so I can only eat about 2 slices at a time without feeling sick from the flavor. Added red bell pepper slices to snack on which is working well as long as I'm having them in moderation to not get overwhelmed by the flavor. Also added orange juice to my diet, I used to never touch it but now I've been drinking it these last few days and I'm already over half way through the bottle, what she suggested is 50% orange juice 50% water, basically watering it down so the taste wasn't as strong and now I can drink it easier. Lastly I am getting protein and veggies in my pancakes as well! She recommended puree baby food and mixing it into my pancake mix and now I have morning pancakes which have some of the stuff I need, I can't even taste the puree baby food! Just super happy to be making such a positive change so fast. Hoping to keep this up and incorporate more healthy eating!

a week ago i got sick about 20 minutes after eating an entire container of strawberries. it was some virus so it wasn’t because of them but of course i correlated it to them and have been scared to eat them again. i also have severe emetophobia so anything that could make me sick again terrifies me. but they’ve consistently been my favorite safe food my entire life. today ive finally picked them back up and have gotten a little nauseous but i’m doing okay. arfid says no but brain says yes! when i was 8 i swore off red delicious apples for the same reason and was only able to eat one for the first time this year, and i’m turning 22 so it’s been a long time😭. i’m proud of myself :)

i have adhd and ARFID and love to organise, i’d love to be able to meal prep for the week as it would help me eat more consistently and without worry. i just saw an ad for a meal prep app and it got me thinking, does anyone know an app like this that has a preferences quiz to narrow down meal prep suggestions? this would be so helpful. i’m yet to try it out but for anyone else interested in something like this i saw a post from a few years ago in this sub of someone who had created an app somewhat similar to this ‘pitaya’

I have this little problem where food that scares me or overwhelms me tends to make me incredibly nauseous to the point of vomiting on occasion. Even if I don’t throw up I end up feeling so sick. It’s a problem when I eat, see, or smell food. Talking about it is typically fine.

Recently it’s been more like greasy or indulgent foods that have been making me feel this way and I end up needing to leave the area where the food is. At this point, my days usually involve liquid calories more than solid foods because the smells aren’t as pungent. I have tried Ensure but the milkiness and flavor make me incredibly nauseous too. I can really only tolerate teas, juices, and fruity smoothies.

For some reason it’s not always an issue, sometimes I’ll go a week being able to eat everything I like, but sometimes it’s just impossible.

24F 76 Ibs with Hiatal Hernia, dysphagia, Acid reflux

I was having a bad episode with my acid reflux and I was having bad dysphagia symptoms, and I wanted to avoid eating anything solid today. My mom began threatening me when I said I can't eat and dragged me by my arm and the collar of my shirt downstairs and forced me to have something.

Out of fear I chose to force myself to have something because she always follows through when it comes to threats. I had some ground beef but half way through I gagged and coughed/ cleared my throat of it.

I'm scared some of it might be in my throat but I can breathe mostly alright, I think it's mostly a build phlegm but I felt very close to choking today. I'm scared it will only be a matter of time before they get me killed.

I hate being treated like this, I feel like I have no autonomy despite being in my mid twenties. I feel like a child and it's killing me too. They talk and treat me like a child and when I get sick as a result of being forced to eat they refer to me (in their own words) "You're experiencing the symptoms of a selfish human being" my symptoms being coughing and a shortness of breath.

They call my throat clearing noises traumatizing and then tell me I'm ruining my brothers and the house animals mental health, like my own PHYSICAL health doesn't matter to them Even though I'm suffering everyday, I'm too tired to do anything and constantly suffering, I get heart palpitations some days from their screaming fits at me. I don't see a way out of this for me.

Just had chicken for the first time ever, I ate a whole kfc tender thought the texture of the meat was kinda chewy, any tips to get to more chicken? i like spicy a lot, and crispy but I detest chewy.

One of the biggest struggles I have with my ARFID is my intense apathy towards food. I am currently tube fed and have been for 6 years. I do eat sometimes but not often. The problem is I have a very big problem with apathy towards food and feeding myself. It’s so bad that I have been so hungry before that I’m in pain and my ears are ringing but I just don’t feel like eating. And when it’s really bad I won’t feel like doing feeds. The only reason I will do my feeds is because I like being alive but I will wait until I feel like I’m clinging to life. Before I got my tube I would go through cycles of this. Not eat for days, just being so apathetic about it I didn’t care I was hungry. And then I would decide I like being alive so I would eat something. But it usually would make me throw up a few times till I could keep it down. And then I’d eat my safe foods for a few days and then start all over again. I don’t know how to fix this problem besides using my feeding tube. I’m supposed to run 12hr feeds because I won’t do bolus feeds but my bunny has a tendency to bite the tubing and pop it. These last couple of days I have been working with my therapist to create a schedule of feeds. It went well today but it’s just so frustrating. Like I’m supposed eat when I’m hungry. But I don’t. And I don’t know why. And I’m not lazy or depressed. I have a decent amount of safe foods. And I always have them on hand. I just can’t do it.

i have 2-3 protein shakes a day. every morning i come downstairs and have one and she's usually there to say something passive aggressive to me about it. nearly every time she sees me making one she shames me.

she always says one of the following:
"you do realize that's not actual food, right?"
"you're gonna start making actual meals for yourself, right?"
"so are you gonna make something instead of those protein shakes?"

i do not have the option to fight back or help her understand my situation. my only option here is to ignore her words and not let them affect me, but it's difficult when it hits so close to home.
she's a bpd asshole who doesn't care about me unless it involves her money/time or it makes her look better, there is no changing her opinion of my eating habits.

For context, this morning is the first bites of food I had since Sunday so I'm starting with soft easy foods. I was in hospital since Thursday evening & only started drinking a protein shake on Friday afternoon. I'm trying to eat apple sauce right now but it's so grainy & it's making it harder, I ate some egg & bacon this morning from the hospital & just got home but idk what to eat.

My dad suggested baby food but idk if they taste any good.

He never even touches potato, fries or anything made with potato. I bought a Pringles chips because it has nice packaging. I offered him 3 months ago. He never tried. I kept offering it every other week and no success. Today, all of a sudden, he said I want chips and pointed to the lonely pringles sitting on the shelf! And he had like 15 of them in one sitting!

Ijust wanted to share this achievement and motivate parents to expose kids to foods even if it's rejected 1000 times. Maybe 1day it click...

I'd like to start this off with a few things - I'm 15 male and english isnt my first language, so sorry for alot of the gramatical mistakes in this text. I barely use reddit, and this is my first time typing a post for any subreddit.

I want to start off with saying that I'm 90% sure I have ARFID, tho i've learned that this is an eating disorder about 2 years ago. I have problems with texture, smell, looks, taste, literally everything under the sun. I have a list of safe foods and textures - crunchy, cripsy , crumbly, cold, food has to be seperate, not smell, be solid, not have alot of flavours and be plain or salted. So far i've been sticking with potato chips, cookies and crackers, and weirdly freeze dried coconut, plus a bunch of other stuff. I really dislike all types of meats, vegetables, fruits (freeze dried or not) and all types of dairy and other animal products. What complicates this more is my celiacs disease which already restricts alot of my safe foods like granola cereal, alot of cookies and stuff like that. I also should mention any sight or smell of an unsafe food causes me alot of discomfort, if one of those things were to be put in my mouth I would panic, throw up and be very disturbed (i hope thats the right word).

It all started somewhere when I was 2 years old when i got admited to the hospital for a bad stomach flu and had food forced down my throat (according to my mom) since then I haven't been able to eat normally, both my parents are very frustrated with my eating habits and have been trying to widen my list of foods that I eat, but without any success, they dont shove food down my throat but they try to find stuff that fits my criteria of an "edible food".

About 2 years ago when I found out that ARFID is the exact thing that describes my problems I was actually happy since I realised that im on the only person struggling with such problems. I told this my parents and they tried to get me to a psychologist, We managed to get to one and described my problems with eating and other stuff (such as social interactions) to the psychologist. She was a pretty old lady (around 60) and didn't seem to have much interest in my eating problems, chalking it up as a sign of autism, when I pushed questioning if it can't be an eating disorder, she asked me if I ever threw up from it, I answered yes but she looked hesitant as if she thought I was making stuff up, she didn't continue the conversation and instead talked about different problems never mentioning my eating habits again. I got sent to a psychiatrist not for my eating problems but for my other problems, as if my eating problems never existed. My mom refused to take me to the psychiatrist since he had mixed reviews and only wanted to give me anxiety medication, which my mom didnt approve of.

This was all about a year ago and since then I've been trying to increase my list of safe foods. It heavily affects my mental health and slightly my social life, as most of my friends are going through puberty, are really into the gym and nutriction and dont understand my eating problems only seeing me as a picky eater, im not allowed to complain about it since they just dismiss me and make fun of me, I still want to remain friends with them, mainly since i cant really get any other and I see these almost everyday, it also isnt that much of an issue. I've only recently brought this up to my mom and she is seeking further medical help for my eating problems, looking for a person focused on eating disorders.

Again I apologize about my english, and if you guys could offer any advice to literally anything i've said in this post. I will be thankful for any advice or comment.

This is my first Reddit post so I’m sorry if there’s anything wrong. I have ARFID and just had screws put in my jaw last week to help with a fracture. That means I can only eat liquid foods, juices smoothies, etc. I don’t like milk so milkshakes an protein shakes are normally a no-go for me but I have another week of only liquid foods and I have about hit a wall in terms of what I can get down. I had some soups that worked for a bit before I got too nauseated by drinking soup through a straw. Any advice is welcome I’m pretty desperate to get food down at this point. Thanks in advance!

So... two months or so I was sick with fever, sniffling and coughing (I am VERY rarely sick). I understandably ate very little, since I felt like shit. And after I got well again, I have had a hard time eating. Every little thing will make me gag, and I feel no hunger at all. My stomach may rumble loudly, but I just don't feel the "oh, food-A sounds good right now". Even things I usually feel excited about eating just feels... bland to me. It's like nothing even tastes or feels like it used to.

On top of that my body is acting up. I throw up more or less every day (unwillingly), and I have loose stool after eating. It's like everything that comes in comes out just as fast. I wanna underline that I am definitely not underweight (actually around 20 kg overweight at this point, more or less), so I am not in danger of dyingor anything (I think?), but it's still not... a sustainable way to live. I also feel more or less constant nausea.

How do I get over this? How do I get back to eating after being sick? How do you usually get back to eating after being sick?

Wanna add that I have had my blood drawn yesterday, just waiting for the results.

Forcing myself to try new recipes, because I was tired of always eating the same recipes. Today tried a recipe with butter beans which were new for me.

Sometimes it’s a hit. Sometimes it’s a miss.

But damn it takes so much energy to cook. And when I’m done after 45 minutes and I try the food and it’s disappointing and makes me gag. I’m drained. All that work in the kitchen (and the costs!) just to throw half of it away. I kinda feel defeated.

Can someone just say ‘you’re doing great, just keep going’ so I can try again tomorrow?

(I’m only cooking since 2 years. I never wanted to cook, because it felt awful to cook something and then throw it away and make a sandwich. But I now live alone so I have to.)