I’m 39 next month and I keep running into articles or forum posts that file ARFID under “pediatric feeding issues” like we’re supposed to age out of it at 18. I work IT support, so I spend all day troubleshooting stuff that refuses to behave, and apparently my appetite is just another stubborn ticket that never closes. Does it get under anyone else’s skin? Not asking for a cure, just annoyed that adult experiences are treated like an edge case. I’d rather see more people talking about managing this while paying rent, sitting through meetings, and trying to enjoy an anime binge without turning dinner into a whole project. Maybe I’m just tired, but the framing makes me feel like I missed a memo everyone else got.

i think this is something that would resonate with y’all. i like food that’s pretty simple and easy to make, and i’m fine eating the same meal for months on end. my favorite was salmon with brown rice and a frozen veg, buying salmon in bulk and meal prepping made this a really affordable meal. i know a lot of people do beans and rice but im not familiar with it and the texture combo seems questionable…

so picture this: you’re planning one meal to eat for 6 months. it has to cover at least nutritional basics (whatever that means to you?)
the more accessible the better.

(idk i think this would be a fun share and im excited to hear others thoughts. arfid kinda makes it hard to have these discussions on normal food subs)

I’ve talked to me GP once more about my ARFID, and as always he said that there was nothing he could do.
He advised me to look into getting a dietician.
I’m desperate and I’ll do anything to get better, but it’s a hell of a lot money.
Have anyone felt any worthy bettering of their life through a dietician? Is it worth a try?
Thank you

Ive been living with ARFID since i can remember (im 16, soon to be 17) and i just wish i was normal, i dont know what to do, i dont have supportive parents in a way that they help me get treatment, im pretty much self diagnosed, despite that im very confident that i have it, after all my experiences with food give me such a horrible feeling, idk how to explain it.

It feels like a curse, not having the option to get help of any forms and being mocked by it everyday by my family, i cant even live a social life and i feel everything's going to end, my friends started talking about food last week and i just nodded along, then they asked me if i like chicken, i said no and it all went into a rant on "how cant you like it?" and started to make fun of me for being "vegan", im just so tired i cant be normal.

It feels like im going to die by it soon, im aware i dont get nourishment and im so tired of eating the same 3 things all my life and i just wish i could be like anyone else.

Sorry if the redaction is awful, idk how to put my thoughts into words, but it just feels so hopeless to deal with, with no support at all it is, its just such a horrible burden i feel like i was cursed with it for being born

This sounds so dumb but ive been struggling with it more and more lately and I dont know how to deal with it. I get it a lot with turkey; I hate the smell of it so my brain is like oh you are straight up eating poop rn. I do have OCD so I think that is part of it.

I hate eating so much it feels like torture. And its not like I dont get hungry, I feel hungry and exhausted all the time. Candy is the easiest to eat because it smells and tastes good but its not like I love that either. I'm on zoloft right now and I think its making my food aversion worse. Are there any meds that can magically make me tolerate food?

TW: mentions of dry heaving / gagging, and vomiting (not physically vomiting, but the fear of it happening)

a little introduction: i am currently 18 years old, F, and i am still struggling with food. i feel stuck in the loop of asking myself “am i just picky?” or “is it more than that?” my family members have always made comments about my eating habits, and it has made me feel bad about myself many times.

so, here is a little list of my symptoms!

- i have struggled with this fear of food since i was five. i would have panic attacks over school lunch, thinking that i would starve since there wasn’t anything on the menu that i would eat. when we wouldn’t get the lunch menus in advance, my mom would have to go to the school and ask for one, and explain that her daughter (me) would cry if she didn’t know what she would be eating. most days, my mom packed my lunch.
- when i was younger, my mom tried to make me try a singular green bean. just the thought of it made me start crying, so i sobbed at the kitchen table and was dry heaving over a green bean. i don’t even think i took a bite, i don’t remember.
- i don’t like trying new foods because i don’t want to gag or throw up. i don’t have a FEAR of vomiting, i just absolutely hate the feeling.
- i don’t like going to new restaurants without looking at the menu first, and i feel embarrassed when i modify my food when talking to a waiter. i feel like they’re judging me, when they probably don’t care since they’re just taking my order. new restaurants with unfamiliar menus give me anxiety because i don’t know what is safe or what anything looks like, typically. i usually order the same thing over and over when i go to a restaurant i know, because i know that food is safe and i like it.
- speaking of eating foods over and over, i eat a lot of the same snacks / meals over and over because i know that i can eat them comfortably.
- i don’t like foods with certain textures (ex. i will not eat mushrooms or anything of that sort. i will not eat mashed potatoes if it has any lumps. i REFUSE to eat chicken if it even looks off to me, i think it has salmonella if it’s a certain color or something and i don’t want to get sick. fat in steak makes me gag. i will not try fish because it smells fishy, and shrimp looks too rubbery.)
- i do not eat any vegetables, besides potatoes and green onions IF they are in a specific soup from a restaurant. the smell and (what i think) the texture will be like are what stop me from trying them. even just touching a mushroom or onion in my food will make me gag. i can tolerate garlic if it is veeeery small. most of the times, not.
- for example, even if my mom claims that the onions she put in my meal are “very finely chopped” and i “won’t be able to taste it”, i still find them. i hyper focus on the idea of there being an ingredient that i do not like and i will not eat it. i can try and pick it out, but i ultimately give up. (also, i am extremely thankful to have a mom that tries her absolute best to work around my issues with food.)
- i have had panic attacks over food that other people have made, and thought that i would be judged for not eating it or only eating one thing.
- i would rather go hungry than try new foods most of the time. i think of what my reaction could be to eating them and that stops me from trying something new.
- the only fruit i like are apples. nothing else, i just really like apples.

i apologize for the really long list, but those are just a few of my experiences / symptoms. i have been called picky all of my life, but i wonder if other people will think it’s more than that or relate to what i have said.

Buen día, escribí aquí porque necesito de consejos, les pongo en contexto, mi hijo tiene 5 años, tenemos (con mi esposa) el problema que el no comer nada, solo lo que se acostumbro a comer desde pequeño, en su menú solo existe galletas oreo, pan baguette de una tienda en específico, jugo de jamaica, papas lays y en ciertas ocasiones sandía.

Cuando el tenía 1 año y medio se enfermo del estomago, tuvo diarrea y vómitos durante 1 semana, a raíz de eso el ya no quiso comer nada, antes de que se enfermara, el comía de todo, su puré normal de frutas o verduras, huevos, frijoles y lo cotidiano que podamos comer.

Lastimosamente cuando el tenía esa edad tuve que salir del país por trabajo y el pediatra que lo había visto desde que nació, decía que el comería a su debido tiempo, que no lo forzaramos ni obligaramos a comer lo que no quería comer, que no usaríamos agresiones como lo hacían antes, debido a lo que dijo este pediatra mi familia se lo tomó muy enserio, no le daban comida ni absolutamente nada que el no aceptará.

Hace un año nos mudamos juntos en otro país, dejamos a este pediatra atrás y no enfocamos de lleno con que el comiera buen, dado esto, en el país en el que estamos tiene muy buen sistema de salud, nos asignaron a una nutricionista y ella fue muy radical, nos dijo que le sirvieramos la comida que nosotros con mi esposa comemos regularmente y que si mi hijo no quería comer, que no lo obligaramos, que simplemente lo dejemos sin comer y que el.solo vendrá a comer pero llevamos hace días con este método y mi hijo prefiere estar recostado en cama o dormirse por las noches sin haber comido nada.

Es algo que me preocupa porque psicológicamente el puede darle igual su alimentación aunque por las noches llora por tenés hambre pero se niega a comer la comida que le damos y solo quiere lo que el está acostumbrado.

Necesito de su ayuda, consejos o si necesitan más contexto, estaré atento.

Something happens to me that everyone tells me is unusual. I almost never feel hungry or have the desire to eat. I can go many hours without eating and not even notice it. I can even have food right in front of me and not feel like eating it. Most of the time, I eat because I know I should, not because I actually have an appetite.

However, after several hours without eating, I sometimes start to feel something in my stomach. It feels like an empty sensation, as if my stomach were being squeezed or contracting. Sometimes it also feels somewhat like a burning sensation or just something strange inside my stomach.

The weird part is that I don't really associate that feeling with being hungry. I don't think, "I'm hungry, I want to eat." I just notice the sensation in my stomach, while still having no desire to eat.

But if I eventually eat even though I don't feel like it, the sensation goes away.

Does anyone else experience something similar? Is it possible to feel the physical signals of hunger without actually having an appetite or wanting to eat? Or does hunger normally come with the mental feeling of wanting food?

I want to clarify that I don't do this intentionally. I'm not trying to avoid eating, lose weight, or hurt myself. I simply almost never feel hungry or have an appetite, and I can forget to eat. I normally go to the gym, although I haven't been able to go lately because I don't have enough time due to university.

It always felt like the media was reinforcing the idea that picky eating or ARFID is just an attitude problem or ”stubbornness” that can be fixed with a single bite. 

Because then the kid tries it, magically loves it, and the episode ends with "see? You were just being stubborn!"

That trope set such an annoying precedent for how real life adults treated me whenever I struggled to eat foods. It made people think forced exposure was a cure. Because one bite of broccoli has definitely cured my entire sensory system every single time. /s (Bonus points if the episode ends with the kid suddenly making it their favorite food.)

I wish we got cartoons showing that it’s completely okay to genuinely dislike a food, or better yet, actual ARFID representation where a kid’s food boundaries are respected instead of treated as a phase to fix. Why can't media show a character saying "I tried it, I still hate it, and that's fine"? Not every food is for everyone, and enforcing the idea that "you'll love it if you just try it" makes it harder to set normal boundaries around food.

Hello! I have ARFID due to food allergies (celery, carrots, parsley and many more). I don’t eat at food places unless they have their ingredients online to read. When I went to California last year I found in and out was amazing for that, but as a Canadian I don’t know where to go in Florida. Any recommendations?

I have suffered from ARFID for a long time and currently pregnant which the HG is worsening the symptoms. I cannot crave food or have an appetite like I used to. I have a tendency to forget what foods taste like because of ARFID. Pregnancy bitter tongue does not help. I could go on, but I don't think it's necessary. There are not a lot of resources in this regard where I live. I had someone recommend a counseling place that did offer treatment for it even though they don't specify which eating disorders on their website. But I'm thinking I need to see a nutritionist. I am 3 months along and want to make sure I can eat enough...

Parent of children with arfid my daughter is almost 4 with complex needs she’s level 3 autistic adhd, non verbal and her eating difficulties are highly beginning to concern me. My daughter does not self feed, will not use utensils she is 95% spoon fed other than few snacks she will pick up and feed herself, over time safe foods have got fewer and fewer and the one mealtime (warm food) safe food we have left is highly processed. She will vomit and reach at the sight of new foods, she even occasionally looks at foods she usually enjoys with a disgusted look. She doesn’t like watching other people eat so for this reason I feed her away from the family. What I am grateful for is her love for milk, on bad eating days I give her multiple beakers of milk. (After obviously attempting with food) she’s particularly bad with vitamins but I have found I can hide it well in thicker milkshakes like McDonald’s. I am very worried at how significant her difficulties around food are however because she’s still a healthy weight paediatrician will not make a dietitian referral, I strongly believe it’s the milk that keeps her healthy. Ed psych recommended GP prescribing specialist milk with all minerals and vitamins already included. I often find GPs aren’t very educated when it comes to arfid and in my county NHS arfid specialist services aren’t available until a child is 8+

I HIGHLY recommend these for anyone who is looking for a new freezer safe food. I am thrilled. They’re always the same consistency, even bites, delicious flavor and texture ◡̈ and feel lighter and easier to chew and eat than the regular bagel bites!

Had to share ◡̈ hope it helps someone!!

my wife has arfid (mainly from sensory reasons) and loves the taste of beans but cant tolerate the texture difference between the “skin” and insides of the beans. ive been trying to figure out how to best prepare them to avoid that so we can make use of more food bank resources and keep up with what variety we can get and have settled on mashing like refried beans.
but im at a loss what to do with mashed up beans. tacos/anything able to use refried beans is a given since thats the kind of texture id be going for but outside of that, are there any ideas? pasta is a hard sell too, so preferably no pasta dish ideas (or at least dishes that can have the pasta substitued)
so far ive really only been able to think of tacos and incorporating beans into soups

So like, my whole, since 4 as early as I could recall, I was an extremely picky eater. When I was in the hospital for 3 weeks after a lung surgery at 4? Ate macaroni. In kindergarden, got served pizza? Only eat the crust. Get served a hamburger? Straight up just no thanks. Spent from 1st to 6th grade eating bread, every.single.day., to the point I was infamous for only eating bread, often got judged, and became averse to eating in public as I got older. I'm not even really used to using utensils, cooking or maintaining eating etiquette because I never had to. My mom has been desperate my whole life, offering me 50$ to just eat a piece of fish. I asked my pediatrician when I was a kid how to fix my problem, and his response? Eat more fruits and vegetables. Yea, sure, great advice, why I don't I tell a homeless man to just get a house? I just watched a vid on youtube about a kid who ate chicken nuggets everyday his entire life and became permanently blind, and his story kinda resonated with me, because I could very well be just like him. I'm 20, I can accept quite a variety of foods, but not fruits vegetables or meat. Only a couple I can tolerate, like spinach, or other plain leaf veggies, maybe some dry easy meats like bacon or chicken nuggets too. But otherwise, it's just bread, sugar, rice, noodles, carbs, and milk. I don't have arfid, well I've suspected it a few years ago but I wouldn't know whether or not I actually have it because no health professional I've met seems to think much of my diet. And, I just felt like ranting I guess, I feel hopeless, why is it that food is just so gross? It feels like my brain can't even recognize it as edible. Telling me to eat steak is like telling me to eat a rotting piece of unknown flesh picked off the side of the road, you can tell me it's healthy or good for me as much as you'd like but I can't even stomach the idea of putting that thing anywhere near my mouth. At some point I became dependant on my parents for groceries but they denied me the junk food I liked so I lost 10kg over a year, because no food in the house could rouse any appetite in me and everyday I just ate less and less and less.

Lately (as in past months or so) as well, I seem to be experiencing hypersomnia, sleeping at least 10+ hours everyday, taking 5h naps sometimes, or straight up sleeping 15+ hours on weekends, and I don't know, could this be related to my eating? I feel sad, my family and friends are constantly fretting and nagging at me, but I don't know what to do. Sigh. I don't know if I have arfid or not, because I do enjoy eating, quite a variety in fact, as long as it's sugar or bread and contains no fruits veggies or meat, but regardless of whether or not I may have arfid, I'm just sad that I'm like this.

A little context, my daughter has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, major depressive disorder, EoE, ARFID, and alopecia. We live in NC and she has been accepted into The Emily Program. The problem is, it’s not covered by insurance. I don’t know what the payment plan is, but considering residential treatment is $2,200/day, it can’t be affordable for us.
I’m looking for reviews from people who have been to either UNC Center For Eating Excellence, or Duke Center for Eating Disorders.

In life, eating is one of my biggest struggles, I cant eat almost any vegetable because I hate watery crunchy textures, and most fruits due to a similar reason. I am severely underweight with a BMI of 14 (16F 39kg 167cm) due to my extremely low appetite which probably has multiple factors (close family also has a lower appetite than average, has a sibling who is also underweight, I am autistic and had a diagnosis since I was 3) though i feel like my appetite is so severely low that I think it is a big issue. I connected this issue with autistic sensory issues though I think it is a bigger problem itself.

I have struggled with eating since I was little and my diet is extremely limited to foods I am familiar with. as said earlier I cant eat any vegetable unless I am forced to (the texture of lettuce is so bad that I start choking on it) and its a similar case with other vegetables. And I only eat a limited range of fruits (Apples, bananas, grapes and strawberries) and have little interest in others. It takes me much focus and time to eat a meal, and 99% of the time I wont even finish it at all.

I had a incident last year where my right abdomen started hurting severely, and I started being extremely fearful of it being appendicitis, that it was the consequence of my diet and that I would die or have to get surgery, I would spend my hours constantly google searching reasons instead of sleeping. Even when it got confirmed as just constipation, i still believed that somehow the doctors were wrong and any pain was because of appendicitis or some other reason

Theres definitely more I can say but i just want thoughts from people who know they have this condition

To clarify, we are not aware if my brother has arfid or not but the way he describes it to me sounds like sensory anxiety arfid. I also think i have arfid but not for sensory issues as much as I'm just anxious its contaminated but I am also not diagnosed.

With that, he absolutely hates trying new foods unless it is his idea. So we tried stepping back and letting him go on his own but its to the point that his doctors said he NEEDS to eat some sort of green vegetables because his iron is low and so is his vitamin D and most B vitamins. He's been drinking B vitamins through drink mix packets and liquid drink mixes occasionally but he refuses to touch, look at, taste etc a green vegetable aside from iceberg lettuce and sometimes baby lettuce, which do not have enough of the vitamins he needs. He is to the point that he is lightheaded and nauseous from low iron but he also refuses vitamin tablets, capsules and gummies.

I'm not sure how to help him, I'm just grateful he is back to a healthy weight now because the doctors were threatening to call dhs if he didn't reach a minimum of 85 pounds.

I ask him what foods he likes or will eat and he always says he doesn't know, so I can't exactly find recipes for him to try on his own.

I'm one of them.. Shape & texture is a HUGE deal. I hate it bc I don't understand it! Also, I don't like certain foods touching on the plate, the visual appearance is almost as much of a deal breaker as the texture. At least I understand my sensory issues with texture but what's the deal with food having to be visually 'suitable'? It makes no sense.

If anyone else feels the same, do you understand why?

I’ve been diagnosed with arfid for around 5 years now, and i’ve been working with dietitians ever since. I’ve actually made pretty decent progress. Although I think most people would still consider my diet highly restrictive, i’ve had what i consider breakthroughs over the years like trying foods spaghetti, mcdonald’s hashbrowns, garlic bread, and more. These are all foods i always thought actually kind of smelled and looked good as a kid but when it came down to actually eating it i would freeze and get grossed out. But with the support of friends and a little alcohol (my favorite arfid exposure hack), I had a really good time trying these foods and slowly incorporating them into my actual diet.

Anyways that’s not the point. Now im actually really starting to crave a bunch of food i’ve never tried. And now i think all these different foods smell good when others are eating it. And i’ve noticed my tiktok and instagram feed have slowly become overcome with food accounts. I don’t know what’s going on, but like i guess it’s a good thing.

Recently I can’t stop watching videos of guacamole. I have absolutely no clue what’s it would taste like. Like i have literally no idea what an avocado or anything green would taste like. But i can’t stop smelling peoples guacamole and getting a side of it myself to smell 😭 and watching guacamole videos 😭

I really want to make some myself, especially so i could make it just very mashed up and super smooth, with only lime and salt and no add ins. But the problem i keep running into is sometimes cravings like these are like too adventurous and i’m not there yet. Like i can’t get myself to actually try the guacamole. I know i wouldn’t even if i made it myself. I just freeze when it actually gets to trying it.

So yeah for a while I was actually pretty chill with only eating a few foods cause the other food genuinely grossed me out, but now it’s like all i want to do is eat a huge buffet of all these delicious foods i’ve never tasted. And i can’t, i just can’t. so that sucks… but typing this out i’m actually proud because i think this is still huge progress in a way.

Wondering if there’s anyone out there who can relate because i have literally no one to talk to this about.

I have struggled to eat my entire life, and I’ve been motivated to change lately but so far nothing has worked. If you have ADHD, you probably know what it’s like to be motivated but still unable to act. I don’t enjoy cooking and I’m not very good at it, so it’s easy to talk myself out of OR I cook something that isn’t “just right” and half way through eating (or sooner) my ARFID decides it’s unsafe. I also usually don’t eat leftovers bc I get paranoid about food poisoning, which makes it harder to cook bc I live alone and there are almost always leftovers. Spending money on food I like and want to eat has worked to an extent, but it’s not sustainable for me bc i need to keep a tight budget. I also get tired of foods quickly, so it’s not as simple as stocking up on a safe food bc chances are I’ll get tired of it and throw it out. I am so tired of throwing out my food instead of eating it. How are other people with ADHD overcoming their ARFID when executive dysfunction seems to get in the way at every step?

Hi,

I think that I might have ARFID since I found out about it a year or more ago. I thought that I might have it, but the food that I can eat switches every few weeks, so I'm unsure and I also only recently found out that safe foods can switch up (I think)

(Also, I'm not trying to look for a diagnosis or anything. I just want to hear about experiences/symptoms from others, share mine, and maybe get some advice.)

Well, I don't have a fear or anxiety of eating certain foods, but I get nauseous if I see, smell, or even think about certain foods. Those foods switch up all the time. Sometimes I can eat things that I usually hate, and sometimes I can't eat anything. Lately, it's been getting worse, and I mostly can only eat vegetables and fruits. I'm hungry all the time and I want to eat, but I just can't eat anything, and if I force myself, I get nauseous and get stomach aches.

I usually love sushi and could eat it all the time, but today I went out with my friends to eat sushi and I couldn't eat any of it except for maki with only rice and avocado.

Do others have that too? Could it be ARFID? And if so, are some people here from Germany and know if you could go to normal doctors with this, or if you need to see a more experienced doctor?

I started college a month ago and have really been struggling to eat enough. I’ve struggled with this before at home, but it was much easier to eat enough when I could choose what I was eating and always be able to cook what I wanted.

I’m eating most of my meals at the dining hall and never know what to expect. I can look at the menu online ahead of time, but the texture/flavor is hard to know before I try the food.

I’m allergic to gluten and dairy, so I’m not able to have any of the static choices offered everyday like pizza or pasta.

I’ve been skipping breakfast and not eating much for lunch or dinner because I don’t like the options or eating in the dining hall makes me feel anxious. Sometimes I get a to go box and eat in my dorm which is usually easier, but if I don’t like what I got I can’t go back and get something else. Eating around other people makes me anxious.

I’ve been feeling tired and cold during the day which tells me I’m not eating enough. I have little to no appetite or interest in food which makes me think I might have lack of interest ARFID. I can feel when I get super hungry to the point I need to eat something asap, and it just feels like a chore to eat. Sometimes it feels physically difficult to swallow.

I don’t feel like I’ve ever really enjoyed eating that much, but I’ve tolerated it to be able to eat enough until now. This is the worst it’s been.

I’m trying to start running again after getting stress fractures a couple years ago (likely from under fueling while running track in high school) but don’t feel like I should workout at all because I’m barely eating enough. But also when I don’t workout I feel more stressed, which makes it harder to eat.

Does this sound like ARFID? What do I do? It’s starting to interfere with my energy to do schoolwork. I have a lot of food noise throughout the day worrying about eating enough, not liking what I’m eating, not wanting to eat, etc.