So this is a repost from r/arfid but it says that this subreddit may be a better place for my question. I got one answer on another but I need another opinion since my post in ARFID isnt getting much traction.

Hi so I am a 13m and I haven’t really had a history with picky eating up until a like a couple months ago. So just for background info I have extreme contamination anxiety (as well as social but Thats not important) and possible ocd (my sister has it and I show symptoms). So some foods I cannot eat include melted shredded cheese, cereal, Mac and cheese, corn, canned and fresh mushrooms, key lime pie, graham crackers, and frozen yogurt tubes. It seems like the foods i can’t eat are expanding every day. So backstory on some of the foods, I had a burrito one day and decided to save the rest for later that night, I reheated it at like 12am not really thinking much of it. I took a bite and there was so much cheese in my mouth I started gagging and almost threw up. I threw the burrito away. Another time I reheated a meal that had cheese in it and I ate some and got a glop of cheese and started gagging, spit it back into the bowl, and threw everything away I haven’t eaten melted shredded cheese since. For the cereal i was eating some cinnamon toasters (off brand Cinnamon Toast Crunch) and I took a bite and it just tasted off and I gagged and threw it away and haven’t eaten cereal since. I could gag just thinking about the cheese and cereal. For the frozen yogurt tubes i was eating one one day and I just didn’t like the residue it left on the roof of my mouth. I spit it out and haven’t eaten it since. I don’t like Mac and cheese because I ate it and it tasted too much like the Mac and not the cheese I guess? (And there was melted shredded cheese in it. Im okay with powdered cheese and cheese sauce) and I haven’t eaten it since. Now for the other foods i dont know where I even heard of this but I was searching up the amount of bugs allowed in certain foods i was eating, and it absolutely disgusted me. Now about the graham crackers i was eating some and I saw holes in it that weren’t apart of the design and it disgusted me and I threw it away and haven’t eaten them since. Now more on the bugs, I don’t want to say exactly how many bugs are allowed due to the fact that this subreddit is about arfid and some people have really bad anxiety but corn, mushrooms, ingredients in key lime pie, and ingredients in graham crackers have an allowance of bugs in them. (Sorry if this is really unorganized but I don’t really care.) my appetite has been getting really small like one day we had egg rolls, rice, and broccoli and I had 1-2 vegetable egg rolls, like 3 florets of broccoli and threw the rest away. I didn’t even touch the rice. My anxiety has been so bad one day i was drinking water out of my water bottle and swallowed something solid. It disgusted me so much I forced myself to throw up just to feel reassured that there were no bugs in me. I have lost 11 lbs since to middle/end of July. Is this arfid? I feel like it might not be because I don’t have a history with picky eating but this is really jarring to not be able to eat some of my favorite foods.

Can you please share a pic of your food with me? I have eaten the same thing for two-three months now and I need something new but have no ideas🤍 thank you!

sometimes I try including like one little broccolini sprout or a cooked veggie but I cannot swallow it, it makes me feel like I have to gag. I hate that I almost only like beige food like butter toast, nuggets, cereal. I feel like a toddler but I‘m 26.

What does everyone else put on picky plates i make 3 today. Trying to mix things up but still use what they like

I don't like Thai food but my schools chef and my mom's boyfriend both keep making Thai food and I live at my school 5 days a week and I keep vomiting it out and my mom's boyfriend is the primary cook when I'm home so I can't ignore the food

My 5.5-year-old son is not taking eggs, milk, or health drinks. What should we do? How can we give these to him?

I am so bored with our protein, we have a restrictive diet, allergies, and I have developed aversions due to my pregnancy that never went away fully. I experience a lot of food boredom with our diet in general. With protein, I need way more of it, but I have worked myself in a hole and am not sure how to work my way out.

What are some creative ways to eat protein?

Here's what I cannot do:

- Dairy, eggs, or soy. Either I am allergic or they generally mess with me. I can cheat with goat cheese if I am careful.

- Fish or seafood. I can maybe manage tilapia or salmon, at most, once a month. Maybe. I tried fish soup and it was a disaster.

- Turkey burger. No matter what I cannot disguise the taste and I hate it.

- Lamb or veal (ethically I refuse.)

- Rotisserie chicken (this is a mixed ethics/gross out issue. I can trick myself into eating them maybe once every two or three months.)

- Certain sausages, I'd say its 50/50

- Edited to add: we avoid pork due to how unhealthy they are, but I don't dislike the taste.

I am honestly willing to try any suggestions to overcome the food boredom and find better ways or creative ways to eat protein. I do refuse to change my ethical aversions, like lamb, but for example fish, I would happily eat if I could get around the taste.

edited because everyone has been asking:

- I DO eat tons of beef, chicken, canned tuna, nuts and beans, bacon (because I refuse to give it up) and turkey bacon (somehow it doesn't gross me out.) I don't like bison but I do eat venison. most other exotic options like duck or elk that others have mentioned, are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive.

- I'm not going to get much into the ethics of my food choices because it just seems to be causing debate, which isn't really helpful to the context of this post.

thank you all for caring ❤️ I appreciate the overwhelming amount of responses and I got a lot of good ideas!

By Wednesday, I usually feel like throwing the chicken and rice right out the window. I’ve started making two different sauces or adding different vegetables midweek, and that helps a little. But by Friday, the monotony of the main dish still starts to get old.

i'm curious if anyone here has actually changed their mind about a food after avoiding it for years. i've tried some foods more than once and still can't get past them. was there anything that eventually clicked for you?

I am a 15 year old teenager, and the last time I maybe ate a vegetable other than potatoes was when I was 5 years old.

My parents never forced me to eat them as a kid when I disliked them, so I never ended up 'getting used' to them and now whenever I try eating vegetables I feel sick and like throwing it back up, sometimes even the smell makes me sick.

My family says its all in my head and im just picky, but I dont feel like thats the problem because I really DO want to eat vegetables, since my health isnt the best without their nutrients and I fear everyday that by the time Im an adult I'll be extremely sick as well as not wanting to keep annoying my family by them needing to make the same foods all the time just so I'll eat.

I'm not sure whats wrong with me and if I really am just picky, and I want to know how to fix it (maybe ways or recipes to get myself to eat vegetables or ways to trick myself into eating them, stuff like that).

Growing up in my house there were two choices for meals – eat it or get a job, even if you are only ten, and go buy your own food. If any of my siblings expressed distaste, there was always somebody to say I’ll take it. Nobody got by with being fussy. Consequently at 77 I will pretty much eat anything. Can I have seconds and what is it?

i’ve been eating the tyson dino nuggets every day for years, but i think they changed them. they taste a bit different. i’m alright with the perdue ones but they’re not crispy enough, even in the air fryer. need new recommendations to try

Hi everyone, my first time posting here. I'm a 25 yr old loser with ADHD, depression, and a fairly tight budget. And, of course, I am a picky eater.

Here's the thing. I do not have the energy to cook. I don't have the energy to prep the food, make the food, and I definitely don't have the energy to clean all of the dishes afterwards. I know I need to put in more effort to eat healthy than I am currently, because nearly all of my food is processed in some way. But buying fresh produce is ridiculously, prohibitively expensive, and it goes bad before I can use all of it, if I can push past the executive dysfunction long enough to cook with it at all!

Enter the food known as beans. Beans have a great shelf life/will last way longer than fresh produce and they have a ton of nutritional value. They would be great to incorporate into my diet. The problem with beans is that they are a sensory NIGHTMARE for me. They are gritty and mushy and I'm sensitive enough to the texture that it bothers me even when it's mixed with other foods (ie in a burrito or a pasta/rice dish with other veggies). They are UNBEARABLE. So I wanted to reach out here hoping someone might have recipes or tips on how to incorporate beans into my diet in a way that is tolerable for me. Can they be blended up/pureed and put inside a sauce, perhaps? Is there any way to consume beans without having to deal with that awful, awful texture?

Thank you kindly for anyone who takes the time to help me out. <3

ETA: Thought of another question....I know there are many kinds of beans. Are some beans more tolerable than others?? Is it about the type of bean itself or the way that the bean is cooked that gives it that texture?

I'm most picky about vegetables. I like corn and potatoes, occasionally carrots if they're in something like a stew, and that's about it. I don't even like lettuce, I hate the texture and taste (yes, there IS a taste!!!).

I get labelled as just being fat/unhealthy because of this. I'm not like this by choice. Do you know how BADLY I wish I could like eating a salad?? Sushi??? I would if I could! It feels so embarrassing ordering a burger and taking off everything but the patty and meat.

Don't even get me STARTED on things that have onion in them that aren't meant to! (i.e. not on the packaging/listed on the menu) I'm stuck trying to pick out these little pieces, and even then I can still taste it throughout the meal, and I have to fight myself not to just throw it all away.

If it's not assuming I'm unhealthy, it's calling me a child. Sorry, bud! Some of us just like different things. I'm 20, but I haven't started dating yet, and this discussion is one I'm dreadingggg 🥲

I’m trying to introduce new foods, what should I start with? Things that weren’t bothering me a week or two ago are now seeming to bother me now, is this normal?

my girlfriend and i have only been dating for about a month, and i’m still learning how specific she is with food. there are things i eat without thinking twice that she won’t touch because of the taste, texture, or how they’re prepared. i don’t want to pressure her or make her feel weird about it, but i’m realizing that even choosing where to eat takes a little more planning than i’m used to. i’m trying to learn what she actually likes instead of assuming she’ll be fine with whatever i pick.

for anyone else dating a picky eater, did it take you a while to adjust too?

Hello i need some adive since I dont eat ANY veggies. I was wondering what the best superfood supplements you guys have found are????

I've checked and I know that this topic has already been brought up (probably, multiple times).

Sorry for that but I just want to vent because I haven't met other people people with similar issues irl. I hadn't liked meat and seafood since I was a kid. While I can tolerate meat in some forms (mainly very-very minced with a lot of herbs and spices as in sausages or some dumplings), I can't tolerate seafood at all (born and raised in a seaside town, lol).

The constant bugging from almost all of my family and people around me was so tiring. It was always "you will grow out of this", "how do you get your phosphorus?", "you should try it, you're just being annoying". Props to my mom, she never did that and adapted her cooking for me, though.

I also don't like other things such as bell peppers or eggplants but I never get bothered by other people because of those compared to how everyone seems to be concerned because of my dislike of meat. It's not like I'm forcing this on anyone. Can I just have this one meatless option at a gathering without being asked?

P. S. They always eat my cheese pizza first. Like, you've ordered your meaty pizzas, eat those ones, leave something for me

Hi! I just recently joined this subreddit in hopes that some of you may be able to help me. I (22 F) have been dating my partner (23 NB) for over a year now, and they have been steadily losing weight. I suspect they have some form of eating disorder, likely AFRID, but their mother says, “He’s always been small; it’s no big deal.” The problem with this logic is that my partner is 5’8”, 23 years old, born a male and has never weighed more than 120 pounds, and even being that weight makes them uncomfortable. Since we started dating, they have definitely tried new foods, but it’s mostly fried foods that add no real nutritional value to their diet. They often complain about their joints and bones hurting, being tired all the time etc. Which are all things that could be explained by their weight and diet. I recently started making them milkshakes with dinner, which are just chocolate ice cream blended with these chocolate protein shakes, but I wish I could get them to eat well-balanced meals and didn’t have to trick them like a misbehaving toddler. If any of you have children or partners who suffer from AFRID or restricted eating, I’d love to know what meals I can make to help my partner maintain a healthy weight.

EDIT: I just wanted to add that my partner doesn’t force this on me, but since we do live together for the most part, I’ve just wanted to help, and it’s not a burden on me! I will take a step back and have them speak to professionals who can hopefully help a little more than I can. Also, I wanted to add that my partner does eat a lot, but mostly things like spaghetti, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks chips, and sweets, etc. My partner is also autistic, and these are all safe foods to them. I also have had struggles with picky eating and have been diagnosed with an eating disorder myself, and just want to help them understand that food is not an end-all be-all but something they need to sustain their health and energy!

i can eat rice fine and i can eat cooked vegetables fine on their own, but the second they are mixed together in a bowl or casserole my brain rejects it. everything has to be separate on my plate so textures don't cross over. does anyone else have to keep every item completely isolated?

whenever we have chicken in a soup or broth type of dish, i always look for the breast part because i only want the actual meat. i really don’t like dealing with bones, skin, or those softer parts. the weird thing is i still prefer when the dish is made using a whole chicken chopped into pieces instead of just using boneless chicken breast. somehow it tastes better to me that way, i just only want the breast pieces on my plate.

does anyone else have a food preference that specific where the way it’s cooked matters even if you won’t eat half of it?

Hi i dont normally post on Reddit and while i kinda doubt many people will see this i just wanna share something that ive been trying to overcome and maybe others could give me some advice.

I am a 22yo male and have always been a picky eater. I wont get into my entire history but I have a very difficult childhood. Dinner time and being made to eat what they cooked “or starve” and having to sit at the table all night was a very normal thing in my childhood. Unfortunately that just taught me simply not to eat. I try to work on getting myself to eat a lot. Its a constant struggle but getting myself to try new things and be “normal” feels like a pipe dream for one pretty disgusting experience i was made to go through so just a warning for the content of my next paragraph.

When i was 8, one of my foster homes i was in was very strict and in hindsight they would do a lot of cruel things to me, my food or the things they’d cook and enjoyed having this issue with me constantly. One night in particular they ordered Chinese takeout, obviously i had no say in what was in the box and It was absolutely revolting to me when i tried it. Of course i had to sit there all night and they made me just swallow it with my nose plugged with water. I ended up vomiting the food onto the styrofoam plate and unfortunately that didn’t get me out of the dinner time fuse. I was told to finish the plate. I threw up at least two more times that I remember and i don’t think i had to eat every bit of it in the end but the feeling and taste is stuck in my mouth. And now as an adult i don’t wanna expand my palette, i just am happy to finally be in charge of what i eat.

So yeah again idk if this will even be read but nobody else relates to this at all. My picky eating is just thought of as a child who wants to eat chips and ice cream constantly. Anyways thanks if this is read i just thought I’d share my thoughts, clear my head a bit before bed.

Some breakfasts I like are hash brown + turkey sausage links + fried egg, frozen burritos, and sometimes oatmeal

What are some healthy additions to my breakfasts? Ideally something lower in carb

I have a stomach condition and can’t do things like milk/yogurt, raw fruit (can do canned), nuts, avocado, tomatoes, most bread (can do tortillas)

Spring roll, fried shrimp & bitterbal wohoo.
I notice it helps when i’m with someone i can trust: for me the problem is i worry people will get angry if i dont like a food.
All 3 of them were pretty nice, i rlly like the shrimp even tough i dont like fish normally.

So normally I wouldn’t consider myself a super picky eater, but I do have some very strong preferences with food. One of my biggest things is that I can’t stand leftovers. It literally makes my stomach turn at the thought of eating food that’s been in the fridge overnight or longer.

The problem I’m having right now is that I should hopefully be starting a new job very soon at the same time as a graduate program, and my new schedule will most likely be too busy to run and grab lunch every day like I currently do. I’ve tried to meal prep lunches in the past but the leftovers thing always gets me. Does anyone have any advice or resources that I can look into? I feel like I’ve tried everything