ARFID Awareness
As part of Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) I wanted to make a post about a lesser known eating disorder called ARFID.
ARFID stands for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder which is an eating disorder that is characterised by a persistent pattern of avoiding or restricting certain foods leading to nutritional deficiencies or difficulty maintaining a healthy weight.
💜Unlike other EDs, ARFID is not driven by concerns about body image or weight. It is often triggered by food sensitivities like textures, tastes, smells or appearances or the fear or negative consequences of eating or a lack of interest in eating.
💙ARFID is NOT just picky eating. Many children go through phases of fussy eating but ARFID is more than that. The difference between a ‘picky eater’ and a person with ARFID and that a picky eater won’t starve themselves to detriment but a person with ARFID will. ‘They’ll eat when they are hungry’ is not the case for a person with this ED.
💚ARFID is more common in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This is due to heightened sensitivities to smells, textures and tastes. Also many autistics have digestive issues and find the physical sensations of eating unpleasant.
💛People with ARFID tend to have a very small amount of ‘safe foods’ which are usually plain, processed foods that are predictable and familiar for example: crackers, crisps, bread, chicken nuggets etc. The ‘beige’ diet. Trying new foods can be highly stressful or avoided altogether.
🧡It can also be more than just the food. Some people with ARFID struggle to eat in front of people or need coping mechanisms to get through meal times because of the anxiety around eating.
💗Some of you might be parents of children showing signs of ARFID but also adults can suffer with ARFID too.
ARFID is a recently accepted diagnosis (2013) and there is limited research and knowledge on this ED even within the ED community.
I’d love to hear if anyone else has experiences with ARFID to comment and share what you find helpful to manage.
(I have severe emetophobia so please don’t use trigger words in replies.)
Thank you so much for sharing this informative post about ARFID. It’s so important to raise awareness about lesser-known eating disorders like this one, especially during Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW). You did a great job of explaining the key differences between ARFID and other eating disorders, as well as how it’s not just a phase of picky eating.
@Moonstone2174
Thank you for sharing this post, it was useful and provide more awarenes around ED.
