What is ARFID?

ARFID is the acronym for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.

ARFID is a condition that causes the person to limit the amount and type of food they eat.

A person with ARFID will avoid and restrict food, however, this is NOT due to any negative body image or a desire to lose weight.

ARFID is NOT fussy or picky eating.

For the ARFID person, their ‘non-safe’ foods can produce negative emotional and/or physical reactions.

If an ARFID person is forced or persuaded to try one of their ‘non-safe’ foods, it usually results in heightened anxiety, stress, tantrums, tears, gagging, vomiting, or shutdown and avoidance.

What is ARFID?

Detailed ARFID video giving insights into ARFID behaviors, causes and Therapy. By Specialist Hypnotherapy and ARFIDtherapy.com

Signs of ARFID behavior

  • Small list of safe foods

  • Inability to ‘try’ new foods

  • Lots of food rules; specific brands, foods not touching, etc.

  • Prolonged disinterest in eating food (low hunger signals)

  • Health deteriorating due to restrictive food intake

  • Oversensitivity to food smells, tastes, and textures

  • Unpredictable behavior around food

  • Difficulty eating meals with family or friends

  • Eating very slowly

  • Food Jagging (sudden refusal to eat foods they ate previously)

  • Tantrums or excessive negative emotions when presented with ‘new’ food

  • Difficulty transitioning from liquid to mushy to solid foods

Is food your Friend or Enemy?

Short video giving details of what ARFID behavior looks like. By Specialist Hypnotherapy and ARFIDtherapy.com

Pathways to ARFID

There are many pathways that may contribute to a person being susceptible to developing ARFID behaviors:

  • Physical (food) trauma

  • Emotional trauma

  • Sensory processing challenges

  • Heightened anxiety (GAD)

  • ADHD, Autism, PDA, Hypermobility

  • Interoceptive awareness challenges

  • Personality traits

Explanation of the vaious pathways that can lead to ARFID at ARFIDtherapy.com

Regardless of the reason (or reasons) you have ARFID, the ARFID Food Phobia THERAPY Program can help you better understand your mind and give you the tools to reduce or eliminate your ARFID feelings and behaviors.

3 Main Types of ARFID

AVOIDANT

SENSORY-BASED ARFID

Indicated by strong aversions to certain food textures, tastes, colors, or smells.

This can lead to a limited diet due to sensory sensitivities.

AVERSIVE

FEAR-BASED ARFID

Heightened fear of negative consequences associated with eating, such as choking, vomiting, or experiencing gastrointestinal discomfort. This fear can lead to avoidance of certain foods or food groups.

RESTRICTIVE

LACK OF INTEREST

Indicated by a general disinterest or lack of motivation towards eating. This can lead to insufficient food intake and nutritional deficiencies.

Common Causes of Aversive ARFID

Sometimes a person may have been eating quite normally until one of the below events occurred when they were a baby or toddler.

It is as if a part of the mind associates food with the feeling of discomfort and pain, and develops an overwhelming mistrust of food.

  • Reflux

  • Transition to solid foods

  • Colic

  • Constipation

  • Food Allergies

  • Gastro

  • Tongue & Lip Tie

  • Choking

  • Tonsilitis

  • Vomiting

  • Vaccination reaction

  • Hospital/Operation

  • Reaction to medication

  • Arrival of sibling

  • Moving home, school, country

  • Attending creche/daycare

ARFID - More than fussy eating

Short animated video highlighting ARFID behaviors and feelings. By Specialist Hypnotherapy and ARFIDtherapy.com

Other common factors contributing to ARFID

It is estimated that 21% of people with Autism experience ARFID at some time in their life.

It is also estimated that up to 26% of people diagnosed with ARFID will also have ADHD, where distraction can easily lead to disinterest.

A high proportion of people presenting with ARFID have heightened anxiety.

And Hypermobility not only affects the joint connective tissue but can also affect the motility of the bowel, resulting in prolonged gut discomfort, constipation, irritability, etc. This can also lead to food aversion over time.

There are often multiple factors that lead to ARFID behavior.

  • Autism ADHD

  • Hypermobility

  • Sensory Processing Disorder

  • Teen or adult food trauma

  • GAD (General Anxiety Disorder)

  • Over sensitive nature

  • Separation Anxiety

  • Interoceptive Awareness imbalance

  • PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance)

What is the FUEL that keeps ARFID burning?

When someone is anxious, the fight/flight/freeze mechanism is triggered in the subconscious mind, and the body gets ready to deal with a perceived threat.

When food gives someone a heightened feeling of fear or discomfort, the body instinctively seeks to avoid this happening again in the future.

For some people, this subconscious food/fear/discomfort link has become so strong that ANYTIME they feel nervous, stressed or upset, their subconscious mind keeps food away as the first line of defence in dealing with the feeling.

In my Practice, I have found that regardless of how and when the ARFID behavior started, the fuel that keeps the internal food fear and disinterest burning is anxiety.

It’s as if the person grows up, but a part of their mind continues to experience the pain, discomfort and mistrust around food with the same emotional reactivity as a small child.

And sometimes it’s just worrying about change that keeps the person from reaching out and trying something new.

The good news is that change is possible at any age.

ARFID Food Phobia Therapy can lead to positive change in your ARFID behaviors