“Foods Can’t Touch on My Plate:” On Life with ARFID and Food Aversions
“I am 54 years old, and I didn’t know this was a thing with a name (ARFID) until very recently. I grew up in a clean-your-plate household, so it taught me to be sneaky about getting rid of vegetables and other things I didn’t want to eat.”
Can’t stand mushy bananas? Hate the taste of cilantro? Avoid foods that smell or look a certain way?
If you answered yes to any of the above, then you share a lot in common with our ADDitude readers, many of whom experience strong sensory reactions to food based on taste, texture, smell, and/or temperature. Sensory sensitivities, after all, commonly occur with ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence.
Aversions to certain foods can create minor inconveniences around eating, but in extreme cases — as is the case for some of our readers — food aversions and selective eating are due to avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), a condition wherein food avoidance or restriction is based on sensory characteristics and qualities of food, concern about aversive consequences of eating, and/or a lack of interest in food. ARFID, especially if untreated, is often accompanied by nutritional deficiencies and quality-of-life problems.
ARFID, Food Aversions, and Picky Eating: Your Stories
“I suspect that I have ARFID — troublesome but not severe. If I do eat meat, it will be a small serving, and it has to be extra, extra well done, almost burnt. I don’t like mushy, runny, moist textures like flan, tapioca, and runny eggs. Hot foods have to be hot, because cold food makes me gag. Foods can’t touch on my plate. As a child, dinner time was sometimes unpleasant because I was made to eat foods I didn’t like, including foods that had been mixed all on one plate. ” — Sara, Texas
“I had never heard of ARFID before reading about it in ADDitude. My daughter, who is in her 30s, definitely has this and has had it since she was a toddler! Life would have been so much easier for us if a diagnosis had been made. The problem we have now is finding someone who knows about this and can treat it. My daughter thinks she’s a ‘freak.’ My heart breaks for her. She NEVER eats anything except for pizza late at night. I fear for her mental and physical health.” — Wendy, Canada
[Take This Self-Test: Signs of ARFID in Adults]
“I don’t eat any fruits or vegetables. I don’t like the smell of any dark-green vegetables. I eat lots of pasta and pizza, but the tomato sauce must be smooth. I drink juice only without pulp. I eat grape jelly only, no other kinds. I eat meat without fat or it has to be cooked medium-well or fried hard. Fish must be white and dry. I do take supplements and vitamins. I am 54 years old, and I didn’t know this was a thing with a name (ARFID) until very recently. I grew up in a clean-your-plate household, so it taught me to be sneaky about getting rid of vegetables and other things I didn’t want to eat. As a child, my uncle taught me how to order food in restaurants (ask for plain pasta, rice, or potatoes, and request meat or chicken to be grilled or sautéed). He was sick of my parents making such a big deal about my eating when he just wanted to go out to dinner.” — Julie, Georgia
“My son has been extremely picky since he was a baby. His diet is restricted to hamburgers with ketchup only, chicken nuggets with ranch, PB&J, macaroni and cheese, some fruit, and carrots (which are a new thing for him, but they need ranch). Every time I give him a new food that I think he will love, he gags and runs to the bathroom to throw it up.” — Angela
“I cannot stand anything that is gelatinous or wiggly (jelly, Jell-O, custard, boba, etc.). I am also disgusted by any meat/fish/poultry that contains visible fat, gristle, tendons, skin, bones, and/or is processed into a gelatinous cube. One bite of gristle and I’ll gag and toss out the rest of the meal. When I was younger, I had issues with hypoglycemia because of my imbalanced diet. Now, I eat meat/fish/poultry that is lean, boneless, and skinless, and I make sure each meal contains adequate protein. But you’ll never catch me at a steakhouse or BBQ joint — yuck!” — Jennifer, California
“At 43, I still cannot eat a majority of green vegetables. My diet is very limited, which limits where we can go to dinner as a family. It affects social gatherings, where I may have to bring my own food. I react to a combination of taste, smell, texture, and sight of different foods. My sense of smell is very strong — once I don’t like the smell of something, I refuse to try it. It has affected my health, as I have to take vitamins every day to make up for the lack of nutrition.” — Kelly, New York
[Get This Free Download: The Eating Disorders Associated with ADHD]
“My husband has a texture reaction to onions and other vegetables in food; he eats like an 8-year-old. This does affect his health, and I no longer cook healthy things I like because he complains of the smell. My health has plummeted since I now eat mostly what he eats; fried food, potatoes, red meats. I have considered buying prepared meals to get my missing veggies but have not found the right ones.” — An ADDitude Reader
“Mint and cilantro are absolute no-gos for me. I avoid any foods, even at restaurants, that may have hidden cilantro. I use unflavored toothpaste (literal godsend for me!) and I water down my mouthwash. Going to the dentist is traumatic only because of the intense mint flavors seemingly in everything they use. I have to ask them to water everything down or use polish with limited flavor (or a kids flavor) to avoid throwing up.” — An ADDitude Reader
“I cannot STAND foods that are solid but turn mushy while chewing, like bananas, beans, and avocado. I gag after the first bite. I love foods that are homogeneous in texture all the way through, like pudding and yogurt, or foods with varied textures all the way through, like mashed beans with tortilla chips and guacamole.” — Etti
“My favorite foods are typically plain or salty comfort foods that I liked eating as a kid and that have little to no nutritional value. I avoid fruit unless it’s cold, most vegetables unless they’re cooked, water unless it’s cold and filled with ice, and so many other things. I struggle to eat a balanced diet, if I remember to eat at all.” — An ADDitude Reader
“I have aversions to certain smells and textures, and executive dysfunction creates challenges around preparing and eating food. Take chicken: I don’t like the texture or taste of chicken on its own. But shred it and mix it with quinoa or into a stew, and it’s no problem! I also like fruits, but I’m much better at eating them if they’re cut up, or else they’ll remain on my desk, untouched. Pre-peeling, cutting, and packing fruits transforms them from an EF stumbling block to a healthy snack. If you have a food aversion, I highly recommend digging around to pinpoint the exact problem, because a solution may be easier than you think. Sometimes it requires letting go of expectations or shame. I only eat crustless sandwiches, which is something I get teased for, but I don’t care!” — Natalia, Pennsylvania
Food Aversions, ARFID, and Picky Eating: Next Steps
- Read: Got a Picky Eater on Your Hands? Here’s How to Cope
- Take This Self-Test: ARFID in Children
- Read: ADHD and Eating Disorders
- Read: More Than Picky Eating — Feeding Difficulties in Children
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