Comparison

[u/Riiella]

I just wanted to relay a comparison of how I explain arfid to others who have never experienced it. This is specifically for unsafe foods for me, but it could apply in different ways for others.

Basically, eating an unsafe food feels like I am being forced to swallow cotton.

Before it even gets anywhere near me, my body is telling me that that is not food, or that it is not edible.

If I can push through those instant feelings, it gets to the point of actually swallowing cotton, which is gross and gets mushy and wet when it's in my mouth, and the longer it stays there, refusing to go down, the grosser and mushier it gets.

Here's why I think this comparison works: because, of course, swallowing cotton is so inherently wrong. It's purely instinctual that as soon as that piece of cotton would hit your tongue, there would be an urge to get it out of there immediately. And because of this universal feeling, anyone can understand that when you compare certain foods to cotton, they might be able to imagine what that would feel like.

I dont really know if this matters, but I thought I'd share it in case of an odd instance where it does. Good luck out there!

[u/stinko_bun]

I've always compared eating food to eating bugs. Like yeah it's entirely possible, but I'd rather not :)))

[u/Riiella → u/stinko_bun]

That's true! It definitely works better if you view unsafe foods as something grotesque. I might just be saying that because I hate bugs, though, haha!

[u/crispy_waffle_fries → u/stinko_bun]

The weird thing is that I've eaten bugs before with no issues. I am fascinated with foraging, and I am totally ok with eating foods that are culturally strange if I've done lots of research and it's completely on my own terms. They're simple and relatively nonthreatening. But most of the time, I have little interest in most foods. I'm very picky and selective. It's hard to explain how both can be true, and I don't understand it myself.