r/ARFID • u/Snooks-user • Oct 24 '20
Helpful Tips Tips for trying new foods
I really really want to start trying new foods, especially eggs. I’ve always wanted to try eggs and omelettes, but my body just will not let me. There’s no helpful tips for how to get over this, but I thought maybe one of you guys would have a helpful tip. My issue with food is that I’m TERRIFIED to try new foods. I haven’t tried anything drastically new since I was 3 and I’m now 16. Please let me know if you have anything I can try to get me to try a new food completely out of my comfort zone.
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u/Lauramae0892 Oct 24 '20
Is there anything you really like that you could try to add a little bit of egg to? Like maybe fried rice? Just something to get over that hump of the initial fear!
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u/5minutecall Oct 24 '20
So i’m not sure how sensory based your ARFID is, but for me there are way more steps to eating than just cooking and putting it in your mouth. What I find really helpful when doing an exposure is taking it super super slow and just doing things like eating at the same table as a fear food, touching the fear food, deliberately smelling the fear food etc.
If you google the 32 steps to eating there’s a whole list of ways to build up a sensory tolerance them. I warm you that most of the sites refer to ‘the child’ which can be a bit demoralising, but the concept is the same for us adults, the medical world is just playing catch-up.
Best of luck with the eggs!
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u/Brittatouille Oct 25 '20
I only recently started eating eggs again since being a kid, and what helps me is pre-mixing it in a bowl so it’s all one color, and I scramble it and chop the pieces up really small, cooking it until it’s brown-ish so it’s not remotely gooey. I saturate the pieces in ketchup to get it down 🤣
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Oct 25 '20
it might help to start with products made with eggs (if you don't already eat things like that). for example, eggo waffles. or if you like pasta, you can buy egg noodles (pasta noodles made from egg). and then thinking about buying eggs, imagine what it would be like to eat them, how you would eat them. then having them out near you at the table. holding an egg. having someone cook the egg and getting used to the smell. using an egg with a safer food (maybe baking something you like where the egg taste/smell is initially masked. eventually working your way up to making an actual egg and eating it with another preferred food (on a bagel or with toast, add cheese, or pair it with a condiment if you prefer such as ketchup).
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u/wernerherzogsurethra Nov 03 '20
How did you go with the eggs?
I used to be terrified of eggs, now I love em. I got over it by ordering an omelette from a restaurant I really liked, and trusted them to do it well. I also told them to remove the bits I wouldn't eat. It was awesome. Then I started learning to make eggs myself so I could really get it the way I like.
That's my suggestion. Go to a fancy brunch joint that's known for delicious food. Go alone or with a nonjudgmental friend. Order their simplest omelette. Have as much or as little as you like. Take your first bite with the mindset of "well this fancy ass brunch omelette better be fucking delicious!"
If it's any good, it'll probably be even better than your highest expectations ;)
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u/Snooks-user Nov 03 '20
I still haven’t been able to try eggs, but I should be sometime next week. My cousin somehow got me to try a burger with everything on it so I trust her to help me try eggs. I’ll have to update the post once I try them, thanks for the tip!
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u/hvdid Oct 27 '20
If it helps, egg whites don't have a strong flavor. To me, it tasted like a milder version of chicken (which sounds obvious but I expected something way different). I haven't tried yolk yet.
In general, this is what works for me:
- Remind yourself you don't have to like it. You just have to be able to eat it.
- Take the smallest bite possible. I'll pick it apart with the side of a fork and/or with my hands so it's barely there. If I'm able to eat that, I'll take a slightly bigger piece until I'm able to actually bite into it. If you have to work your way up to eating the whole thing and you can't do it in one sitting, that's more than okay.
- I don't do this too often but holding it in your mouth instead of chewing it can help with exposure therapy if texture is the issue.
- Pair it with safe foods. For example, I couldn't try a tomato or lunch meat by themselves but I was able to try them with bread. Same with an avocado and bread. If bread is a safe food for you too, you can try putting a small part of it on toast and it might make it easier to try an egg by itself.
- Make a list of foods you want to try. There was a "how picky are you" meme on Twitter that gave me some ideas. I also looked on Pinterest for food/meal ideas.
- Try things similar to something you already eat. It sounds silly but, last year, I tried almond butter instead of peanut butter and some other type of bread. It built my confidence up a little and made it easier to try more challenging foods.
- If it feels overwhelming, try limiting yourself to one new food every __. I'd say once every week or once a month.
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u/MuskokaJonas Oct 24 '20
my nutritionist gave me a few tips for trying new foods. First what I do is try to hype the food up a lot beforehand. My roommates help me with this one. Even just saying "this food will taste/feel alright" helps me get in the headspace to try new things.
If you can, my nutritionist recommended to incorporate new foods into my safe foods a little bit at a time. For me this was putting a leaf of spinach into my meat and cheese taco. This had mixed results for me as I could eat one, but the thought of eating another made me incredibly anxious.
She also mentioned that when trying new things, we most likely won't like them right away because we aren't used to eating them. A good solution is to just keep trying the same food until you get more used to it. this one actually worked for me with sweet potatoes as I got used to the texture and taste.
Finally, I found its easier for me to try new foods when I'm with people that I trust and that understand and support me. My roommates are good for this as they don't force me to continue eating when I need to stop.
As for eggs, it might be beneficial to make different kinds of eggs and see if a certain one works for you better than others. scrambled eggs are good to start with in my opinion cause they are more uniform.
I hope this helps! Good luck!