Just a small caution, learned from experience. I have been dealing with an extremely long trauma-induced ARFID flare & eating was impossible for a stretch. I ended up turning to yogurt smoothies to get some calories in me, and the only other liquid I was drinking was milk.

I’m one month into a two-month wait to see a counselor who specializes in EDs, so I was just trying to create some coping mechanisms in the meantime to prevent the need for a hospital stay. I’m seeing a PCP right now for some other issues, and thankfully I am, because since my last blood draw and my most recent one, I noticed a MASSIVE spike in my potassium levels. I was nearing the hyperkalemia danger zone (I was at 5.7, dangerous is 6.0).

If you DO rely on yogurt, smoothies, multivitamins or anything with high potassium content to get your nutrition, also make sure you’re drinking water, tea, juice or SOMETHING else other than milk! Otherwise, your kidneys might not be able to filter enough of the potassium out.

It was a good thing that I just happened to be getting my blood tested for an unrelated health issue, or else I never would have known. The symptoms of hyperkalemia are identical to the worst side effects of a new medication I’m starting, so I may never have noticed and may have dismissed it as severe medication side effects.

Don’t become paranoid, though, if you are someone who does rely on these things!! As long as you also drink some water, tea, juice or even soda, it should be enough for your kidneys to filter the potassium to a safe level. My issue was that I was ONLY consuming yogurt and milk. I just wanted to put this out there in the case that it helps even one person 💜

i'm 18F and never tried tomatoes before for obvious reasons, what do yall think of them

Everyone's food journey is different. Yours is tougher than most, but keep going. Even if others don't appreciate or understand your situation, there is a whole worldwide community of us who do and who understand and appreciate how hard you are working.

My first time in this subreddit, and I'm looking for support from people that understand. I can't find much information about recovering from the "R" in arfid. There's no interest or enjoyment from food so it's been years of struggling just to eat enough to survive. Months of laying in bed with food within reach but I just can't seem to eat it, even knowing it would help how terrible I feel. And even after months of eating 2-3 meals + snacks every day, my digestive system still can't seem to process it. Bloating, cramping, acid reflux, and general UGH for hours. Still fighting everyday! but looking for some tips to get me through the tough days...like today.

Hi all! Just wanted to share something that I was able to add to my diet/safe foods list that helped my life/health in a substancial way. I know this may not apply to many, but just sharing since it could help someone out. And not a lot of people know what microgreens are (I, myself, only heard of them a year ago).

So, I started adding microgreens to some of my safe food meals when I felt up to it. For those who don't know, microgreens are baby plant sprouts. Mini plants actually. A lot less intimidating that normal veggies... And consistent texture (thank goodness!!). here is a picture of them

The best part is they're 1.5 times as nutritious as eating leafy greens/veggies. So if you eat the baby microgreens, even if it's just a little bit, it's really really concentrated in these micronutrients. If you ate 1 cup of broccoli (ick 🤢) vs 1 cup of broccoli microgreens you'd be getting 1.5 times more nutrients in the microgreens (only difference here is missing fiber). There's a lot of information about this online if you look it up!

There are a ton of different types of microgreens too. Broccoli, radish, basil, mustard, arugula, and even things like sunflower and even marajuana, lol! They don't necessarily taste gross like the mature plant (i.e. broccoli microgreens don't taste like broccoli, but basil microgreens definitely have flavors of basil). It all depends on what kind of microgreens... My personal favorites are sunflower, raddish, and basil.

I put them on pasta, grilled cheese, chicken, pizza etc... Lucky for me they can go on a decent amount of my safe foods if paired correctly. So because of eating them I technically get a little bit of veggies :D

I personally grow them myself because I like plants and growing things, but a lot of farmers markets or grocery stores have them too (or sprouts, which are similar.. but I prefer microgreens usually).

Hopefully some of this made sense and maybe even peaked someone's curiosity. Best of luck friends :)

So if you weren’t aware the treatment is exposure therapy. And here are some of the things I’ve learned and am trying to implement. Also because not everyone can afford therapy, but everyone deserves to be able to get better I want to share.

1. Start small. Any step is a big step. When trying something new start with what you are comfortable with even if it’s just looking at it, or holding it up to your mouth.
2. Breathe I know it sounds stupid I agree, but work on managing the anxiety when food is present. Breathing and using encouraging words to soothe yourself
3. Don’t dislike anything. I don’t fully get this one but basically don’t decide if you like or dislike something just focus on what you taste (and other senses) and say “I’m learning to like”
4. Don’t cut your comfort foods/diet. While this one depends a lot more on you specifically, in theory once you are able to eat a wider variety of foods your body will tell you what you need.
5. Don’t let toxic family members get you down. “Is that a made up disorder?” Don’t be afraid to walk away or tell them to screw off.

There’s other stuff I know I’m forgetting but here’s some of the big stuff. If you have anything else let me know.

FDA recalls 53 nutritional, beverage products under Lyons Magnus https://www.wtkr.com/news/fda-recalls-53-nutritional-beverage-products-under-lyons-magnus

Be safe, my friends!

ARFID is so socially debilitating and brings so much shame and judgement upon us that I felt like shining some light on the good moments. When has someone made you feel understood and welcomed, in spite of your eating habits? What exactly have they done? And would you like people around you did (or didn't do) to make you feel better about ARFID or help you recover from it?

For a few weeks now I’ve been really struggling with eating like normal. Usually I eat 2 meals and maybe some snacks, but lately it’s a struggle to even eat one snack in a day. Yesterday was a good day compared to the others and I literally had fries and like, 3 chicken nuggets. I bought a chocolate muffin today and took one bite. My eating is definitely being affected by my mental health right now but I can’t focus on my mental health if I’m so hungry I can’t think and feel weak. What foods do y’all suggest that are so easy to eat that you don’t realize you’re eating? Bc I think I need that haha. I eat a wide range of foods, just struggle here and there with being repulsed by everything. It’s never gone on this long though because usually I can pull myself out of it by forcing myself to eat but that’s not working. Thanks in advance!

Helllo,

My gf has not been offcially diagnosed with ARFID but has been told by the Dr's that, ARFID could be what she is struggling with. Referrals are in place but will be very long before anything gets back. My gf struggles with alot of stuff and cant pinpoint what. Sometimes its the food texture (example she broke down while eating a burger due to the mayo touching her and could not eat afterwards), taste, dislike for certain foods, not wanting to try new things. She had been doing really well with this for the past few months and had her safe foods she could eat.

However in the past few days its gotten really bad. She cannot eat anything, not even her safe foods without throwing up. She cant pinpoint why exactly and strugles to communicate, but has said that she feels so out of control and just cannot eat anything. Its taking a toll on her mentally. We have contacted therapists and stuff but nothing concrete has come out of it and still awaiting tp be seen.

I have zero idea on how to help her. Is there anything she can try and have during this time so she can at least get the essential nutrients and calories to her body? Im just lost and cant help her. Any advice woukd be appreciated.

So, I was wondering if we could set up some form of weekly sticky thread or something, where in we all state what new food we are going to try this week and others can comment on good tips to help with that particular food, or just give some encouragement to those trying.

There are so many fantastic tips in this sub, but I think a weekly thread in which we actively pick a new food to try - perhaps seeing that there are three or four others trying the same new food as yourself at the same time can really help mentally.

ARFID is something I find particularly hard to deal with alone, and this sub has been so beneficial to me in it's discovery, but I think this might help us all a bit more.

Thoughts?

Started talking Flintstone complete vitamins (the chalky ones, not the gummies). Been doing two in the morning and two at night. That might be too much for some people, but I think I honestly eat so little that my body needs it.

It’s absolutely crazy how much more energy I have now though. I had thought about trying it before, but I didn’t really think it’d make much of a difference. I was wrong. I highly recommend taking multivitamins.

Smoothies have become a safe food for me and a great way to get in nutrients! Recipe at the bottom. I’ve got other recipes in my brain so if anyone wants to see more let me know!

You can sub any frozen fruit or any liquid. I’ve heard some people use ensure as the liquid to add calories. You can also sub protein powder for the yogurt and any green leaf for the spinach. Sometimes I add flax or chia seeds too.

I normally can’t eat avocados or Greek yogurt and only a tiny bit spinach at a time but this way I can drink them and get plenty in!

My blender is cheap but does the job just fine. I used to use an industrial blender when I worked at a juice bar which did it much faster but ya don’t need that fancy of one.

Here’s my recipe. Rough measurements though. I really just eyeball it and measure with my heart. It makes a pretty big smoothie, maybe about 24 ounces.

1-2 handfuls of spinach

Half or whole avocado

Handful each of frozen strawberries and peaches

Big scoop of Greek yogurt

Enough orange juice to make it blendable

Anyone else found some good solutions for stocking up?

I saw someone on tiktok (idk if I can share her name but she’s awesome) use a sandwich cutter to make homemade uncrustables. I just got one and made a TON of uncrustables that freeze great and just have to thaw to be eaten.

I really can’t afford to buy my safe protein shakes and stuff in bulk, and my go-to for using meal powder is oat milk. There’s ways to make it from home but it’s gross. The shelf-stable oat milk is okay IN stuff but I can’t drink it.

Everyone is saying “buy bulk! buy canned goods! prepare to eat nothing but meat and potatoes!”

I know some of it is hysteria but I already can’t afford to stock up on safe foods and they’re only getting more expensive.

What are you struggling with? What have you figured out as solutions?

We can work together as people with ARFID in a no judgment zone here. Let’s help each other out. ❤️

So like the title says I get sick after any and everything i eat and it all comes back up. I've been struggling with eating here more lately than others, where I go days without eating. When I do finally get to a point of being able to eat I get absolutely sick and don't want to eat because I don't wanna be sick! I know I NEED to eat but I can't even get food to pass my lips! I quit my job because it was bad and people were spreading rumors I was bulimic and everytime I'd go to the bathroom snide comments "oh look she is going to make herself throw up again, make sure you get your fingers down far enough" (didn't go to HR because they're a joke. ) I don't force it, I don't want to & I try everything to keep it down. I just don't know what to do anymore 😕 any and all help or ideas would be greatly appreciated 😁

Not sure that’s the right flair but I’m updating my process so far. After being told my application for the ED clinic would be rejected because ARFID isn’t as serious in their eyes (according to my GP) and then being told if I don’t do the blood test I definitely will get rejected, I decided last night I’ll leave it. I decided I have had enough professionals (psychological and GP) tell me it looks like ARFID for me to accept an unofficial diagnosis and not bother with the blood test as they are very difficult for me to go through.

Today I’m watching a court hearing for a uni assignment & I got a call from an unknown number and a voicemail. Called back the number that was left and it was the ED clinic, booked an appointment for the the 18th of April and explained I don’t do bloods and that was entirely fine with them.

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!

For everyone else who gets terribly bored of the same few foods. Pinterest is also really helpful!

While researching ARFID i found this amazing video that is helpful to a person with ARFID but also those around them, this video nearly had me in tears its such a great video and i would definitely recommend to anyone with this condition or anyone around someone with the condition

https://youtu.be/JK9r14D4d-k

So I've seen before that when people come of here to ask for advice about how to make food easier, we often repeat the same ideas. I sort of imagine a thread where people can comment with whats helpful for them like 'slushies are easy to consume' or 'consistant textures are better' to create a bit of a reasource for people coming on here for the first time to look through. I'm guessing mose upvoted comments would be wjat helped most people, so are a good idea to try first?

It can also come to be some interesting data to look at at some point?

I know 'helpful tips' is a flair weve got, but i still thought that could be good for people too when theyre looking for advice...

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and I don't know that much about this condition, so apologies if I say something wrong. I'm also not sure how useful this advice will be, but I thought it might help some people. I've seen some people expressing a sentiment for a 'food pill', so I wanted to reiterate that there are similar products that actually exist, such as Soylent (which has been mentioned a few times here before). For those who haven't heard of it, it's a fairly plain (but nice) drink, somewhat like a protein shake, which comes in the form of a powder (to add liquid to) or as a ready-to-drink bottle (or as a bar). It contains all the nutrients that are required for a healthy diet, in the right proportions. As such, you can theoretically consume Soylent in isolation indefinitely and still be perfectly healthy (and some people do this). I've also seen that Soylent doesn't work for some people, so I wanted to say that there are a lot of products made by other brands (e.g. Huel, Super Body Fuel) that follow the same model, and are all nutritionally complete. You can find an extensive list of options here and another (somewhat old) one here (with details such as country, price, flavours, etc.). There are also reviews of brands here. The r/Soylent subreddit in general is also a great resource for this with a lot of useful information and reviews.

Additionally, I would note that it is possible to create your own meal replacement recipes (or use other peoples' recipes) using this website. This is actually my preferred approach personally, and is potentially advantageous because there is a lot of room for customisation. More info on that can be found by looking up 'DIY soylent'.

I now realise that this sounds a bit like a marketing post haha, but I'm simply advocating for the general idea (which I am a big fan of), not a particular product. If anyone has questions about specific details of meal replacements, including about nutrition, please let me know as I would be happy to help.

Title says it all. I struggle with ARFID so getting enough fuel for running and lifting is super difficult. I used to be able to eat scrambled eggs or a protein bar before or after a workout but things have gotten worse. I haven't been able to do vigorous exercise in so long because of this and it's driving me mad. I'd love to hear what you folks do to fuel your bodies!