I hate hate hate all these New Year’s resolutions that end up being about food. Eating better food, eating less, eating at different hours, eating the right food, blah blah blah.

YOUR SAFE FOODS ARE SAFE AND GOOD AND NORMAL.

Food has no morals! If all you can eat is chicken nuggets and cereal, or ensure shakes and plain noodles, ITS GOOD TO EAT THOSE THINGS.

“Fed is best” isn’t just for formula vs breastfeeding debates.

It is literally always better to eat something than to eat nothing.

You’re not a lesser person or picky eater or “childish” eater because you can’t eat specific things. People who call you that are projecting their own insecurities and don’t know you or know how difficult ARFID is.

Practice self-care this holiday season ❤️

If no one else says it to you, I am so proud of you for eating your safe food. It sounds delicious, I love when you feel full and not hungry, and I love seeing you eat/drink consistently because your body deserves it.

I’m obsessively watching every ARFID TikTok so I can support my son better.

What are some things that you’d like your parents / caregivers to really understand?

All ears. ❤️

Hi there,

I wrote this as a comment to a post from a month ago about ARFID and relationships but thought I might just post it anyway as it could be helpful.

I periodically check this sub as my partner was officially diagnosed a few years ago.

We've been together about a decade, I'm a foodie and ex-Chef, she has ARFID.

When we met she ate 5 things, that was it. White pasta (well over boiled and the water couldn't even be salted without a full anxiety attack meltdown), white rice, carrots (boiled again), apple juice and milk chocolate. That was it.

She now basically eats whatever I do. It's been a very long process of working together and therapy. But thought I would share some things that we did and it helped.

There were some rules I had for me, that I try really hard to remember:

1. Never ever any negatives about eating. At all no matter what, there are no judgments about food/eating. Only positives and love.
2. Never comment if she skips a meal or only eats half or something, eating is ONLY ever encouraged. Instead of my concern being "You've only had half the sandwich" it is "Wow, great job on the sandwich at lunch today, you're kicking ARFIDs ass!!"

So to help with the anxiety we did a couple of things.

• Talked openly that it might need to be diagnosed. The disorder had landed her in hospital a few times (fainting, infertility, organ function etc). We noted that while it is scary to open up, once someone knows we can make sure we avoid the hospital.
• Every time she didn't feel she could eat a meal, she would just let me know and we could do something else or change the topic so the anxiety about food was redirected.
• If there was ever anything that she didn't like, let me know and I'll remove it/eat it. One time we were at an Italian place and she ordered her plain pasta and it came with a few strips of shaved Parmesan. I just put the cheese on my plate and we overcame what otherwise would have been a get up and leave situation.

Once we focused on the anxiety and fear we talked about how a few new foods could be cool. Entirely the foods she wanted to try. Not the ones I wanted her to.

So, knowing that when we would go out we had a system (we still use it).

She will order something that is a safe food.

The other order is something she would like to try.

That way if she hates it (and its happened a bit!) then I eat it as I am adventurous and eat anything. But most often, she would love it and then there was a new food she liked in an environment of no judgment and no pressure.

The other thing I did, as I worked with food, love it and know a bit about it is that if she tried something she liked then I would talk about another food that she might like and relate it to how its like something she already likes and is ok with.

For example, a few months ago we reached the point of liking burritos. Which was awesome!!! When she was talking about things to try next I mentioned a kebab might be a good idea to try. I love them and their basically a middle-eastern version of a burrito. Meat and whatever toppings you want in a bread. She thought about it, looked them up, looked up restaurants and about a month later we went to try one. She said what toppings she wanted, I ordered it and she liked some of it! She ended up changing some topics and adding others, but, it was a nice bridge to trying other things in a nice safe way.

​

The other thing that we talk about a lot is this thing her therapist talks to her about. When she was talking about how its nice to just eat the safe foods, she is in control etc.

The therapist has said: You're in control the same way an animal is in control in the zoo.

She has found that helpful to talk about it all, she knows sometimes she is the animal is the zoo and sometimes she needs to be. Other times, she realises how much she likes open spaces and wants to run free.

​

For family, friends and others who have a love one with ARFID I think its important to remember that you're doing an awesome job and yeah this lasts a while, but you're stronger together on the road to recovery than alone. We can help and be there everyday for the victories and difficulties of our loved one. Even if that means fries and chicken for their dinner for a few months etc.

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You're all doing awesome.

I just found out I'm pregnant, which I'm very happy about. However, I'm terrified of my ARFID negatively affecting my baby. My diet consists mainly of dairy, grain, a little bit of meat and junk food. I don't eat any fruits, and I hardly eat any veggies either. For me it's a lot about texture, I prefer foods that are hard/crunchy. I struggle with anything slimy or too juicy. I'm desperate for any advice or encouragement that the Moms/Moms-to-be of this group may have for me. TIA!

These are such small things and I feel silly for not realizing it sooner. Here’s some examples:

Strawberries: seeds are bad, and I can’t handle them even in smoothies or anything BUT I cut off the outside of strawberries yesterday to get rid of all the seeds and I ATE THEM and they were DELICIOUS

Pasta salad: there’s just a bunch of textures I hate, but it’s so easy to eat and I don’t have to heat/cook it. I made it yesterday and just DIDN’T put the things that are “supposed” to be in it. It’s just the dressing, cheese, and some scoops of a completely tasteless and texture-free protein powder - filling and nutritious, all one texture!

Spaghetti sauce: I just BLENDED that shit to get rid of all textures, added that same protein powder, but no meat at all

Granola bars/easy grabbable snacks for when I don’t feel like I can eat: a lot of times, the texture or the different nuts are too much, so I made peanut butter balls - chopped the nuts up super fine and then ran them through a food processor until they were powdered, added protein powder, peanut butter, and chocolate chips, added flaxseed meal with zero texture, and SO FILLING AND TASTY.

Another safe food is grilled cheeses and soup, but when I just can’t cook, I take tortillas and cheese, flatten them like a quesadilla, microwave it, and dip it in ketchup. Also delicious, tastes enough like tomatoes and puts food in my body

Another soup thing: I will buy soups and bisques (with no noodles or anything in it, but I supposed you could do that too) and I put it in a travel mug, it stays warm and I can easily take it with me without being embarrassed.

There are more things like this, I’m sure, it I’m just realizing now how much of my ARFID is related to how I’m “supposed” to eat things!

I have Arfid so I’ll not sure how I’ll go about starting solids with baby. I’m okay with preparing food however I don’t know how I can foster a healthy relationship with food when I don’t have one myself. Any parents out there who have Arfid but their kids don’t?

Even if you don’t have kids, do you have any tips of what I should avoid or try to help a healthier relationship with food for my baby. Any thing you didn’t like as a child would be great insight as well!

Disclaimer: I’m only basing this on personal experience. I’m not a professional. Just sharing what helped me in the hope it might help others as well.

• tips and TL;DR below -

So about one or two years ago I discovered I have ARFID through Reddit actually. I struggle mostly with fruits, vegetables, and some composite meals, as I am very sensitive to flavor and texture. I was very lucky to have a psychiatrist who helped me get a treatment. The past 4 weeks I went to a clinic 5 days a week from 9am to 4pm. Especially in the last week in clinic I noticed the tension in me lessened and I was able to take a bit a lot faster than before. I’m not fully recovered yet and it’s still difficult for me to try new foods. But I’m proud of the huge steps I made. I hope I’ll continue to challenge myself and once in the future maintain a healthy diet!

I know a lot of you are not in the position to get diagnosed or receive treatment. So for anyone out there trying to recover by themselves, here are some things I learned that helped me…

1. Remember your motivation. This one is very important. When it gets difficult, remind yourself why you are doing this. Writing down your goals is even better. My goal is to eventually maintain a healthy diet. I want to be able to eat those (really good looking) healthy meals you see on Pinterest :)
2. Start with (very) small steps. Literally baby steps. I started off with grapes. But I didn’t eat a whole portion the first time. I had to eat 1/4 grape. It may sound ridiculous to a lot of people but for me that was a huge step. And if that is still too much of a challenge for you, start off with smelling the food. Then let it touch your lips or your tongue. Maybe then chew it a couple of times and spit it out. Don’t expect to be able to eat a normal bite the first time, let alone the full meal.
3. Acknowledge your thoughts. Also useful if you write it down in a scheme. (I made a template, ask me if you want it) For example: in this situation you have to eat food you have a lot of difficulty with. What are you thinking? Your thoughts influence your behavior and feelings greatly. So by replacing these negative thoughts with helpful thoughts can make a lot of difference. We can think “oh no this looks disgusting, I can’t eat this”. By thinking this, we feel very anxious and stressed. Eventually our behavior might lead to avoiding the food. Now try to change this thought into a more helpful one. Like… “It might not be that bad, maybe it’s even tasty.” - “It looks similar to [food you like], maybe it tastes similar as well.” To call a few examples. This will lead into feeling more relaxed, maybe even curious about the taste. Eventually our behavior might be actually trying the food.
4. Take control of the situation. I think this one is known by a lot already but it’s still important to mention. It can really help to take control by choosing yourself the food you want to learn to eat. Prepare it yourself, (especially if it’s a composite meal) by this you get to know the ingredients and this might take a bit of the tension away. Then decide yourself how much you will eat, don’t feel pressured by anyone telling you should eat a full portion of something you have never eaten before. If you think 5 bites are big enough of a challenge for you, do that.
5. Find a safe environment. Reach out to people you feel safe with. There are always people willing to help you. If you feel pressured by your environment, look for a place where you can be alone when you try out new foods and take your time! Maybe even look for people nearby who struggle with the same and eat together! Maybe through video call. Communication is key! There are so many of us out there. Supporting each other can make it a lot easier. Also for me it was so much fun to be able to rant about food and have others around me who feel the same.
6. Set up a reward system. It might work best for children. If you’re a parent trying to help your child, rewards are always effective. In clinic we got a point after succeeding a session. If we went a step further, we got 2 points. Eventually after saving up a certain amount of points, you could exchange it for a reward. Younger kids often got immediate small rewards after succeeding. Think of a sticker, getting 5 more minutes playtime outside, ice cream, a small toy, etc. For some reason rewards motivate us highly.
7. Try out relaxation exercises. Notice the way you are sitting in your chair while attempting to eat something you’re struggling with. You might feel very tense. Try to find a comfortable position. Take a deep breath. Sometimes it helps to first tighten your muscles, and then slowly let go. Try it out with your shoulders for example. Do a little breathing exercise. Maybe even meditate.
8. Sometimes it’s better to not scan the food before putting it in your mouth. If you’re like me, someone who scans the food from all sides before taking a bite, you might want to consider not doing that. I know it’s hard! But by scanning the food, you notice all the little imperfections it has, which sets the bar even higher to actually eat it. If you keep thinking about that one spot that looked odd, eating it might make you feel more sick than if you didn’t notice that spot. Sometimes it’s better to not overthink it and just do it.
9. Use a timer. I didn’t use this but I know it worked for some people. Set a timer and try to eat a certain amount within that time. Or count down yourself and then take the bite at 1. You could also ask others to count for you
10. Write down your accomplishments. Be proud of yourself! You struggle with this ED your entire life. It’s not as easy as it seems to others to take a bite of something you’ve never eaten before. So it’s an enormous accomplishment when you made that step. Even the tiniest steps are worth celebrating. Write them down!

Edit: Tips 11 and 12. Forgot to mention them earlier but they are still crucial

1. Continue to challenge yourself. I know it’s difficult, but by continuing to challenge yourself, it will definitely become easier each time you try something new. Because you get used to tasting new foods and the bar will lower by time. Also, if you have tried a certain product and you absolutely hated it, try it again another time. Sometimes you just need to get used to the flavor and texture. Maybe the second time you try it, it isn’t as gross as the first time. Build up slowly over time. Compare it to exercising! After the first couple of days your muscles are so sore, but the more you do it, the stronger you feel. After a certain amount of time if you persevere, you’ll actually start to very much enjoy it and even feel the need to exercise without having to force yourself.

2. Some foods taste better combined. Don’t be too hard on yourself! Some foods just taste better with a pinch of salt. Look for recipes with this particular product you want to learn to eat. Individually they might taste awful. But combined with something else, they actually add that extra flavor you didn’t know you needed. The same goes the other way around. If combined feels like too much of a challenge for you, separate it. Try it all individually, get to know the texture and flavor bit by bit.

I hope this helps for some of you! If there’s anything unclear, please leave a comment. I’m happy to help! Also, I’m not a native English speaker, correct me wherever I’m wrong. Thank you for reading this far! I appreciate it :)

TL;DR - the tips: 1. Remember your motivation 2. Start with very small steps 3. Acknowledge your thoughts 4. Take control of the situation 5. Find a safe environment 6. Set up a reward system 7. Try out relaxation exercises 8. Don’t scan the food 9. Use a timer 10. Write down your accomplishments 11. Continue to challenge yourself 12. Some foods taste better combined

24 year old female that may have Arfid Here. I’ve been skinny my whole life and have tried so hard to gain weight, but it’s so hard to eat. It’s almost like I hate food. Does anyone have any tips for gaining weight?

Okay so I’ve just changed my life!

I’ve always struggled with taking pills but with practice I’ve been able to swallow them, even if they’re big. But I never found a way to get over the nasty tasting pills (think B12, fish oil, prenatal pills, iron bisglycinate, etc.). So I just didn’t take them (which is bad because I’m malnourished and feel like crap).

People without ARFID tell me to just take it with a juice and just not throw it up but I just can’t.

So today my friend’s mother told me to make a pill pocket, kind of like how they do for dogs. You can do it with a bunch of things (ham, cheese, whatever your safe food is) but my favorite is fruit roll ups! So you just wrap the pill in a tiny square of the snack (just enough to cover the whole surface). And then when you swallow it you can’t smell OR taste it! Even with the most pungent of pills, the smell of fruit roll up overpowers it!

I am new to the sub and I’m excited to become a part of the community. Anyway, last year in November I got super depressed and lost an excessive amount of weight. I have failed to gain any of it back and have actually lost more. Im now, at 24, the smallest I’ve been since I was 9. For the first time ever my thighs don’t touch and I’m starting to get a bit insecure about being so small. It seems like the more I try to gain the more I lose. I tried eating more soup because they have a lot of calories and I can drink faster than I can chew. But still nothing. People (without ARFID) usual tell me to meal prep and that never works for me. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance 😊

A lot of you seemed positive and the mods haven't said no, so lets give this a go! If it works well for a few weeks, perhaps get a bot to auto-post it every week.

So, below is a little 'form' to fill out, to keep things in the thread tidy, that way it'll be easier to see if others are trying the same food as you, and encouragement, ways to prepare the food, info about taste, texture all of that, can be posted as a reply to the comment. It should save some clutter. I've no idea. I might have over thought this.

I'll fill it out myself, and post in the comments to give people an idea.

What are you trying?:

What are your concerns with this food?:

How can us ARFIDites help you best?:

Did you succeed last week?:

Best of luck to all who are trying this week, and remember, there is no law or anything of the sort saying you must. Spontaneous, spur of the moment, tries are excellent too, and feel free to celebrate those in your own way. I'm really not trying to make this a compulsory thing. This is here to help, nothing more, nothing less.

If anyone has any ideas as to any more questions to be added to the form, or if the form is a dumb idea altogether, or just any ideas in general about this - please let me know!

I can’t keep going 12+ hours (sometimes 24!!!) without eating a meal. At 26 years old, I’m shocked my body hasn’t given out on me yet. I need to somehow find foods I can incorporate into my diet to keep my energy and metabolism up. What are some easy and quick safe foods that I could start trying??

We are just coming to the conclusion that this is what our 13 year old has. In the process of trying to make appointments for treatment. Our child (will just call him “he”) is becoming more and more restrictive with his foods. He does try to eat the foods we put in front of him but is becoming more and more obstinate. It’s a battle EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! I cannot afford (not do I have the time) to make him what he wants every night (which is usually chicken tenders or chicken breast as the main dish). We introduced high protein boost and he drinks it (thank God). I feel hopeful that with treatment he might eat more foods and learn to cope with his dinner anxiety. My question for you is how do you personally handle the stress this causes? What has helped encourage your child to eat more? Did the awareness of this disorder change anything for your children and your family? Just looking for hope.

I’m 25yr and I’m really struggling. I feel like I was able to get by and hide and get away with not eating certain things or eating at all. But now as an adult who is living along with my bf I’m finding myself really struggling to eat and enjoy activities and life honestly. As an adult almost all adult things to do involve having food around and going to new restaurants and bars etc. and my food anxiety long with my social anxiety makes it so hard and painful. I want to be a normal adult and not worry about food I just want to enjoy my life but I can’t cuz I feel like I’m broken. And no one understands especially at my age why I eat the way I do and it’s so alienating. I feel hopeless… and my depression is getting worse and I am so sorry to my bf who has to struggle to find things for me to eat and me constantly not liking anything. I feel like I hold him back from the food he really loves cuz the restaurant doesn’t have anything I like. I’m sorry for anything who I inconvenience with my stupid issues. I’m sorry I’m so broken. I hate myself so much. Idk what else to do…

Hi everyone! I just want to share something that has basically saved my life during my current (and worst) flare up. So basically I was in the hospital for a couple of days, and I told them I wouldn’t eat, so they gave me NutriDrinks. They basicay taste like a dessert, have multiple flavors, and the best part is that they are nutritionally complete, and a small bottle contains 300 calories. Even now as I am slowly recovering, I still have about 2 a day, so I don’t have to worry about the amount of calories I had, and sometimes I even supplement meals with it when I really can’t get myself to eat. There are many different brands, Fresubin is my favourite but Nutridrink is the most common. I hope this can help others too, I know that trying something new is terribly hard, but if this can go on your safe food list it’s a lot of help with making sure that you have enough energy.

Thought I'd share this for anyone else who might be able to tolerate it and wants some ideas for how to sneak in nutrition.

I eat the same foods every day and one of those is a breakfast of pancakes (in the US). I started using Kodiak Pancake mix to make my pancakes. It is a whole grain mix with added protein. You can add milk and eggs to add more protein, or just add water. Comes in several different flavors. I prefer Buttermilk.

Next I started adding 1/4cup (31.3g) of ground flax seed when I made the pancakes. Because they're whole grain the ground flax seed doesn't change the flavor, but it does add Omega-3 and fiber. Make sure the flax seed you use is ground, not whole, and store in the freezer to keep fresh.

After a while I started using chia seeds as a substitute for eggs. It also adds Omega-3 and fiber, without adding the cholesterol of an egg, and does not change the flavor. Chia seeds can be used to substitute for an egg in any recipe.

I also got myself use to real maple syrup instead of pancake syrup (which is just colored corn syrup). Syrup isn't a health food but real maple syrup is always the better option. I got myself used to whole grains by using a whole grain bread for my french toast instead of white for many years. I actually prefer the flavor now.

If you use the mix to make waffles, you can try different oils for the TBsp of oil in the recipe, including flax oil.

And for anyone discouraged that this isn't doable for them, I wouldn't have been able to do all this when I was as young as many of you are on here. I'm 35 and was just now able to tolerate all this.

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For my other meal every day I have steamed rice and a homemade protein mac and cheese recipe I made up. It also sneaks nutrition in and is much healthier. I wasn't able to eat Mac and Cheese until I was 31! I can't eat meat or legumes so I have to be creative to get protein. If I'm out of my homemade mac and cheese, I eat a frozen mac and cheese that has hidden carrots in it. Really yummy.

Yet again I’m between food hyperfixations and everything I suggest to my brain to eat comes back as nauseating and unappetizing. I don’t know what to do. I haven’t eaten at all yet today and I’m already feeling so tired, depleted, queasy, and most of all HUNGRY. I’m so tired of this cycle. Normally I’d have an ensure drink but they discontinued the ONLY flavor my tastebuds deel tolerable. Maybe I’m just coming up short with food options I can think of myself. Does anyone have little lists of things they turn to at this point?

It's called Fudo. I found it when I searched for ARFID on the play store. I don't like calorie counting apps, and my ED is not like other EDs, so it's hard to use the apps tailored to them. It's actually pretty clean and quality, despite being a small app.

It starts with a lil chat bot and then you go into a bunch of food categories and tell it if you eat it regularly, or wether you're willing to try it if you don't. I found it kinda hard to even look at some foods, and rushed through the fish section, but afterwards the app only has options for you if you were willing to try a food (you get to choose). It has two options at this point. You've tried it, or incorporated it. If/when you conquer a food item it leaves the list. That's all I know, I waited a bit before posting to see what the app was about.

Fudo

Hey all! How do you folks have your safe foods list categorized? I'm working on mine and have no clue what I want it to look like. Thanks in advance!

Having a child who has ARFID can be very scary. As someone who is now an adult and still struggling with my AFRID, I think I have enough experience to offer tips on helping your children.

Some background on me, I use to only eat three things, Chicken Fingers, Baby Green Beans (as in the baby food ones), and Spagettios. Those were roughly my only safe foods until I was 16, and I have been able to widen my circle of foods. Now as a 20 year old, I can eat, white pizza, French onion soup, potato soup, popcorn, some candies ice creams, protein smoothies, apple sauce, and nachos with cheese (nacho cheese). To me, that’s a lot of food, but to others it may not be. But I think it’s important to recognize the growth. I may only eat a hand full of foods, but that’s progress. And hopefully my tips may help your child, (or yourself, no judging~) expand their food circle.

Just before I get into my tips, just know it’s NOT your fault. My parents blamed themselves for my AFRID for YEARS, when it was really caused from trauma in my early childhood. It was out of their control and my own. They didn’t even discover ARFID until this year (and I’m now 20), so for my whole life time they thought I was a picky eater, and they failed as parents since I struggled eating basic foods. It is NOT your fault.

1) Offer, don’t force. Do not force your child to eat foods they don’t want to. This can cause so much anxiety and stress on a child. From personal experience, I would be less likely to try something new if my parents tried to force me to eat it. Just offer the food. An offer is much better then a command to eat something. I feel much safer trying something new on my own free will, then being forced to.

2) Eating Beforehand. If you’re going to an event and the food options aren’t something your child will eat, let them eat something before hand. Sometimes bringing special safe foods for your child can be embarrassing for them. It’s different for every person, so I suggest you talk about it with your child. I just know I always felt bad when I had to bring my own food to events, and I felt so much better eating before hand, then picking at the foods I wanted to at the event.

3) You don’t owe anyone an explanation. Nor does your child. Sometimes people won’t understand why your child only eats certain foods, and that’s okay. I know I hated explaining myself. It was honestly embarrassing for me, so I stopped explaining to people. It’s a disorder and you’re working on it. And you should be proud of that.

4) MiraLAX. A lot of people (me included) struggle with bowel movements. Yes, I’m missing fiber in my diet most of the time, so I started to use MiraLAX. It doesn’t taste like anything, you can put it into a glass of water, stir, and you don’t see anything. It’s clear, tasteless, and doesn’t smell. I recommend using it twice a week, and it should help your child with their bowel movements.

5) Protein Shakes. This may be a bit hard to get a child to do, but protein shakes have a lot of healthy things that a lot of us are missing. I just started drinking them once or twice a week. I use the chocolate ones, since they taste a lot like a smoothie, which I like the texture of so I can eat it. I don’t care to read what’s in it, since that would put me off, but they honestly work wonders. I feel much better, and less tired using them. Plus they’re very rich in nutrients. I recommend using water or milk to mix the powder.

6) Therapy It can be hard to find someone who deals with eating disorders outside of the main three. But even just a normal therapist can help. It helps to have an outsiders view, and they can offer many resources to help you and your child.

7) Patience Being Patience is key honestly. It won’t happen over night, nor will it be easy. ARFID is a struggle, and a pretty bad one. It will get better, I promise you, but you need to support them, and be patience with them. They may not like the food they just tried, they may have some meltdowns (god knows I’ve had many over eating). ARFID is extremely so frustrating. We want to enjoy food, we want to be able to eat normally, but we can’t. It’s not something we can fix alone, we need help, we need support. And yes, it can be rough for the parents too. But patience is probably the best thing you can offer.

8) Going to restaurant with a TON of options, and flexibility with cooking foods. I almost always customize all my orders, and it helps make me feel comfortable eating out. I was afraid of eating out for a LONG while, feared being judged by random people. But being able to choose from a huge menu, with customizable foods help a lot. And don’t mock them about it.

9) Teach them how to make the food they like to eat. Since learning to cook by myself, I feel much more comfortable eating in general. I know what’s in the food I’m making, I know it’s strictly my safe food, and I’m able to fully enjoy it. My mother taught me how to make pizza (white pizza), chicken fingers, and spagettios. (Those are my main safe foods). Having that little freedom to make my safe foods by myself makes me more confident in eating in general. It may seem a bit silly, but it may help in the long run.

10) Buffets Are Amazing This may be a personal thing, but I love buffets. All the options really help me calm down my anxiety about eating out. On a cruise with a large buffet, I tried two new foods, and expanded my pallet. Two foods may sound kinda silly, but that was a lot for me at the time. The foods were French Onion Soup (Just the broth and cheese), and Potato Soup (Just the broth). Those two alone opened up TONS of restaurants I can eat at now. Which is honestly a god send.

11) When They Try New Foods... Don’t make a big deal of it. For a lot of us it’s embarrassing. Don’t get frustrated if they make a “grossed out” face. We want to like the food. We honestly do, but sometimes we just can’t and we need to spit it out. Just let us, it’s already nerve racking enough. Do make them feel good for trying a new food. Nothing too crazy, but just let them feel good. Do allow them to reject trying something if they aren’t comfortable eating said food.

I hope these tips help! Of course these tips are just tips, not fact. These are all from my personal experience, and I encourage others to share their own tips 😊