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When you’re recovering from an eating disorder or healing after years of dieting and restriction, your body and mind begin to restore in ways that are both powerful and, at times, uncomfortable. Physical changes-like shifts in weight, shape, or muscle tone-are not random or “out of control.” They are signs that your body is receiving consistent…
Have you ever caught yourself staring in the mirror, feeling unsure or critical about a part of your appearance? You’re certainly not alone. Most of us know what it’s like to feel uncomfortable with how we look at times. For some, though, these self-critical thoughts move beyond occasional worries and start to take over daily…
A diagnosis of Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) can be overwhelming for an individual and their caregivers. Since ARFID has only recently gained wider recognition and is a less well known eating disorder, it is understandable to have questions about what this diagnosis means and what treatment might look like. We are going through the main four…
While working to heal your relationship with food and body, social eating experiences can feel incredibly difficult to navigate. From added social pressure to uncertainty about food options, there are many factors that can make eating with others feel overwhelming. If you’ve ever felt anxious before a dinner out, avoided events because of food, or…
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) affects how people experience food, often limiting them to a small selection of “safe” foods that feel manageable to eat. If you or someone you care about is navigating ARFID, you already know that expanding food variety isn’t as simple as “just try new things.” The sensory sensitivities, fear of adverse…
If you or someone you love struggles with an extremely limited diet, you have probably wondered whether it is picky eating or something more serious. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or ARFID, affects children, adolescents, and adults, and it is far more complex than simply being a “picky eater.” Without proper treatment, ARFID can lead to significant medical complications, including malnutrition,…
We’ve touched on unconditional permission before when we’ve chatted about why “cheat days” are problematic, but we wanted to give you some concrete steps to get there. When we give ourselves full permission to eat all foods, we eliminate that “forbidden fruit” factor, thus enabling us to have a much more fluid, relaxed relationship with food.
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, commonly known as ARFID, is a serious eating condition that goes far beyond picky eating. Unlike other eating disorders, ARFID is not driven by body image concerns or a desire to lose weight. Instead, it involves avoidance or restriction of food intake due to sensory sensitivities, fear of negative consequences, or…
Many kids tend to be fussy or picky eaters and avoid certain foods because of taste or texture preference. As parents and clinicians, it can be hard to distinguish between picky eating and an eating disorder that requires treatment such as Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder or ARFID. Knowing how to distinguish picky eating from something more severe…
If your child consistently refuses meals, gags at the sight of certain foods, or seems anxious at the dinner table, you might have chalked it up to picky eating. But for some children, these behaviors go far deeper, and they have a name: ARFID, or Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. ARFID is a recognized eating disorder characterized by persistent…
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