Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well! During my winter break, I tried some foods, and while some of those foods weren’t entirely new, it wasn’t easy for me. This inspired me to write about how to prepare to try something new. One thing I like to do is connect the food to something I already like. For example, my dad made mashed potatoes. I love French fries, so I told myself “It’s not as scary to try this, because it probably tastes similar to French fries!”. So, I was able to try the mashed potatoes, and I liked the taste! I wasn’t a big fan of the texture, but I was proud of myself for trying something new! Hopefully this helps the next time you or your loved one is nervous to try something! Have a great week!

​Hi everyone! If you’re on winter break, I hope you’re having a great one! I am about to head home from a vacation that I’ve had with my entire family on my dad’s side! You may be wondering how that relates to ARFID. Well, before this trip, I never really appreciated meals in a way that I do now. I always knew that meals were a great time to talk, but I realized that it’s a great time to get to know people and form or strengthen bonds. In a way, being forced to be with everyone forces you to push yourself to be more social, and I really enjoyed the meals on this trip. Sure, the food was mostly good, but the thing I loved about the meals is that I spent over half an hour just laughing, smiling, listening and sharing stories. Before this trip, I didn’t have a super close bond with my grandpa, but these meals pulled us together, and I really feel like our relationship improved drastically. I have always been super close to my grandma, and spending time on the balcony, eating ice cream together and talking about her favorite presidents (she loves history) was one of the highlights of my vacation. It was really special. I know it can be hard to enjoy meals if you’re not enjoying what is on your plate, but if you’re okay with what you are eating, I invite you to be more social, if you aren’t as social as you normally are. It can even distract you from a meal you don’t love!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy whatever holidays you do or don’t celebrate! Happy holidays! 

​Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well! Thanksgiving is coming up, and I wanted to give out some tips for how to manage thanksgiving stress, because no other holiday is more about food than thanksgiving!

The first tip is to sit closer to the head of the table! If you sit at the middle of the table, you may feel more overwhelmed, so I like to sit further away because it gives me more space. 

The next tip is to put napkins or earplugs in your ears. For me, too much stimulation, especially sound stimulation, can make it harder for me to eat. So, I like to put napkins in my ears so the chatter isn’t as loud. You can use earplugs, but they’re more noticeable.

The last tip is to sit next to someone that comforts you. This can help you feel less stressed out, because somebody is there for you.

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Have a happy thanksgiving! 

Hi everyone! It’s been a bit since I posted on the Ask Arfid website, but I’ve been making posts over on the @askarfid instagram page that I hope you like. Anyway, I was on a trip a few days ago, and I really didn’t want to eat the lunch. Nothing was wrong with it, I just didn’t want to eat because I had a stress afternoon ahead of me. When I get stressed, it’s harder for me to eat. But, my therapist recommended a strategy a few months ago that I wanted to share with you, because it has helped me so much. 

So, if you feel like you can’t eat, remove yourself from the table, and sit somewhere else for two minutes. Then, visualize something truly relaxing. Maybe it’s a nice warm day at the beach, or you’re going skiing with your family. Or, maybe you’re just watching your favorite tv show. Either way, try to really think about the small details. Then, open your eyes after a minute or two of doing that, and you will probably be more comfortable eating your food. 

I hope this tip helps you as much as it has helped me! Have a great day!

​Hi everyone! Today, I wanted to talk about school lunches and snacks. School is stressful for almost everyone, and it can be even more stressful if you have ARFID. When I’m stressed, it’s harder for me to eat, so I don’t really try new foods during school. Instead, I try foods during the weekends or after school! This year, I increased the amount of food that I eat during lunch, and it wasn’t easy, but I figured out a way to help myself push through it. Last year, I ate the same lunch, with the only exception being that I switched my z-bar flavor every day, but this year, I went to the grocery store, and I found a lot of new options that have made eating lunch better! There were a few of flavors and foods that I  wasn’t a fan of, but there were even more ones that I did like! Anyway, I just wanted to update you guys on what my life has been like, and I hope this post helps! Have a great day!

​Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a wonderful, healthy week. I wanted to post an update about my nutrition. I’ve been recovering for more than 4 years, and one of the most common obstacles in my recovery are weight-related problems. I really want to gain weight, but it’s hard. I try to push myself and eat more each day, but it’s not easy, so my amazing dietician recommended that I change something in my diet. I normally have an extra pediasure every day to have some extra protein and calories, but my dietician said that I should be taking ensures instead. I was scared at first, but when I opened the bottle, it smelled just like the pediasure version! I was thrilled. More calories and protein with the same taste? It seemed too good to be true. Well, it actually was. When I had my first sip, I noticed that the ensure was much thicker than the pediasures. I was panicking, but then I added some water, and it solved my problem. Even though I was able to make the ensure better, it’s pretty common for me to not persevere and find a way to tolerate what I’m eating. However, I’m very proud of myself for finding a way to be healthy and push through. Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. Today, I didn’t want to write a research roundup. I just wanted to talk about some ARFID-related things that happened to me this week. 


I was watching TV yesterday, and in one of the scenes, a patient had a feeding tube. This may not seem like a big deal to most people, but it really triggered me. One of the scariest moments of my life was when I had to get a feeding tube in the hospital when I was being treated for ARFID, and I still get overwhelmed when I see or hear things relating to feeding tubes. I feel nauseated just writing this, but it’s important for me to do. It’s healing for me, in an odd way. Anyway, I almost had a panic attack just from one frame in a show, but that’s how it is sometimes. 


When that happened, my family supported me and completely understood what I was going through. I skipped the scenes in that episode, but all of those traumatic memories of mine were still overwhelming me. Anyway, I just wanted to share that story, and I hope you have a fantastic week!

Hi everyone! Today, I have another research roundup, with some brand new amazing research! 

A brand research paper was just published, and the topic is very interesting. This paper talks about the correlation between ARFID patients in PHP and the amount and types of sleep disturbances they experience. When I was in PHP, I definitely had my fair share of sleep issues, like staying asleep, falling asleep, and nightmares. I guess I wasn’t alone, because this new article shows that more than 75% of parents said that their children experience some kind of disturbance in their sleep. 

Please check it out, I would highly recommend reading it. Have a great day!

https://www.cureus.com/articles/98403-sleep-and-avoidant-restrictive-food-intake-disorder-arfid-correlation-with-psychopathology-gender-and-academic-performance
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