My daughter only eats pizza. AMA

[IThinkILikeThisLittleLight]

She has ARFID

Posting to give some insight into what life with ARFID is like

My question wasn't meant to be a dig, it was a genuine query as to what safe foods would have been years ago as I assume people with this condition have existed well before convenience foods were a thing.

I'm really not sure, her friendship group is so eclectic and the girls are so lovely that I'd like to think they would still be friends but I know from personal experience that people treat tou very differently based on your body size.

I guess I’m coming from a perspective of NT and liking healthy food. I have an aversion to junky processed food. Also microwaved.

If I were to develop ARFID my safe foods would definitely be natural.

Yeah that's true! I just got a fiver voucher for complaining about my fries that were somehow simultaneously soggy and hard.

This is horrendous. I really feel for you OP.

What if there's no pizza? What would she eat? Like, if there is a situation that there is no pizza but other food available?

I don't think anyone mistook it as a dig?

A few people answered, just simple foods

Nothing more ick that the texture of McDonalds anyway, it doesn’t even feel like real food.

You would be extremely blessed! It's not a choice. Of course my daughter would rather sit and eat a hearty beef stew with her family than have pizza for the 800th time in a row, she simply can't.

@Datapup - you can almost guarantee things not looking, smelling or tasting different by buying particular brands of food that your child can tolerate and making them at home. We used to time toast in the toaster to get the correct color and only use a particular bread for my son.

Also, OP, try to cut down on the pepperoni - its really bad, horrid stuff, your DD should not eat it every day.

We had this on holiday. She ate chips and pan au chocolate and was quite fed up all week. We took her to mcdonalds but it tasted 'funny' so she wouldn't eat there.

I assume it was the change in scenery rather than the food as it tasted the same to me.

You are not understanding here. It’s not a rational thing. We aren’t going “well I know I can’t eat these foods so I’m going to make sure I can only eat healthy foods”. It doesn’t work like that. I can’t eat pizza. I can’t eat cake. That doesn’t mean I’m also scoffing broccoli and carrots.

It's the only protein source she gets and her GP had said she should eat as much of it as she likes, whenever she likes!

:)

It must be such hard going to have ARFID, and be a parent of a child with it.

Ignorant question, but do things improve if the person is less anxious or stressed in general?

And, is there ever times in older children where "if I eat that I'll be sick" can be helped - eg "OK, I guess you might feel sick, or even be sick, but you're at home in private and whilst it's horrible to throw up you will be ok"?

🤦‍♀️

I’m not in the uk so I can’t speak to availability there for certain, but have you looked for a vitamin to swallow. Our brick and mortar stores only have gummy vitamins, but I am able to get vitamins dd can just swallow on Amazon. Makes a world of difference.

also arfid and ASD, she taught herself to swallow pills by age 5 because she hates liquid medication and gummy so much.

What about drinks? Any more variety there?
( I’m learning a lot tonight, not a condition I know anything about)

Also responses like this are the reason I started this post.

If posters with views like this read about my daughter and take 5 minutes to do some research on ARFID I think it would really help.

People used to misunderstand anorexia and bulimia the same way years ago. It's all about exposure and education

assume it was the change in scenery rather than the food as it tasted the same to me

I wouldn’t put money on that. It could have just been down to the food being cooked in a different oil. My son has the most amazing tastebuds 😝 and his sense of smell was at sniffer dog level. He could go into my spotlessly clean kitchen and be heaving from the door. No one else could smell anything but he could.

What have you done to encourage her to increase her safe foods? What has been most/least helpful?

She drinks water. Apple juice, but it has to be the small individual cartons with a straw.
No squash.

She also likes diet coke which I'm not mad about but when she's out with friends she buys that and drinks that whilst people are eating.

Op my dc says different environments make the food taste different because the different environments all have different smells. I mean it does make sense.

My teenage son is like this and recently diagnosed asc adhd, I always thought he would grow out if it eventually , his foods have got narrower over the years.

I’ve always had some quirks around my food and a lot of very repetitive eating, but over the last four years or so I have found myself eating the same thing every day for breakfast and dinner and a very small range of things for lunch. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to go mad with it and try to make myself eat something else, but then I wish I’d had my usual meal and so step outside my routine less and less. This has coincided with a stressful time.

I’m only just learning about afrid,. I presumed I’d just stop doing this at some point. My question is as an adult- Does it matter? I’m healthy atm

sorry don’t mean to make it all about me! Great thread

Solidarity.

I had what I now recognise as ARFID as a kid. Food that wasn't made by my mum would give me panic attacks, as in full body shakes and vomiting and sweating.

Eating at other people's homes was out. My entire diet was chips and beans and bread, with the odd banana thrown in and occasionally some homemade stew (the only veggies I would eat!). If I was going to a restaurant with family, I would struggle to sleep the night before. Same with sleepovers and seeing family, if they weren't briefed and would expect me to eat I would break down entirely.

I am NT and still don't know how this happened with food (mum said I would not wean until 14mo and would live off of cows milk).

The turning point for me was getting into a relationship and realising I couldn't get out of going on dates to restaurants without potentially losing out on romantic opportunities. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I went from one extreme to another and became a more adventurous eater than my partner. The voice of fear is still there but I'm louder than it is now. I really hope your daughter gets there 💛

Does she eat crisps, chocolate or sweets?

I had a very restrictive diet as a child, lots of foods that made me gag and my safe foods were bread (toast), chips, crisps and chocolate.

I did slowly try new foods as I got older, it took a lot of effort and pushing myself.

I still don't eat that well tbh though, I've always stayed a healthy weight and <touch wood> am rarely ill.