ARFID: When picky eating becomes dangerous.
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Most children would choose a Happy Meal over a healthy one if given a choice. Most adults probably would too. Our favourite foods would also be the most nutritious in an ideal world. However, the reality is that most people struggle to eat a varied diet that includes the entire alphabet of vitamins and minerals and instead choose quick, easy, and often beige foods.
But when does picky eating begin to stray into disordered eating? Recently nutritionists across the country have noticed a significant increase in the number of children and adults with ARFID – avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder, where an individual will avoid certain foods or entire food groups.
In extreme cases, it can result in a severe deprivation of essential nutrients and has an irreversible and significant impact on the individual suffering. Recently a 17-year-old boy from Bristol went blind due to ARFID after a prolonged lack of essential nutrients. ARFID is an eating disorder where the sufferer subconsciously believes that most foods are inedible or poisonous. Unlike Anorexia or Bulimia, weight and body image are not factors in the restriction of foods.
The disorder can stem from various reasons, but psychologists believe that genetic, sensory, and occasionally food-related traumatic events (such as choking) can lead to the disorder. It typically occurs in childhood and, when left untreated, often carries on into adulthood. Sufferers usually refuse most foods, apart from a few ‘safe’ foods. These safe foods are often texturally simple and bland but, most importantly, remain consistent, such as digestive biscuits or packets of crisp.
26-year-old Morven Clark has struggled with ARFID her entire life and is described as a ‘picky eater’ by friends and family. Before she sought treatment for the disorder, she ate a diet of ready salted crisps, toast, and a steady stream of sugary tea.
She said: “I always had a problem with food, and as a toddler, I would only accept bland foods for the first 5 years of my life. I think I survived solely on white bread, rich tea biscuits and cornflakes.
“My family are massive foodies; holidays to Spain often consisted of big bowls of Paella and baskets of fried calamari. I often just sat with a slice of bread or bag of salted crisps.
“It also wasn’t uncommon for my family to make fun of me and my food during meals which didn’t help. I just started to hate mealtimes even more.
“Any attempt by my parents to introduce me to new foods was quickly met with a meltdown, so they just stopped trying”
ARFID was only recently introduced to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 2013. Patients like Morven had no access to help and were often labelled picky eaters.
Morven was finally diagnosed at 23 after lack of nutrition impacted her ability to conceive. She said: “My parents tried their hardest, but it wasn’t seen as anything more than me being difficult.
“I dreaded mealtimes and was constantly disciplined for causing a fuss or refusing to eat. I would be left to go hungry with no dinner ‘when you’re hungry enough, you will eat,’ was said to me.
“I lived most of my childhood hungry, but I was terrified of most food. The worst thing was that I wanted to eat more than anything. It felt impossible
“There are still many stigmas around the disorder and misinformation. All we can hope is that through proper education, people become more informed and proper therapy is accessible for all suffering.”