Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and “Safe Food”

My partner recently asked, “You talk about safe foods, what does that actually mean? How is some food ‘safe’ and other food not?” I thought about this question for several minutes, trying to come up with an analogy that would make sense. One that would match the body sensation I experience when I can’t eat, regardless of how hungry or not hungry I feel at that moment.

“Have you experienced certain sounds, like nails on a chalk board, or sirens, that cause you to short circuit? When you hear it, you instinctively cover your ears or run away, right? You’ll suddenly do whatever you need to do to avoid that sound? Now imagine that body response, that nervous system response, but applied to food.” With ARFID, any element of the food can be a trigger for the nervous system saying “Nope! Not that! Get away from that!!!!” Sometimes it’s the smell, sometimes the taste, sometimes the texture, sometimes the color or how it looks, sometimes it’s the anticipated feel of that particular food in the digestive system. And making yourself eat a food your nervous system is rejecting is like making yourself walk towards the sound of nails on a chalk board. Or making yourself touch a hot stove. Your whole body is screaming at you “No, don’t do it. This is a danger!”

Foods that my nervous system will accept most of the time I call “safe foods.” Safe foods vary based on my neural capacity. If I’m tired, stressed out, over worked, and generally low on capacity, food becomes less and less safe because my nervous system has less capacity to deal with triggering sensations, and less capacity to process what I’m taking in. Similarly, if you’re tired, stressed out, over worked or generally low on capacity, you might snap at your friend for making a sound while chewing with their mouth open. A quirk in your friend that you can tolerate on good days, but your nervous system can’t deal with on low capacity days.

My capacity affects how much I can tolerate less than ideal foods. Foods that are safe one day, may not be safe the next day. Safe foods will vary from person to person, and won’t be safe all the time, but will be safe sometimes, generally more often than not. Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder is a spectrum as most neurodivergent experiences are. Some people with ARFID have such intense nervous system rejection of food, that they require feeding tubes, and other medical support to get sufficient nutrients. Other people may think about how to relate with food A LOT, but are typically able to find a safe food for a sufficient number of meals. Other people may fluctuate between needing outside support and being able to manage their food intake themselves.

For those who have low to mid support needs, who don’t require medical devices, if you struggle with some ARFID symptoms that you manage at home, here are some little things you might try to see if they help you and your support people.

-Prep a list of safe foods you know you can eat sometimes (groceries or orders from restaurants). Keep a copy on your refrigerator or somewhere easily accessible to remind yourself or your care providers what might be good to eat when you need support.

-Let go of expectations around food. When food feels especially hard to intake, remind yourself that you can approach food in whatever way feels best for you. Give yourself permission to intake food or drink in a way that works for you in that moment, even if it is different than what people expect.
If food isn’t accessible, try fluids that work for you (a smoothie, a soup, a nutrient providing drink, or water).

-Pre-prep and pre-stock safe foods for the week so if you end up low capacity, you already have food available you don’t have to work hard to eat.

If you need further support please reach out to your medical professional and/or nutritionist. For further information here is the National Eating Disorder Association’s page on ARFID: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/avoidant-restrictive-food-intake-disorder-arfid/