Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a feeding and eating disorder characterized by a persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional or energy needs. Unlike more widely known eating disorders, ARFID is primarily defined by a lack of interest in food or a limited variety of intake rather than concerns about body weight or shape.

Common Presentations

The disorder typically manifests in one or more of the following three ways:

• Sensory Sensitivity: Avoidance based on the sensory characteristics of food, such as extreme sensitivity to appearance, color, smell, texture, temperature, or taste (sometimes called "selective" or "perseverant" eating).

• Aversive Consequences: Fear of aversive outcomes associated with eating, such as a conditioned negative response following a traumatic experience with choking, vomiting, or a painful gastrointestinal procedure.

• Lack of Interest: An apparent lack of interest in eating or food, which can result in insufficient intake.

Diagnostic Criteria

For a formal diagnosis, the eating disturbance must lead to at least one of the following clinical consequences:

• Significant weight loss, or a failure to achieve expected weight gain and growth in children.

• Significant nutritional deficiency (e.g., anemia, vitamin deficiencies).

• Dependence on supplements, such as oral nutritional supplements or enteral (tube) feeding, to maintain adequate intake.

• Marked interference with psychosocial functioning, such as an inability to eat with others, attend school or work, or sustain relationships because of the eating behavior.

Living with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) can feel overwhelming, frustrating, and isolating. Eating may become a source of anxiety, discomfort, fear, or stress rather than something enjoyable or routine. Many individuals with ARFID struggle with sensory sensitivities, fear of negative consequences from eating, or a limited range of safe foods, which can make social situations, relationships, school, work, travel, and daily life feel difficult to navigate. Over time, ARFID can impact both physical health and emotional well-being, leaving people feeling misunderstood, exhausted, or stuck.