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Areas of Expertise

Areas of Expertise

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ARFID or Very Picky Eating

ARFID stands for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and for many years was misunderstood as extreme picky eating. This is an increasingly common condition that affects people of all ages.

People with ARFID generally fall into one or more of three categories:

  • Restrictive: Have little interest in eating, low appetite/low interoceptive awareness, or are easily distracted and forget to eat.
  • Avoidant: Won’t eat many foods due to certain sensory experiences (e.g., hypersensitivity to taste, smell, texture, how food looks)
  • Aversive: Limit food intake due to traumatic or fear based experiences (e.g., fear of gagging, choking, contamination, allergic reaction, illness)

By integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-AR), SOS approach, and emotion regulation skills, we help our clients move from avoidance of foods to a curiosity about them. Through collaboration and prioritizing a sense of safety, our clients learn to explore and learn about different foods.

Our expert clinicians focus on optimising nutrition and social eating – the two areas of functioning most impacted by highly selective eating. This often includes:

  • Reducing mealtime and eating anxiety
  • Using trauma-informed care to expose clients to new foods and eating situations without overwhelming them
  • Recommending accommodations to make the eating environment feel safe and comfortable
  • Helping identify foods that fit sensory preferences.
  • Assessing nutritional adequacy and making recommendations
  • Making safe and preferred foods more accessible and available
  • Promoting strategies for simplifying eating, meal planning and food preparation that work for the individual