1. As a teenager I had to drink Farmland 1% milk. I tasted the difference between that and Shop Rite 1%. No one else could taste a difference. But at the time Shop Rite made me nauseous. This wasn't a one time occurrence. This went on for a long time. That is far from the first time I've tasted a difference between brands when no one else did. My senses are strong around food. Even today I can't drink the bottom 2 inches of the milk carton. It smells weird and so down the drain it goes. I taste a difference in that too. Even if it's before the expiration date.
2. It does lead to problems finding foods I can eat. Example, for the last few days everything I think of for lunch or dinner makes me queasy. I'm talking basics that you are supposed to eat to CALM a queasy stomach make me queasy! Along with things that could make a regular person queasy. Yesterday I cooked dinner and couldn't eat it. I ended up forcing myself through eating a sandwich for dinner. I will go without eating if I can't think of something that doesn't makes me nauseous.
3. Restaurants are hard for me. I only have a few I like to go to. In those places, there are only an average of two meals I like. You'd think it would make it hard for things like weddings and showers but what helps is that I LOVE Chicken Franchaise. That's almost always an option. It also helps that I LOVE Grilled Chicken Cesar Salad!
4. One thing the chart mentions is only having a few foods you like. I didn't think that applied to me until I really thought about it. I eat a large variety when my mom or I do the cooking. However, when it's made by someone else, there is a much smaller range. Luckily, I have a few favorite's from Josh's Mom. It's harder elsewhere, but at least my main sources of food have some options!
5. Yes, I do have anxiety over eating.
6. I also have some disorders that could precipitate ARFID. I have General Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. They are severe enough to be the reason I medically can't work. I also have GERD. I have to take Ranitidine twice a day.
7. I did have issues eating even as a newborn. It started with birth.
8. I do have entire food groups I won't even consider trying. In other food groups there is usually only a small amount of variety that I'd eat from it.
http://www.theravive.com/therapedia/Avoidant-Restrictive-Food-Intake-Disorder-DSM--5-307.59
Risk Factors for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
The DSM -5 notes a number of disorders which may precipitate ARFID, including: Anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder may increase risk for avoidant/ eating behavior. Environmental risk factors for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder include familial anxiety. Higher rates of feeding disturbances may occur in children of mothers with eating disorders. A history of gastrointestinal conditions, GERD ( Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), vomiting, and a range of other medical problems has been associated with feeding and eating behaviors characteristic of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. An incident of choking on food can precipitate ARFID (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bustle/picky-eating-an-eating-disorder-living-with-selective-eating-disorder-and-no-vegetables_b_4986010.html
Above is the article that first drew me to the issue. The chart is from that article. I addressed these above. It's a 100% match.
It's one of the reasons FitnessPal didn't work for me. Eating is already stressful enough. I have so many specifications it was taking forever to track my meals. That meant it didn't have everything I was using recorded. I never got accurate results.
When I order food, I often have at least two special requests. example, a cup on the side for the ketchup to dip the fries in. When I cook at home I am picky about what I make and what I throw out. I cut the fat off of everything but that also means meat goes too. When I am making blueberry yogurt, only the perfect blueberries get saved from the garbage can! These are just two examples out of many!
It's frustrating. Take the past two weeks. Josh is usually home for lunch. He works afternoons until closing. But we are tired of sandwiches, we've even changed the cold cuts we eat. Neither of us are in the mood for salads. So that means we've been having lunch out. Even then I just am not interested in anything. I can only get through half of the small meal!
My parents usually just have crackers and cheese. But that's the bedtime snack and we just need more in the afternoons. We theorized that most people our age either eat in a company cafeteria or get a quick bite at a deli or something. I asked a friend what he does. He works from home. He said he usually does a lean cuisine. I'll see if there are any options that sound good. But I like that idea!!!
ARFID makes it hard to eat healthy. I can't control what I crave. Sometimes, I crave Tostitos with melted cheese, reduced fat sour cream, and mild salsa. It has to be Ortega brand though. I taste the difference. Sour cream is an addiction for me. Doritos dipped in sour cream is a big no-no and a major craving!!! As a kid the only way I'd eat string beans was dipped in sour cream!!! You should see my potatoes!!! I add cheese then put the baked potato back in the oven to melt the cheese. I top it with sour cream, bacon bits, and scallions!!!
Great! Now I'm craving something with sour cream and have to make something very different for dinner. Lemon Garlic chicken with cornbread stovetop stuffing. The only stuffing I like is the Cornbread. ARFID really makes meal planning VERY difficult!!!! Especially when you have high blood pressure!!! The Hypoglycemia doesn't help either!!!The good news is I crave fruit sometimes.
I know there are other's like me. People are always commenting on it. I know it's hard to feed me. It's like Sheldon on "The Big Bang Theory". Having specific places with specific foods for specific days of the week take the stress out of meal planning for him. That's what it's like for me. Planning certain meals for certain days of the week at certain times of year. To my mom, it seems unnecessarily restrictive. To me, it's one less thing to stress about.
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