ARFID SED Manchester

20/10/2025

🧠 ARFID and the Absence of Choice

For people living with ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), food isn’t just food—it’s fear, discomfort, and often isolation. The world may see “picky eating,” but inside, there’s no choice. The body recoils. The mind panics. The plate becomes a battleground.

ARFID isn’t a lifestyle. It’s not a phase. It’s a condition where the nervous system overrides intention. Where textures, smells, and sensations trigger real distress. Where the idea of “just try it” isn’t helpful—it’s harmful.

🎁 Therapy as the Gift of Choice

At SelectiveEating.com, therapy isn’t about forcing change. It’s about restoring agency. Every session, every resource, every visual aid is designed to gently expand what’s possible—without pressure.

We don’t ask clients to “eat more.” We help them feel safe enough to choose.

- A new food isn’t a demand—it’s an invitation.
- Progress isn’t measured in bites—it’s measured in confidence.
- The goal isn’t compliance—it’s freedom.

When someone with ARFID begins to explore, even tentatively, they’re reclaiming something profound: the ability to choose. That’s the gift therapy offers. That’s the transformation we celebrate.

Labeled as a fussy eater, but you know it is more than that. Overcome your food fears with an effective Selective Eating Disorder/ARFID treatment.

18/10/2025

16/10/2025

🧠💬 ARFID is often about making your mind up about food. And many of those decisions? You made them when you were very young—without all the facts, without the full story, and often without feeling safe enough to explore.

We all do this. We make our minds up about things all the time. But here’s the powerful truth: we can change our minds, too.

With new experiences, gentle support, and the right kind of evidence, you can start to see food differently. You’re not stuck. You’re growing. 🌱

Selectiveeating.com

ARFIDAwareness

15/10/2025

🥦 “You need to eat better — it’s bad for your health.”
We hear it all the time. But for someone with ARFID, this kind of message isn’t helpful. It’s exhausting.

Most people with ARFID already know about nutrition. They’ve heard the warnings. They’ve felt the pressure. And often, they carry guilt or shame because of it.

But here’s the truth:
🧠 ARFID isn’t about not knowing. It’s about not feeling safe.

🍽️ The route to change isn’t through lectures or labels — it’s through trust, perception, and emotional safety.

At SelectiveEating.com, we support teens and adults with tools that feel kind, not clinical.
We help shift how food is perceived, not just how it’s described.
Because when food feels less threatening, progress becomes possible.

Let’s stop repeating what they already know.
Let’s start helping them feel differently.

ARFIDAwareness

Labeled as a fussy eater, but you know it is more than that. Overcome your food fears with an effective Selective Eating Disorder/ARFID treatment.

13/10/2025

🌱 Rethinking “Just Try It” — A Gentler Way to Support ARFID 🌱

For someone with ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), trying a new food isn’t just “picky eating.” It can feel like standing at the edge of a cliff with no safety net. Exposure-based approaches like food chaining or repeated tasting can sometimes increase anxiety, not reduce it — especially when the fear isn’t about taste, but about safety, disgust, or overwhelm.

🔄 What if we flipped the script?

Instead of pushing the body to accept the food…
We help the mind feel safer around it.
Instead of “just one bite”…
We start with curiosity, stories, visuals, and gentle shifts in perception.

🧠 When someone begins to think differently about a food — when it feels less threatening, more familiar, or even just less “alien” — their nervous system can soften. And that’s when real progress begins.

Let’s meet people with ARFID where they are.
Let’s build trust before we build bites.
Let’s change minds… and let the rest follow.

Labeled as a fussy eater, but you know it is more than that. Overcome your food fears with an effective Selective Eating Disorder/ARFID treatment.

11/10/2025

Breaking myths is key to awareness. ARFID is not rare. It’s not only a “kid’s issue.” It’s not about being dramatic. It’s real, it’s serious, and it can be treated. We break down the facts in our blog:
https://selectiveeating.com/debunking-myths-about-arfid/

What is ARFID? SED/ARFID sufferers are often dismissed as fussy or picky eaters, even by medical professionals. However, ARFID is a food phobia requiring specialist help.

09/10/2025

Do you know why awareness matters? ARFID isn’t always visible so someone may appear healthy while silently struggling with exhaustion, malnutrition, or anxiety around food yet is often dismissed as picky eating. That’s why awareness matters so invisible struggles are recognised and taken seriously.

https://selectiveeating.com/

Labeled as a fussy eater, but you know it is more than that. Overcome your food fears with an effective Selective Eating Disorder/ARFID treatment.

07/10/2025

ARFID is finally gaining attention thanks to it going viral on TikTok. This is fantastic news for awareness and education surrounding the disorder! Green Matters recently explored this little-known disorder impacts health and mental wellbeing. Check their article out here: 👉 https://www.greenmatters.com/food/arfid-eating-disorder-meaning

ARFID stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, and it’s a clinical eating disorder that can affect both kids and adults. Learn more here.

05/10/2025

Some therapies treat ARFID as if it’s the same for everyone. But no two people’s triggers are alike. That’s why approaches matter as we adapt our approach because we understand what works for one… may not work for another. https://selectiveeating.com/comparing-3-approaches-to-arfid-therapy/

What is ARFID? SED/ARFID sufferers are often dismissed as fussy or picky eaters, even by medical professionals. However, ARFID is a food phobia requiring specialist help.

03/10/2025

Hey, if you’ve stumbled upon this post and think you might be struggling with ARFID or Selective Eating Disorder, you’re not alone. 🙏 This isn’t just picky eating it’s a real disorder that can affect your health, social life and career. But there is help available. My approach focuses on gently changing how you perceive food, rather than forcing exposure, so you can make lasting progress faster. Take the first step today here:

https://selectiveeating.com/

Labeled as a fussy eater, but you know it is more than that. Overcome your food fears with an effective Selective Eating Disorder/ARFID treatment.

01/10/2025

Ever get invited out for food with friends and worry you can’t find a menu online to find something you can eat? Food is meant to nourish and bring people together. For someone with ARFID, it often does the opposite by creating isolation, stress and fear. We have the support so you can restore food as something positive again. https://selectiveeating.com/

Labeled as a fussy eater, but you know it is more than that. Overcome your food fears with an effective Selective Eating Disorder/ARFID treatment.

29/09/2025

The Times recently covered advice for children struggling with selective eating but adults suffer too. Here is a reminder… ARFID doesn’t always fade with age and treatment is possible at any stage of life. https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/article/children-eating-picky-advice-tips-5bnhft8tj

Dr Anna Colton, a specialist in eating disorders, tells Anne Shooter what every parent needs to know