Understanding eating difficulties, building confidence and supporting meaningful change. For many children, adolescents and adults living with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), eating is far from straightforward. What may appear to others as picky eating, stubbornness or an unwillingness to try new foods can actually reflect significant sensory discomfort, anxiety, fear or a genuine lack of interest in eating. For individuals and their families, this can make

Recovery isn't another thing you need to be perfect at. Beginning recovery from an eating disorder is often described as a positive step towards health, freedom and a different relationship with food and the body. And while it certainly can be all of these things, recovery can also be incredibly challenging, particularly for someone who has spent much of their life striving to get everything right. For some people, perfectionism doesn't simply disappear when they begin recove

ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) can sometimes look like ordinary picky or fussy eating, particularly in children and neurodivergent young people. But when eating becomes increasingly restricted, causes significant anxiety or sensory distress, or begins to affect nutrition, growth or everyday life, it may be worth looking a little closer. I currently have some availability for children, adolescents and adults experiencing ARFID and complex eating difficulties

It can be hard to know when picky or selective eating is simply a stage, and when it might be time to seek some extra support. There isn’t one single sign to look for. Sometimes it is a gradually shrinking range of foods. For other children, mealtimes become increasingly stressful, eating enough becomes difficult, or anxiety and sensory sensitivities begin to affect their relationship with food. You might also notice eating starting to affect life outside the home, school lun

Wanting to eat well and look after your health can be a positive thing. But sometimes an interest in nutrition can gradually become more rigid, rule-driven and anxiety-provoking. What starts as “I’m trying to eat healthier” can slowly turn into “I can’t eat that.” Foods may begin to be labelled as clean, healthy, safe, bad, processed or unhealthy. The list of foods that feel acceptable can become smaller, while the amount of time spent thinking about food becomes greater. So,

One of the patterns I commonly hear from people with ADHD is: “I barely think about food during the day, but at night I feel like I can’t stop eating.” Sometimes this is described as emotional eating, overeating, bingeing, poor self-control or a lack of discipline. But there may be much more going on. For people with ADHD, eating regularly can be surprisingly difficult. Executive functioning, interoception, hyperfocus, sensory preferences, decision fatigue and medication can

It’s a phrase many parents have heard: “Don’t worry, they’ll eat when they’re hungry enough.” For some children, that may be true. But when a child has ARFID, significant sensory sensitivities, fear or anxiety around eating, or difficulty recognising their body’s hunger cues, hunger alone may not be enough to overcome the barriers getting in the way of eating. In fact, waiting for a child to become increasingly hungry can sometimes make eating harder, particularly if hunger c

What happens when you know you need to recover, but part of you still doesn’t want to let go of the eating disorder? This can be one of the most confusing and frustrating parts of recovery. We often assume motivation needs to come first and that once we feel “ready enough”, change will become easier. But recovery rarely works quite so neatly. In this edition of Dietitian Diaries, I explore the ambivalence that can come with eating disorder recovery, why you don’t need to feel

You know the eating disorder is taking things from you. You might be tired of thinking about food. Tired of negotiating with yourself about what you can eat. Tired of the rules, the guilt, the checking, the exercise, the comparisons, or the constant noise in your head. Part of you genuinely wants things to change. And yet, when it comes to actually doing something differently, you feel stuck. “I know what I need to do. So why can’t I just do it?” This is something I hear ofte

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I’ll be good tomorrow,” or “I shouldn’t be hungry again already”? That quiet battle that plays out in your head around food, guilt, rules, control isn’t about willpower. It’s about trust. When eating starts to feel like a constant tug-of-war between your body and your mind, it’s usually a sign that permission- true, unconditional permission to eat, has been lost somewhere along the way. Often people I work with tell me they know what th

In a world that often glorifies thinness and competitiveness, the intersection of anorexia and the pursuit of success can be a perilous and heartbreaking one. Anorexia nervosa, a complex and life-threatening eating disorder, is often rooted in deep-seated psychological and emotional struggles, but it can also be exacerbated by the pressures of a competitive society. This article explores the relationship between anorexia and competitiveness, shedding light on the profound imp

People often ask why recovery from anorexia is so hard. On the surface, the answer seems simple: just eat more. But anyone who has lived with an eating disorder knows the truth is far more complicated. Because anorexia doesn't always feel like an enemy. Sometimes, it feels like a protector; a comfort, a companion. Sometimes it feels like the most reliable thing in your life. And that is exactly what makes letting go so difficult. Many people don't develop anorexia because the

A gradual approach that begins with safe foods and introduces tiny changes to help your child comfortably expand the foods they eat. How do you start food chaining? Identify a food your child reliably eats. Introduce a gradual change (e.g., brand, shape, texture, or flavour). Repeated, pressure-free exposure helps build acceptance. When your child accepts a changed food, it is added to their growing list of safe foods. From here, you can gently move on to the next step. Ti

If eating feels difficult, stressful or overwhelming, it isn't always simply “picky eating”. For some children and young people, eating a wide range of foods can feel genuinely hard. They may have a very small number of foods they feel comfortable eating, struggle with particular smells or textures, rarely feel hungry, or be frightened that something bad will happen when they eat. This may be ARFID – Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. What is ARFID? ARFID is an eating

“My child is an incredibly picky eater.” It is something I hear from parents all the time. And picky eating can be a completely normal part of childhood. But sometimes food avoidance becomes much more than simply preferring some foods over others. Parents may notice their child's list of accepted foods becoming smaller and smaller. Meals might cause significant anxiety. Their child may struggle to eat enough, avoid social situations involving food, or become frightened of cho

At first glance, keeping the peace at mealtimes feels like the kindest, most reasonable thing to do. Your child is distressed. The tension is rising. Everyone is on edge. So you step back. You soften expectations. You say, “Let’s just leave it for now.” Instantly, things feel better. The room calms, and your child relaxes. You feel relief. But there’s something important happening beneath the surface. The Relief Trap In that moment, it’s not just you and your child experienci

When parents come to see me about ARFID, one of their biggest concerns is often food variety. “My child only eats a handful of foods.” “They won't eat vegetables.” “They've dropped another food they used to eat.” “How can we get them to try something new?” These are completely understandable concerns. Variety is important, and helping a child or young person gradually feel more comfortable with different foods can certainly be part of ARFID treatment. But sometimes, variety i