DR MARIANNE MILLER
CARING EATING DISORDER TREATMENT IN SAN DIEGO AND THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, AND WASHINGTON D.C. FOR ADULTS & TEENS
ARFID Help for Parents in California: Compassionate Ways to Support Your Child's Eating
Many parents search for ARFID help for parents after months or even years of trying every piece of feeding advice they can find. You've offered rewards. You've encouraged "just one bite." You've hidden vegetables in favorite foods. Maybe you've been told your child or teen will eat when they're hungry enough.
But if your teen or child has Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), those approaches often increase anxiety instead of expanding eating.
ARFID and PDA: Why Pressure Makes Eating Harder for Autistic and ADHD People
If you've ever wondered why someone seems to eat less the harder you encourage them to eat, you're not alone. Many parents, partners, teachers, and healthcare providers assume that more encouragement, reminders, or expectations will help someone with ARFID expand their eating. Unfortunately, when someone has ARFID and PDA, the opposite often happens.
ARFID Explained: What It Feels Like, Why It’s Misunderstood, & What Helps
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is one of the least understood eating disorders. Too often, people dismiss it as “picky eating” or assume someone can just “grow out of it.” The truth is far more complex. ARFID involves deep sensory sensitivities, powerful fears, and a nervous system response that makes eating challenging. In this post, I’ll explain what ARFID really feels like, why it is so widely misunderstood, and what approaches actually support recovery.
Why Letting Go of Restriction Feels Unsafe in Eating Disorder Recovery
Letting go of food restriction is often framed as a step forward in eating disorder recovery. But for many people with eating disorders in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and elsewhere, it doesn’t feel like freedom. It feels like fear.
If you’ve been told to “just eat more” or to “stop being so rigid,” but your nervous system screams unsafe, this post is for you. There’s a reason this step feels so hard. It’s not a lack of willpower. It’s about survival.
Why ARFID Isn’t Picky Eating: Signs, Symptoms, and Misconceptions
When people hear about ARFID, or Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, they often brush it off as picky eating. At first glance, it can look similar: limited foods, refusals at mealtimes, resistance to trying new things. But this assumption is not only inaccurate, it can also be harmful. ARFID is a serious eating disorder that deserves recognition, understanding, and treatment. In this post, we will look closely at what ARFID is, how it differs from picky eating, the signs and symptoms to watch for, and why this distinction is essential for recovery and support.
Insights From ARFID Therapy With Neurodivergent Teens
Working with neurodivergent teens who have Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) has taught me more than any textbook or training ever could. My clients have shown me that ARFID is a deeply misunderstood eating disorder, especially when it shows up in autistic teens, teens with ADHD, or those with significant sensory processing differences.
Living With Adult ARFID: The Relationship Challenges No One Talks About
When most people hear the term ARFID, or Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, they often imagine children. ARFID is commonly misunderstood as a temporary phase of picky eating. In reality, many adults live with ARFID as a long-term, serious eating disorder that affects far more than just food. It shapes how people relate to their bodies, their emotions, and their relationships.
Adult ARFID can affect every area of life, including dating, long-term partnerships, parenting, friendships, and professional settings. Such relationship challenges are rarely discussed, even though they are often a source of chronic stress and grief. In this blog post, I explore how adult ARFID intersects with connection, autonomy, and sensory food issues, especially from a neurodivergent-affirming and trauma-informed perspective.
ADHD & Eating Disorders: The Overlooked Link
Why Neurodivergent Brains Need a Different Approach to Recovery
If you’re living with ADHD and struggling with disordered eating, you are not alone—and you’re not doing recovery wrong. You might simply need a framework that actually fits your brain. Research has consistently shown a strong link between ADHD and eating disorders. A 2020 meta-analysis found that individuals with ADHD are 3.82 times more likely to develop an eating disorder compared to those without ADHD (Nazar et al., 2020). And the connection doesn’t stop at binge-type disorders. Emerging research also highlights a significant overlap between ADHD and ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)—with studies indicating that ADHD traits such as sensory sensitivities, low appetite awareness, and difficulty with food-related routines may increase ARFID risk, especially in children and teens (Kamberelis et al., 2022; Koomar et al., 2021).
Despite these links, ADHD remains widely underdiagnosed in eating disorder treatment settings—especially among women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. And when it is recognized, the support often isn’t designed to address how ADHD actually affects eating.
How ARFID Traits Can Show Up in Recovery From Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder
When people hear the term ARFID—Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder—they often think of children with extreme food aversions. But here’s something less talked about:
👉 ARFID traits can show up during recovery from anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder.
If you’ve ever felt stuck with food fears, sensory overwhelm, or uncertainty about what’s “safe” to eat—even after doing a ton of recovery work—you’re not alone. These may not be lingering eating disorder behaviors. They could be ARFID traits that were always there, just hidden.
Let’s explore why this happens, how to recognize it, and what supportive, neurodivergent-affirming recovery can look like. 💛