My relationship with food has never been healthy. Having suffered with anorexia in my mid-20s, I am no stranger to restriction and binges. However, my ARFID diagnosis felt like a different beast to tame. It exhibited itself through OCD. I obsessed about what I was consuming; how it had been cooked, who cooked it for me, and on and on.

At first, doctors thought I may have an aversion to certain food groups – and so I did too, to the extent that I sincerely thought I may just be allergic to some foods. But as the years went by and allergy tests kept coming back negative, I started to confront my mental relationship with eating. It felt easier to accept my issues with food if they were an allergy; something out of my control. Admitting to myself (and others) that my struggles were caused by my mind somehow made them feel insignificant, as though they should be easily fixable. But they weren’t.

“ARFID makes eating terrifying – but I’m working towards food feeling safe again”