This is Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2025. What do you usually think about when you hear the term ‘Eating Disorder’? Perhaps Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia or Binge Eating Disorder.
Today we’re raising awareness around the relationship some Autistic people have with food and the eating disorder known as ARFID.
Between 4 and 23% of people with an eating disorder in the UK are autistic*. This can be linked to sensory processing difficulties, obsessions around food or exercise, strict routines or struggles with managing emotions.
Why?
Through conversations in our Autism Steering Group we know it is common for autistic people to struggle with eating certain foods. There are a range of reasons:
- The smells, texture and taste of some foods is off putting
- A feeling of comfort and safety through eating the same, predictable food types
- Quick and easy to prepare meals can mean less time spent in stressful shopping environments.
- Intereoceptive processing difficulties may mean people struggle to know they are hungry or thirsty
- People with executive functioning difficulties in planning and organising may get distracted and forget to eat or drink
- Difficulties with social situations, such as a busy and noisy restaurant can put people off wanting to eat
- Food may be used as a routine and become fixed
And many more.
What is ARFID?
Although many autistic people may have food-related difficulties, there are some who can find themselves struggling to a point where their quality of life is at risk.
ARFID stands for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. This is where people persistently eat insufficient to provide their bodies with the nutrition they need.
It can have serious consequences, resulting in fatigue and weight loss and is often misdiagnosed as Anorexia.
Symptoms of ARFID include:
- Significant weight loss
- Abdominal pain
- Fear of choking or vomiting
- Fatigue
- Excess energy
- Cold intolerance
- No body image struggles
- No fear of weight gain
- Only eating food with particular textures
It can lead to physical symptoms which may include irregular menstrual cycles or missed periods, slowed heart rate, dizziness, fainting, problems with sleeping, dry skin, brittle nails, thinning of hair, muscle weakness, cold hands and feet, and impaired immune functioning.
So what can we do to help?
If you are ever concerned for the wellbeing of someone and their relationship with food, it’s important to seek medical support and attention as soon as possible, especially if there is a concern about the person’s quality of life.
But if you are supporting an autistic person with issues around food, here are some approaches members of our Autism Steering Group have found helpful:
- Introduce new foods slowly and gently, one at a time. It is important the person can learn to tolerate the new food on their plate by seeing, touching, smelling and eventually eating them.
- Support someone to prepare predictable meal plans to reduce anxiety. If in time new things need to be tried for nutritional reasons, work with the person to introduce the change gradually
- Try to ensure mealtimes are calm, and respect it if someone needs to eat in a separate room or at different times due to social or sensory preferences
- Always have a safe and familiar item of food on the plate
- Use partitioned plates for people who dislike food to touch
- Don’t respond negatively if the person spits something out
- Never bribe people to eat food
- Don’t label food as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. This may make the person think that they are ‘bad’ for eating it and impact their self-esteem
- Support the person to learn about what a nutritional plate can look like
- Never disguise food or hide new foods in familiar ones - this can break trust and lead to more avoidance
For more information on ARFID and eating disorders generally, we recommend these National Autistic Society and NHS resources.
* National Autistic Society
