What is the term for food avoidance?

November 23, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the DSM-5, a persistent eating or feeding disturbance leading to significant nutritional deficits or psychosocial impairment is officially termed Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). This condition is distinct from common picky eating and other eating disorders, as it is not driven by body image concerns but by anxiety, sensory issues, or a lack of interest in food.

Quick Summary

The clinical term for severe food avoidance is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), a condition characterized by limited food intake due to sensory issues, fear, or low appetite. It can lead to nutritional deficiencies, weight loss, and social impairment, requiring professional intervention for effective management.

Key Points

ARFID is the Term: The clinical term for severe, persistent food avoidance is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), defined in the DSM-5.
Not About Body Image: ARFID is distinct from other eating disorders, as it is not motivated by body image concerns or a fear of weight gain, but by anxiety, sensory aversion, or lack of interest.
Three Main Causes: Reasons for ARFID include heightened sensory sensitivities to food, fear of negative consequences like choking, and a general lack of appetite.
Serious Health Risks: Consequences of ARFID can include severe nutritional deficiencies, stunted growth in children, significant weight loss, and other serious medical complications.
Requires Professional Treatment: Effective treatment often involves a multidisciplinary team and therapeutic approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Family-Based Treatment (FBT).
Early Intervention is Crucial: As ARFID can lead to severe physical and psychological impacts, especially in children, early diagnosis and treatment are essential for better long-term outcomes.

Understanding the Term for Food Avoidance: ARFID

While many people colloquially describe being a "picky eater," the formal term for significant food avoidance, especially when it results in negative health or psychological outcomes, is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). ARFID is a serious mental health condition categorized in the DSM-5, which was introduced to replace the older diagnosis of "Feeding Disorder of Infancy or Early Childhood". The condition can manifest at any age, though it most commonly begins during childhood, and its severity and presentation can vary widely among individuals.

The Core Features and Reasons for ARFID

Unlike other eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, ARFID is not rooted in a fear of weight gain or a desire for a particular body shape. The avoidance and restriction of food in ARFID stem from one or more of three primary factors:

Sensory sensitivity: An extreme aversion to the sensory qualities of certain foods, such as their texture, smell, taste, or appearance. For some, this can be linked to conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or ADHD.
Fear of aversive consequences: An anxiety-driven fear of negative experiences related to eating, such as choking, vomiting, or experiencing gastrointestinal pain. This can sometimes be triggered by a past traumatic event involving food.
Lack of interest or appetite: A general disinterest in eating or food, or an inability to recognize hunger cues. For many, eating can feel like a chore or an unpleasant necessity.

Symptoms and Health Consequences

The impact of ARFID goes far beyond simple food preferences. The restrictive eating patterns can cause serious medical, nutritional, and psychosocial issues. A key diagnostic criterion is that the disturbance is not explained by a lack of available food or by cultural practices.

Potential signs and symptoms of ARFID include:

Significant weight loss or, in children, a failure to gain weight or delayed growth.
Nutritional deficiencies that may require supplements or, in severe cases, enteral feeding.
Dependence on oral nutritional supplements to meet nutritional needs.
Marked interference with psychosocial functioning, such as difficulty eating with others or social withdrawal due to food anxiety.
Physical symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, or lethargy.
Anxiety or distress during mealtimes.

ARFID in Children vs. Adults

While ARFID can affect people of any age, its presentation can differ between children and adults, and it is crucial to recognize that it is not simply "picky eating".


Feature	Children with ARFID	Adults with ARFID
Onset	Most commonly begins in infancy or early childhood.	Can persist from childhood or emerge in adulthood, sometimes triggered by a traumatic event.
Primary Motivation	Often driven by low appetite and high sensory sensitivity to foods.	Can be driven by sensory issues, but also frequently linked to fear of consequences like choking or vomiting.
Developmental Impact	Can cause delayed growth and failure to gain expected weight.	May result in weight loss and severe nutritional deficiencies that can affect organ function.
Social Impact	Often manifests as stress and conflict at family mealtimes.	Can lead to significant social isolation and avoidance of social events involving food.
Associated Conditions	Commonly co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD.	Often co-occurs with anxiety disorders, OCD, or depression.

Treatment and Recovery

Treating ARFID requires a multidisciplinary approach tailored to the individual's specific symptoms and causes. The treatment team may include a mental health professional, a registered dietitian, and a medical doctor. Recovery is possible, and early intervention is key to preventing long-term health complications.

Psychotherapy: A variety of talking therapies are used. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) specifically adapted for ARFID (CBT-AR) helps individuals challenge distorted beliefs about food and anxiety. Exposure therapy is used to gradually and systematically introduce feared foods in a safe, controlled environment.
Family-Based Treatment (FBT): Often used for children and adolescents, FBT involves empowering parents to take charge of their child’s refeeding and to help them normalize eating patterns.
Nutritional Management: A dietitian can help create a structured eating plan and address nutritional deficiencies with supplements or fortified foods. In severe cases, particularly with significant malnutrition, hospitalization and tube feeding may be necessary.
Medication: While there is no medication specifically for ARFID, some anxiolytics or appetite stimulants may be used off-label to manage severe anxiety or lack of appetite in certain cases, particularly when paired with psychological therapy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the clinical term for significant food avoidance is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), a condition that is medically and psychologically distinct from simple picky eating. Its effects can be severe, leading to nutritional deficiencies, impaired development, and significant psychological distress. Effective treatment involves a compassionate, multidisciplinary approach that addresses the underlying causes, whether they are sensory, fear-based, or driven by a lack of appetite, paving the way for improved health and a better quality of life. For anyone concerned about themselves or a loved one, seeking professional help from a medical or mental health provider is the crucial first step toward recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Picky eating is a normal developmental phase that typically does not cause significant nutritional deficiency, weight loss, or major psychosocial impairment. ARFID, however, causes severe restriction of food intake that negatively impacts health, growth, and daily functioning.

Yes, while ARFID most commonly begins in childhood, it can persist into adulthood or develop later in life. The presentation of symptoms may differ slightly between adults and children.

Signs in children can include delayed growth or failure to gain weight, a highly limited range of accepted foods, extreme sensitivity to food textures, anxiety at mealtimes, and low interest in eating.

Medical complications can be severe and may include significant nutritional deficiencies (e.g., anemia), heart problems, abnormal electrolyte levels, low blood pressure, and delayed growth.

Currently, no medications are specifically approved for ARFID. However, in some cases, medication for co-occurring conditions like anxiety may be used alongside therapy to aid treatment.

A diagnosis is made by a healthcare professional based on specific criteria from the DSM-5, which requires that limited intake leads to significant problems like weight loss, nutritional deficiency, or social impairment, and is not related to body image concerns.

Effective treatment often involves a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and nutritional counseling. For children, Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is also a common approach.