If eating feels complicated, stressful, or limited to a short list of “safe foods,” you are not alone. For some people, food avoidance is not about body image or a desire to lose weight. It is about sensory overwhelm, fear of choking or vomiting, nausea, texture sensitivity, or an intense loss of appetite that makes eating feel like a daily struggle.
At SpringSource: Eating, Weight & Mood Disorders, we provide specialized therapy for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in Chicago, Northbrook, and virtual sessions throughout Illinois
ARFID is a real eating disorder. It can affect adolescents, young adults, and adults, and it can have serious physical and emotional consequences over time. ARFID is not simply “picky eating,” and it is not something you should have to power through without support.
At SpringSource Eating, Weight, and Mood Disorders, we provide compassionate, evidence-based ARFID treatment that is tailored to the person in front of us. Whether you are seeking eating disorder therapy in Chicago, eating disorder therapy in Northbrook, or virtual eating disorder therapy throughout Illinois, we are here to help you move toward a safer, more flexible relationship with food.
ARFID is an eating disorder in which a person avoids food or restricts intake in ways that lead to nutritional deficits, weight loss or stalled growth, reliance on supplements, and/or significant interference with daily life. Unlike anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, ARFID is not driven by fear of weight gain or dissatisfaction with body shape.
People with ARFID often restrict food for reasons such as:
ARFID can show up in many different ways. Some people eat a very small range of foods. Others avoid entire categories, struggle to eat enough, or experience distress around meals and social settings.
Many families and even some providers confuse ARFID with typical picky eating. The difference is the impact.
ARFID is more than preferences. It affects health, functioning, and quality of life. Signs that ARFID may be present include:
If food avoidance is shaping your life, that is enough reason to seek help.
ARFID can look different across ages, but common signs include:
For adolescents and young adults, ARFID can interfere with school, sports, social life, and independence. For adults, ARFID often impacts relationships, travel, work expectations, and self-esteem.
While ARFID commonly begins in childhood, it can continue into adulthood or emerge later in life, especially after a stressful event, illness, choking incident, gastrointestinal flare, or a period of high anxiety. Adult ARFID is often missed because the stereotype is that eating disorders only affect young people.
Adults with ARFID may experience:
Midlife and later life stages can intensify stress and vulnerability. Life transitions, caregiving responsibilities, grief, a shifting sense of self, and changes in the body can increase anxiety and make restrictive patterns more entrenched. If ARFID has become part of how you cope, you are not alone, and you are not too old to benefit from treatment.
ARFID is treatable. Effective care focuses on both nutrition and the underlying drivers of avoidance, with a plan that is gradual, collaborative, and respectful.
Our ARFID treatment often includes:
Comprehensive Assessment
We start by identifying your specific ARFID profile: sensory-based avoidance, fear-based avoidance, low interest/low appetite, or a combination. We also assess medical and nutritional risk and any co-occurring concerns such as anxiety, OCD traits, ADHD, trauma, or gastrointestinal conditions.
Exposure-Based Support, at a Realistic Pace
Many people with ARFID benefit from gentle, progressive exposures to feared foods or eating experiences. This is not forced. It is planned carefully, with skills to manage distress and a pace that supports success. Over time, the nervous system learns that eating can be safe.
Evidence-Based Therapy
Treatment may draw from CBT, DBT skills, psychodynamic therapy, and exposure-based approaches. Therapy supports anxiety reduction, distress tolerance, sensory flexibility, and the emotional layers that often accompany ARFID, including shame and avoidance.
Nutritional Restoration and Collaboration
When needed, we collaborate with dietitians and medical providers to restore nutritional adequacy, address deficiencies, and support consistent eating patterns.
Treatment for Co-Occurring Mood and Anxiety
ARFID commonly overlaps with anxiety and mood symptoms. We are holistic in our treatment approach so progress with food is not undermined by untreated distress.
For adolescents and young adults, we can incorporate family support so caregivers are not left guessing and the home environment becomes more stable and aligned with recovery.
What is ARFID?
ARFID is an eating disorder marked by restrictive or avoidant eating that leads to nutritional deficits or significant life interference. Unlike other eating disorders, it is not driven by weight or body image concerns.
How is ARFID different from picky eating?
Picky eating becomes ARFID when food avoidance affects health, growth, or daily life. ARFID can involve medical risk, distress around meals, and social or occupational impairment.
Can adults have ARFID?
Yes. ARFID can continue from childhood or develop in adulthood, often after illness, anxiety, or a stressful eating experience. Adults may struggle with social meals, work events, and travel.
What does ARFID treatment involve?
Treatment is individualized and may include therapy, gradual exposure to feared foods, skills for managing anxiety, and collaboration with medical and nutrition providers when needed.
Is ARFID treatable?
Yes. With the right support, people can expand food variety, reduce fear, and improve nutrition and quality of life.
Do you offer virtual ARFID therapy?
Yes. SpringSource: Eating, Weight & Mood Disorders provides ARFID treatment in Chicago and Northbrook, as well as virtual therapy throughout Illinois.
ARFID can be exhausting. It can limit travel, school experiences, relationships, and the simple ease of joining others at a table. Many people minimize it for years, telling themselves it is not “bad enough” or that they should be able to handle it alone.
You do not have to.
At SpringSource: Eating, Weight & Mood Disorders, we provide specialized eating disorder therapy in Chicago and Northbrook, as well as virtual therapy throughout Illinois. We offer compassionate, evidence-based ARFID treatment for adolescents, young adults, and adults.
Call 224-202-6260 or schedule a free 15-minute consultation. We would be honored to help you move toward a more nourished, flexible, and connected life.
We provide in-person therapy in Northbrook and Chicago, with telehealth therapy available throughout Illinois.
© 2026 SpringSource: Eating, Weight & Mood Disorders | Designed by 800Commerce
Serving: Chicagoland Area, Northbrook, Evanston, Arlington Heights, Glenview, Skokie, Palatine, Elgin, Cicero, Schaumburg, Des Plaines, Orland Park, and throughout Illinois