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A boy with a food phobia for years ate only bread and yogurt: What did it turn out to be in the end?

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After ten years of eating half a loaf of white bread and yoghurt every day, a 12-year-old child with a food phobia has finally tried new foods.

Ashton Fisher’s parents tried desperately to change his food, but he had “horrendous panic attacks” if he was given anything else.

They found a light of hope at the end of the tunnel for the family’s ‘living nightmare,’ which began in July when a psychologist diagnosed him with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

The Norfolk kid is ‘proud of himself’ for attempting a roast dinner, chips, and ham sandwiches.

Cara, 49, feels her son’s phobia derives from his infant reflux, which appears to be a typical trigger for ARFID patients.

A boy with a food phobia for years ate only bread and yogurt
Image Credit: Caters News

She said:

I don’t think he would be here today if we didn’t have Munch Bunch strawberry and banana yogurts and Warburtons white bread.

We’ve been so worried about him as he doesn’t get any of the nutrients he needs. But he physically hasn’t been able to eat anything else as he’d have horrendous panic attacks.

We’ve never had Christmas dinner as a family as Ashton couldn’t stand the smell.

Ashton’s GP referred to him as a ‘fussy eater,’ while a nutritionist asserted that he will ‘grow out of it.’

When he was nine, the young child opposed help from psychologist Felix Economakis, but when he reached secondary school, he became determined to fix the problem.

Cara said:

Until recently, Ashton has been fine because he doesn’t know any different. But his peers in secondary school have noticed he doesn’t eat and it has become awkward for him. He doesn’t want to be different.

Speaking about their second appointment with Felix in July, Cara explained: ‘Everything made sense when Felix told us about the condition…

It is still early days but things are looking good as Felix has given him the confidence to try new things. He now understands that the food isn’t going to make him vomit.

It isn’t spoken about enough! It’s a shame that you have to pay for the service but doctors aren’t aware of ARFID. It is a psychological problem and the same as a phobia of spiders.

Giving a person a plate of food other than their “safe” food is like giving them a plate of maggots or fish eyes, it fills them with fear and they can’t eat it.

Selective eating disorder specialist Felix says his job is ‘all about being able to put the client at ease once they feel understood, validated and listened to’.

He continued:

People’s concerns fall into typical categories, for example, what if I gag or throw up or what if I don’t like the taste of new food.

By having answers prepared it’s very easy to reassure them quickly by proving how gagging can be stopped or how to cope with new tastes.

Image Credit: Caters News

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