AFRID: Where the sausage is made

Ok, this phrase typically refers to what we DON'T want to see behind the scenes, but hear me out - let's think about what we DO want to see behind the scenes.

This article was inspired by a post on social media in an ARFID group comparing blueberries - each one different in texture and taste - to crackers, identical even over decades of production. Let's admit, we are draw to this and it has been the hallmark of the food industry: give them something predictable and consistent, and they will come back. We hear the importance of this in chef managerial speeches to the line cooks, it was the backbone of McDonald's meteoric rise, and is what draws our kiddo's to all the golden foods: crackers, mac, tenders, and fries.

I recall an outside speaker in graduate school who ran a program bringing farming to depressed and oppressed urban areas. Many were food deserts. Yet the kids had no idea produce was grown - it always came into their house in a can. Taking old razed plots and turning them into urban gardens was mind-blowing to these kids - and they grew an interest in both gardening and fresh food. They had pride in it.

When I take my (non-ARFID) kids to the apple farm or berry picking, they can't get enough. When we cook at home, there is an increased interest in the foods - they might try the ingredients and maybe even consider eating the final meal (point being that simple ingredients are easier, but a complex dish is more palatable when you've introduced the ingredients one-by-one).

My partner always has a few extra tricks up her sleeve. She loves apple cobbler and after a day of apple picking (and eating), she tosses one in the oven, filling the house with the smell of apple and cinnamon, while we eat dinner. Her mom is known for her pies. I recall making applesauce at a childhood friend's house, and cider or apple butter are also doable.

Let me know - have you had success with apple or berry picking? What about a home garden? In just a small plot, we can try a handful of low-hanging fruit (pun intended - foods that are just outside of the ARFID person's comfort zone) and seeing those foods grow, exist in their natural environment, pick and wash them yourself, may at least break down some barriers.

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Academic Bibliography and Reference List

Coulthard, H., & Harris, G. (2003). Early taste experiences: The history of sensory food aversion and pediatric exposure. Appetite, 41(3), 235–240.

• Application: Documents the foundational behavioral theory explaining why clinical feeding populations are biologically drawn to ultra-processed commercial staples (the "golden foods" profile). It establishes how chemical processing strips out sensory variations to provide a predictable, identical taste architecture that stabilizes children prone to avoidant food tracking.

Lock, J., & Le Grange, D. (2015). Treatment manual for anorexia nervosa: A family-based approach (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

• Application: Outlines the core parental framework for experiential step-by-step introduction loops referenced in the post. This manual provides empirical backing for parental home modeling exercises, step-by-step exposure mechanics, and strategic family meal participation designed to lower anxiety barriers toward complex sensory dishes.

Thomas, J. J., Lawson, E. A., Micali, N., Misra, M., Deckersbach, T., & Eddy, K. T. (2017). Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: A three-dimensional model of neurobiology and clinical presentation. Current Psychiatry Reports, 19(8), 54–63.

• Application: Evaluates the neurological differences between uniform manufactured items and volatile retail organic matter. It substantiates the blog's focus on targeted sensory-exposure scripts, using experiential outdoor farming, food washing, and home kitchen preparation to systematically habituate patients to raw texture variants.