While most of us know someone who is a picky eater, food aversion often goes much deeper, causing distress and impacting one’s life. Food aversions are not simply about disliking certain foods, individuals often experience intense physical and emotional responses to certain foods, their appearance, smell, texture, or even just the thought of them.
Those with conditions like Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, Autism, or ADHD are often at an increased risk due to sensory difficulties and may struggle with poor nutrition and rapid weight loss. Food aversions can also impact social functioning by making mealtime isolating and anxiety-provoking.
Read on to understand more about what causes food aversion and how it’s treated.
What is Food Aversion?
Food aversion is an intense dislike of a specific food. In some cases, it is simply being a picky eater, but in other cases, it can be caused by stress, grief, or an underlying mental health or neurodevelopmental condition. It often impacts eating patterns and can lead to distress or mental health decline.
Having preferences and varying tastes is normal. However, if picky eating or food aversions become distressing or negatively impact nutrition, physical health, or emotional well-being, it is good to explore what’s causing it [1].
Common Causes of Food Aversion
Food aversion can be caused by a range of underlying medical conditions or mental health challenges. Many individuals with chronic food aversion struggle from when they are children, often from developmental or neurodivergent disorder. Others may have a trauma, such as food poisoning, that makes them become averse to a certain kind of food.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
The term ARFID has skyrocketed over recent years across social media, with many mocking the disorder as simply ‘picky eating”. However, this is a clinically recognized eating disorder. Based on the type of ARFID one has, individuals may refuse certain foods due to sensory characteristics, fear of choking or vomiting, or lack of interest. Being diagnosed with ADHD or autism also causes sensory food aversion, and it’s common to struggle with co-occurring avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.
Understanding the difference between ARFID and picky eating is essential because individuals with ARFID eating disorder often fail to get proper nutrients, rapidly lose weight, and can suffer from serious medical complications [2].
Picky Eating vs Arfid
Food Aversion Type | Picky Eating | ARFID |
Severity/Impact on Nutrition | Usually mild, often “grow out of it” throughout development, usually no significant weight loss or impact on nutrition | Severe and often impairing, it can cause medical complications and usually significant weight/nutrient loss |
Interest in Food | Interested in eating preferred foods/food group, gets hungry, has cravings for certain foods | Overall lack of interest in food, low appetite, may forget to eat |
Anxiety/Fear | Often preference-driven and not linked to anxiety | Fear/anxiety driven (choking, vomiting, food contamination, sensory problems) |
Sensory Sensitivities | Sometimes, with textures and taste preferences | Yes strong sensory aversions that can make them avoid many categories of food |
Impact on Social Functioning | Minimal, can eat socially | Clinically significant interference in social, school, and work functioning due to eating patterns |
Need for Intervention | Rarely | Often requires professional treatment such as nutritional IVs and behavioral therapy |
Examples | Likes chicken, carrots, and corn, but limits variety | May refuse all meat and vegetables |
Trauma and PTSD
Sudden food aversion in adults could be a sign of trauma that causes intense distress around certain foods or eating. Examples include previous incidents with choking, or emotional abuse surrounding food, such as being shamed about eating patterns or being controlled with food.
Individuals who suffer from trauma unrelated to food can still show trauma responses, such as restricted eating, as a way to control their environment, or binge eating to emotionally regulate [3].
Stress and Grief
Chronic stress or grief from sudden loss can trigger intense physical and psychological symptoms that increase the stress hormone cortisol. Heightened cortisol can cause nausea or suppress appetite in some, and make them avoid food entirely. In others, cortisone spikes cause cravings for specific textures (such as soups) or carbs/sweets to self-soothe during emotionally challenging times [4].
Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Underlying mental health disorders, such as depression and Anhedonia (lack of pleasure), can make it difficult to feel motivated or find interest in eating. Drug and alcohol use can cause food aversion by increasing symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain, and reducing overall appetite.
Food Allergies and Intolerance
Food allergies cause adverse reactions and can develop at any age. They can range from mild symptoms such as rash, nausea, and headache to severe symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and inflammation of the throat that can be life-threatening.
According to the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, individuals with multiple allergens are at a higher risk of developing food and taste aversions [5]. Common food allergens include:
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Tree nuts (peanuts, cashews, walnuts)
- Soy
- Gluten
Pregnancy
Pregnant women often have sudden aversions or cravings to specific foods due to increased hormones such as GDF-15, which can cause nausea and vomiting. Many pregnant women also have an enhanced sense of smell due to increased estrogen, progesterone, and blood flow to the nose, making them more sensitive to foods with strong odors. This triggers a positive response (craving) or a negative response (aversion) [6].
GI Tract Issues
Individuals with digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s, and Leaky Gut Syndrome often struggle with symptoms of ARFID due to anxiety or fear around nausea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal difficulties.
Signs and Impact of Food Aversion
Food aversion can look differently in each individual based on their underlying causes. While some completely avoid food during times of grief, others may avoid specific categories of food groups due to sensory difficulties. General signs of food aversion include:
- Gagging, nausea, extreme discomfort, or anxiety around specific foods
- Anxiety during meal time, avoiding social settings
- Choosing not to eat even when hungry, if only foods they have aversions to are available
- Sensitivity to food texture, refusing to try different kinds of foods
- Restricting foods based on their color, appearance, texture, or smell
People with food aversions may struggle with low body weight, nutritional deficiencies, and often forget to eat for long periods. They also tend to have a preference for quick, easy-to-prepare meals such as frozen dinners or chicken fingers and fries.
Treatment Options for Food Aversion
Food aversions have a variety of causes, and the interventions/intensity of treatment are highly personalized. Education, ongoing support, and an environment that cultivates a more positive connection with food are essential.
The journey of recovery from food aversion difficulties may include trying new foods or new ways to prepare “unsafe” foods, eating new meals or trying new restaurants with family or friends, seeing a nutritionist, and working with a mental health therapist on the underlying causes of the aversion. Common treatments and supports for food aversion include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for ARFID is a specialized form of cognitive behavioral therapy that challenges food-related thoughts and gradually exposes patients to new foods.
- Family-Based Treatment is ideal for children and teens, which involves parents or caregivers in meal planning and exposure strategies.
- Education and teaching parents about food safety and the importance of nutritional supplementation can help patients build skills to address aversions.
- Nutritional counseling with a registered dietitian can help monitor your nutritional status, weight, and address deficiencies.
- Some states provide medical marijuana cards for the treatment of trauma, anxiety, Autism, and gastrointestinal (GI) difficulties, which can greatly improve symptoms by increasing appetite and reducing food-related anxiety.
- Smoothies, soups, and easy-to-prepare foods can go a long way in making a healthy diet more accessible. If you have a list of safe foods, don’t be afraid to stick with those if it’s all you can do. The most important thing is making sure you get enough nutrients.
Food Aversion Treatment at Anchor Behavioral Health in New Mexico
At Anchor Behavioral Health, we are dedicated to providing compassionate care and counseling to those who experience food aversion related to mental health challenges, addiction, and co-occurring disorders. Nutrition is essential for successful recovery. Our programs emphasize the importance of lifestyle changes with healthy eating, meal planning, and behavioral therapy to address
Contact our admissions team today to learn how we can support you or a loved one with food aversion.
Sources
[1] Food Aversion. 2022. Cleveland Clinic.
[2] Ramirez, Z. Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. National Library of Medicine.
[3] Bégin, C. (2022). Maladaptive Eating Behaviors and Childhood Trauma: A Focus on Food Addiction. Cureus, 14(7), e26966.
[4] Akram, I. (2018). Neurohormonal Regulation of Appetite and its Relationship with Stress: A Mini Literature Review. Cureus, 10(7), e3032.
[5] Iovino, P. (2021). Food Allergy and Intolerance: A Narrative Review on Nutritional Concerns. Nutrients, 13(5), 1638.
[6] Tang, X. et al. (2025). Sensitivity to fetal hormone GDF15 drives maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Chinese medical journal, 138(10), 1245–1247.