ABUHB ARFID Identifying food characteristics
(Avoidant and Restrictive Food
Intake Disorder)
= Ser vice Everyone likes different foods, so food chains
will look different for each person. By working
Food Chaining through these steps together with your child,
you can begin to build food chains that fit with
Information for families
your child’s likes and dislikes to help them
If you are given this information by a professional it does not necessarily increase the variety of foods they accept.
mean that your child has a diagnosis of ARFID. All children will benefit from
these strategies.
# Step 1: My favourite foods are…
What is chaining? (Example – plain pasta, boiled rice, crackers,
chicken nuggets, chips, marmite on toast…)
Chaining is a way of taking your child’s safe
foods and slowly introducing them to similar Step 2: My favourite food colours are…
foods so that they can start to increase their
variety. It increases the number of foods that your (Example – beige, white, yellow, brown…)
child eats by finding out what it is about their
I like textures that are…
safe foods that they like (e.g., is it the taste, the
texture, the smell?).
(Example – soft and smooth, dry and crunchy…)
Once you know what your child likes about
their safe foods, you can identify the foods
I like flavours that are…
they are most likely to try that are similar to
their safe foods. (Example – salty, savoury, garlic/ herbs,
The goal is to create “chains” between the marmite…)
food that they already eat and new foods
that would support their growth, health and I like smells that are…
nutrition.
New foods will be similar taste, colour or (Example – savoury, garlic…)
texture.
Keep the steps very small and link the new Step 3: Make a list of the things your child likes
food to the existing safe food as much as about their safe foods…
possible. E.g. change the shape of their
sandwiches from square to triangles. (Example – plain cooked carbohydrates, dry
All food chaining should be done with your crunchy snacks, processed meats…)
child’s knowledge and consent. This is
Step 4: Make a list of new foods to introduce
important as it helps your child to know what
that share some of these qualities…
to expect and maintain trust in you as their
Example list
support through chaining.
1. Rice > couscous or cauliflower rice
Food chaining needs to be done slowly with 2. Chicken nuggets > chicken kiev or fish
the time-frame agreed by your child. 3. Sausages > chicken sausages
If your child does not want to move past a 4. Crisps > vegetable or fruit crisps
particular safe food e.g. chips, then try 5. Dry shreddies > dry shredded wheat
focusing on another food chain e.g. apple. 6. Chip shop chips > shop-bought chips
If your child refuses a food, try not to
comment or make a fuss, simply offer this Step 5: choose a food chain to start with, and
food again another day. work through the steps on the pyramid below.
Avoid hiding food, switching packaging or
Hierarchy of chaining process Examples of successful chaining
ACCEPTANCE of new food: looking at Below are a few examples of food chains using
it, being in the same room, being at the sensory stages to reduce anxieties, reach
the table with that food
acceptance of, and build up to eating the new
PLAYING WITH new food: using
a utensil to pick up, helping to
food.
prepare food, putting food on
plate Goal:
SMELL new food: in the
Chicken nuggets > piece of fish
same room, on the table, Food chain
on their plate
Chicken nuggets > home-made nuggets >
TOUCH new food: home-made chicken goujons > home-made
with finger, lips, breaded fish goujons > lightly breaded piece of
teeth, tongue
fish
TASTE new
food: licking
lips, chew/
spit/ swallow
Goal:
EAT new
food
Sausages > chicken sausages
Food chain
Favourite pork sausages > different branded
The idea of introducing a new food can be pork sausage > different shaped pork sausage
really scary, which is why it can be helpful to > chicken sausage
introduce and build up acceptance of a new
food before going straight to eating it.
The above model breaks down the stages into Goal:
accepting, playing with, smelling, Plain boiled rice > couscous with herbs
touching, tasting, and finally eating the new Food chain
food. These stages allow for minimal pressure Plain boiled long-grain rice > different type of
while being around the new food that should plain boiled rice > plain couscous > couscous
see anxiety slowly reduce, making eventually with herbs
trying the new food seem much less scary for
the child.
Being around a new food without eating it can For each of these chain stages, start off with
include messy food play, details of which can accepting, playing with, smelling, touching, and
be found in a separate resource produced by tasting the new food before progressing to
our team. eating it. For example, allowing your child to
(Adapted from Toomey, K. (2002). Preventing and interact with home-made nuggets before
Treating "Food Jags.” The Journal of Paediatric smelling and touching, and eventually
Nutrition and Development, 100, 2-6) attempting to eat one.
Contact: [email protected]
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Patient Information Unit - ABUHB/PIU:1613/1 - Issue Date: January 2022 - Expiry Date: January 2025
