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New Eating Disorder Recognized, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

There’s a good chance you have heard of two of the more common recognized eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia is characteriz...

There's a good chance you have heard of two of the more common recognized eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa.

Anorexia is characterized by severe food restriction, starvation, patients seeing themselves as much bigger than they are. Bulimia is when someone binges on food, then compensates for the calories using any number of unhealthy methods.

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center clinical dietitian Janet Millner met with us to talk about a recently recognized eating disorder called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) which focuses on someone restricting only certain foods. For example, something that might trigger a bad memory.

Much more serious than generally just being picky, Millner says it's most commonly seen in kids and teenagers. "Basically its categorized by avoiding eating, then resulting in a failure to thrive. Young kids not meeting height and weight needs, being somewhat restrictive because of texture, types of food, colors."

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