Eating · Exposure
ARFID Food Expansion Ladder
Sensory-neighbor exposures, not fear-of-fat exposures
ARFID is not about weight or shape — it's about sensory, fear-based, or low-interest avoidance of food. Expansion works through small, repeated, structured exposures along sensory neighbors of foods that are already safe.
My safe foods
What I'll reliably eat, and the brands / preparations that work.
My "no" reasons
Texture, smell, temperature, color, sound, fear of choking, fear of vomiting, low appetite/interest.
Sensory profile of my safe foods
Crunchy, dry, beige, single-texture, room temperature, brand X only — name the pattern.
Food neighbors — small steps from a safe food
#
Target food
What's different from safe food
Fear 0–10
Step (look / smell / lick / bite / chew / swallow)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
After the exposure
Repeat the same step until fear drops by half before climbing. No grading — taste and texture observations only.
What I noticed in the body
What was less bad than I predicted
The next sensory neighbor I'll try, and when