Have you ever come across a patient on placement who avoids entire food groups or eats only a handful of foods, and wondered whether it’s more than just “picky eating”? That’s where Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder - or ARFID – may come in. Despite its growing presence in clinical services, university teaching on ARFID is often limited, so this episode aims to build that awareness and highlight the specialist roles involved in its management.

To help us unpack all of this, I’m joined by two fantastic guests.

Clare Thornton-Wood is currently Principal Dietitian at a hospital on the south coast and is Vice Chair of the BDA ARFID Sub Group. Until 2023 she was a Clinical Dietetic Lead at Great Ormond Street Hospital and was one of the authors of the BDA ARFID Position Statement. Clare has been a BDA Media spokesperson for many years and won the title of 'Spokesperson of the Year' in 2023 and 2019.

Gillian Farren is the Professional Lead for Dietetics within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Specialist Children’s Services. She oversees a diverse team of dietitians working across acute and community mental health, specialist eating disorder and neurodevelopmental services. Gillian has a particular interest in ARFID and leads service‑wide development work to strengthen dietetic roles within multidisciplinary teams supporting children and young people with complex feeding presentations. With a background spanning acute paediatrics, primary care, public health and strategic leadership, she is passionate about advancing evidence‑based dietetic practice and supporting the next generation of children’s dietitians.

Together, we’ll explore what ARFID actually is, who is most often affected, how the MDT works together, and the opportunities available for students who want to expand their learning.

Show notes:

ARFID Awareness UK https://www.arfidawarenessuk.org/ 

BDA ARFID Sub Group https://www.bda.uk.com/specialist-groups-and-branches/mental-health-specialist-group/arfid-specialist-sub-group.html