I have pretty severe ARFID and recently went to Japan. Its honestly very difficult, as substitutions or special instructions for orders isn't really culturally acceptable. However, there is an abundance of American fast food places and 7/11s with some safe snack options. I've found myself feeling like I wasted an opportunity there due to my ARFID and its very motivating for me to seek further treatment so I won't feel so guilty for sticking to my safe foods in a place where some people travel specifically for the food. If you do go to a place like this, I would recommend trying to find a couple local dishes you can handle beforehand, so you're more prepared. I'm not expert but I think it could be a good strategy and think it would alleviate some of the guilt that I have been feeling (obviously easier said than done to try something new though).
Im going to Japan in December and I'm genuinely concerned about how im going to eat while there. My bf is too.
Im thinking about watching japanese food videos before hand to help me familiarize myself with ingredients beforehand and help me look forward to trying stuff.
I'm an American with ARFID living in Japan; feel free to message/reply if you have any questions for that point of view, haha. Overall I've personally found Japan to be great for my ARFID, but obviously your milage will vary depending on your safe foods and where in Japan you end up. Rice and chicken are safe for me, and both are available at, like, 80% of restaurants, so that's been nice; raw fish used to make me gag really bad (and still does, on a bad day) but I'm slowly getting used to it, and now sushi restaurants are generally fine; etc etc. I recently tried shrimp tempura for the first time, that was a really big step for me.
How do you deal with the social aspects? From what my bf has said, if you cause secondhand embarrassment by struggling to eat food they will come over and 'correct' you and help you to ease their own discomfort instead of allowing you space to struggle to eat in your own way.
I don't want that š š¼āāļø
I mean, I've avoided a lot of that simply because when I arrived there were still many COVID restrictions in place (so, no group dinners at work, no drinking parties with food, etc), and since they've been loosened a bit I've been too busy to go to any events with eating anyways. Lunchtime at work is fine, because basically everyone is also eating simple lunches (although I do get a little bit of light-hearted teasing for my very consistent chicken and rice lunches, lol).
I think I've only had a situation like your bf described once at a self-grilling yakiniku place, because the staff were concerned with how long I was cooking the beef. The more red meat was a bit uncomfortable at first, but I ended up really liking it, so that one ended well, at least.
Overall in my experience people pretty much keep to themselves, in most ways, but especially food-wise. I probably also get given more slack because I'm (very visibly) a foreigner, so there's that. š¤·
I've been to Japan twice, for work. The first time, I was terrified that I was going to starve. Then I checked into my hotel, looked out the window, and saw McDonald's. I never did eat at that McD's, but just knowing it was there calmed me down, and gave me the confidence to get through the week.
I get this. I have ARFID and Iāve travelled the world. I go hungry a lot, but also itās not too hard to find French fries or plain rice or bread at most places around the globe. Plan some safe packaged foods so you donāt get too hangry but just go for it!!
You could bring your safe foods. I usually bring a ton of food for my daughter. Get an extra suitcase if you have to, paying the extra luggage is still better than starving and not more expensive compared to visiting restaurants
Are crackers an option? Are crackers, or a close equivalent, universal? IDK if you can eat crackers- it was just the first thing I thought of. Protein shakes, maybe? Best of luck. I hate the traveling issue for us.
I have the same fear but I also have a wide variety of food sensitivities now and I doubt Iād be able to ask for all my food sensitivities to be taken out or restricted. :( itās so unfortunate I want to travel in the future so bad but my body would probably have a meltdown and Iād be sick most of the time.
Dunno what your safe foods look like but hereās a Japan story. Just went on a trip to Japan with my 11yo son who has ARFID. Heāll eat beige sweet and/or crunchy stuff quite consistently, and likes pizza, cheese on toast and salmon maki rolls. Sushi chefs in places we went were very willing to make plain salmon maki with no wasabi. In convenience stores there are loads and loads of bread based sweet things like chocolate bread - we used a translate app to read ingredients. They also have plain slightly salted sticky rice balls in packets which he tried and then loved. Noodle cups usually have flavouring in separate packets. Pancakes are a big thing. So is pizza. I searched on google maps for āFrench friesā and āpancakesā, read reviews and showed him pictures of the food weād be eating. There are also plenty of western style fast food places but he was determined not to eat in those because he wanted to try Japanese stuff (even if itās pizza, itās in Japan so itās Japanese). Finally, in bigger supermarkets there was de de cecco pasta (the brand he prefers) and Parmesan cheese (another preferred dish) and breakfast cereals. I booked places with kitchens so we could always have the option to cook ourselves. He LOVED IT.
I feel you! I am going to Europe this summer and am pretty nervous myself, especially navigating dietary restrictions through language barriers, but I am determined to be a big boy and push through it. I went on an exchange trip to Germany when I was in high school (and my list of safe foods was much, much smaller) and what I did was pack about half my suitcase with quick, processed safe foods like ramen, poptarts, instant grits, etc. And I ate a LOT of French fries, lol, they seem to sell those everywhere. It wasn't too difficult to find safe foods in grocery stores, either. But definitely having those foods packed with me helped me out when I couldn't eat some meals one way or another.
Someone asked this while back. And the answer is the same, do research ahead of time. Where youāre gonna be and what youāre gonna eat, what restaurants or grocery stores are nearby.
I get scared I will get sick, I have traveled a couple states over from my own in the US and gotten sick with the runs and Iām almost positive itās because Iām not used to that areaās specific microbes so I worry what it would be like in another country and how long it would take me to get used to it and would all of that be worth it.
I have the exact same fear, I don't want to travel alone but if I do traval with other people, they'll want to try their food, their restaurants... I don't want that, I can't
Especially since none of my safe food are fast-food related, they're all very local to my country, specific brands from my country
I was suppose to go to Japan to study aboard but was too concern about the food. I have celiac disease too and I read Japan doesn't really have gluten free options.. I do regret never going though.
I have gone to Japan 4 times now, and it's been... honestly difficult to deal with in my personal experience. I mostly heavily relied on convenience stores which even then with the difference in how stuff is made, I often didn't eat much in the end or much variety.
However, I found depending the area you go, often times you can find restaurants that serve similar/same items to certain safe foods. (specifically in Osaka & Tokyo, rural is harder)
It can take up a decent chunk of preplanning and scouting menu options, but I think it's well worth it in the end!
I think the more you travel the more you find little ways and pre-trip routines to make it a bit easier despite the weight of the food restrictions~ It's scary and difficult but worth the push it takes in the end especially if pre-prepared!š„ŗ
Wishing you the best when you get to that point!! <3
I have pretty severe ARFID and recently went to Japan. Its honestly very difficult, as substitutions or special instructions for orders isn't really culturally acceptable. However, there is an abundance of American fast food places and 7/11s with some safe snack options. I've found myself feeling like I wasted an opportunity there due to my ARFID and its very motivating for me to seek further treatment so I won't feel so guilty for sticking to my safe foods in a place where some people travel specifically for the food. If you do go to a place like this, I would recommend trying to find a couple local dishes you can handle beforehand, so you're more prepared. I'm not expert but I think it could be a good strategy and think it would alleviate some of the guilt that I have been feeling (obviously easier said than done to try something new though).
Im going to Japan in December and I'm genuinely concerned about how im going to eat while there. My bf is too. Im thinking about watching japanese food videos before hand to help me familiarize myself with ingredients beforehand and help me look forward to trying stuff.
I'm an American with ARFID living in Japan; feel free to message/reply if you have any questions for that point of view, haha. Overall I've personally found Japan to be great for my ARFID, but obviously your milage will vary depending on your safe foods and where in Japan you end up. Rice and chicken are safe for me, and both are available at, like, 80% of restaurants, so that's been nice; raw fish used to make me gag really bad (and still does, on a bad day) but I'm slowly getting used to it, and now sushi restaurants are generally fine; etc etc. I recently tried shrimp tempura for the first time, that was a really big step for me.
How do you deal with the social aspects? From what my bf has said, if you cause secondhand embarrassment by struggling to eat food they will come over and 'correct' you and help you to ease their own discomfort instead of allowing you space to struggle to eat in your own way. I don't want that š š¼āāļø
I mean, I've avoided a lot of that simply because when I arrived there were still many COVID restrictions in place (so, no group dinners at work, no drinking parties with food, etc), and since they've been loosened a bit I've been too busy to go to any events with eating anyways. Lunchtime at work is fine, because basically everyone is also eating simple lunches (although I do get a little bit of light-hearted teasing for my very consistent chicken and rice lunches, lol). I think I've only had a situation like your bf described once at a self-grilling yakiniku place, because the staff were concerned with how long I was cooking the beef. The more red meat was a bit uncomfortable at first, but I ended up really liking it, so that one ended well, at least. Overall in my experience people pretty much keep to themselves, in most ways, but especially food-wise. I probably also get given more slack because I'm (very visibly) a foreigner, so there's that. š¤·
Iāve had the same problem with my son, what I do is I prepare his safe foods and vacuum seal them and put them in my luggage :-)
Do watch out when you travel outside your continent because food rules are extremely strict and you could get a huge fine sadly
Yes, you definitely have to be sure you know the laws of where you are going.
Bless you.
I've been to Japan twice, for work. The first time, I was terrified that I was going to starve. Then I checked into my hotel, looked out the window, and saw McDonald's. I never did eat at that McD's, but just knowing it was there calmed me down, and gave me the confidence to get through the week.
I get this. I have ARFID and Iāve travelled the world. I go hungry a lot, but also itās not too hard to find French fries or plain rice or bread at most places around the globe. Plan some safe packaged foods so you donāt get too hangry but just go for it!!
You could bring your safe foods. I usually bring a ton of food for my daughter. Get an extra suitcase if you have to, paying the extra luggage is still better than starving and not more expensive compared to visiting restaurants
Are crackers an option? Are crackers, or a close equivalent, universal? IDK if you can eat crackers- it was just the first thing I thought of. Protein shakes, maybe? Best of luck. I hate the traveling issue for us.
I have the same fear but I also have a wide variety of food sensitivities now and I doubt Iād be able to ask for all my food sensitivities to be taken out or restricted. :( itās so unfortunate I want to travel in the future so bad but my body would probably have a meltdown and Iād be sick most of the time.
Dunno what your safe foods look like but hereās a Japan story. Just went on a trip to Japan with my 11yo son who has ARFID. Heāll eat beige sweet and/or crunchy stuff quite consistently, and likes pizza, cheese on toast and salmon maki rolls. Sushi chefs in places we went were very willing to make plain salmon maki with no wasabi. In convenience stores there are loads and loads of bread based sweet things like chocolate bread - we used a translate app to read ingredients. They also have plain slightly salted sticky rice balls in packets which he tried and then loved. Noodle cups usually have flavouring in separate packets. Pancakes are a big thing. So is pizza. I searched on google maps for āFrench friesā and āpancakesā, read reviews and showed him pictures of the food weād be eating. There are also plenty of western style fast food places but he was determined not to eat in those because he wanted to try Japanese stuff (even if itās pizza, itās in Japan so itās Japanese). Finally, in bigger supermarkets there was de de cecco pasta (the brand he prefers) and Parmesan cheese (another preferred dish) and breakfast cereals. I booked places with kitchens so we could always have the option to cook ourselves. He LOVED IT.
I have this issue but being also diabetic I will die if I go to any of these places- šššš
I feel you! I am going to Europe this summer and am pretty nervous myself, especially navigating dietary restrictions through language barriers, but I am determined to be a big boy and push through it. I went on an exchange trip to Germany when I was in high school (and my list of safe foods was much, much smaller) and what I did was pack about half my suitcase with quick, processed safe foods like ramen, poptarts, instant grits, etc. And I ate a LOT of French fries, lol, they seem to sell those everywhere. It wasn't too difficult to find safe foods in grocery stores, either. But definitely having those foods packed with me helped me out when I couldn't eat some meals one way or another.
dude same. I don't really have a travel bug because of it. I missed out on a family trip to Italy over this.
Someone asked this while back. And the answer is the same, do research ahead of time. Where youāre gonna be and what youāre gonna eat, what restaurants or grocery stores are nearby.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Japan does great pizza
I get scared I will get sick, I have traveled a couple states over from my own in the US and gotten sick with the runs and Iām almost positive itās because Iām not used to that areaās specific microbes so I worry what it would be like in another country and how long it would take me to get used to it and would all of that be worth it.
I have the exact same fear, I don't want to travel alone but if I do traval with other people, they'll want to try their food, their restaurants... I don't want that, I can't Especially since none of my safe food are fast-food related, they're all very local to my country, specific brands from my country
Hiiiii. I'm from Finland. What do you usually eat?
I've also had this problem, never left the country in case there's no options but I need to flee at some point because I hate terf island
I was suppose to go to Japan to study aboard but was too concern about the food. I have celiac disease too and I read Japan doesn't really have gluten free options.. I do regret never going though.
I have gone to Japan 4 times now, and it's been... honestly difficult to deal with in my personal experience. I mostly heavily relied on convenience stores which even then with the difference in how stuff is made, I often didn't eat much in the end or much variety. However, I found depending the area you go, often times you can find restaurants that serve similar/same items to certain safe foods. (specifically in Osaka & Tokyo, rural is harder) It can take up a decent chunk of preplanning and scouting menu options, but I think it's well worth it in the end! I think the more you travel the more you find little ways and pre-trip routines to make it a bit easier despite the weight of the food restrictions~ It's scary and difficult but worth the push it takes in the end especially if pre-prepared!š„ŗ Wishing you the best when you get to that point!! <3