Hi all, apologies for late response and many thanks to your replies.
I’m happy to educate others about ARFID- in my case it’s been an issue since I was very young, but I got officially diagnosed at 16.
The following is an exert that explains it well please let me know if more clarification is needed:
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is defined by the DSM-5 as an eating or feeding disorder characterised by a persistent and disturbed pattern of feeding or eating that leads to a failure to meet nutritional/energy needs
(https://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/eating-disorders-a-z/arfid/)
Essentially I struggle to eat more than a very select few foods, many of which pretty bland (Eg. White bread, small amounts of chicken breast etc) and at times restricted by particular brands or textures. Naturally, it’s difficult navigating social settings/it’s often dismissed as just picky eating or me being spoilt and stubborn.
I’m probably one of the only people around that dreams of eating a salad hahaha. But as aforementioned, struggle to swallow or taste unfamiliar or ‘fear’ foods even if they appeal.