I'm 24 years old and I’ve always had a really bad relationship with food. I am the pickiest eater ever. The list of meals I eat is probably in the single digits. I can’t deal with certain smells, tastes, and food textures. It’s incredibly difficult for me to even try new things. It’s not like “I’d prefer not to eat that because I don’t like the taste,” but more like “I physically cannot eat that.” I can easily psych myself out of having an appetite for even things I like. I have a lot of anxiety about food and as a result, I’ve been underweight and malnourished most of my life. Despite these problems, I was taught eating disorders are all based in body image problems, which I never had. I never worried about my weight. I recently discovered avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and finally having a name for it was incredibly validating. It's exhausting to live for so long having people think I'm rude if I don't eat what they make and annoying when I'm always making an issue of food. I'm relieved to see other people have issues with food that don't revolve around body image.