Dr. Marianne-Land: An Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast

Struggling to eat doesn't always mean you have an eating disorder. For many autistic people, ADHDers, and individuals with ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), eating can be difficult because of sensory sensitivities, executive functioning challenges, and difficulty recognizing hunger cues.
In this solo episode of Dr. Marianne-Land, eating disorder therapist Dr. Marianne Miller explores three common signs that you're struggling to eat and shares practical, neurodivergent-affirming strategies to make eating easier.
WHY EATING CAN BE HARD WITH ADHD, AUTISM, OR ARFID
Eating involves more than simply feeling hungry and choosing food. Interoception difficulties can make hunger cues hard to recognize, while ADHD-related executive dysfunction and autistic inertia can make preparing meals feel overwhelming. Sensory sensitivities can also make certain foods difficult or uncomfortable to eat.
Dr. Marianne explains why these eating challenges aren't necessarily related to body image or weight concerns and why they deserve attention regardless of body size.
3 SIGNS YOU'RE STRUGGLING TO EAT
The first sign is difficulty recognizing hunger until you're extremely hungry, exhausted, or overwhelmed. The second is finding the process of choosing, preparing, and accessing food exhausting because of executive functioning challenges. The third is experiencing sensory overwhelm, food aversions, or a lack of interest in available foods.
These challenges can overlap, making eating especially difficult for autistic people, ADHDers, and those with ARFID.
HOW TO MAKE EATING EASIER
Dr. Marianne shares practical strategies for reducing barriers to eating, including creating predictable eating opportunities, using gentle reminders, keeping convenient foods accessible, and accommodating sensory needs.
Rather than relying on rigid food rules or forcing yourself to eat foods that feel intolerable, a sensory-attuned, neurodivergent-affirming approach focuses on making nourishment more accessible, comfortable, and sustainable.
ARFID, AUTISM, ADHD, AND GETTING SUPPORT WITH EATING
You don't need an eating disorder diagnosis to deserve support with eating difficulties. Whether you're struggling with hunger cues, meal preparation, sensory sensitivities, or a limited range of preferred foods, understanding your individual barriers can help you develop strategies that work with your brain and body.
Dr. Marianne offers eating disorder therapy in California and Washington, D.C., and virtual parent consulting outside those locations. Her self-paced ARFID and Selective Eating Course provides additional guidance for individuals, families, and professionals seeking a neurodivergent-affirming, sensory-attuned approach to eating challenges.
Learn more at https://drmariannemiller.com/arfid.
MAKING EATING EASIER STARTS WITH ACCOMMODATION
Struggling to eat isn't a failure of motivation or willpower. Sometimes making eating easier begins with changing your environment, reducing the steps involved in accessing food, and honoring your sensory needs rather than trying to change what you eat.
Listen to this episode of Dr. Marianne-Land to learn how small, compassionate accommodations can help make eating more manageable.

Autistic & Struggling to Eat: The Loneliness of Feeling Misunderstood
AUTISM, EATING CHALLENGES, & THE LONELINESS OF FEELING MISUNDERSTOOD
For many autistic adults, struggling to eat involves much more than food. Sensory sensitivities, executive functioning difficulties, autistic inertia, and challenges recognizing hunger cues can make everyday eating exhausting. When family members, friends, or healthcare providers don't understand these experiences, the emotional toll can be profound.
In this solo episode of Dr. Marianne-Land, eating disorder therapist Dr. Marianne explores the hidden loneliness of being autistic and struggling to eat. She discusses why autistic people may feel misunderstood, overlooked, or judged for their food preferences and eating needs, even by people who genuinely care about them.
WHY EATING CAN BE SO DIFFICULT FOR AUTISTIC ADULTS
Autism can affect eating in many ways, including sensory processing differences, interoception difficulties, executive dysfunction, and challenges transitioning between activities. Food textures, smells, temperatures, and unpredictable sensory environments can make eating overwhelming.
Dr. Marianne explains why these challenges are often invisible to others and how comments about food choices, reliance on safe foods, or difficulty preparing meals can contribute to shame, frustration, and isolation.
AUTISM, SOCIAL ISOLATION, & MASKING AROUND FOOD
Eating is often central to social connection, but restaurants, family gatherings, holidays, and shared meals can be particularly challenging for autistic people.
Dr. Marianne discusses how sensory overload, social expectations, and pressure to eat certain foods can lead to autistic masking and feelings of loneliness, even when surrounded by others.
She also explores the emotional exhaustion of repeatedly explaining eating difficulties and why some autistic adults eventually stop asking for accommodations or avoid social situations involving food.
EXECUTIVE DYSFUNCTION, SAFE FOODS, & ASKING FOR SUPPORT
For autistic adults, managing meals independently can be challenging, particularly when executive dysfunction, autistic burnout, or sensory overwhelm make shopping, cooking, and eating difficult.
Dr. Marianne emphasizes that independence doesn't have to mean doing everything yourself. Practical accommodations, body doubling, accessible safe foods, and support with meal preparation can make eating easier.
She also discusses the importance of finding relationships where autistic eating needs are respected rather than questioned.
BUILDING SELF-COMPASSION & CONNECTION AS AN AUTISTIC ADULT
Years of feeling misunderstood can create grief, particularly for late-identified autistic adults who grew up experiencing criticism or pressure around food.
Dr. Marianne explores how self-compassion, neurodivergent-affirming support, and sensory-friendly relationships can help reduce isolation and make everyday eating more manageable.
Rather than expecting autistic people to continually adapt to environments that don't meet their needs, she encourages a shift toward greater understanding, accessibility, and acceptance.
WORK WITH DR. MARIANNE
Dr. Marianne is an eating disorder therapist specializing in autism, ADHD, ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), and neurodivergent eating challenges. She provides neurodivergent-affirming, sensory-attuned therapy for individuals in California and Washington, D.C.
Learn more about working with Dr. Marianne at https://drmariannemiller.com.
For adults, parents, and professionals seeking additional support, Dr. Marianne also offers a self-paced ARFID and Selective Eating Course that explores sensory food challenges, autism and ARFID, and compassionate approaches to making eating easier.
Explore the course at https://drmariannemiller.com/arfid.
Listen to Dr. Marianne-Land: An Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Orthorexia recovery involves more than letting go of rigid food rules. It can mean rebuilding trust with your body, challenging perfectionism, and rediscovering pleasure in eating. In this episode of Dr. Marianne-Land, Dr. Marianne welcomes entrepreneur, mother, and eating disorder recovery advocate Natalie Sanchilli to share her personal journey through orthorexia, anorexia, and recovery.
Natalie opens up about how her pursuit of healthy eating, exercise, and wellness gradually developed into a life-threatening eating disorder. She shares how inpatient eating disorder treatment, support from loved ones, and eventually her passion for cooking helped her move from food restriction and control toward food freedom, connection, and joy.
WHEN HEALTHY EATING BECOMES ORTHOREXIA
Natalie's eating disorder began with what she believed were healthy habits. Living in New York City and building a successful career, she embraced strict food rules, intense exercise routines, and the pressure to optimize her health.
Over time, these behaviors became increasingly rigid. Natalie describes how orthorexia and anorexia developed so gradually that she struggled to recognize how seriously her health was deteriorating.
She and Dr. Marianne discuss how diet culture, wellness culture, perfectionism, and the desire for control can make disordered eating difficult to identify, particularly when restrictive behaviors are praised as healthy or disciplined.
ANOREXIA RECOVERY, PERFECTIONISM, AND LEARNING TO ACCEPT HELP
Natalie shares her experience of receiving an eating disorder diagnosis and undergoing inpatient treatment. As a high-achieving entrepreneur accustomed to independence, accepting that she needed help was particularly difficult.
She describes the emotional challenges of anorexia recovery, including fear of failure, relinquishing control, and coping with the physical discomfort of nutritional rehabilitation.
Dr. Marianne and Natalie also explore why eating disorder recovery isn't always linear and how the transition from inpatient to outpatient treatment can bring new challenges.
FROM FOOD RULES TO FOOD FREEDOM
One of the most meaningful parts of Natalie's eating disorder recovery story is how she rediscovered her love of food through cooking.
After years of experiencing eating as a mechanical necessity, Natalie began experimenting with recipes, exploring flavors, and enjoying the sensory experience of preparing meals.
Cooking became a creative outlet that helped her challenge food fears and develop a different relationship with eating.
Rather than viewing food primarily through rules, restriction, and control, she began experiencing it as a source of pleasure, creativity, and connection.
HOW COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION SUPPORT EATING DISORDER RECOVERY
Natalie reflects on how orthorexia and anorexia affected her relationships. Strict food and exercise routines had left her increasingly isolated from friends, family, and social experiences.
Through recovery, shared meals became opportunities to reconnect with loved ones and experience the joy of being present.
She discusses how motherhood, marriage, and family life have deepened her appreciation for nourishment beyond food itself.
Today, Natalie brings these experiences into her work as founder of Casa Isla, her family's organic farm in Southern California, and host of the Nourished Podcast.
FINDING HOPE THROUGH LIVED EXPERIENCE
Natalie's personal story offers a powerful perspective on what recovery from orthorexia and anorexia can look like.
She and Dr. Marianne discuss the importance of sharing lived experiences, reducing shame around eating disorders, and recognizing that asking for help does not mean giving up independence or strength.
Their conversation highlights how eating disorder recovery can create room for creativity, relationships, self-discovery, and a fuller life beyond rigid food rules.
CONNECT WITH NATALIE SANCHILLI
Natalie Sanchilli is an entrepreneur, mother, eating disorder recovery advocate, and host of the Nourished Podcast. She is also the founder of Casa Isla, a certified organic regenerative farm in Southern California.
Follow Natalie on Instagram @natsanchilli, explore @casaaylafarm, and listen to the Nourished Podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
Instagram: @natsanchilli
TikTok: @nsanchilli
YouTube: @nataliesanchilli
OTHER LIVED EXPERIENCE EPISODES
After 14 Years of Binge Eating: What Finally Helped Me Heal (With Deb Elbaz) on Apple & Spotify.
Why Lived Experience Matters in Anorexia & Bulimia Recovery for Neurodivergent People: 5 Things I've Learned as Both a Therapist & Someone in Recovery on Apple & Spotify.
WORK WITH DR. MARIANNE
Dr. Marianne is an eating disorder therapist with nearly 30 years of experience in mental health. She specializes in anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and the intersection of eating disorders with autism, ADHD, and other forms of neurodivergence.
Her approach emphasizes compassionate, individualized, neurodivergent-affirming, and weight-neutral eating disorder care.
If you're struggling with rigid food rules, disordered eating, or eating disorder recovery, Dr. Marianne offers eating disorder therapy in California and Washington, D.C., as well as coaching and consultation services worldwide.
Learn more at https://drmariannemiller.com.
Listen to Dr. Marianne-Land: An Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast for more conversations about eating disorder recovery, food freedom, body image, and building a meaningful life beyond diet culture.

ADHD can make eating disorder recovery harder when remembering meals, choosing food, preparing it, and switching tasks feel overwhelming. Dr. Marianne shares five practical strategies to make eating easier while supporting consistent nourishment and self-compassion.
ADHD & EATING DISORDER RECOVERY
Executive function challenges can create barriers to eating, even when you want to follow your recovery plan. Dr. Marianne discusses how ADHD and eating disorder fears can overlap, and why effective support needs to address both.
FIVE STRATEGIES TO MAKE EATING EASIER
Learn how external reminders, accessible foods, flexible meal options, practical support, and self-compassion can reduce the effort involved in eating. These ADHD-friendly strategies offer ways to support recovery without expecting yourself to remember, plan, and prepare everything independently.
REGULAR EATING WITHOUT RIGID FOOD RULES
Scheduled or mechanical eating can provide support when hunger cues are difficult to notice or rely on. Discover how flexible structure, convenience foods, and fewer food decisions can make nourishment more accessible while supporting your individual eating disorder treatment plan.
SENSORY NEEDS, ACCOMMODATIONS & ASKING FOR HELP
Your eating environment matters. Dr. Marianne shares ways to consider sensory preferences, ask for company during meals or food preparation, and create space for eating at work or school. Needing support does not diminish your recovery progress.
BUILDING SELF-COMPASSION IN RECOVERY
A missed meal or difficult eating day deserves curiosity and care. Learn to identify what got in the way, respond without punishment or compensation, and choose one manageable next step.
WORK WITH DR. MARIANNE
Dr. Marianne is an eating disorder therapist with nearly 30 years of experience as a therapist. She brings her perspective as an autistic ADHDer with lived experience of eating disorder recovery to her neurodivergent-affirming approach.
For eating disorder therapy in California and Washington, D.C., including in-person care in San Diego, visit DrMarianneMiller.com.
Adults, parents, and providers can also learn more through her ARFID and Selective Eating course.
This episode offers education and practical support. Adapt these strategies with your treatment team to fit your nutritional needs and recovery goals.

ARFID in young adults can make university, new careers, relationships, and daily eating feel overwhelming. Changes in routines, unfamiliar food environments, and pressure to become independent can create challenges that others don’t always see.
Dr. Marianne discusses navigating adulthood with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, asking for help while maintaining autonomy, and building self-compassion around eating needs.
ARFID AT UNIVERSITY & IN THE WORKPLACE
Dining halls, shared kitchens, unpredictable schedules, and workplace lunches can disrupt access to familiar foods. Learn how to identify the routines and practical supports that make eating more manageable, including food preparation help, predictable eating breaks, and conversations with university accessibility services.
ASKING FOR HELP WHILE KEEPING YOUR AUTONOMY
Needing support with groceries, cooking, or remembering to eat does not make you less of an adult. Dr. Marianne shares ways to make specific requests, communicate boundaries, and choose support that respects your decisions. For autistic young adults and ADHDers, sensory needs and executive functioning challenges deserve consideration.
SOCIAL EATING, FRIENDSHIPS, & DATING WITH ARFID
Restaurant invitations, shared meals, and questions about food can add pressure when you have ARFID. Hear ways to communicate food limitations, plan for social situations, and build connection without making every interaction revolve around eating.
BUILDING SELF-COMPASSION THROUGH CHANGE
Feeling ashamed of your eating challenges can make asking for support harder. Learn how to respond to self-criticism with curiosity, recognize when transitions increase your support needs, and pursue greater flexibility while keeping familiar foods available.
ARFID SUPPORT & RESOURCES
Dr. Marianne offers eating disorder therapy and ARFID therapy in California, including in-person appointments in San Diego, plus global coaching. Her self-paced ARFID and Selective Eating Course provides neurodivergent-affirming, sensory-attuned education for adults, families, and providers.
Visit DrMarianneMiller.com to learn about working with Dr. Marianne, or explore the ARFID and Selective Eating Course.
This episode provides education and does not replace individualized medical, nutritional, or mental health care.

How to Stop Binge Eating Without Dieting or Restricting Food
Struggling to stop binge eating without falling back into dieting, food restriction, or rigid food rules? The binge-restrict cycle can make binge eating worse, even when you're trying to regain control over your eating. But binge eating recovery doesn't have to involve weight loss, deprivation, or more food rules.
In this solo episode of Dr. Marianne-Land, eating disorder therapist Dr. Marianne explains how to reduce binge eating without dieting, why physical and psychological restriction can fuel binge eating episodes, and how a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach supports sustainable recovery. Learn why binge eating often decreases gradually, how to recognize meaningful progress, and why self-compassion is essential to breaking the binge-restrict cycle.
WHY RESTRICTING FOOD CAN MAKE BINGE EATING WORSE
Food restriction isn't always intentional. Skipping meals, avoiding certain foods, eating too little, or struggling with ADHD-related executive functioning can leave your body inadequately nourished. Psychological restriction, including labeling foods as bad or forbidden, can also intensify cravings and binge eating urges.
Dr. Marianne explains how consistent nourishment, food flexibility, and mechanical eating can help reduce binge eating without creating another set of restrictive rules.
HOW TO BREAK THE BINGE-RESTRICT CYCLE
Trying to compensate after binge eating by skipping meals, exercising excessively, or restricting food can perpetuate the cycle. Binge eating recovery involves learning to nourish yourself consistently, including after a binge episode.
Rather than focusing on controlling food intake, Dr. Marianne discusses how to address the underlying biological, emotional, and sensory factors that contribute to binge eating.
HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE (HAES) AND BINGE EATING RECOVERY
A Health at Every Size approach shifts the focus away from weight loss and toward reducing and eventually eliminating binge eating episodes, supporting adequate nourishment, and improving your relationship with food.
This weight-neutral approach is especially important for people in larger bodies who experience pressure to diet, even when food restriction contributes to their binge eating.
WHY BINGE EATING RECOVERY TAKES TIME
Stopping binge eating rarely happens overnight. As recovery progresses, binge eating episodes may gradually become less frequent, involve smaller amounts of food, or feel less intense. Eventually, episodes may stop altogether.
Dr. Marianne explains why reducing the frequency and intensity of binge eating represents meaningful progress, even when episodes haven't completely stopped. Recovery isn't linear, and setbacks don't erase the changes you've made.
SELF-COMPASSION AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION IN BINGE EATING RECOVERY
Binge eating can provide emotional comfort, sensory regulation, stimulation, or relief from distress. This can be particularly relevant for autistic people and ADHDers who experience sensory overwhelm, executive functioning challenges, or difficulty recognizing hunger cues.
Instead of responding to binge eating with shame or punishment, learn how curiosity, emotional regulation, and self-compassion can support long-term recovery. Being patient with yourself is part of the process, not something you have to earn after binge eating stops.
WORK WITH DR. MARIANNE
Dr. Marianne is an eating disorder therapist with nearly 30 years of experience in mental health. She provides weight-neutral, neurodivergent-affirming, trauma-informed therapy for binge eating disorder, bulimia, anorexia, and ARFID.
Binge Eating Disorder Therapy: Available via telehealth throughout California and Washington, D.C., and in person in the San Diego area.
Binge Eating Recovery Membership: Explore Dr. Marianne's self-paced membership for support with binge eating recovery, emotional regulation, and developing a more compassionate relationship with food.
Visit drmariannemiller.com to learn more about therapy, coaching, and binge eating recovery resources.
Remember: You can work toward stopping binge eating without dieting, restricting food, or pursuing weight loss. Recovery takes time, and self-compassion is an essential part of lasting change.

Binge eating recovery can feel challenging when weight loss messages surround you. Registered dietitian Toni Rudd joins Dr. Marianne to discuss finding food freedom, navigating body image struggles, and healing your relationship with food amid growing pressure to take GLP-1 medications for weight loss.
Drawing on their professional and personal experiences, Toni and Dr. Marianne discuss how a non-diet approach can support recovery from binge eating while helping you build a life with less food guilt and more room for what matters.
BINGE EATING, FOOD NOISE & THE RESTRICTION CYCLE
Toni explains why her approach begins with eating regularly and eating enough. The conversation addresses binge eating shame, secretive eating, and the exhausting cycle of dieting and restriction. Food freedom includes greater flexibility, trusting yourself around food, and spending less mental energy questioning what you eat.
BODY IMAGE & WEIGHT LOSS PRESSURE
How do you work toward body acceptance when people around you are pursuing weight loss? Toni and Dr. Marianne discuss social comparison, social media boundaries, and separating your self-worth from the number on the scale. Body neutrality can offer a place to begin, even when loving your body feels out of reach.
GLP-1 MEDICATIONS & EATING DISORDER SUPPORT
The conversation considers eating disorder screening, nutrition support, and medical monitoring for people taking GLP-1 medications. Toni shares concerns about access without adequate assessment while acknowledging the benefits she has seen in diabetes care. They also discuss the emotional pull of weight loss promises when you struggle with binge eating or body dissatisfaction.
WHAT FOOD FREEDOM CAN LOOK LIKE
Recovery takes time and unlearning. Toni and Dr. Marianne reflect on having more space for relationships, enjoying shared meals, and being present without constant calculations about food or exercise. They share why moving away from restriction can create possibilities beyond the scale.
ABOUT TONI RUDD
Toni Rudd is a UK registered dietitian who specializes in eating disorders, particularly binge eating. Based in Manila, she offers virtual support to clients internationally. Her compassionate, non-diet approach helps people improve their relationship with food and work toward body acceptance.
Connect with Toni on Instagram: @the.binge.dietitian
Connect with Toni on her website: https://www.thebingedietitian.com/
RELATED EPISODES WITH TONI
Food Neutrality & Binge Eating Recovery: Apple & Spotify
ADHD & Binge Eating Disorder: Apple & Spotify.
Reasons Behind Binge Eating & What To Do After a Binge: Apple & Spotify
WORK WITH DR. MARIANNE
Dr. Marianne offers eating disorder therapy in California, including in-person support in San Diego, plus virtual coaching worldwide. Learn about support for binge eating, bulimia, anorexia, and ARFID at drmariannemiller.com.
For neurodivergent-affirming, sensory-attuned education for adults, parents, and providers, visit the ARFID & Selective Eating Course.
CONTENT NOTES
Includes discussion of binge eating, restrictive eating, eating disorder histories, body dissatisfaction, weight loss pressure, and GLP-1 medications. This conversation provides education and does not replace individualized medical, nutrition, or mental health care.

Intuitive eating can feel frustrating when hunger cues are unclear, meals slip your mind, or sensory needs make food difficult to tolerate. In this solo episode of Dr. Marianne-Land, Dr. Marianne discusses why “just listen to your body” may leave autistic people and ADHDers needing more practical support during eating disorder recovery.
Why Intuitive Eating Can Feel Difficult With ADHD & Autism
Recognizing hunger and responding to it involve different skills. ADHD executive functioning challenges can make remembering meals, choosing food, and starting preparation difficult. For autistic people, sensory sensitivities and interoception differences can complicate identifying hunger, fullness, and foods that feel manageable.
Dr. Marianne explains how these experiences can affect eating without making them a personal failure.
Hunger & Fullness Cues in Eating Disorder Recovery
Recovery from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or ARFID may require support beyond internal cues. Low appetite, early fullness, and difficulty recognizing hunger can make consistent nourishment challenging.
Learn why hunger and fullness provide only part of the picture, and how a treatment team can help you meet your nutritional needs.
Mechanical Eating, Meal Structure & Neurodivergent Support
Mechanical eating uses planned eating times and structure to support nourishment when internal cues aren’t enough. Flexible routines, familiar meals, accessible snacks, and reminders can reduce the work involved in eating.
Needing ongoing structure or sensory accommodations does not make your recovery less meaningful. Support can respect your autonomy while helping you eat adequately.
Who This Episode Is For
This conversation is for autistic adults, ADHDers, people with ARFID, and anyone who feels discouraged by intuitive eating during eating disorder recovery. Providers and loved ones will also find language for understanding eating challenges and offering practical support.
Work With Dr. Marianne
Dr. Marianne offers neurodivergent-affirming, sensory-attuned eating disorder therapy in California and Washington, D.C., including support for ARFID, binge eating, anorexia, and bulimia.
Visit DrMarianneMiller.com to learn about working together.
For adults, parents, and providers seeking a deeper understanding of ARFID, visit the ARFID & Selective Eating Course.
Follow @drmariannemiller on Instagram and subscribe to Dr. Marianne-Land for more conversations about autism, ADHD, and eating disorder recovery.

Food waste guilt can make eating feel like an obligation. When you have ARFID or binge eating disorder, the pressure to clean your plate may intersect with sensory sensitivities, scarcity fears, family food rules, and anxiety about grocery costs.
Dr. Marianne discusses making peace with throwing away food while supporting nourishment, autonomy, and eating disorder recovery. With a neurodivergent-affirming approach, she considers how autism and ADHD can complicate leftovers, food preparation, and the expectation to finish everything.
ARFID, Sensory Sensitivities, & Food Waste Guilt
A familiar food can become difficult to eat when its texture, temperature, or smell changes. For someone with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, discarding that food may bring up shame about money or frustration with their sensory needs. Learn how shifting the question to “What would help me eat now?” can support access to food without adding pressure.
Binge Eating & the Pressure to Clean Your Plate
Thoughts like “I need to finish this before it goes bad” or “I won’t be allowed to eat this tomorrow” can make food decisions feel urgent. Dr. Marianne examines food waste guilt, restrictive food rules, and permission to save food for later. She also explains why eating past comfortable fullness does not automatically mean someone has binge eating disorder.
Food Scarcity, Family Rules, & Eating Disorder Recovery
Childhood messages about gratitude, money, and finishing every bite can remain powerful in adulthood. Current food insecurity also deserves practical support. Hear ways to identify the fear beneath the guilt and respond with greater self-compassion.
ADHD, Autism, & Practical Food Support
Visible leftovers, accessible safe foods, freezing portions, and convenient packaging may make food management easier. The focus stays on accommodations that fit your sensory needs, executive functioning, budget, and capacity.
Permission to discard food does not create a requirement to leave food behind. Adequate nourishment and your individual recovery needs remain central.
Work With Dr. Marianne
Dr. Marianne offers eating disorder therapy, including ARFID and binge eating disorder support, in California and Washington, D.C., with in-person appointments in San Diego and virtual coaching available worldwide. Visit DrMarianneMiller.com to learn more.
For adults with ARFID, parents, caregivers, and providers, the ARFID and Selective Eating Course offers neurodivergent-affirming, sensory-attuned education.
Follow Dr. Marianne on Instagram @drmariannemiller and follow Dr. Marianne-Land on Apple Podcasts for more conversations about ARFID, binge eating, autism, ADHD, and eating disorder recovery.

Living in a larger body doesn’t mean eating comes easily. Sensory issues with food, difficulty recognizing hunger, and the executive functioning demands of preparing meals can make eating challenging. Anti-fat bias can leave those struggles unseen or dismissed.
Dr. Marianne brings her perspective as an eating disorder therapist, a fat autistic woman, and someone with lived experience of eating disorders and recovery to this conversation about body size, autism, ADHD, and food struggles.
Autism, Sensory Issues With Food, and Body Size
Food textures, smells, temperatures, and unpredictable ingredients can make eating overwhelming for autistic people in any body size. Familiar brands, packaged foods, and repeated meals can provide predictability. Learn why sensory needs deserve respect and how pressure to eliminate accessible foods can make eating harder.
ADHD and Executive Functioning Challenges With Eating
Meal planning, grocery shopping, remembering to eat, and preparing food involve multiple executive functioning skills. ADHD can make it difficult to start cooking, shift away from a task, or choose a meal. Being in a larger body doesn’t make those barriers disappear.
Weight Stigma and Unrecognized Eating Struggles
Assumptions about weight can prevent people from receiving support for restrictive eating, ARFID, and other eating difficulties. Dr. Marianne discusses how anti-fat bias adds shame and why providers and loved ones need to ask about someone’s experience rather than make assumptions based on appearance.
Neurodivergent-Affirming Support for Eating
Making eating more accessible may involve convenient meals, sensory accommodations, fewer preparation steps, and practical support. Hear ways to communicate your needs, set boundaries around food commentary, and build eating routines that fit your autistic or ADHD brain.
Eating Disorder Therapy and ARFID Resources
Dr. Marianne offers neurodivergent-affirming, weight-neutral eating disorder therapy in California and Washington, D.C. Visit DrMarianneMiller.com to learn about support for eating disorders, ARFID, and eating challenges.
For sensory-attuned education for adults, parents, and providers, visit the ARFID and Selective Eating Course. Follow @drmariannemiller on Instagram.
Share this episode with someone who wants to better understand autism, ADHD, and struggling to eat in a larger body.