Ashton Fisher, a 12-year-old boy from the UK, spent over a decade living only on a specific brand of white bread and fruit yogurt before being diagnosed with food phobia. Growing children require a healthy, balanced diet, but to say Ashton Fisher has had anything but that would be a gross understatement. Ever since he was two, the young boy would get scared and begin to cry if his parents tried to feed him anything but Warburtons sliced white bread and strawberry and banana Munch Bunch yogurts. Although no one knows the exact reason why Ashton developed this bizarre food phobia, his mother, Cara, believes it might have been triggered by having reflux as a baby. The Fishers never even had Christmas dinner as a family, because Ashton couldn’t stand the smell of all the food. His phobia also took a toll on his social life, preventing him from eating at school or parties. It was actually his desire to fit in that eventually made Ashton realize his diet wasn’t normal and seek professional help. In July the Fishers took Ashton to see selective eating disorder specialist Felix Economakis, who, upon hearing his history, diagnosed Ashton with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). He has also been able to get the 12-year-old to try new foods, even though they aren’t exactly the healthiest. Now, instead of simple white bread, Ashton is willing to munch on some ham sandwiches, and has also tried a roast dinner, Pringles and McDonald’s chicken nuggets. His recovery is still in the early stages, but things are finally looking up for Ashton.
