First new try in over a decade—what next?
Backstory: Turned 30 recently and absolutely gave up on trying new things near the tail end of high school. It was simply too demoralizing and no physician, therapist, or CBT/eating disorder specialists knew what I was dealing with or how to treat it which crushed my spirit. But I also was dealing with Type II bipolar disorder which must've began in high school, it seems, which I was diagnosed with only a few months ago (too depressed for too long, never opened up about it, planned on suicide for a long time starting in high school, many failed attempts without anyone even knowing I was that low between 2018-2024, but after finally seeking therapy & psychiatry I've been slowly getting my life back on track the best I can).
Now that the Bipolar is somewhat stable enough to endure with my meds, I've finally mustered the courage to attempt to swing back and tackle my ARFID and tried baby carrots as my first new try since high school essentially. Gagged a bit on the first one but i was able to chew it up and swallow and each subsequent one has had no gag, though i'm still getting used to the flavor, regardless of how bland it is. Tried ranch and nearly vomited. Sticking with plain ones for now.
Current Diet: Plain/choco-chip pancakes/waffles w/ syrup, most cereals w/milk, fast food hashbrowns, toasted plain/garlic bagels with butter (cream cheese makes me gag), mixed nuts, peanut butter, Protein shakes & protein bars (no meat or plant proteins I can eat quite yet)
bananas, apples, mandarins, oranges, watermelon, grapes (melon/cantaloupe/strawberries i can eat, i just don't enjoy them much)
cheese pizza, cheese sticks w/ marinara, breadsticks, french fries (not a fan of ketchup surprisingly) and essentially most dry crispy crackers/junk foods are fair game (assuming i enjoy the flavor).
Question: I'm curious if anyone has any suggestions based on my current diet of foods that might be best to try next. I've tried Mac n Cheese, grilled cheese, and chicken nuggets many occasions with zero positive results, so i'm gonna avoid those still for now. Trying to branch out into veggies before meat, seems more doable to me for some reason.