Food habits, growing up and now

[Southern Discomfort]

It's very common for those on the spectrum to have interesting habits or routines with their food, what were yours?

Growing up vegetables were the devil's food for me, I couldn't touch them for the longest time and still struggle with it to this day though not as bad. I had to mask the them with other food in order to swallow it. Just recently I tried eat onion and I had to stop myself from gagging it was so bad.

At school I couldn't go into the cafeteria to eat, I couldn't stand the thought of eating food that someone else other than me or my mum had prepared. I also can't eat those pre-packaged sandwiches in the triangle plastic boxes.

Generally I don't eat too much, I don't like the feeling of a full stomach.

I also had a couple of strange choices of food such as eat ice cream cones on their own.

 

[wanderer03]

Is it possible that people on the spectrum may have very sensitive stomachs? I have always had a very sensitive stomach, limited palate, and a sensitive gag reflex.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

It's funny what the brain can do to your stomach, yeah I think it's possible.

 

[clg114]

When we sit down to eat dinner, I always eat all of one thing first, then the next and so on. My wife has asked me why I do that. I do not really know why, that is just the way I have always ate. Even if we just go get a burger & fries, I always eat all of one or the other first.

 

[wanderer03]

Until you brought it up, I never really attributed my limited taste palate to autism. You gave me some interesting insight with which to consider.

 

[wanderer03]

When we sit down to eat dinner, I always eat all of one thing first, then the next and so on. My wife has asked me why I do that. I do not really know why, that is just the way I have always ate. Even if we just go get a burger & fries, I always eat all of one or the other first.

Funny but I tend to do much the same thing.

 

[King_Oni]

When I was younger I was such a picky eater and that went well into my teens, and even until I was in my 20's.

Actually since I started cooking my own meals and be more in control of what's for dinner, I've noticed my habits and sense of taste were pretty much the opposite of what my parents like. I like spices and rich flavors and if anything my parents cooked the most bland things ever. They also kinda went with the entire "well, just eat whatever we have" which seems fine in times of war, but in the past 50+ years, we haven't so why they'd settle for anything less than yummy is beyond me. I remember plenty of talks with them where they flat out told me "Well... I know it doesn't taste that good, but we have to eat"... excuse me? You're cooking dinner yourself and you don't even make an effort to make it taste somewhat good.

I also believe that in general we had too many different preferences in flavor going on, since everyone in the house was a picky eater about some things (and funnily enough, I got told about it, lol)

Nowadays, I tend to cook my own stuff most of the time, so I make an effort to make it good (and sometimes invite friends over for dinner; something my parents never did; but can you blame them, lol).

I don't know about sensitive stomachs with people on the spectrum. I don't really have a lot of issues with it. The last time I've had a serious issue with my stomach was when something was way, way beyond expiration date. But aside from that, not really... I like spicy food so I often end up putting the hottest peppers around in my meals, that doesn't really bother me (unlike a friend of mine, who routinely brings some pills around for his stomach when he's over; although he's just as much of a sucker for spicy food as me... he's just a bit more of a masochist, lol)

 

[Brony714]

When we sit down to eat dinner, I always eat all of one thing first, then the next and so on. My wife has asked me why I do that. I do not really know why, that is just the way I have always ate. Even if we just go get a burger & fries, I always eat all of one or the other first.

Could it be possible that until she asked you, you never realized(or noticed) how you ate?

 

[clg114]

Could it be possible that until she asked you, you never realized(or noticed) how you ate?

You are right.

 

[Myway]

I used to not be a picky eater, but as I have gotten older I have realized my sensitivities more often. There are certain foods that I avoid altogether now.

 

[allie]

i'm not that picky but i like to eat the same foods over and over haha. i remember like ten years ago, for 1 or 2 years i ate tomato soup every single day

 

[JuniperBug]

Funny but I tend to do much the same thing.

I used to do this but It makes me feel icky because I have a need for things to "feel even/symmetrical". Kind of like ocd, I've been told. So I eat things as evenly as possible. One bite or one eighth at a time in a circle. Wow that sound crazy now that I type it.

I also sometimes avoid the issue by mixing everything together in a weird pile.

 

[Mia]

Don't enjoy mixing food together on a plate, although I don't mind them in soup or stew. Growing up I disliked red meat of any kind and heavy foods, we had a lot of the same foods every day, always potatoes and some sort of meat or poultry. Which my Father insisted on. Had lots of fresh food though, with a large garden, and local orchards and products to pick from. Really don't like having the same meals each day, there must be some variety on a regular basis.

My Mother liked baking, so there were always cookies, pies, bread, donuts and puddings of every sort, although as an adult I've moved away from most kinds of sweets in general. As a child I used to make tiny mashed potato mountains on my plate to hide the meat in, and that worked for awhile, but eventually I was found out, and had to eat the meat. My diet is less conventional than it used to be, relying less on meat and carbs, and more on fruit and veg.

 

[Merahj]

Growing up I disliked red meat of any kind and heavy foods, we had a lot of the same foods every day, always potatoes and some sort of meat or poultry.

I thought i was the only one that dislikes red meat. It is not just the taste it is the texture. I also did not like my food to touch. My exceptions were stew and on sandwiches. I really liked vegetables. My parents said it was like pulling teeth to get me to eat meat. I live in the south and during the summer watermelon and most melons are deserts. I cannot eat watermelon because of the texture. My mother gave me a slice of watermelon when i was young and I spit it out. Then she made me eat the rest of it. It was painful and i cried the rest of the way through it. I have not had watermelon since. I also don't like carrots because of texture. My way around this was that for veggies that taste good but have textures I can't handle I juice. I like the taste of carrot juice and watermelon juice. It helps me get needed nutrition. I would probably eat baked potatoes and salad every day of my life if i could though. It is my go to meal.

 

[peoplesrjames]

I've noticed I don't like brightly colored foods. I hate tomatoes, peppers, and cannot even look at cauliflower. Don't even know what they taste like, but I cant eat them.

 

[JuniperBug]

I've noticed I don't like brightly colored foods. I hate tomatoes, peppers, and cannot even look at cauliflower. Don't even know what they taste like, but I cant eat them.

Even pasta sauce and pizza? How about broccoli? Did you know that broccoli and cauliflower (and kale/Brussels sprouts/cabbage) and a few other vegetables are just mutations of wild mustard plant?

 

[Shawn D]

I wasn't picky about food growing up. I would try just about anything and had an unusually diverse palate for a child, though once I found a food I liked, I would order it any time it was on the menu. For instance, I always ordered steamed clams if they were on the menu. If that wasn't an option, calamari was my next choice. Spaghetti with marinara was my favorite food and was my third choice, if clams or calamari weren't available.
I also preferred salad with blue cheese dressing for lunch at school instead of the typical childhood choice of PB&J.
Also, my mom said I wanted to be vegan when I was 8 years old. I didn't have a particular reason at the time, which made it weirder.

 

[BigTimber]

I was a very, very picky eater growing up. I would only eat bland food and absolutely no veggies and maybe 5 types fruits. I've been told that when I was a toddler, I wouldn't eat meat, especially red meat, and for awhile they thought I was naturally a vegetarian. That changed when I was about 4 though. These days I eat more flavorful stuff. I wouldn't eat stuff like mustard, bell peppers, onions, and drink tea. Now, I love them and could have them everyday without ever growing tired of them. I eat a lot more (albeit still limited) veggies and I could live off of a diet of only meat quite happily.

A good portion of it is having a sensitive palate and sensitive tastebuds, but the other portion definitely mental. For example, I don't mind the taste of sushi, but there's just something about it that makes me gag and I can't keep it down no matter how hard I try and how much I want to eat it. Same thing with cooked spinach and carrots. In the case of sushi, I wouldn't even call it a texture problem, because there's nothing unusual about its texture to me.

 

[peoplesrjames]

I cant really eat shrimp. I usually just tell people im allergic although im not really allergic to it. but something about it just makes me vomit.

 

[Progster]

My preferences haven't changed much over the years. When I was a kid, I wouldn't eat tomatoes, eggs, offal or the fat/gristle on meat, and I still can't eat these now.