Rules for eating or arranging food?

[AdultAspie69]

If I'm eating meat, especially chicken, there mustn't be anything that let me identify it was once alive. The Thanksgiving turkey is a nightmare for me: I have to eat meat while facing a carved carcass and looking at the inside of a dead bird. But turkey sandwich? Bring it on (just not with mayo. I can't stand to even look at mayo). I also can't have fish for the same reason, especially whole fish with the eyes still on. Or shrimp, or anything that you will need to dismember.

I feel the same way about meat. i don't really have a problem with foods touching or mixed, just certain textures/smells. if i have ketchup or salad dressing i don't put it directly on, i put it on the plate and dip.

 

[AdultAspie69]

i have a strong dislike of warm milk, too slimy. i like cold milk. i've heard that some people won't drink milk because they say it's like drinking blood, anyone else heard about this?

Good for you! I was young then. I think I was thinking about the pet fishes we have at home and felt really awful for them.

i've always had a problem fishing because i felt really bad about hurting the fish with the hook, i even felt bad about hurting the worm.

 

[Suzanne]

In truth, I was too busy concentrating on quickly eating my food, so that my eyes would not drift to the awful surroundings, othewise, I would not have been able to finish my food. I also had to balance my plate on my lap and found that uncomfortable. So glad to reach a stage, when I could decide to eat on my lap or at a table.

I have always hated mixing foods together, accept, for white things, like potato and fishfingers or and love adding peas.

Any dark colours, would and still does, get me heaving. I cannot stand tomato ketchup any way; cannot get past the smell.

I don't think I had a trouble with knife and fork etc, but I did feel mighty grown up when I started to use a pen, instead of a pencil, which is funny now, because I used a pencil to do accounts and often have a chuckle at the irony.

 

[Judge]

I remember very early in my life, conditioning myself not to place anything inherently sweet on my plate, which could so easily "contaminate" all the other non-sweet foods.

 

[Keigan]

I can only image that for some people, eating something like Sheperd's Pie is a three dimensional puzzle of textures and flavors.

 

[Judge]

I can only image that for some people, eating something like Sheperd's Pie is a three dimensional puzzle of textures and flavors.

For me that's one of the few dishes where I simply cannot deal with meat and potatoes so mixed up into the same casserole. Separately I love them both. Yet I can enjoy a good beef stew where it's all mixed together. Go figure.

Funny, a tv dinner manufacturer started mixing things like mashed potatoes directly with entrees like meatloaf and Salisbury steak. No wonder I don't like it!

But then I can recall just how many times friends and family have told me I'm just too damn picky. Something I just can't seem to help on some levels.

 

[AdultAspie69]

i have a problem eating in group situations(family gatherings) i start feeling embarassed about others seeing me eat. i usually take my plate into my room and eat alone while lying in bed we didn't really have a dining room table when i was growing up.

 

[Dadwith2Autisticsons]

Sabrina, you actually created a thread I was going to today, as one of the biggest sensory issues we have with our children is their eating, and I have yet to read any posts about that. I was wondering if other Aspies had food-related limitations, specific food preparation needs, and specific food or drink texture, taste, smell, and aesthetic needs, so thanks for posting about this.

Both of our young Autistic children have had severe limited and selective food needs, and difficulties being fed since birth. Right now, Dylan, our five year old, is of biggest concern. He is developmentally at a one to two year old level, and gags at even just the sight of nearly all foods. He tolerates only a certain flavored orange cream yogurt three times a day, and we put his vitamin powder in that, as other than that he tolerates only a few crunchy snacks throughout the day.

We had tried everything, including being extremely patient and calm, and as we are always that way anyway, and things like feeding therapy, breaking the food up into small pieces, giving him choices, putting the food out in sight for extended duration, thinking if he is hungry he will eat it, putting a new food item next to his favorite food each day and getting him used to it, bring creative in presentation, and eating that food in front of him, etc. Nothing seems to work to increase his variety. Patience does not yet help.

I know he loves crunchy things, as the yogurt he would refuse if we did not feed it to him, but eating the yogurt is the only way to get calcium and adequate vitamins and minerals in him. We tried other crunchy foods too like fresh vegetables, but still no luck. He used to be ok with crunchy cereal, like cheerios, rice Chex, and foods like that, but now refuses it. The very few foods he likes he can eat fast though, and he needs to anyway, as his attention is extremely short for meals, because of his ADHD and Autism.

So, for Dylan he seems wired to need foods that can be broken down by himself in his mouth. But, he has not tolerated any more of these types of foods. He cannot talk or follow instruction so that makes thing difficult to know how he feels and what else to try. We wanted him evaluated for dysphagia, but that went nowhere. So, we are just following his lead now and going with the flow, until he is possibly more receptive later. We keep trying.

For drinks, he now only accepts water, and it has to be in a certain hard-tipped sippy cup. That cup broke, and we could not find a replacement, as it was out of production, so he had to be hospitalized because of dehydration. He would throw all other cups of water we offered him, no matter if it was the same color and almost similar style. So, we had to add more water to his yogurts, and find almost a 95% percent exact cup replica, from an overseas (UK) company, and with much patience putting that next to the leaking broken cup, and he eventually accepted that new cup.

As for Aaron, who is seven years old now and more on the Aspergers or high functioning end, when he was a toddler he used to throw, spit out, and push away most all foods that typical children his age ate. Eventually we learned from him, after he could talk, it was because of taste and texture. He has also heightened sense of smell, too. He loves more bland foods and carbohydrates, but no sweets, spicy and sweet and sour things. He loves potoes, chicken, cheeses, macaroni, plain hamburgers, and Italian bread sandwiches. He eats at a very slow pace, unlike Dylan.

For Aaron, up until a year ago, he always needed his foods cut up precisely, as if he put too much in his mouth he would gag.
He would need the foods presented in the ways he was accustomed, which meant prepared and presented the same way each time, and for me only to help him for many of the feedings for certain foods. Now, he seems to be eating less rigid in needing things precisely, and he is fine with eating more independently and likes often to make and prepare his own foods. But, he can notice a certain ingredient in foods if the manufacturer changes the ingredient, and then will refuse then that. As well, he likes foods not too soft or too crunchy, and not too cold or too hot.

We know food sensory issues is very common for children with Autism, as from what I read at least seventy percent have some food or feeding related issue. Whether this is going to be short term or long for Dylan, especially, as that is the biggest concern, we do not know.

 

[Judge]

We know food sensory issues is very common for children with Autism, as from what I read at least seventy percent have some food or feeding related issue. Whether this is going to be short term or long for Dylan, especially, as that is the biggest concern, we do not know.

Good question. I can only say in my own case that some "food biases" remain, while others have not. Though my taste in foods in general has definitely evolved over the years. At least I no longer feel compelled to smell things before tasting them...lol.

 

[Maelstrom]

Foods not touching seems to be a common trait. I grew up this way. I had to use a plate that was divided like a TV dinner so each section seperated one from the other.
I lost the plate when I was young, but, still keep the portions seperate. Then I eat each one at time. I get asked if I'm not going to eat the whatever and I reply: "yes, when I get to it. But, right now I'm eating the rice." They don't understand.

I also have two odd things about eating I haven't seen on this thread and wonder if anyone can shed light on them or have the same traits....
I can't seem to make myself eat the tips of things like french fries or the sandwich edge where I held it.
French fries end up a pile of little ends left. Sandwiches, cookies, etc. I leave the part I held in my fingers.
I don't think of germs either, not consciously anyway. Just always did this. Don't know why. But, people notice. Same with the last sip of a drink. I've been told to drink the last drop. And there's always a few pieces of anything I eat even with utensils left. I see people scraping the plate clean. I just can't do it. It makes me feel sick to try. Anyone else like this?

My father always leaves bits of food on his plate.

 

[Maelstrom]

Sabrina, you actually created a thread I was going to today, as one of the biggest sensory issues we have with our children is their eating, and I have yet to read any posts about that. I was wondering if other Aspies had food-related limitations, specific food preparation needs, and specific food or drink texture, taste, smell, and aesthetic needs, so thanks for posting about this.

Both of our young Autistic children have had severe limited and selective food needs, and difficulties being fed since birth. Right now, Dylan, our five year old, is of biggest concern. He is developmentally at a one to two year old level, and gags at even just the sight of early all foods. He tolerates only a certain flavored orange cream yogurt three times a day, and we put his vitamin powder in that, as other than that he tolerates only a few crunchy snacks throughout the day.

We had tried everything, including being extremely patient and calm, and as we are always that way anyway, and things like feeding therapy, breaking the food up into small pieces, giving him choices, putting the food out in sight for extended duration, thinking if he is hungry he will eat it, putting a new food item next to his favorite food each day and getting him used to it, bring creative in presentation, and eating that food in front of him, etc. Nothing seems to work to increase his variety. Patience does not yet help.

I know he loves crunchy things, as the yogurt he would refuse if we did not feed it to him, but eating the yogurt is the only way to get calcium and adequate vitamins and minerals in him. We tried other crunchy foods too like fresh vegetables, but still no luck. He used to be ok with crunchy cereal, like cheerios, rice Chex, and foods like that, but now refuses it. The very few foods he likes he can eat fast though, and he needs to anyway, as his attention is extremely short for meals, because of his ADHD and Autism.

So, for Dylan he seems wired to need foods that can be broken down by himself in his mouth. But, he has not tolerated any more of these types of foods. He cannot talk or follow instruction so that makes thing difficult to know how he feels and what else to try. We wanted him evaluated for dysphagia, but that went nowhere. So, we are just following his lead now and going with the flow, until he is possibly more receptive later. We keep trying.

For drinks, he now only accepts water, and it has to be in a certain hard-tipped snippy cup. That cup broke, and we could not find a replacement, as it was out of production, so he had to be hospitalized because of dehydration. He would throw all other cups of water we offered him, no matter if it was the same color and almost similar style. So, we had to add more water to his yogurts, and find almost a 95% percent exact cup replica, from an overseas company, and with much patience putting that next to the leaking broken cup, and he eventually accepted that new cup.

As for Aaron, who is seven years old now and more on the Aspergers or high functioning end, when he was a toddler he used to throw, spit out, and push away most all foods that typical children his age ate. Eventually we learned from him, after he could talk, it was because of taste and texture. He has also heightened sense of smell, too. He loves more bland foods and carbohydrates, but no sweets, spicy and sweet and sour things. He loves potoes, chicken, cheeses, macaroni, plain hamburgers, and Italian bread sandwiches. He eats at a very slow pace, unlike Dylan.

For Aaron, up until a year ago, he always needed his foods cut up precisely, as if he put too much in his mouth he would gag.
He would need the foods presented in the ways he was accustomed, which meant prepared and presented the same way each time, and for me only to help him for many of the feedings for certain foods. Now, he seems to be eating less rigid in needing things precisely, and he is fine with eating more independently and likes often to make and prepare his own foods. But, he can notice a certain ingredient in foods if the manufacturer changes the ingredient, and then will refuse then that. As well, he likes foods not too soft or too crunchy, and not too cold or too hot.

We know food sensory issues is very common for children with Autism, as from what I read at least seventy percent have some food or feeding related issue. Whether this is going to be short term or long for Dylan, especially, as that is the biggest concern, we do not know.

you could mix the yogurt into homemade granola and bake it until it is crunchy...etcetera!

If one way doesn't work find another!

 

[Dadwith2Autisticsons]

you could mix the yogurt into homemade granola and bake it until it is crunchy...etcetera!

If one way doesn't work find another!

Thanks. We can try that. Both my wife and I love granola, so we will see if making that flavor he likes in crunchy form will work.

 

[ZebraAutismo]

Different food shall never touch!

But seriously I have orders I have to eat my food at and when I don't eat at the 'right' time I get anxious

 

[Maelstrom]

Thanks. We can try that. Both my wife and I love granola, so we will see if making that flavor he likes in crunchy form will work.

You are welcome! ...sometimes you just have to think outside the box a little.

 

[toothless]

I remember vividly getting confused with how I was supposed to eat. Like, one fork meat, another rice, another plantain. 'But wait. Am I following the right order? I think I ate rice twice'... and so on, so people would talk to me (of course, I hadn't heard a thing, I was concentrated in nourishing myself evenly) and then I would lose concentration again. And, of course, I would be scolded because "I was not paying attention" to what was being said to me.

Different foods could not touch, obviously, that would be too much mayhem. My sister (I think she did it to annoy me) would cut everything in little pieces, then MIX IT ALL (to my dismay) and to my total horror, she would add ketchup all over, mix it again, and eat it.

Then I found the solution for my problems: eat all the plantain, then all the meat, then all the rice.
Later, I decided that different foods could not share the same plate. So I would serve meat first, eat it. Then plantain, eat it. Then rice.
I was "cured" when visiting a friend of my mom's because she refused to all this nonsense and embarrassed me in public.

i wouldnt call that nonsense,in fact for autists its about having control-our way is a lot less disorder than the mess people usually eat in,and its about having consistency and sameness in a world where everything is out of your control and changes like mad.

i still have the same rules with food i had when i was a child,food cannot touch for example and i only have certain colours,i would rather starve myself instead of eat things that overlap each other and i hit myself if food accidentally touches as it causes havok in my brain.

 

[Dadwith2Autisticsons]

Different food shall never touch!

But seriously I have orders I have to eat my food at and when I don't eat at the 'right' time I get anxious

Aaron was that way too for a long period of time, in wanting a precise order for his foods too, and even he even wanted those at exact times of the day, but then the last year he has often wanted us to change up the order, and he is flexible for the times. So now we just ask him for each meal which of these three foods he wants, and he selects that. If he does not want any of those three, but something else, we are open minded to that. Routines can be very good, but we also encourage change and variety, too, if desiring that.

 

[Maelstrom]

For me that's one of the few dishes where I simply cannot deal with meat and potatoes so mixed up into the same casserole.

I think Casseroles are like Hell's version of manna....I almost starved to death in 4 years of boarding school.
scrounging for peanutbutter sandwiches and salads side dishes....there was no way I was eating any Cassarole with nameless evil cooked veggies in it!

 

[Sabrina]

I've realized that I've changed the rules of when I was a kid for more socially appropriate ones: I have to make my own breakfast, I don't eat red meat and I organize my forks of salad. There might even be other rules that I'm not aware of.

 

[Maelstrom]

I've realized that I've changed the rules of when I was a kid for more socially appropriate ones: I have to make my own breakfast, I don't eat red meat and I organize my forks of salad. There might even be other rules that I'm not aware of.

I am not high society one fork...sometimes just a spoon...I learned how to butter bread with a spoon to have less dishes to wash when living alone going to college...I added paper plates...some food may have gotten eaten by hand over the sink?

I think you should eat how you like...who made who God on how to do it?
Maybe learning how to not look to horrible at fancy dinners is nice?...but that is what like once year...I hate eating out..it makes me nervous...and finding safe food choices is really hard.
like frenchfries and waffles...I have to admit the peach crepes with cream were heavenly tho!

 

[Mr Allen]

Nothing green, which has stood to this day.

Main thing that bugs me during Pub meals, I nearly always ask for "Scampi and chips, no Salad or Peas", and 8 times out of 10 the plate comes back full of Salad and Peas! I always send it back though, I'm fussy like that.