Are autistic people picky eaters?
Written on 31st Aug 2020 by Alex Lowery
Today I’m going to be writing about autism and food. Many autistic people are extremely picky eaters and are sensitive to certain food textures and tastes. Of course, this isn’t something that will apply to everyone but many autistic people do struggle with certain food.
Some autistic people like bland food and avoid food that’s spicy because they’re too sensitive to it. However, I am not like this at all! I am really not a fan of bland food. In fact, if it’s too bland I don’t tend to enjoy it much. I also absolutely love spicy food! Indian restaurants are among my favourite places to visit. I love to go to Nando’s after I’ve given a speech and will order the hottest chicken available. I do have my limits with spice like most people. I ordered a Phaal (the hottest curry in the world) and I managed to finish it with the help of some yoghurt, but it was very much a struggle. You can see the picture of when I had just finished the Phaal below, As you can see, I looked pretty red. I would say a Madras is my favourite curry since it’s hot but not overly hot. Many people say a Madras is really hot, but believe me when I say it’s nothing compared to some are.
Anyway, I would say I’m a sensory seeker when it comes to food. I like strong flavours and I find bland food extremely dull and boring. I tend to even struggle to eat bland food because it’s just not enjoyable in my opinion.
I do struggle with certain food textures and tastes. I really try to avoid eating cheese as I really don’t like the taste, smell or texture of most cheeses. I also avoid eating all seafood as I simply do not enjoy it. I don’t like eating body organs like kiddies, hearts or livers either. I’m not too fond of food with mushy textures like beans and mushy peas. I used to avoid eating peas all together but I recently started to tolerate them more than I did and I’ve come to realise they’re not as bad as I thought.
As a very young child, I was a much more picky eater. I would only eat things like sausages and nothing else. I also choked on food everyday. I even remember choking on sausages fairly frequently. My mum had to help teach me to chew by moving my jaw for me.
Thank you for reading this article. If you or your child is on the autistic spectrum, please leave your comments down below about your experiences of autism and food. Do you relate to what I’ve said or is it different for you? Do let me know down below.
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