Food issues

I'm really sorry to hear that you're going through this, and I appreciate your openness in sharing your struggles.

I learned a new word yesterday, courtesy of Wikipedia: pagophagia, habitual eating of ice. My father thought there was something wrong or unhealthy in my crunching ice cubes on their own from the freezer. I thought I was just doing it because I was thirsty. I know a lot of people, some autistic, who cannot stand ice in their drinks (occasional mistakes are made at bars). Maybe it was a stim. (By the way, I didn't get an 'ice cream headache' from it - those are supposedly from the cold, but in my case they might be from the sugar.)

I was fairly picky as a child, often forced to sit at the table until I'd eaten something I didn't want to. I wonder if the thread on evolution might help explain wanting food to be 'just so' and seeking out alternatives. If neurodivergence helps a tribe detect a new source of food, it would be good that some people pay attention to different potential food sources and whether it really is edible...

I actually sniff vinegar as a stim. It makes me calm.

I hate chewy food, dry food and basically anything that has a texture that sticks to your mouth like kidney beans, falafel, that kind of texture. I have to have everything with a gravy, sauce or something wet. If I eat anything dry like cake or biscuits I have to have milk, lassi, nut milk or tea. Certain things like aniseed, fennel, liquorice, chervil or tarragon make a sort of painful sensation so I avoid them.

I think my worst ones is pies. I like to cut the lids off, empty the filling onto the lid of the pie and eat it like toast. I the use the potato portion ( chips mash etc) to eat the sauce from the pie and I only eat the pie base and sides last. I don't pick eating pies out just in case it is a pot pie and there is no base and sides. Also not sure others would appreciate this method of eating pies in a restaurant...

I am exactly the same with my eggs! And often I cut the egg white off and put in on my husbands plate I like the yolks and he likes the white

yes i dont like a mixture of textures or temperatures either, strong smells or colours too totally switch me off and mean i just wont eat

Hi there, in regards to food issues. I am known for being quite precise or picky. For e.g. I don't like something hot and cold on the same dish. It would have to be separate. Foods, I don't like by sense of smell mainly I immediately have to leave I cannot handle strong smell or acidic foods e.g. eggs or vinegar. Overall, things have improved a bit not massively but one step at a time. It is about finding a balance. You realise you are not going to like everything and that's fine. It is a bit like experimenting trying new things. But, when it comes to allergies or intolerance always seek professional help whether by a food, specialist, dietitian, nutritionist etc. It is ok to be different as that what makes us unique. We all have our preferred preferences.

I've not direct experience of this myself, but it reminds me of someone I know.

Here's a cross-reference to another current thread: http://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/12482/my-strange-eating-habits  Then there are various related threads on the right, and recently Endymion posted some links about 'restrictive eating disorders' - it seems that one autistic trait that contributes to eating disorders is the need for regularity and perfection including in what you're eating.

I have had food issues all my life but not to the extent you describe. things like, fried eggs musn't have even the tiniest bit of white still runny but the yolks have to be runny. I can't bear gravy all over my veg, just a little on my meat but even then it can't be Bisto, it has to be 'proper' gravy. Before I put vegetables on the plate I lay them on kitchen towel for a minute or two - especially broccoli - as sometimes water runs out of them and having any level of water on my plate turns my stomach. I have to drink drinks out of particular mugs; I have a tea mug, a Horlicks mug, and 3 coffe mugs depending on whether is is cappucino or not and the time of day. I have to 'eat' cup a soup from a mug with a spoon etcetc