Christmas Dinner for food phobics.

I have been food phobic my entire life, only eating a very small number of foods based on texture. When I was diagnosed as an adult with autism it helped to explain why this had always been a problem for me. Christmas Dinner has always been extremely difficult for me and I've always found it really embarrassing eating something completely different while my family tucked into their roast. 

This year I got engaged and am planning my first Christmas day with my future in-laws. They know my issues concerning food and have said they are willing to cook me anything I want, but I am still racked with anxiety over the whole thing. Organised meals with people have always been the bane of my existence and I feel like I'm on display when I'm eating my own  specially prepared meal. My girlfriends grandmother is incredibly nice, but a typical grandmother ie determined to feed and cook for people.

I'm already having panic attacks about the day and am really worried about letting my girlfriend down or offending her family. Any advice would be hugely appreciated  

Parents
  • Hi - Meals together are all about the company of friends and so the actual food is just the lubricant between the conversations - the food itself is not important (otherwise Harvestors would have gone out of business years ago). They have invited YOU, not your worries and anxiety - so stop worrying about it. They already know you probably can't eat what they do so just take your own food along with you.

    Are there any parts you can join in with? If so, just do that and eat your own food outside of that.Enjoy the event and pull crackers, wear the silly hat, tell the rubbish jokes and have a good time. They will not care about what you eat.

    I have issues with food because of digestive problems - everybody knows about it so if someone decides to cook for me, there's a high risk of me not being able to eat it (they always try too hard and end up making someting inedible) so I take my own to save them the hassle. So much easier - it means I can eat and they don't need to worry.

Reply
  • Hi - Meals together are all about the company of friends and so the actual food is just the lubricant between the conversations - the food itself is not important (otherwise Harvestors would have gone out of business years ago). They have invited YOU, not your worries and anxiety - so stop worrying about it. They already know you probably can't eat what they do so just take your own food along with you.

    Are there any parts you can join in with? If so, just do that and eat your own food outside of that.Enjoy the event and pull crackers, wear the silly hat, tell the rubbish jokes and have a good time. They will not care about what you eat.

    I have issues with food because of digestive problems - everybody knows about it so if someone decides to cook for me, there's a high risk of me not being able to eat it (they always try too hard and end up making someting inedible) so I take my own to save them the hassle. So much easier - it means I can eat and they don't need to worry.

Children
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