Autism and food

Yes!

It would also solve the problem of the unknown quantity that is released from those squeezy bottles. The rubber used in Heinz ketchup bottles seemed to be significantly softer that that of cheaper brands. This often results in massive quantities of sauce being released like a bird strike in a Boeing 747

There was certainly a soggy bun element to it that had an unsettling effect :-)

I wish they would invent a slice of tomato sauce to go on burgers, like the obligatory cheese slices. That would resolve the problem of leakage. 

That made me smile.

Though I'm sure you are right, there is probably some soakage of the ketchup into the bun that changes the flavour?

Ok, I'm camping at the moment. Tonight it's burgers. I always have a double cheese burger. That is bun, burger, ketchup, cheese, burger, ketchup, cheese, bun. This evening my wife convinced me that if I put the ketchup on the bun it won't leak out. So it's bun, ketchup, cheese, burger, cheese, burger, cheese, ketchup, bun. It's all wrong!! It should taste the same but it doesn't. Obviously all in my head but still ...

This is a bit off topic but I saw a tv advert for KardiaMobile and didn't know what ARFID meant - I misheard it as ' detects aphids'.

I have a very restricted diet, although it is definitely better than when I was a child. I don't know whether it would ever fit the criteria for ARFID though as I have never been under weight or, as far as I am aware, deficient in nutrients. I do think that my diet is starting to catch up to me at this point in life though. Last time I had bloods done I was told my cholesterol was a little high. I am far from overweight so this was a surprise but I guess living off processed foods was going to cause an issue in the end. I do have an appointment to speak to a dietician about that but I'm not sure what help they'll be able to give. Although I've read the criteria for ARFID, I've never fully understood what would be classed as restrictive enough for a diagnosis.

I have a diagnosis of ARFID. Not sure it is of much use though as the NHS then went ok ‘you have ARFID, we don’t treat that’. No support for it in my area. Luckily by that point I had a good dietitian already and I suspected I had ARFID, so it wasn’t such a big problem when no support was available but still… I was misdiagnosed with other issues initially so at least the ARFID diagnosis set the record straight… 

My son has always had a limited diet. However it did change as he got older. He stopped eating most fruit, but started eating some other things. 

Interesting read. I can not eat any salad or any uncooked vegetables. I think it is mainly the texture but I suspect that maybe there is some chemical or other that I am adverse to 

I like bananas but there is a very short window of ripeness where I can eat them. I hate cucumber, I can smell it in a room, even if it has been in the fridge within the last week. Unripe bananas have the same smell. I was surprised to find that there is indeed a a chemical in unripe bananas that is also present in cucumber but it dissipates as a banana ripens.

Anecdotally, I became less of a picky eater as time went by. There's certain things that are an absolute no go, like tomato, cucumber and beetroot, but overall I'm less awkward and picky with food. I used to get burgers plain with only cheese on them. Now I'll eat them with the lettuce, pickles, sauces etc. 

Nowadays I'm more open and have incorporated more vegetables into my diet, along with not cremating every I cook.

I do tend to eat the same things most days, but it's more for nutritional requirements, rather than being outright picky.

I have the opposite - there are few foods I can't eat. I wish I was 'restricted' as my weight keeps increasing despite diabetes meds. I don't mind eating the same thing 5 days in a row, if I've made a large quantity. And I have times when I take a dislike to something I've eaten over a long period, then I can't face this food for a long time. - so these are a sort of dietrary fad I suppose.

Thanks for the read, it was interesting to know more. My kids are both particular about food, often in different ways. My daughter has the most issues, though at least eats enough things that it isn't too big to deal with. How fresh something is will also depend on whether she'll eat it or not, as well as texture, taste. But she's willing to try things and likes things you might not expect.

I was wondering if it gets worse for people in the teenage years if that's something to watch out for?

My diet isn't restricted as such although I am fussy in strange but ways I don't like the taste or texture or wateryness of a fresh tomato and I hate tinned tomatoes too but I'm ok with tomato based sauces and I can just about eat cream of tomato soups but is still not nic eto me 

I love things like Mac and cheese spaghetti bol etc but if it sensory issues are telling me no the  it's best to avoid such mess foods other wise I feel icky 

I love most fruit and veg I love savoury sweet but I can't do polish pastries or other international food that's that mix of savoury bit super sweet I just don't like how that make me feel