Eating with Aspergers

YES! I've been underweight for 10 years and I'm finally getting some strength back. Most of my life I've eaten the same things, at the same time, with the same utensils, so I'm living proof you can push your boundaries. I'd say start small, and slowly build your way up. It may be scary at first, but you will get used to it, you just need patience. I used to only eat banana and yogurt, so a step for me was to try a different flavour yogurt, then another, then another, until I could eat all flavours. At first the tastes can seem intense, but you'll get used to it. Then I tried a little different fruit, until I could eat any type. If portion is an issue for you, build up slowly - if you have one weetabix for breakfast for example, have one and a quarter for a week, then 1 and a half the next week, then 2 the week after.

You may feel out of your comfort zone, but I'm confident you'll eventually get in to the swing of things. An issue for me was that I found it overwhelming to have more choices about what to eat. I now have a recipe box with daily plans in of what I'll eat for breakfast and lunch (I still eat exactly the same thing every day for tea, but I'm working on it!). That way, you don't have to spend time thinking and worrying about what to eat the next day; you just pick a card out and you know what you'll be eating the next day.

I hope this helps. Feel free to message me if you have any more questions :)

Hi Jackie.

Ever since I started eating (as opposed to being 'fed' - and even when I was being fed I would not eat a lot of different foods.My mother was told by the 'experts' of the time that I would grow out of it, that I would eat if I was hungry and I was frequently served up the food I refused for the next meal.  After haing nothing to eat for over 24 hours my mother gave up.  And I am still a 'fCussy' eater.  I don't like the texture, the smell, the coour or the taste.  And I still have a very restricted range of food, there is nothing on a menu at any restaurant that I would eat other than fish and chips (without peas or other green stuff and definitely no tartare sauce!)

My diet is what others would consider very bland.  I have been told that it is quite good, I certainly don't lack dietary fibre.  I eat a lot of wholemeal bread, will eat a range of fruit, will not touch vegetables except lettuce, watercress, radish and raw carrots and none of these cooked..  No meat at all, will eat sardines, kippers, smoked haddock and cod and boiled egg. Cheddar cheese, a  lot of sweet stuff and breakfast cereal.  And that is about all

I am 62 now, and am not dead yet. so don't worry about it.  Eating something is far bettr for you than eating nothing..  I'd just say, make sure you do have something with protein, and some fibre.  The rest will look after itsself.

Jackie, this is an area I know a lot about. The thing that's difficult is finding a dietitian who understands how ASD affects food intake.

I has a patient with severe food restrictions thanks to her ASD and OCD. when we put her typical intake through an analysis program the only thing badly out was her calcium intake. You could ask your GP to refer you with a specific request that the dietitians did a 7 day good record analysis though the nutrient analysis program.

Once you knew where the gaps you work on the problem one thing at a time. So if it is calcium the main source is dairy and we worked out she would eat baby bell cheeses, so put those in twice a day - calcium intake sorted.