Last updated on November 26, 2023
Podcast Episode 0071, Season 5, Episode 2; 28 September 2021
Parenting and Food Challenges
A follower wrote: Do your children eat anything other than chicken nuggets? My autistic child won’t eat fruits, vegetables, or most meats. It’s cereal, chips, and nuggets.
Susan and I are fortunate. The girls and I eat mostly healthy foods. Fruits, vegetables, roasted chicken, turkey, and most fish aren’t a problem. It might be because we’ve never been a fast-food family. We prepare most meals at home. Fruits are the go-to snack. Salads are common.
That doesn’t mean there are no food challenges in our home, though. For this episode, I’ve invited the girls to chat with me about their food preferences.
Partial Transcript
When followers of The Autistic Me finally learned that my wife and I have young children, new questions started arriving in my email and social media accounts. These new questions have given me opportunities to ask what are and are not autistic traits.
I’m not surprised that many followers have questions about dietary preferences, food allergies, and mealtime struggles. Families often assume challenges are related to autism, yet many of the questions I’ve received sound like the concerns of parents in general.
My Neurodiverse daughters offer an illustration of the broad spectrum of food challenges that exist.
On this episode of The Autistic Me Podcast, I’m going to be joined by Anne and Leigh as we talk about eating and food preferences.
As you will hear, Anne will eat almost anything, at any time, and often seeks out food without permission. She has serious feed security issues, worrying she might miss a meal or snack.
Leigh is a picky eater, who will avoid anything new or different. She doesn’t like spices and objects to most strong flavors. She hates when foods touch on a plate. She deconstructs her sandwiches, pizza, or anything else with mixed items. Her version of a hamburger is a patty on a bun. Her favorite taco is a tortilla with steak strips. Sometimes, she’ll eat the meat and leave the bread or tortilla.
Salads are the only mixed foods Leigh seems to enjoy, with specific ingredients. Yes, she eats the contents carefully, sorting as she eats.
Since starting ADHD medications, Leigh’s appetite has waned. She doesn’t always remember if she has eaten and rarely tells us she’s hungry.
We’ve never been a fast-food family. Neither girl likes fried chicken and only Leigh likes breaded chicken nuggets.
Before the pandemic, the girls looked forward to salad bars, Asian-American buffets, and Mexican restaurants. Anne would try everything, while Leigh could have a plate of steak or chicken with vegetables.
I’m the one who struggles most at mealtime. It’s the sounds around a table that overwhelm me. The girls know that if I’m tired or had a difficult day, I might choose to eat alone. I know my challenge is a common autistic experience with sensory overload.
I hope you enjoy this episode of The Autistic Me Podcast.
{Full Transcript in Progress}
Thank you.
The Autistic Me
- Blog: https://www.tameri.com/autisticme/
- Podcast: https://autisticme.libsyn.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autisticme/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/autisticme
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CSWyatt
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/autisticme