My relationship with food throughout my life has been a funny one. When I was a toddler, I loved my food. I’d eat anything! But when I was four years old, I had teeth taken out and immediately went off my food. I’d only really eat chicken nuggets and chips much to the chagrin of my mum. From a very early age, I had a set list of foods that I liked and very rarely strayed from it. There were textures and tastes I’d point blank refuse to eat because of how ill they made me feel. At one point, I even convinced myself that I was allergic to onions because the smell, taste, and texture made me sick! My tastebuds have greatly improved over the years (though I still won’t eat a spaghetti bolognese or a pan of scouse. Sorry, Mum!) and I love trying new things but I still have quite a strange relationship with food and I’ve found out that a lot of it is down to being Autistic and ADHD.

Sensory stimuli with food

There are few things that I cannot eat, that isn’t due to simply disliking the taste or a dietary requirement, such as onions or mashed potato. Being Autistic means I’m more sensitive to sensory stimuli than neurotypical people and the feeling of certain food textures as well as certain tastes or smells can be a part of that. The smell, taste, and texture of onions can cause my body to reject it because it’s all too much for me. Sometimes it can even be unexpected textures or tastes that can put me off my food! This is why I tend to stick to my safe foods.

Safe Foods

‘Safe foods’ is a term Autistic people use to describe foods that they know they like and can handle in a sensory matter. For me, that can mean certain snacks that are the same every time or a certain food order that’s never disappointed me. You know how, if you’re eating a punnet of blueberries, some are small, some are big, some are round, some are flatter, some are juicy, some are firm, some are squishy, some are sweet, and some are sour? But then in a packet of Oreos they’re all the same? Safe foods are the Oreos because they’re the same every time. I’ve eaten the same lunch every day since I was about four years old because I know I like it and I know what to expect. Even food orders in fast food places. I’ve been eating the same order in Subway for about 10 years because I know what to expect but if they were to ever change something about that order, it could ruin it for me. That’s also why I need certain brands for food I make at home which brings us to the Autism Food Tax.

The Autism Food Tax

A lot of neurotypical people would call this being fussy and others would call it a preference but it goes much deeper than that. Essentially, I can taste an undeniable difference between brands of things like bread or butter and that plays a crucial role in my food intake for the day. For example, if I need bread for my lunch and I’m used to eating Warbutons medium white bread and there weren’t any of that in the shop so my partner got Hovis medium white bread, even if I didn’t know it was a different brand, I’d taste it straight away and it would ruin my meal or make me feel wrong. Now the reason I call it a tax is because sometimes the brands we need are the ones that cost extra. Especially during this cost of living crisis, it can seem easier to just get whatever’s cheapest but for a lot of Autistic people, we sometimes just have to spend that extra money for what we need.

The ADHD Food Tax

The ADHD Food Tax is another thing that costs us that little extra money. People with ADHD tend to forget things very easily and this includes food which eventually goes bad. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ very much applies in this situation because putting food away can actually be the reason we forget it’s there! For example, a packet of raw chicken can go in the fridge to be cooked and eaten later but if I put it in the drawer or on the top shelf, it’s not in my eyeline anymore and I’ll forget it’s there. By the time I’ve found it it’s too late! The chicken has gone bad and any money I spent on it is wasted. That’s why I’ve organised my fridge so any fresh stuff (e.g meat or dairy) that needs eating quicker will be on middle or lower shelves that are in my eyeline whilst sauces go in the drawer and drinks go on the top shelf. I can also forget that I do have a food item and end up buying more. Now I just have 2 multipacks of crisps and I’ve spent money I didn’t need to.

Getting Distracted Whilst Cooking

Another way I’ve accidentally wasted food due to my ADHD is by getting distracted whilst cooking. I like cooking but it can sometimes be overwhelming when there’s so many steps, or feel like a chore when it isn’t the food you wanted. But it’s very easy to ruin a meal even if it’s just by forgetting to set a timer. I like cooking with my partner because the body-doubling helps me focus on the task at hand, it breaks the job up so it’s not so overwhelming, and if I do get distracted he’s there to step in! In the past, I’ve burnt pizza by forgetting to set a timer, left the oven on, and burnt food in a pan by getting distracted with something else. My partner being there in the kitchen with me has prevented many similar disasters and it just makes me enjoy cooking more when he’s there. If I do have to make a meal alone, I stick to simple heat-free meals.

ADHD-Friendly Meals

With how easy it is to mess up a meal due to forgetfulness or getting distracted, or even just not having the energy to cook, it’s important to have ADHD-friendly options available. These options can be anything from grab-out-the-fridge ‘snacky’ meals like pre-cut fruit, cheese, and cooked meats, to a sandwich, to a prepped meal. Planning and prepping meals can be a good idea because it lessens the amount of effort it takes to decide on a meal, and how many steps it takes to make said meal. All you’d have to do is heat it up! However, we can’t always predict what we’d be in the mood for when it comes to mealtimes so having minimal-effort options can be helpful. I eat the same breakfast and lunch everyday. They’re the only meals I eat alone while my partner is in work so I don’t have him there to body-double. Each morning, I’ll have a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee, then in the afternoon I’ll have a sandwich and a packet of crisps. Two very quick to make meals that don’t require a lot of effort or thought nor do they require much heat.

Scheduled Eating

My Autism and my ADHD can overlap each other in a lot of ways and when it comes to eating, they do team up to make things difficult. If I’m hyper-focussed on something, I can forget to eat and then when I inevitably get hungry, I may not be able to tell that I am due to disordered interoception (a condition common in neurodivergent people where we have difficulty recognising and responding to our internal bodily signals; i.e thirst, hunger, feeling full, pain, needing the toilet, emotions, cold, heat, etc) and I’ll just wonder why I feel off. That’s why I may find it much more proficient to loosely schedule when I eat. I may not have a specific time to get up but I make sure to have breakfast before I do anything else so that I can guarantee my first meal of the day. Then I have lunch at 12pm or within that hour. Not only does that ensure that I’ve eaten but it also forces me to have a break from chores, blogging, or painting.

There are many physical aspects to being Autistic and having ADHD that lots of people aren’t aware of. Some of the most basic human things such as eating can be all the more difficult for us. Not just socialising or being in sensory overstimulating environments. Autism and ADHD can affect every aspect of our lives. Be kind to yourself, do things how you need to do them even if it seems ‘unconventional’, and be kind to others.

Important things to remember:

Food is Food. No matter how much or how little, how plain or how flavoursome, how simple, how ‘childish’ (meals or snacks deemed as ‘for kids’ i.e. fruit cups, chicken nuggets, yogurt/pudding cups, etc.), or even how healthy. As long as you are eating, that’s all that matters!

Check in on yourself. If you find yourself feeling sick, irritated, overstimulated, or just ‘not quite right’, ask yourself if you’ve eaten today!

Taking time to eat is not slacking. Scheduling your meals, randomly stopping what you’re doing to have a bite to eat, or snacking whilst you work is not hindering your productivity! Do what you need to do to get some nutrients.