Food Issues

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Our son won't touch fresh fruit because it makes his hands sticky and wet, he will eat it dehydrated or freeze dried and even frozen blueberries. I can combine the fruit in a muffin and he will eat it.He loves hard crunchy vegetables diced however, won't touch them cooked (I believe he likes the crunch) He can't handle the smell of yeast while bread is baking but he loves to eat the product after it is cooked. I am going through all this as I am curious does your child or do you have foods that you will eat as go to food without any issues? Meaning is there a delivery method (muffins, pizza, pasta smoothie) if you will, that makes food more palatable? Or perhaps even a way of preparation like with my son?

I'm 22 and I still have some rather picky eating habits.....for instance I wont eat biscuits and gravy with the gravy all over the biscuits, I usually get a cup or something for the gravy and dip the biscuits in it, potatoes I only eat if they are baked or fried but I hate mashed potatoes....I can't eat sour cream on anything, I can only withstand mayo if its made into sauce with pickles and spices to dip fish in otherwise its gross. I like carrots and celery dipped in ranch dressing but won't have ranch dressing on salad.

and all kinds of insanity.....but yeah I think maybe it has to do with sensory issues, I mean I like potatoes cooked I just cannot stand the texture of mashed potatoes. So yeah trying different methods of food preperation is certainly a good idea, I mean in my experiance if he's got food issues like me no amounting of forcing will help and some of it at least in my experience decreases with age. Like now I can eat melted cheese except on nachos because i don't like that kind of cheese.

I don't like most fruit, dunno why. I will eat clementines (i don't like the peel which is always left on when you peel oranges), bananas, and apples. But I really like smoothies and strawberry smoothies is my favorite flavor, I will not eat strawberries if they are solid though. Sandwiches always taste better if their toasted Forgot something I meant to put. I eat pretty slow which is irritating.

Most kiddos on the spectrum have eating issues, which can really lead to an unhealthy diet and sickness if they are not getting enough nutrients.

Will he eat fruit with a fork? I'd imagine that would help with the sticky situation.

I think it is important to always introduce them to new foods when they are younger and practice tasting, touching, smelling new things. It is a balance between making sure they still like eating and nudging them to expand their horizons.

It doesn't sound like he's got any issues that severely limit him. It sounds like he's able to get the food groups that he needs, even if he doesn't like things a certain way. It really doesn't sound odd to me.

I am AS but won't eat raw brocolli or carrots, but I'll eat them cooked. My NT daughter is exactly the opposite about the same two vegetables. I've never cared for raw fruit, but I like it cooked. One of my favorite dishes is stewed apples - you soak dried apples in water overnight then cook them in water and a spoon of sugar and serve them for breakfast - but I won't eat raw apples. My kids (all NT's) love them raw but won't eat them cooked. I'll eat mushrooms any way I can get them but they won't touch them at all and neither will my husband, unless they are chopped in very small bits and cooked in a dish where they don't see them. My husband (NT) will only eat a very few cooked vegetables and likes most of them raw. My 16yo son is going through a phase where he seems to only eat either orange-ish food (tomato or cheese based, or chicken wings etc) or has to put ranch dressing on food in the rare instance that it's not the orange kind.

I would say that as long as your child is getting the nutrition he needs, don't worry about it. Kids go through phases and they may suddenly love something they hated or vice versa. Adults too, I'm 47 and only been putting crackers in my soup and chili for a few years but I won't eat it without them now.

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I don't like things that are too crunchy, I have to have really soggy cereal, I can't stand crispy chips(fries), vegetables, rock hard cookies etc. I don't like my meals to be dry, so if for example I was going to have egg fried rice I HAVE to have some kind of sauce on it or I just can't eat it. Same with most foods, oh and the mayo thing sweetleaf mentioned I'm similar with that, I find it revolting alone but when it's used to make sauces, sandwhich fillings etc then I love it.

I don't like sugary drinks they make my teeth feel wrong, I hate anything that makes my hands sticky (when kneading dough I have to stop about 5 times to wash my hands because the stickyness makes me feel sick)

I don't like the texture of most meat, I hate the wateryness of tomatoes and cucumbers, the flavour also repulses me, although I love sauces(for pasta) that have tomato in.

My 6yr old is the same as me with the crunchy cereal thing but is the opposite with the dry food thing, she doesn't like her meals to be too wet, so if something comes with a sauce the sauce has to be seperate from the meal (she likes gravy, ketchup etc but likes it sectioned off from the meal). She loves raw carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes but can't stand them cooked or in a sauce (apart from ketchup). She will not eat any other meat except chicken, she doesn't like the taste or texture.

She will eat most fruits like me but as with me she hates the pith from oranges so we sit and carefully take every last bit off before we can enjoy one.

Oh and I have a thing about food looking right, if an apple has a bruise on it I usually won't eat it, if it's the only one left for example then I'll slice that bit out. I don't like brown spots on bananas, anything slightly burnt I am reluctant to eat or if I do that bit is left (when I make toast it's barely golden).

I'm sure there are more but that's all I can think of right now.

"does your child or do you have foods that you will eat as go to food without any issues? Meaning is there a delivery method (muffins, pizza, pasta smoothie) if you will, that makes food more palatable? Or perhaps even a way of preparation like with my son?"

My 17yo son will eat some foods himself which aren't too unhealthy eg he often goes and eats sliced bread just by itself, so I made sure we got multigrain bread instead of white and he eats that. He also has long been extremely keen on tinned tuna so I get him seven tins a week (which invariably get eaten by midway through the week).

After trial and error we found he'll eat broccoli and leeks for green vegetables, although he is not overly keen on them.

As far as preparation goes, he likes meat (eg steak) or chicken especially chicken maryland hot just microwaved, but I think he is more partial to fried food so can be encouraged to eat some more healthy food by frying it, provided the food is not mixed together.

I ate bananas as a small child, but then developed a strong aversion to the smell and taste. A few years back, when my mother was still alive, her doctor let her substitute bananas for a portion of her potassium supplemint, which she needed to replace what was lost due to taking a diuretic. Unfortunately, by that time, she was often unable to get out to shop, so I often had to buy the groceries for her, including bananas. She was very particular as to what she wanted. Barely ripe bunches with as few bruises and dings as possible. It takes a while to go through the bunches in the store when you are being that fussy, even for someone else. The banana section always reeks of banana, and I would have to be there picking through them for my mother, and inhaling that stench, until I could find the "best" ones. AAAAAHHHHH!! !! !

I also like raw carrots, but can't stand carrot juice. Unfortunately, I now find them hard to chew, but have started getting canned ones, which I am not fond of. Because the flavor is degraded by processing I have to add a little honey, but at least I can get them down that way.

I hate tomatoes except as BBQ sauce. I used to hate peppery things as a kid, but as an adult I gradually got to where I like some things a little peppery, but not real hot. I hate onions in every way, but like garlic a lot. I can't stand most cooked veggies, including peas, but will eat some, but not enough, raw. That's because most veggies either don't taste like food at all, or taste like grass, which I don't like. I absolutely hate the type of beans used in baked beans, and avoid them like the plague. I don't like other varieties of beans, either, but can get them down by putting BBQ sauce on them. That really helps a lot. I don't like salad dressings or mayo. I think the oils in them are what bug me the most. I like raw cauliflower, but hate the taste of broccoli. I like the smell of oranges, but I can't eat them because they upset my stomach. For some reason I can handle a little lemon or lime juice put in tea or on foods, though. I don't like cantelope melons, but do like water and honeydew melons. I hate mashed potatoes, but will have them in other ways. I can't stand soups, gravies, and broths because the oil in them upsets my stomach, even though I can have oil in other ways. That one is a real puzzler for me. I can only eat very hard boiled eggs, very well done scrambled eggs, and eggs that have been mixed in a batter and cooked that way, like in cakes, cookies, and breads. Any other way, upsets my stomach. I don't like mushrooms, except there were some very tasty vegetarian mushroom meatballs I used to get at a health food near a previous home. Other relatives liked them, too. I don't like puddings and custards, but will eat gelatin snacks. I prefer to make healthy gelatin treats by mixing unflavored gelatin powder with real fruit juice with no added sugar. It tastes really good that way. I don't like apple sauce unless it is frozen. Then it's like a fruit sorbet. I also like to get the fruit sauce blends that are now available, in little cups at the grocery stores. I get the ones with no added sugar, and freeze those, too, to make more flavors of fruit sorbet. Recently I tried canned beets, and canned bamboo shoots. I didn't like either one, especially the bamboo. I like breads a lot, but don't care for the all white flour, and zero nutrition breads. They don't taste as good as the ones with whole grain flour, although the junk breads do make good home made Play Dough. That's what my siblings and I used to call the junk breads when we were growing up, and we occasionally did use it like Play Dough. That's all it's good for. For some reason I can't stand to mix fruit with pastries, except I don't mind blueberries in muffins. I like nuts, but some of them don't agree with me unless they have been turned into nut butters, but that is because of my IBS. I don't care for alcoholic beverages. They numb my taste buds, and then nothing tastes good. But then the drink doesn't taste good to begin with. I have occasionally had small glasses of different alcoholic beverages when visiting relatives, to try different ones, but other than that I am a non drinker. I don't keep any here because I have no interest in drinking it. I also don't like coffee, so I don't stock that either. I prefer tea, especially peppermint tea. I also like the smell of mentholated skin lotions, but can't stand the smell of menthol cigarettes. My mother tried them once and the second hand smoke made me very ill--it was much worse than regular cigarettes. I told her how sick it made me feel, and that she should never get those again, so she went back to regular cigarettes.

I'm sure I left a few things out, but the above list covers a lot of my food issues. I am willing to try new things, but it has to be at a time of my choosing. I will sometimes buy something new and have it around for months before I try it.

I wish there was a delivery method our DS was ok with! He has a very limited list of foods and is still dropping items. We recently lost string cheese and popcorn shrimp. I've got him in SOS feeding therapy with an OT who specializes in feeding issues. The program uses a 19 step approach to getting comfortable with each food. It starts with tolerating being in the same room with the food, then moves up through having it on your plate, touching it, playing with the food, smelling it, tapping your teeth with it, rolling it around the mouth and then spitting it out, and finally swallowing. I've been surprised how much anxiety he shows over just touching items like Parmesan cheese and carrot sticks, before we started I thought he would be ok with tasting and spitting out most things.

Cucumbers are a thing of horror in this house. Only one person out of the whole house likes them. Otherwise you're not going to get us to eat a cucumber. Pickled as a pickle sure. But as a normal everyday cucumber no thank you. It taste gross and the smell too just makes me want to puke. You won't get us to eat avacado either. J-bird absolutely despises the texture for me it's the taste. Celery is also a no.

Thank you for all the responses. It isnt that I am worried about my little mans diet. I was just curious what other people have tried to et a well rounded diet given the various sensitivities. As for Fruit have tried with a fork, kebab skewer, and those little Japanese sticks used in bento boxes. He feels it is just too wet and sticky. But he will eat it in yogurt and in muffins. So again I am not worried just wondering on others creativity. For example my son went through a popsicle craze so I used to make corn or pea popsicles. I would put corn in a popsicle mold and then pour water over and freeze. For the peas I would make mint water and then pour that over the peas in the mold. He loved them!! !! Parents looked at me like I was weirdo (of course they often do that) but it worked. hahaha

This is going to make me sound either lazy, uncaring, or uneducated but I'm none of those (and no, I don't think you all will think that, I just wanted to acknowledge that I know how it's going to sound).

I gave a good bit of thought to serving a balanced diet for about two years. Until my first child was two. I gave up and decided that he wouldn't starve (he's NT) and that his body would crave what he was needing, and so I just fed him basically what he wanted. This isn't to say that I fed him cookies constantly, or never tried to encourage him to try something new, I was just extremely laid back about it and have been that way since, with all of my four kids.

If they didn't want breakfast or another meal that was fine. If they quit eating all meats or all vegetables, that was fine. They would always just go through that phase and out of it and into the next one. I didn't make a big deal out of it at all, and it would always pass fairly quickly and they have always been in good health. I felt like I would know when to step in and put my foot down or wheedle, bribe, disguise the offending foods, or stock up on Flinstones.

I know that kids on the spectrum are different about food issues, I'm an aspie myself and have had some doozies in my time when I was younger. I also don't think that the OP is seeming to be overly concerned with nutrition, etc. I only wanted to say that with my kids (yes NT's but with the same biological needs as us spectrum folks) and that with my own self (who as a child had some very specific issues with what I would and and wouldn't eat and when I would eat it, and I was so extremely stubborn that I would go completely without eating if something wasn't right or it wasn't when I wanted it, it was impossible to get anything else into me at the time) that I've read, and experienced, that even missing meals or eating what doesn't seem to be enough to keep a bird alive for days or weeks at a time, a kid's own body will make them eat something or other that has the nutrients in it that they need, even if it's not an obvious source of it.

An example would be for a kid that refuses milk, cheese and eggs for weeks and weeks, would probably eat cake or brownies before their body were to even start to develop a calcium deficiency. A kid who won't touch fruit or juices would probably happily eat spaghetti or ravioli or manwich or something else with a tomato base long before rickets or scurvy, or anything could think about developing. I'm not assuming that anyone is compulsively planning meals or checking nutrition charts to make sure that most of the groups are there every day and in the right amounts. It's actually a good thing to keep track of, so I'm not putting it down as a bad thing. Not at all.

I'm only saying that if for some reason your child won't cooperate with it, unless there is another medical issue where you need to stay on top of nutrition, that trying more than one or two ways to get a specific type food into a kid who won't touch it and then giving up on it for a week or two, or longer even, won't hurt him. Parenting magazines, groups and forums, shows, etc all seem to be really focused on nutrition and they seem to imply that all good parents are (or should be) just as focused on it as they are. I think that kind of subtle - and not so subtle - focus on nutrition can make parents feel inadequate or even neglectful if they don't know how many days last week that Johnny or Sally had their recommended servings of each food group and how many days they may have had too many servings of them in a day.

It's more mainstream culture now that is so very focused on nutrition, when it used to be the doctor who would mention it to the mom during checkups, sick visits, etc. It used to be something that a parent knew was important but also knew wasn't so very extremely important. We used to be forgiven by society and the medical profession if we weren't really on top of our kids diets. That's not to say we didn't know what and when they ate, because we did. We sure kept up with it at first, when we were in complete control of all the food they had, and they didn't really even ask for special things or even knew that over half of an average kids selection of foods existed. Then, after we passed the rice cereal and baby food stage, even with the best intentions of having good nutrition at home, most of us just started letting it slide. We didn't really feel bad because we didn't see it around us everywhere we turned. Every single food that was marketed to us for our kids didn't come with so much information, and in so many low fat, lower fat, fat free, sugar free, reduced sugar, organic, natural, lite, versions. It was a pleasure to find foods our family liked and would eat and enjoy, but if they didn't like them or wouldn't eat them, that could be frustrating, but it wasn't anywhere near as guilt inducing as it is today. We didn't have all the hype about nutrition everywhere we turned, back in the late 80s and 90's. We were becoming nutritionally aware as a nation, and thats a good thing to be! We have passed that mark now in society and are becoming nutrionally obsessed as a nation.

I'm not saying that todays parents are obsessed with nutrition(yet), or that they go overboard with trying to promote health. I don't think that at all. I think that many parents today feel much more pressure than we did about it. I think that subtle and overt pressure and hyperfocus from the media and culture nowadays can cause parents to feel guilt if they aren't up to whatever standard that seems to be set before them now to find the healthiest food choices and to include them all.

I'm not saying it's a silly thing to do. It's not at all. We should have been more interested in it, but we were busy trying to stay on top of new safety items and learning tools, which our parents thought were silly and that we were obsessed with. We were on top of all that because that was the big thing that the media and culture focused on them. I'm sure my kids will wonder why I'm so adamant about having the house entirely baby proofed and providing the absolute newest baby and child learning videos (or holograms by then) for my grandchildren, when they are forcused on something that I, along with the rest of the grandparents of my generation, will think is needless worry. I guarantee you that whatever that thing is, it's going to be a popular topic for parents.

I've spent a lot of pixals telling you what I'm not saying. What I am saying is that you all sound like you are doing great foodwise. I'm (CERTAINLY) no nutritionist at all! None of you sound like you are worrying yourselves into a tizzy over it either, and that's always hard not to do when something is in such constant focus everywhere you turn. What I'm saying is you know more about your child than you think you do, and you know more about what will and won't cause harm to him through your gut instinct (and his) than the experts do.

Wow, I went on way too long, but I've been wanting to say something about the hyperfocus of the media on food for so long, and I just didn't know how bad I wanted to say it or how much I had to say lol. Remember the saying "Mother knows best"? Well, trends and focus and culture change, but that saying is always true!

I'll hush now. And go rest my fingers.

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Olive Oil Mom I completely agree with you. I dont think it is a very big deal either. I guess I just make sure what I do get into him is healthy. I get a lot of grief for example from my mother in law when she serves meat and 3 veg and I pull out our sons raw vegetables and hummus for him to eat. She gets furious I allow him to eat something other than she has served. What she doesnt realize is I am actually thrilled that we have gotten him to the table and he is actually eating anything away from home (he has a very difficult time eating in public places or away from home)...... SO I choose my battles. Our son eats soft boiled egg, wheat toast, and bacon every single morning for 2 years now...... Never varies from this even when I suggest something different. Do I care no. AM I happy he eats breakfast yes is it the healthiest food on the planet probably not but a bowl of sugar cereal is far worse. I never would have even thought twice about his eating until our pediatrician commented to me. He had an appointment in October and then was back in December. She said he has grown in height but not weight. I am worried he hasn't gained weight in 2 months!! !! I looked at her like she had 6 heads. I said well if he is taller I would expect him to thin out?! Then she just started reading me the riot act about his diet and wanting to get blood tests etc. I basically told her to get stuffed and I left with my son. I suppose that was the first time I felt awkward about my position on his food. I just felt like really with all the other things we are working with and learning about our son (has to wear a winter coat in the grocery store because of frozen foods section, etc) I am hardly concerned if he hasnt had a weight gain in 2 months! I have found the way I serve, cook etc the food seems to make or break the deal whether it is a fine dice, shredded, cubed, star wars shaped, cook heavily odored things prior to him being home from school, having him help with cooking etc really helps. Again I was just curious what other things people have found to help.

As far as the 'don't worry about it' approach, I understand not agonizing over every little bite and force-feeding. And often doctors don't take into account 'lean genes' that some kids--like mine--have. However, as much as people have said not to worry, all kids are picky, your son will grow out of it . . . I honestly feel like without a concerted effort on our part (husband & I) my son would NOT be nutritionally getting what he needs. And he is NOT really 'growing out of it'. At almost five, he is pickier than when he was 2.
I also feel like, given the neurological challenges he faces more than other kids, a healthy diet is all the more important especially with brain-building fats. As much as it is in our power! And without 'freaking out' over every bite. The thing is, there are so many things he won't eat. It's not like, 'he doesn't like tomatoes' or 'he won't eat melon'. That is totally normal. His limitations are huge. So, what do we do?

He will absolutely not eat any vegetables. But he will drink all kinds of smoothies. So, we'll make yummy icy smoothies at home and sneak vegetables into them. And flax seed. He'll also drink vegetable juice (go figure, he has totally strange eating habits). We have joked sometimes about his 'liquid diet'. Where we live, we can also buy 'black bean' soy milk, and he surprisingly drinks that, and I figure that gets some more nutrition into him.

He refuses to eat pasta except plain with parmesan cheese sprinkled over it. I'll sneakily drizzle it lightly with olive oil first. Sometimes I try to sneak in a tablespoon of tomato sauce on it. If there's enough parmesan cheese on top he might not complain to much.

He won't eat spaghetti, pizza, vegetables, beans . . . but he loves shrimp. So not the typical kid. One reason we feel like we can't do any kind of special diet is because all he will agree to eat sometimes is grains (bread/pasta) and dairy! He will eat yoghurt ALL day long. Loves cheese and milk too.

Another thing we do which I was against in the beginning is we often let him watch a video while eating. A bad habit I'm told, BUT it means we can often get more food in him and SOMETIMES get him to try something new (but rarely).

He is pretty scrawny and sometimes I am concerned, but we're doing what we can. And, honestly, aside from big fights and force-feeding (which I am against), there's not much we can do besides trying to 'sneak' extra nutrition in and trying alternatives.

I've also been known to let him do bizarre things for the sake of extra calories or protein . . . like he has sat and eaten out of a small cream cheese tub with a spoon. As if it were ice cream! I let him eat two small bowls of pickles once (in one sitting) because he suddenly decided he'd eat pickles!
Thankfully, he LOVES fruit, so I let him eat as much fruit as he wants. When he goes through a super picky phase, we do a lot of smoothies. That's the best thing I've found to work.

Angelgarden, your description of the things you let him eat made me laugh. I will do the same thing example our son loves to dip his carrots in Ketchup, he also loves to dip bread or other things in greek yogurt. He would eat an entire tub of greek yogurt or sour cream if I let him. He also loves herbs sometimes I will just give him a bowl of cilantro, parsley, and mint to snack on..... He loves it. We also do a lot of smoothies. I often put in spinach and pureed beet root. I dont hide the fact that I do this from him though. I make it then when he likes it I ask him to help me make it the next time. I do have his ear muffs ready for when the blender goes though.

I would never force feed our son. It is traumatic and I will have no part in it. When I make dinner I always try to include at least one item I know he will like. I have found if I dont cut things in a small dice or small bite sizes he will gag. He will gag on anything if it is a larger bite than say a thumbnail. He also has a super sense of smell. I took him into the bakery while on a road trip recently to get him a gingerbread man cookie (his favorite) and we had a colossal meltdown because of the strong yeast smell in the shop.

It is important to feed our kiddos well, but I guess I am just a bit unconventional with my approach. I can still get a protein, carb, and veg into him each meal. It just may be with say popcorn (carb), blackbean brownies (proteins), yogurt (protein) and edamame beans.... Just out of the box thinking. I could never sit him down and make say a chicken sandwhich and expect him to eat it.....

I used to use mayonaise as a dip for potato chips when I was a kid. I also used to get taco flavored or nacho cheese flavored Doritos and just lick the flavoring off them and throw them away. I liked to spread avacado on Pringles potato chips and eat them.

Nowdays, I still have some wierd things that I like. I like to take the yolk of a boiled egg, mix it with mustard and spread it on keilbasa type sausage that's baked in the oven. I also like to spread the yolk of a boiled egg on a piece of dry toast and put salt only on it. I won't eat roast beef or pork without ranch dressing, and I won't eat ham without Grey Poupon mustard. I put bacon grease and butter on my grits. I like chopped green onions lightly fried in oil. I like sliced firm tofu pan fried in bacon grease.

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