Food Obsessions

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Alright, I know that not all autistic people are alike, but I noticed something about most of the people I know on the spectrum share in common. They seemed to have an obsession with food. My cousin is quite picky of some foods, but the foods she does like, she will talk about them in massive detail. My Aspie boyfriend is the same way, only he isn't that picky. I have a passion for cooking, and he simply adores that I can. We will engage in lengthy conversations on his favorite Chinese resturant, about what he had ate the restruant, and the I remember him asking me to name the ingrediants I put into a lasagna. It was quite funny in my opinion how he groaned in eagerness. I'm not complaining or anything. I have a passion for cooking, and as he says he "has a passion for eating." I'm just curious about this. Why exactly do some people on the spectrum have an deep obsession for food?

Am I picky about food? Absolutely.

Obsessed with it? Not at all.

Picky? It depends on your perspective. I hate liver and other organ meats, but I'll eat almost anything else that is not too spicy or bland.

I'm even learning how to cook middle-eastern and south Asian dishes, just because I like the variety.

To answer the question as to why some autistic people obsess over food: if anything exists, there will be people on the autistic spectrum who will obsess over it. No exceptions.

I used to be very picky about food when I was a child, but over the years I have been able to gradually train myself to enjoy a wide variety of foods - even ones I used to hate. Now I'll eat just about anything. Well, anything except macaroni & cheese or beets.

I'm not obsessed with food though. I love the tastes and textures of it, but I don't find it interesting enough to obsess over.

Sort of. There's that aspie stereotype among aspies that says you might be an aspie if you walk into a regular restaurant and they don't wait for you to order before putting your food on the stove, because you always order the same thing, and that's me. But I don't eat the same things all the time, just in a regular restaurant, and a different regular restaurant will be a different meal, and I ENJOY that meal, every time. I've always felt that when you know what you like best on a particular place's menu, why change? And that's just because when I _don't_ know what I'm going to order (a place I don't often go to) I take forever and have such an unreasonable amount of agony just making up my mind what I want. So I save myself (and the waitress) a lot of hassle by ordering what I know I like and they do well at that place. But when I eat at home, I eat what's easiest and on hand of any number of things that I keep on hand. Probably pretty much the same grocery list from one week to the next, though. I don't obsess, but I'm sure NTs would find me "funny" about food.

There are some foods that I won't eat, a very short list, and I'm addicted to chocolate -- can't go wrong setting something chocolate in front of me, but I don't think those are unusual.

Edit addition: The great thing about a really enjoyable restaurant meal is that you can enjoy it again tomorrow if you can afford to eat out that often, or next week or whenever. As long as that restaurant stays in business, that is.

Last edited by Sibyl on 09 Oct 2011, 11:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

I'm picky about food, but I've lost my food obsession somehow.

I have severe food allergies. The obsession is a necessity.

This said, foods that my father and I do not like involve textures we cannot tolerate. He does not like Jello, while I shudder at the thought of water chestnuts.

Thanks for answering. I appreciate everyone's input.

"To answer the question as to why some autistic people obsess over food: if anything exists, there will be people on the autistic spectrum who will obsess over it. No exceptions. "

OMG I love that line. Though you should remember there are people obsessed about things that don't exist as well. Maybe change the line to "if anything exist, even as a vague concept".

I'm a foodie and I'm not picky at all, but I do get excited about food, especially things I never tried. Not sure if that counts as obsessions. I get all happy when I meet another foodie, someone who loves to eat and will try anything.

This doesn't relate to my personal eating habits but I'm a very avid fan of the show Iron Chef. The original version from Japan.

I love this show and my parents just think it's totally weird and don't understand how I enjoy watching these guys gut and cook fish and eels.

Perhaps I did not mean "obsession", but I did not know how to phrase what I was trying to say. Both my cousin and my boyfriend have this thing for food. Perhaps they are foodies. I know they do get excite about types of food, and even some new foods.

I'm not obsessed with food, but I am picky. I can't stand certain textures.

I love food. Love it. It's mine.

I'm a vegetarian so I guess I care a lot about what I eat? But before that I wasn't picky. Ate it all. Still do, just expect the meat

I am very picky about food.I hate onions, tuna,chard, sweet potatoes, fatty meats, nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, beef, sausages.And when I was a child It was worst.I used to eat pumpkin and milk because I hated all the others kinds of food.Afew years ago I started eating black chocolate and black foods.

I don't eat seafood, vegetables, dairy products, sweets or acidic foods. Other than that, I'm not picky.