Food Likes and Dislikes

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Wondering about this aspect of AS and/or autism.

I have been reading a book about AS and gustatory sensitivity is mentioned as one symptom. It is also one of the most indicative in my case. I have always been a picky eater, but not a "typical" one. Parenting guides and doctors advised my parents to not give me food until I ate - they never went that far, because I would just not eat if I didn't like any available food. I mean, I would lose my appetite and sometimes feel nauseous, just from the smell of certain foods (egg salad STILL always makes my gorge rise). When I was 9, my family went to Greece when my grandmother died and I only ate french fries for a month, one evening my skin pallor turned green and I nearly fainted.

This didn't change as I grew up. At 25, there is a strict list of foods I prefer to eat: some McDonald's, BK and other fast food burgers, tuna sandwiches from Subway only, cheese/pepperoni pizza from most places, grilled cheese sandwiches, bagels with cream cheese, beef patties, and maybe 5 other things, if I feel like it.

I do not like most home cooking, my own least of all. I could cook for others, pick myself up a quarter pounder meal and be totally happy.

The problems with this are numerous: the food is unhealthy, it's expensive, it's embarrassing to go out with people and insist on kids food or go to peoples' houses and be unable to eat what they give me. But even if I resolve and try really, really hard, I will get so hungry that I will go back to my usual diet.

Has anyone else experienced this?

When I was younger, I thought pizza and coke were spicey, and I hated all things spicey. I thought pepporoni was especially spicey I could not stand when my mom opened a can of tuna or catfood. I recall things having much stronger tastes back then.

I went through phases where I'd eat a particular type of food for a few weeks or months without getting sick of it.

Happymusic and I just had a conversation about this.

I hate most foods.

I can eat almost anything with few exceptions (cheese, sushi, pineapple).


On the very rare occasions I go to a restaurant, I do actually enjoy fine and interesting food. Most of the time I simply lack the motivation to go eat anything besides my bland and repetitive diet.

I have box after box of "strawberry awake" ( a cheap wal-mart store brand cereal, its like wheaties but with dried strawberries in it) that I eat bowl after bowl of for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I think trying foods is not my problem.

I have these obsessions with certain foods which pass with surprisingly regularity.
I'll eat all of the cereal I have. Then I'll eat all of the tofu. Then I'll eat all of the spaghetti. Then all of the coconuts. I keep on buying and eating and cooking new fruits and vegetables. I think its just that my pattern of eating one food obsessively to the detriment of variety makes for an unbalanced diet.

I have food fads where I will eat the same thing every day for a few days, weeks or months. Then one day I'll wake up and go on to a different food fad. A couple of weeks ago I was having a bowl of steamed silverbeet by itself every day.
The smell of fish is nauseating. I don't like the texture of meat. And I like all of my food to be separate because I can enjoy the taste of each separate food while eating.

My son is worse than I am. I am puzzled when it comes to trying to please his tastes because he's so fussy. I have given up on his school lunches because he doesn't like anything I suggest. I let him choose things when we are shopping, but not junk food. He says bananas make him feel sick as well as bread, meat, cooked carrot, nuts. He eats lots of cereal.

I sometimes go thru phases too, but there does seem to be a particular pattern foods I'll eat, and loads of stuff I just won't.

In regards to what I won't: mostly fruits and vegetables.

Reason being: they're mostly sweet, and I don't like the texture, either.

I don't mind drinking fruit juice; I enjoy apple and orange.

The actual food itself I'm usually not big on.

I do enjoy grapes occasionally and apples aren't too bad; I also like peas and corn, and potatoes, but that's really about it.

I love bitter; but the thing is even when there're bitter condiments like pickles and things like that...I don't like the texture.

Yeah, I'm picky.

I enjoy chicken, burgers, meat in general I think, cheese, bread, some fish, PB&J, chips, beans, pasta....and I think that's like everything...also of course the fruits and veggies I mentioned.

I cannot stand corn. I can't even stand the sight or smell of it.

Also, I'll often order the same thing from certain restaurants. If I go to Subway, I'll always order a 6'' white-bread sandwich with nothing but turkey and mustard. If I go to McDonald's, I'll always order french fries and chicken nuggets. If I go to a Mexican restaurant, I'll always order beans, rice, and two beef enchiladas.

I don't like carrots. They ruin so many great dishes. As far as texture goes, I can't tolerate anything slimy like okra. And meat I have a hard time with, though I'll eat it occasionally and once in a while I find it ok. I like vegetables and a few fruits.

I eat the same things all the time to such an extent that one day I'll take a bite and feel like I might throw up. Then I have to put that food aside for a long, long time. I'm hoping to get help on this from my therapist this summer. It's a big problem.