Aspergers and eating healthy foods

Filed under:Other — posted by admin on February 17, 2009 @ 1:22 pm

Hi there and welcome to this week’s Aspergers parenting article. I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that things are definitely rolling with the new Aspergers website for it to be finally completed in March (so it’s nearly here!) Here’s the title of the latest 3 articles that I have added to the site for your information:

“My son continuously seeks attention, usually really bad attention, and fights with absolutely everyone — what can I do?”

“Do you have any tips for predicting my son’s reactions to social settings so we can prepare him for them?”

“My son has started college several times, gets frustrated, and drops out; what can we do?”

Anyway here’s this weeks’ question …

Question

My son was diagnosed with Asperger’s in January, 2008. His eating habits are not that great. He will only eat about 3 specific foods which are not at all healthy. How can I introduce something new to him if he doesn’t like to try anything new? Unless he has eaten it before, he will not try it.

Answer

This is a common problem with people with Asperger’s. Some AS adults will eat only three or four foods for months at a time. For AS kids, many foods taste terrible to them (but not to others) or have disgusting textures or smells. They can’t help these reactions; they are a part of Asperger’s. Unfortunately your son’s three choices are not healthy ones, so he isn’t getting a balanced diet. For that reason, his diet must change.

Your son’s diet should include protein from eggs, milk, cheese, fish, beef, and chicken, pork, even hot dogs. He needs grains, which provide B vitamins, from breads, hamburger and hot dog buns, corn, and cereals. He needs vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, from juices, fruits, and vegetables. He requires calcium and vitamin D from milk and cheese. Getting him to eat these foods is the challenge.

You will have to eliminate the three items he will eat from your home and offer him a variety of other healthy foods, letting him choose what he will eat from them. Prepare for a battle royal when you do this! He may scream, cry, and have “meltdowns” at every meal. But, when he gets hungry, he will try at least some of the new foods. Whatever you do, don’t give him any of his preferred three foods, or they are all that he will eat and he will never try any of the new foods. Needless to say, the rest of the family must not eat his preferred foods, either.

Perhaps he would try some whole grain cereals. Many children like Life cereal or Cheerios (with or without milk). If he’ll eat the cereal, see if he likes a sliced banana on it. Use Splenda to sweeten cereal, fruits, and baked items. Try popcorn (a whole grain). Don’t load it up with butter. Fruit juices may appeal to him. There are new ones on the market that are delicious and have a serving of fruit and one of vegetables in each glass. Try hot dogs and hamburgers. He may like scrambled eggs. If he will drink milk (even chocolate milk or a milkshake), it will give him protein and calcium.

Try mixing rice or noodles into a cheese and chicken casserole. Most children like macaroni and cheese. See if he does. Try tacos made with whole grain tortillas, hamburger, and cheese. Will he eat fried chicken or chicken nuggets? How about fish and chips?

Many fruits may taste sour to him. Canned peaches and pears are sweet and may appeal to him. Cut fruits into bite sized pieces so they are easy to eat. Don’t chastise him if he doesn’t eat them; maybe in the future he will. Make small apple or blueberry muffins. Yoghurt with fruit is an option you could try.

As far as vegetables are concerned, it may be an uphill road! But, sometimes vegetables can be hidden in other foods, for example, in those juices mentioned above. How about putting some onion in his hamburger? Potatoes are vegetables and he might eat oven-fried French fries (called chips by the British). Blend some cooked cauliflower into mashed potatoes. He may not notice the difference. He may like sweet potatoes. He might like creamed corn or cornbread. Does he eat any soups? You could try tomato soup made with milk; he might like it or chicken noodle soup.

It’s very important not to make “a big deal” about what he doesn’t eat. If you do, eating will become an even worse power struggle than it’s going to be. Offer various new foods at each meal. If he doesn’t like them, don’t make an issue of it. He’ll eat something when he gets hungry! Avoid serving soda pop and sweets so he doesn’t fixate on them. When he finally accepts a new, healthy food, offer it often, but not at every meal, so he has to keep trying new foods.

My last suggestion is to make sure he has a multivitamin each day. Get one that is chewable, tastes good, and has a cute shape. Also, drinking Ensure or Pediasure is a good way to supplement his diet with vitamins and minerals.

Have a great week,

Dave Angel

comments (52)

52 comments »

My son will not eat anything that is sweet. After reviewing your list, I guess his eating habits aren’t really that bad. My biggest problem is that he won’t eat fruits and veggies. I made a deal with him along time ago, that he needed to try things but if he didn’t like them that he could spit them out. Somethings can not seem to make it past his lips (because of texture or smell). He does eat cheeseburgers, pizzas, chicken (grilled) and fish, scrambled eggs, milk, yogurt, pudding and jello (sugar free). Popcorn, chips, hot dogs, bolagna breads and drinks Juicy Juice which is very low in sugar. I too am a picky eater, so when I cook for us, I cook 2 meals. He is very good about asking me if he can try what I have, knowing that he has something that he likes to eat and that he doesn’t have to eat whatever he doesn’t like. I also have had trouble getting him to take vitamins because so many of them are sugar coated. Winnie the pooh vitamins are like gummy worms, he won’t chew them but he just sucks on them until they are gone. They say to pick your battles, I found when it is his idea – he does much better.

Comment by Mary — February 17, 2009 @ 2:10 pm
I know exactly what you’re talking about. My son won’t eat any kind of meat at all and only a few limited other things… so I try to keep the ones he WILL eat on hand. He also gets a gummi bear multivitamin x 2 daily. Our pediatrician/behavior specialist is ok with what he’s getting so far. I also know exactly what you mean about tastes and smells being a problem. He has gotten to where he won’t eat lunch at school because the smells of everyone else’s lunches make his food taste bad. I’m grateful one of his “good” foods is applesauce.

Comment by satscout — February 17, 2009 @ 2:11 pm
This technique did not work for my son at all. He actually quit eating solid foods altogether by the end of a two week struggle. When I finally gave in, he did not even want to eat his preferred foods. It was a struggle to get him eating at all.

Now I am very careful about how I go about introducing new foods. We ask him to touch a new food to his mouth before he can have the favorite food. Then we progress to a lick, a nibble, a bite, etc. It is a slow process, but much less frightening. Also, I do rely on a lot of hidden nutrition, i.e. sweet potato and carrot purees mixed into his pancake batter or green veggie puree mixed into his pizza sauce. I wish I didn’t have to sneak nutrition on him, but I find it far preferable to the fear of starvation.

Comment by xtiluv — February 17, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
Funny i was just thinking writing in on behalf of our 9 yr old girl who also cannot eat with smells and sounds of others eating fruit and veg around. She will miss meals in row and go totally pale and ketotic rather than eat in the face of such a threat. We’ve ended up waiting until she has finished her meal (mostly pastas or pita with cheese) and eating them after she has left the room. She hates this, today she asked me what we could do about it. Well we talked about why, as she knows her diagnosis, but as to how to help… i was a bit stumped. Your suggestion for helping AS children with eating problems seems quite drastic however if it truly works in the long run then maybe it is worth having an even more than usually rocky period for all concerned I think I would definately wait for the holidays though, and pick a stretch of days that had no important other events in them.. Good luck to anyone trying it and i’d be really interested to know some success stories.

Comment by Susanna Vogt — February 17, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
I agree that getting a healthy diet is essential, and you may have to do battle to achieve success! The only problem I see with today’s post is that the foods listed are not of the healthy kind! My son has achieved sooo much from a gluten- and casein-free diet. As vegans, I don’t see meat as necessary, nor healthy, but to claim that hot dogs are a good source of protein when they contain so many chemicals is crazy! I am sorry, but I am passionate about this! We have eliminated ODD symptoms in our son with Aspergers and ADHD and SPD by changing our diets. Even one time eating chemical filled food we can see a reaction. Whole, unrefined, unprocessed foods are very important. Why fight the battle to replace junk food with chemical-filled processed food like hot dogs or chicken nuggets when you can fight the battle and replace the junk with truly health supporting fruits and vegetables and see behavioral changes as a result?

Comment by Stephani — February 17, 2009 @ 2:56 pm
I have a 9 year old son with AS. He is a very picky eater, only wants carbs and dairy. Our behavioral therapyst suggested a recipe book called ” deceptivly delicious”, by Jessican Seinfeld. It hides veggies and good stuff in the form of puree in the recipes. A lot of my son’s favorite foods are riddled with healthy flax seed meal, and veggies and he doesn’t even know it. You can not really taste the difference, nor has the textures been different. It has been a God send, and now mom and son both feel happier – he doesn’t think he is having to eat his veggies, and I know he is getting what he needs. Try it out, the recipes are quite yummy and easy. I do not always have time to cook and puree veggies, so I have used babyfood veggies, and it works great.

Comment by sheryle — February 17, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
Susanna, if your daughter can’t stand the sounds of chewing the fresh foods, have you thouhgt about trying fruit smoothies? We have these all the time and were the perfect way to introduce fresh foods into our son’s picky diet. The smooth consistency eliminates the mixed-texture issue and as a sweet drink, is a sneaky way to add supplements and other foods that might be otherwise rejected. I have several recipes on my blog if you want some ideas.

Comment by Stephani — February 17, 2009 @ 3:06 pm
MY 9 yo son was diagnosed AS last summer. I’ve notices a lot of his favored foods are crispy/crunchy in texture. Try giving raw veggies a try, or cooking them very al dente instead of soft.

He has a strong aversion to any soft foods – no soups, mashed potatoes, or mac and cheese.

Another thing to try is fortified pastas, they can be high in protein and appealing to the palette.

Comment by Lisa — February 17, 2009 @ 3:28 pm
My daughter’s AS is compounded by the fact that she has MSG syndrome which means she cannot have any thing with glutamates or glutamic acid in it which eliminates a lot of foods and 99% of all prepared foods. I share this because some of things I tried to feed her when she was younger that she would avoid, are now things she cannot eat because of the glutamates. She would get headaches and dizzy spells from the food, she just didn’t know how to tell us. This included things like California grapes and raisins due to the pesticide they use on them. So if your child repeatedly refuses a ‘healthy food’ if they can talk, you can find out why, get him/her to try to tell you what they don’t like about it. If it’s the way they feel afterwards, investigate what’s in it or how it’s prepared. If it’s the texture or smell, hiding it works well!

Comment by Christine Jacobia — February 17, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
#3 probably won’t work. Have tried hiding veggies in food so that she will at least get some veggies… Doesn’t work, even blended and in small amounts she can smell them… Yes she smells her food before she eats it and says “Yuck. What is that horrible smell!” Then she is grossed out and won’t even taste it. She eats her same foods prepared the same way every day for weeks, then gets sick of them and changes one bit. But I can’t trick her into eating things. Her sense of smell is too good and she is very intelligent. Also when we are eating, she has to sit a bit away from us so our food smells don’t bother her.

Comment by Karen Walker — February 17, 2009 @ 4:12 pm
I know what your talking about, my son knows when i hide veg in mash potatoe, but i will try baby food veg, thanks for advice, i also tryed gluton free diet, my sons great as he gets his own goodie jar, i also get beef in him as a burger in a gluten free mufin, but have to put into microwave to soften up for 20 seconds.

Comment by lynn — February 17, 2009 @ 4:55 pm
sorry also had to say, my sons tantrums, violence have nearly disapeared, due to gluten free, thanks dave

Comment by lynn — February 17, 2009 @ 4:56 pm
My daughter also has a strong sense of smell, which sometimes affects her being able to travel in oter people’s cars(”smells strange”) as well as sitting down to eat at a restaurant. We have tried placing some lavender oil or a favourite smelling lip gloss or perfume under her nose, so that she smells something familiar. Another thing to try would be to involve your child in the preparation of food, so that they become familiar to him. Also try different ways of presenting food,such as using skewers/ kebab sticks or toothpicks for fruit( dip in yoghurt or honey, nutella or sprinkles), small pieces of meat, pasta or natural popcorn, cereal necklaces( therad onto wholegrain raw or cooked spaghetti) ,cookie cutter sandwiches (in his favourite shapes.
hang in there!

Comment by Gayle Brook — February 17, 2009 @ 5:07 pm
My Italian family made such an issue about food when my child was young. They just couldn’t understand why he would only each plain pasta, no veggies or fruit.
He is a chemist, so he knows that he should be eating better…but he truly cannot stand the smells or textures.
Recently, he had to undergo a colonoscopy for rectal bleeding due to NO fiber in his diet.
I tried it all…he just wouldn’t and still will not try anything new. He is 19.
Are their any aspies out there who are older and may have suggestions.

Comment by Giovanna — February 17, 2009 @ 5:43 pm
Try the cookbook “Deceptively Delicious” by Jessica Seinfeld for recipes that have hidden veggies in them and healthier versions of some of the most popular kid favorites. Maybe you can sneak something in!

Comment by Renee Wisniewski — February 17, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
We are doing both the gluten/casein free diet and it will be 1 year next month. Our son (8 years) was full time Special Ed last school year and this year he is in his class room the whole day. It is like he is a different child. The meltdowns and tantrums have cut way down. He was a very picky eater and would only eat certain foods. He actually will try new foods now. Very pleased with the diet!!!!

Comment by Dana Christensen — February 17, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
Mom Blogs – Blogs for Moms…

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Trackback by Anonymous — February 17, 2009 @ 6:57 pm
I am glad to not be alone! My daughter is just not tasting other foods! We have a merit system. She earns 10 pennies towards rewards if she tastes a new food. If she actually eats it more pennies. Teaching her polite table manners if she doesn’t like it and how to respond gets more points for proper response. She is getting it at 8 1/2. It has been alot work. It is amazing what she is liking. I have let her go shopping with me and pick out some healthy choices… she picked her flavored yogart, pita chips, shredded carrots instead of big carrots to name a few.

Comment by Pam Hunt — February 17, 2009 @ 7:35 pm
I think the key to introducing new foods to your AS child is doing it in a very small portion. If you introduce more than 4 teaspoons of new food, that is all he is going to see on his plate and it will overwhelm him. Put a very small portion at first let him try it and if he likes it you can always give him more later.

Comment by Shirleyanne — February 17, 2009 @ 9:51 pm
My son is 10 yrs old and loves eating ginger, garlic and lime. He loves meat stuff like chicken, beef etc. But what I am concerned is that if we give him lime everyday, will it harm him. Another problem my son has is that he cannot brush his teeth. I brush it for him but he does not spit out and swallows the toothpaste. This is also another concern for me. What do I do for his teeth cleaning.
Regards, Charles

Comment by CHARLES SCOLT — February 18, 2009 @ 5:29 am
My 6yr old is the same as everyone else, he just wont try anything! The smells and texture of what else is on the table can set him off on a meltdown. He has self proclaimed himself as a “bread-a-tarian”, as all he eats is bread. One thing I never tried is looking at a gluten free diet. Maybe that may curb some of meltdowns. Thanks for the idea!

Comment by Dana — February 18, 2009 @ 10:09 am
Hello to everyone. My 18 yo son was just diagnosedon Monday of this week as having AS. My story is unbelievable. At 4, he was supposedly diagnosed ADD/ADHD. Of course was placed on every medication out there with nothing working. 5 years ago I suggested AS to his then therapist who quickly opposed and basically sent me out the door. The battle for the past 14 years has been horrible – we are on our 5th therapist. I just don’t know where to start now that we have a true diagnosis and also the fact he is 18. He finally met requirements to graduate from high school, but barely. Any suggestions or insight is most welcome. Feel free to e-mail me directly if you prefer. Thank you. Jilzie32@sbcglobal.net

Comment by Jill Coloske — February 18, 2009 @ 10:38 am
My son is 11 and we would really be interested in knowing where to start with the gluten free diet. We desperately want to get ahold of his meltdowns.

Comment by Kimberly Hinkle /son Ethan — February 18, 2009 @ 1:39 pm
I have been reading your articles for awhile now and agree with most of what is being said. Today’s article, however, shocked me. Splenda and all other manmade sweeteners are pure poison (and in almost everything you buy these days). Hotdogs and alot of lunchmeats are full of nitrates and other harmful things. Our son is 11 and has a very limited list of things he likes, but we strive to feed him healthy foods. We grow our own vegetables (if you can’t do this, buy at a farmer’s market). We try to buy organic products (we’ve had to limit our other expenses to be able to afford them). He also takes Yummi Bears multi-vitamin & mineral and Yummi Bears wholefood fruits, vegetables, & antioxidants (they actually don’t smell too good to me, but he loves them and reminds me when I forget to give them to him). They are gummi bears, so are not viewed by him as something horrible. The biggest problem our kids have is they are already overloaded with toxins. We have to be vigilant parents and not add to this. We have also been using the detox foot patches on our son, and we have seen results. Even he admits that he is tantruming less. We took a break from them, and he asked to begin again because he was beginning to feel out of control again… PLEASE DON’T TELL PEOPLE TO POISON THEIR CHILDREN!

Comment by Carmen — February 18, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
I was coming on here to comment regarding your suggestion for diet and see that a couple of people have already beat me to it.
I would like to agree with Carmen. Most of the foods that you suggested are toxic to children and make symptoms of Aspergers much worse. Even the “healthy” foods you suggested i:e corn,milk etc can be incredibly unhealthy depending on your blood type. My 13 yr old struggles with gluten free diets but has done amazing things with eating for his blood type since he can read the “avoids”and avoid them. (the control seems to be what makes it much easier. The Yummi-bears are fantastic supplements for whole foods and omega 3 fatty acids and most kids(especially aspies) love the cuz they taste like candy. We also use the detox foot patches and energetic medicine to control tantrums and help deal with change. Don’t poison your kids aspie or not with foods that seem healthy. and for the record hotdogs are NOT FOOD!!

Comment by jessica taylor — February 19, 2009 @ 1:00 pm
I have this same food issue with my 5 year old daughter. She just started an eating plan with her occupational therapist. After only two 30 minute sessions she is already trying food she wouldn’t even touch before. Here’s the basics of the plan – each session I take 2 foods she likes most of the time, 2 she will eat occasionally, and one she won’t touch. The therapist lays them out on a table. They look at each food and talk about it (what it is, color, size, etc). Then they feel of it with their hands (and again discuss characteristics, hard, soft, mushy, etc). Next they smell of it and again discuss. Last they take a small bite. No hard pressure or making her eat it. She just takes a bite and holds it in her mouth then spits it out in a cup if she doesn’t like it or the texture, etc bothers her. They work the 5 items according to different food groups. We started with the soft group. (Bread, fruit bars, pudding, yogart, oatmeal cookies, etc) They will work on this group for a month and switch to the next group. There is one group for crunchy foods, another for textures mixed together (like pasta with sauce, beans w/rice, soups,etc)I didn’t really expect it to work but already she is trying and eating things she has never eaten before. She has always wanted to eat pizza, loves the smell, but couldn’t get past the texture. This week she ate half a piece of cheese pizza. Last night she actually ate a piece of sliced cheese. She has never eaten cheese before of any kind. I think the whole idea is to try to get her to at least try different things with the hope that she will eventually hit on some additional things she likes. I am a picky eater so I am not so concerned that she eat everything but I would like to see her at least eat more than Cherrios, French-fries, and pudding. The first week of Kindergarten she threw-up everyday at lunch. We finally figured out it was the smell of the cafeteria food. They ended up having her sit in the hall for about a week. Then they moved her back in but sat her at the end of a table the farthest away from the food service and with other children that bring their lunch instead of sitting next to kids with the school lunches. We haven’t had any problems since. Hope this info helps someone out there.

Comment by Laura — February 19, 2009 @ 1:36 pm
Ben is on a gluten-free diet, but some of his food aversions may have come from prior to the diet, when practically everything he was given to eat at school made him sick and dizzy. He gags when offers mixed food or fruits and vegetables, almost vomits involuntarily. He can’t stand the smell or appearance of other people’s foods. I think it is extremely risky to take away food that a child like this will eat. Contrary to popular opinion, some children WILL starve themselves under those circumstance, at least sufficiently to end up in the hospital. I am sure Ben is one of those who might end up hospitalized and with a G tube for feeding. You cannot sneak foods into his food, either, he smells them. Ordinarily he will not eat anything that is not in his categories that he eats, which are two: crispy, and burgers (meat only). We know he has had problems with oral-sensory and oral-motor nerve function.

I agree with Carmen that Splenda is toxic and organic is best, but it’s kind of a moot point when a diet consists of crispy hash browns, gluten-free pretzels, cereal and burgers. This child will not even eat muffins or cake.

Comment by Kathleen — February 19, 2009 @ 1:49 pm
I’m grateful for all of the advice given, even the “bad food” suggestions, as it is reassuring to know that my son and I are not alone in our many struggles with Asperger symptoms. Good to hear advice and people trying whatever they can to support their aspies. Eating is a huge concern for us since my son’s diet is really unhealthy. I’ve tried the gluten free diet (half heartedly) to no avail. He HATED every bit of the food and refused to try anything after the first few attempts. He was truly miserable and got very depressed. I hear the above testimonials and think I have to try again but I wonder if there is anyone out there who really tried the diet (whole-heartedly) and didn’t have a positive result? Just curious as we way the goo vs. bad.

Comment by Tricia Hackworth — February 19, 2009 @ 2:19 pm
the gluten free diet is hard especially at first. There are fantastic recipes at glutenfree.com that I swear are better tasting than the originals. My kid is super picky and would live off of cereal(has in the past) if I let him.keep trying and don’t give up the results are great and healthier for you too!! my advice is to start slow adding one dish in a week and with mine helping cook the meal always made him more inclined to eat it. Try the eating for your blood type diet its super simple and i found the reults faster than just the gluten free diet. its also less restrictive which lessons the smell/texture issues.

Comment by jessica taylor — February 19, 2009 @ 2:44 pm
Whole grains, macaroni and cheese. CHEERIOS!!!!! Do you know how much better many of us do if we go completely off of gluten and/or cassein? For many of this these foods act as natural opiates, leading to withdrawn behavior, woozyness, irritability BIG TIME during withdrawals. Many of us are just constantly being drugged by what forms in our guts. Plus gluten can damage villi in the guts and lead to malaborption syndfome and all the depression and neuorological problems that causes. We do best on a high protein, high omega 3, diet with lots of suppliments to make up for our damaged guts problems digesting nutrients. (Make su re the suppliments are gl uten and cassein free). Also I have avoid all irrational melt downs for months since I found out the 30 names MSG hides under and avoid it. It is not easy. (Google MSG and note all the names our “wonderful” FDA lets MSG hide under, plus it is in every live virus shot). The only melt down I’ve had for months was the day I had to eat an MSG containing food to avoid having nothing to eat at all.

Comment by Elizabeth Hensley — February 19, 2009 @ 9:33 pm
please do not use any artificial sweetners these are bad for the brain things like splenda and sweet and low have been linked to many mental problems like altimers and cancer if the sugar isn’t natural don’t put it in your food or any aspie’s food for heavens sake my ex girl friend was a bio chemist and she showed me the resultds

Comment by allandnn — February 19, 2009 @ 10:05 pm
I feel we have been lucky our son is 10 and all he will eat are fruits and vegetables. Fish is one of his favorites since we started taking him fishing. Explaining to him how important these foods are and the fact he loves commercials has helped out. Plan a new food night that helped us.

Comment by Benadette — February 19, 2009 @ 10:22 pm
I have 9yr old boys with aspergers, asthma etc. We are actually blessed that our kids have followed our rule of….. eat as many bites as how old you are. We tried other things but this seemes to work for us. We are even able to get them to do this with every type of food on the plate. By the time they play the game or eat 6+ bites of the veggy, the protein, the carb… the plate is clear.
My moms theory was always, when they get hungry enough they’ll eat what you put out. This works as well. It’s a tough one for a while though.
What I feel best about though, is the results we have had with combining as much good food “as possible” along with Juice Plus gummies. They are whole food supplements for Fruits and Vegetables. My kids love them. And….. what a dif. they have made. We have been on them for a few years now and for a buck fifty a day(per person)…. no other way to go. The research is incredible. Doctors and Universities are on board. I wish I knew about this when I was younger. I stopped what I was doing today to put together my web site so y’ all can research and hopefully experience the awesome results that we have. Stop by my site anytime: cherylosharesjuiceplus.com You can email me any time as well. I’d love to hear from you and your stories. It’s a lot of work to help our little ones. Feedback is always good. Helps us grow. Good luck with feeding your little ones. =)

Comment by cheryl — February 20, 2009 @ 12:04 am
I made a list for the nutritionist and pediatrician of food that my 13 yr old grandson ate. i.e. carrots, about 6 peas, chips only if they were from the chip shop which he used to have about once every two weeks), tomato sauce, Edam cheese grated, FF icecream, chocolate topping, soft boiled eggs but he wouldn’t eat the white, roast potato (only ate 1/4 of it) would not eat boiled potato, (brocolli, beans, pumpkin, kumara, only introduced as a teaspoon lot on his plate (he never liked kumara, pumpkin, beans, corn on cob, if he ate the brocolli he swallowed it whole blocking out taste etc from his mind). He could only taste new food if he wasn’t pushed into it or made to do it. Milk (he liked a glss of milk with his dinner). Loves his four weatbix with cup of milk and brown sugar for breakfast. Doesn’t eat meat at all of any kind (tried to get him to eat some fresh fish and he vomitted it up, fruit juices, new season apricots, peaches, oranges, mandarins, plums, bananas, watermelon. Will give new fruit a try. Will not eat bananas or apples in a lunch box as they smell. Dried apricots and prunes. Cruskits, crackers, loves white bread no marg or butter on buns or bread. Vegemite lightly on bread or bun with a few potato chips. (I don’t mind giving him the chips as he has no oil or butter on the bread. Loves a small packet of tomato Munchos in his lunchbox). Likes scones fresh and jam and cream or piklets or pancakes. I used to give him one chewable multi vitamin and Omega 3 chewable every day and sometimes Incremin which is a B group syrup with Folate and Iron. which is for fussy eaters. The pediatrician said to keep up with the nutrient supplements. Especially with the Omega 3.

Comment by Lillian Carde — February 20, 2009 @ 4:47 pm
motivation is half the battle. My son has enjoyed watching “Frecky Eaters” recently and I’m hoping this will inspire him to want to try new things. he is naturally opositional to me but if he wants to we will be half way there.

Comment by K M — February 20, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
I have found many of these articles very informative, but I am still at a loss with my child. He is 10 and was diagnosed at 7 years old. His eating habits bother me, but I have come to understand that I cannot force food on him. He, like someone mentioned above, will literally starve himself. I feel that is more unhealthy than eating a select number of foods. I wanted to try gluten/cassien free, but my son would have nothing to eat if I did.
I do, however, have more pressing problems. I really have not figured out how to deal with his emotional meltdowns. Like him, I am a very logical person, but I cannot, for the life of me, understand some of the things he gets emotional about. Also, he has paranoia issues/irrational fears. I would really appreciate emails from parents and their AS children (Preferably boys at my son’s age or older, with their parent’s permission) or AS adults. I truly need insight, in depth, bare bones, I have been there, insight. I do not want to damage my son with the way I handle situations, I want to know the “right” way. Yes, I know every AS child is not the same, but I know others opinions and real life experience can help me be a better mom and caretaker of my son. With his social skills, I am his world. I am his mom, his comfort , his teacher, and probably his best friend. All your help will be greatly appreciated.

Comment by Caron Yates — February 20, 2009 @ 7:14 pm
OOPS! forgot to leave an email… see that is how harebrained I am when it comes to my son. If anyone wishes to email, please do! My email is vermilion_fox@yahoo.com Thank you.

Comment by Caron Yates — February 20, 2009 @ 7:18 pm
At our house, we’ve tried to find a balance between junk food & healthy food. Our son is 15 & I remember as a teen I loved the junk! But I know as a mom he needs the healthy. He is very picky, so we’ve attempted to find ways around it. He doesn’t like eggs or bacon, so I make a quiche with them that he likes. He loves peanut butter, nuts, granola bars & some cereals. We keep them on hand. He likes apples, but not the peel, so we peel & slice them for him. He’ll eat meat ok as long as we cut it up small. He has a difficult time with his coordination for that task. He likes corn, but not green beans. I mix them & add whole potatoes. He likes that. He likes homemade milkshakes, french toast & pancakes. His favorite meat is breakfast sausage. He hates oranges, even the smell. I leave that one alone. He doesn’t like pasta, but the rest of us do. I do take on that battle occasionally. We keep healthy foods on hand as well as the junk he likes. We just work with him to make sure he makes good choices the majority of the time. It’s not easy many times, but he is learning.

Comment by Janet Mitchell — February 22, 2009 @ 4:26 pm
I can feel your pain and frustration. My son was diagnosed with Aspergers/high-functioning with anxiety/possible ADHD…almost 2 years ago.

He is a very picky eater. However he has accepted some new foods. He notices how much his brothers or others enjoy certain foods which tempts his curiosity.
I learned a new trick…if he doesn’t know it’s in the food he eats, then I add it.
EXAMPLE: puree steamed vegetables and add to brownies or spice cake.
He LOVES french toast. He just recently discovered that I use eggs to make it. It opened his mind to the possibility of other foods–if they taste good. He doesn’t turn his nose up at everything like in the past.
He is 8 years old now…it’s been a long, tiresome journey to get where we are at now. It’s not always smooth sailing but it’s gotten a lot better.
Another idea…let your child help you cook something they really like to eat. It will inform them on what could taste good to them based on the similar ingredients of other foods.

Comment by Ann — February 24, 2009 @ 10:11 am
I am a member of another site.. and showed your suggestion to the parents.. here are some of their responses.. with their permission to post here.

I don’t agree with the advice given either, the only way we got DS to expand the list of things he would eat was by building up his trust and always giving him food that he was comfortable with along side food that we wanted him to try. There is no way we wouldn’t have removed those foods as I am sure he would have seen that as a huge betrayal and never listened to us about anything.
The way they introduce new foods in YS’s school in the Base is at snack time.

They offer it before the main snack and the rules are for ones like my son ….. you must try it … how can you learn whether you like something or not if you don’t try. He was told that as it is new it can take up to 30(!!) tries before you really know.

He has always had a wide range of food he has eaten but they have made it wider but he still doesn’t like mekon. LoL.
They accept that there my be foods a child just doesn’t like.

They are not so ‘pushy’ wih some od the more Autistic children … it’s not worth having a melt down over.

I don’t agree with the advice. I agree that as it rends to be sensory they will not eat even if they are hungry.
My YS will take things off his plate and not eat them so we try every now again to give him new things and don’t make an issue out of it.

He eats quite healthy stuff but I worry about the lack of protein in his diet. At least he will take ham on his pizza now.

Both my kids have sensory issues re food, my ds has a very limited amount of food he likes and loves bland food except chocolate and would live on it if he had the chance, he also hates anything soft like if his breakfast starts to get a bit soft he wont eat it until you replace it, soft foods or anything soggy actually just turns his stomach and he will be physically sick! also he cant stand strong smells it sends him totally nuts and will get very aggressive with everyone around him until its gone. He also eats with his fingers even his breakfast, which btw he only eats at night or weekends, never eats before school, i have no idea why.
My dd however loves strong tastes, hates cakes and chocolate (mad) and will only eat soft foods, however she only eats in minute amounts and is seriously underweight at 29lb and she is 5 1/2! she has been that bad re eating she was put on iron, calcium and food supplements (which she refused) and ended up losing most of her baby teeth cos they just rotted away.
Both their paeds said i would have to put up with it as its a psychological disorder! contd.

Comment by dodgypins — February 24, 2009 @ 10:23 am
My 13 year old has an obsession with food. He always wants a taste or a sip of what other people are mostly drinking, not eating. He has been this way since he was little. His teacher told me the other day that whenever she has a snack or something on her desk at school, he wants a taste or is just interested in whatever she has. I try to ignore it, sometimes easier to do.

Comment by Susie Orr — February 26, 2009 @ 11:52 am
WOW! I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I found this post. I have an x who CONTINUALLY forces our son to eat things that our son can’t stand which results in him losing weight during visitations… I am pleased to announce that YES you can get the nutrients you need in some times seemingly “bad” food choices, such as the chicken nuggets and fish (which my son LOVES) and fries (another fav) as well as his juices and milk… I just wish my x would actually do some research and stop terrorizing our son with his lack of knowledge. thank you thank you thank you again… You have put my mind at ease. OH! I might mention the only veggie he likes is fried squash.. LOL. But hey, the pediatrician says he’s all healthy boy!

Comment by Kimberly — March 2, 2009 @ 11:53 pm
I really enjoy the articles on your blog, but this one surprised and disappointed me a little Splenda is horrible and no-one should use it, let alone our ASD kids who are super sensitive to chemicals. My son is 7 1/2 and is super sensitive to any artificial colours, preservatives and additives. Most commercial cereals are preserved with BHA/BHT which send my son through the roof.

Comment by Helen Schwalme — March 3, 2009 @ 2:10 pm
I am so surprised with the number of Aspergers kids that have this limited diet problem. My daughters behavioual paed, said that it is very unusual to have an Aspie with limited food intake. My daughter is 11yrs old, will not eat meat (because you should not eat animals), is set on certain colours of food ie. pasta, chips plain, white yellow colours, her rules you shouldn’t mix two foods together, unless it is milk with akivate, that she lives on, it is virtually the only thing keeping her alive. Her blood results are terrible, absolutely refuses iron liquids because of smells, and is constantly hungry but cannot tell you want she wants. It is my biggest major problem, a living nightmare. Do they ever grow out of their rules for food??????? Regards, Angela

Comment by Angela Sward — March 4, 2009 @ 7:17 am
I found a really helpful resource for diet and cooking ideas is the Cooking to Heal DVD put out by Julie Matthews. It gave me a lot of ideas for things to try out in order to get my picky eater eating different foods.

Comment by Maggie — March 7, 2009 @ 11:43 pm
My son 13 1/2 is a very picky eater and is very skinny. He is more high-functioning autistic than AS even though that was his diagnosis at age 3. My other older son I think is AS & he has no eating problems. He was diagnosed as ADHD & Tourettes. AS really only became a diagnosis in the last 12 years so remember the diagnosis is not an exact science & is very subjective based on the info given. With that said, my 13 1/2 son is very high functioning & only likes to eat a few foods. He likes foods that are solid & are very spicy. If they are not spicy, then salty. He cooks his own “hot wings” every day at lunch. That allows him control & he actually trys to alter his recipe. He also eats baked chicken but I baste it & make the gravy with soy sauce, garlic & onion. He will also eat chips & salsa so we make fresh salsa with lots of fresh vegtables. With so few foods though you have to be prepared if that food becomes a dislike & replace it with a like item. My son used to eat pizza but he got sick one time & won’t eat it anymore. He will not eat any dairy but he will eat a “few” veggies at dinner. He is motivated to try other foods because he is very aware of how small he is to other kids his age. Some comfort – My husband was very much like my son & would sit at the table for hours as a child because he had “to finish his food”. He never would & his parents would give up after hours. My husband now eats almost everything & even mixes foods together now. I think he just desired to please me & would keep trying to eat the foods I would prepare. (His mom wonders where her picky son went). There is hope! Educate your children about nutrition, & have them help to select foods to try. We do require our son to try new foods & more than once. They need to know you love them & accept them regardless of their food choices. Home needs to be the safe place to explore new foods. We make sure our son eats before we go somewhere & we require he try something out to eat but that is all. Lately he just started eating french fries so that has really helped when we are out somewhere. Just like the other foods though, we taught him how to make them at home. It is important to keep them in the process. He still gets ketonic if he doesn’t eat like when he is sick. But I have not had him hospitalized again since he was 2 1/2 & I have no intention of ever experiencing that horror again. Happy eating guys & hang in there. They & you will get through this! Homeschooler for 12 yrs in AZ.

Comment by Mary — April 28, 2009 @ 12:15 am
This article is not written for the AS child. My AS son would gag when he had to taste any food he didn’t want to eat. Like the others in this blog said, they just won’t eat anything if they can’t eat the foods they want. Perhaps a neurotypical child would try other foods; but not necessarilly an AS child.

Comment by Carol — May 8, 2009 @ 8:43 am
Our adult ASP daughter has, in recent days, told us that her moods swing to depression and anxiety when she eats foods such as milk; ‘fizzy drink’ e.g. coca cola; red meat; pork; chocolate to name a few. However, she feels ‘terrific’ when she eats broccali, beans, potatoes, rice.
Any information would be appreciated.
Arrabella (Sydney-Australia)

Comment by Arrabella — May 10, 2009 @ 7:03 pm
The diet that is suggested is Gluten and Casisin Free products..That means not bread, pancakes, cereals or Milk products of any kind … This is very expensive and hard to find ps:rice checkes is ok!

Comment by Theres R Evola — August 4, 2009 @ 2:07 pm
I currently suffer from as. I read the article and it sounded just like someone was writing about me. I cannot stand vegetable’s because of the texture, same with fruits. i love milk, eggs, and cheese. I can eat a pound of cheese in a day easily. One of my most favorite dishes is a pound of ground turkey and shredded cheese. I live off of pizza’s and hot pockets as well as pizza rolls. I take a multivitamin just to make sure I get all of my vitamins I need. hope this helps any parents with their children so they do not have to live through what I went through. by the way I am 22 years of age.

Comment by Jonathan — August 13, 2009 @ 8:29 pm
My son who is 12 decided not to eat any meat or cheese, for several years now. He just can’t stand the smell or taste or texture of it. He will eat boiled egg whites with hot sauce or soy sauce, and heavily spiced white chicken meat. He obsesses over nutrition food labels, analyzing the fat content and calories. He is a small, skinny kid, smaller than most of his peers. He thinks he is obese, and obsesses over losing weight. Fortunately, I can always find a variety of healthy food he will eat. He likes raw or half cooked fresh veggies, and very spicy Indian and Thai food. We are pretty much gluten free and caseine free, but we let exceptions slide when treats are offered at social events. Peter hates missing out on treats! and it is NOT worth the stress to be food Nazi’s, especially for social occasions.

Comment by Ruth Blameuser — November 6, 2009 @ 1:01 pm
A gluten-free, caseine-free doesn’t have to feel like restriction. We think of it as culinary exploration and adventure. Your brain needs quality food, and to stay away from anything that has a toxic affect. You also need lots of pure water. And it’s always best to keep a positive, open-minded attitute, so you can ENJOY your food, and the process of shopping and cooking. My 12-year old AS son has become quite a chef–tho he needs a lot of supervision to avoid stupid or dangerous mistakes in the kitchen. Here are our favorite GFCF snacks: home-popped popcorn with salt, spices, and/or flavored oils, Nut-Thins crackers (blue Diamond brand), natural blue corn tortillas with salsa or guacamole, roasted nuts and seeds (always read the label for wheat, many spiced varieties contain it), FRESH, raw fruits and vegetables–there are so many textures and flavors, one should never rule them out until you try it! Newmans Own Soy Crisps (salt or bbq flavor–not the cheese), Sesmark rice thins, dried fruits and/or raw or roasted nuts combined with dark chocolate chips. We also have fun with GFCF pancakes–trying various non-wheat flour combos (blends of 2 or 3: rice, tapioca, soy, almond, coconut, sorgum). To support the texture and make it rise, we add 1/4 tsp xanthan or guar gum/each cup of flour, along with baking soda or powder. Have fun exploring!

Comment by Ruth Blameuser — November 6, 2009 @ 1:26 pm