ENCOURAGING OUR CHILDREN TO EAT ADVENTUROUSLY
Food is one of my favourite things in the world.
Sushi is one of the (few) meals all 5 of us love in our house AND the children will help me make. Win-win! And it feels like a treat, cheaper than buying sushi etc.
Our autistic son benefitted massively from being gluten free, dairy free and low sugar. We made these changes when he was 7-8, over a period of more than a year. We started noticing if he ate gluten/ cow's dairy/ white sugar, he was much more likely to hurt people. He also got tummy aches. So at 7 yrs old, we went gluten free, that was OK-ish, he complained a bit.
We did it as a whole family so there was nothing in the house he 'couldn't have' - to avoid that control battle. At 9, we went dairy free. This was a massive craving for him, and he was super intense for 2 weeks. He can have goats milk, cheese and butter which helps. We've checked and been guided by our kinesiologist. There were other foods - chickpeas, yeast, corn, soy, rye he couldn't tolerate for a while. He had very severe candida overgrowth. That's gone now. At one point we kept a food diary to correlate with his outbursts of intense energy.
It's known and researched how closely linked our gut and brain are. The gut is called the second brain. Happily we've been able to build those things back in, so he has a wider diet. And fortunately, he loves crunchy things like carrots (and crisps!) and sweet vegetables like beetroot, peas, & doesn't mind cucumbers and peppers. He’s even tried leeks lately. If left to his own devices at 7, his food intake would be white-beige and not that nutritious. Now as a teenager, he’s more able to have some gluten or dairy without ill effects, after 7+ years.
Children on the autistic spectrum can have sensory issues around food, be sensitive to texture, not enjoy mixed up or wet foods.
We can start with our own attitude – as ever! - and model being excited and enjoying our food, embracing new flavours, textures, recipes. Let go of good/ bad food talk, around treats for example. You decide what foods you have in your house and can avoid control battles this way.
We also want to let go of judgment and pressure around food and meals.
We can encourage & celebrate small steps:
having a small amount on their plate
licking or touching a new food
nibbling a tiny bit
putting it in their mouth
if they want to, eating it (no pressure!)
Sometimes what seems to be about food can be a desire for control if something else is causing anxiety or distress.
Control and predictability are especially important for autistic children, including when it comes to food. You can give control by involving your child in a meal plan, at least for some evening meals/ weekend meals. You might play around with deconstructing mixed up meals like pies, stews or lasagne, so your child can enjoy the parts they like.
Involve your child in any chopping, mixing, baking, blending (even growing!) where possible: it makes it more connected and interesting to try what you’ve made.
Keep offering a wider variety of colourful fresh foods. Experiment, be playful, model enjoying a wide variety yourself. Talk about different cuisines from different places, food shop together (if your child tolerates shopping), browse recipe books/ online and see if you can whet your child’s appetite. Eating can be a wonderful way to travel from the comfort of our own homes.
When we restrict our intake, we can then get bored of that small selection of foods.
Be aware of phases: observe your child’s eating over a week/ month not just a day. Sometimes it evens out, nutritionally and intake wise.
Food restriction can also be a symptom of PANS/ PANDAS (Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus. PANS is when the severe onset of OCD symptoms is linked to another infection).
So it’s worth considering diagnosis for PANS/ PANDAS and your doctor can consider ARFID (Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder). See links for both.
https://www.arfidawarenessuk.org/the-link-with-autism-1
I’ve picked up my knowledge about diet, nutrition, the gut brain connection and autism along the way. There are no right or wrong answers; food can be emotive for people, and also a door to some fabulous shared experiences.
What works for your children?
Are there meals your whole family likes?
Is diet something you're looking at for your child?