Phobia of food textures - really quite depressing

ForeverSunshine09

I have an aversion to certain textures mine are usually gelatin like things like Jello, yogurt, jams and jelly. Also I typically hate most casseroles or foods mixed like sweet and salty. I do love apples but, they have to be incredibly firm which is hard to find a lot of the time. I hate anything apple flavored or prepared from apples. With veggies I try them at least a bite if I don't like it I will spit it out. I did that not even a yr ago when my mom had my try a sweet potato. It was the most vile thing. No thank you! I have found I can eat cauliflower raw, carrots cooked in beef broth, green onions, celery raw with ranch or on or cooked in a soup, green peppers if I cut them as small as humanly possible and put them in things like chili, or spaghetti bake. Onions are the same way. It is a lot of experimenting til you expand your menu. I tried a mango a while ago and I hated it with a deep dark passion in my soul but, at least I tried. I tried asparagus which I didn't like it but, I am pretty sure it is because I cooked it wrong.

cross2bear

I think someone else mentioned this but I would like to repeat it - try a site that informs parents how to "sneak" more veg into their childs diet. Perhaps if you puree vegetables after they are cooked, you can then add them to something else like soup, vegetarian chili or spaghetti sauce and you would not know they were there. This is a very interesting issue which is really foreign to me, so I really would like to know how you progress.

Lounmoun

I know you are frustrated but maybe start with not being so negative or judgmental about food. Calling food you enjoy crap or junk maybe doesn't help you. Absolutely everyone on this planet has food preferences and foods they don't like to eat. You have stronger aversions or sensitivity to some foods than most. The food you can comfortably eat right now isn't junk though. It all has nutrition. It isn't everything you need but it isn't garbage.
If you haven't tried therapy or getting a diagnosis for autism spectrum or sensory processing disorder that might be a good thing to look into since you've been struggling with these food issues most of your life. Look up adult sensory processing disorder or adult aspergers/autism spectrum to see if it sounds like what you experience. http://spdlife.org/symptoms/index.html

Have you considered smoothies or shakes to get vitamins and protein? Possibly you can drink some things you can not eat at this time.
Do you have a food processor? You can finely chop all kinds of vegetables or fruits and add them to things like pasta sauces, soups, casseroles, smoothies, mix with meat for burgers, meatloaf, meatballs.

rgbmore

jenovatrix wrote: »

My niece is autistic and has food texture issues as well. She just turned 5 yesterday and has been doing ABA therapy since she got diagnosed last year. Anyway, therapy has helped her with food aversion, she recently ate an orange for the first time. Here's what I found in a quick google about ABA food therapy:

Instead of making a child eat a non-preferred bite of food, we break it down into small steps and reinforce gradual progress. For example, the child may first touch a small bite of food before the therapist reinforces this behavior. Then the therapist may require the child to put the food to their lips, and even lick the food before requiring the child to put the food in their mouth. Overall, it moves at a pace comfortable to the child and often takes the tears out of eating.

Not at all saying you're autistic or that you need therapy but maybe breaking it down into tiny steps like that will help?

This is awesome advice about the tiny steps.
My daughter is the same way and we've been working on it for two years now (and she's only almost three). It started where she would refuse entirely, to eating and chewing it up--then spitting it out. Frustrating, but baby steps
Is it the tough texture? The fibrous texture? Something that helped my daughter was using a pressure cooker (Instapot) for everything and making them very soft and delicious. No crunchy veggies allowed! They taste better than boiling.
All in all, good luck, this is a very real struggle and I hope things improve for you!

Sarahb29

Figure out what part in the texture you don't like and we might be able to give suggestions. Is it slimey-ness? Gritty-ness?

Bananas, oranges and apples - If you throw these into a smoothie that might help, you'd need a powerful blender to blast most of the texture issues away. You can also make banana ice cream with frozen bananas and a food processor.

Chicken - If you don't like stringy meat, what about ground chicken? You could mix chicken, beef and pork up and make meatballs or hamburgers with them. If you ask a butcher they will process it very finely for you.

What foods do you love?

pichiPurinsesu

cross2bear wrote: »

I think someone else mentioned this but I would like to repeat it - try a site that informs parents how to "sneak" more veg into their childs diet. Perhaps if you puree vegetables after they are cooked, you can then add them to something else like soup, vegetarian chili or spaghetti sauce and you would not know they were there. This is a very interesting issue which is really foreign to me, so I really would like to know how you progress.

the easiest way i get veg into my diet is through potato soup. i cut carrots, potato, sometimes leek, lentils and blitz the soup i can eat it that way.

I've tried hiding things but because it's me that's making the food in the house i know it's there and it almost makes me scared to even try it. it sounds pathetic doesn't it? a 30 year old scared there might be neep in her mash or the likes.

i can have ground up chicken and red meats so burgers or meatballs ground finely are doable for me. As for the smoothies - yes, i'd need to get a really amazing blender otherwise i feel the 'grit' of the fruit and makes me

girlviernes

I'm not a picky eater (was quite picky as a child, but pretty easily expanded as I got older), however I've had a lot of difficulty with eggs. I basically avoided eggs almost entirely and would gag if I tried to eat them. However, I suspected that it was psychological because I liked things with egg in them, included things that were quite close to just being egg (like matza bri). So I decided to use graded exposure to start to eat eggs. I started with very small quantities mixed with other things and gradually built up. Now I can regularly have eggs in things, and usually enjoy them, although I can still feel a little uck if I really think about the fact that I'm eating an egg. I think if you want to conquer this you need to be willing to feel the "uck" feeling when it comes, it will come and go. And build yourself slowly.

pichiPurinsesu

Lounmoun wrote: »

I know you are frustrated but maybe start with not being so negative or judgmental about food. Calling food you enjoy crap or junk maybe doesn't help you. Absolutely everyone on this planet has food preferences and foods they don't like to eat. You have stronger aversions or sensitivity to some foods than most. The food you can comfortably eat right now isn't junk though. It all has nutrition. It isn't everything you need but it isn't garbage.
If you haven't tried therapy or getting a diagnosis for autism spectrum or sensory processing disorder that might be a good thing to look into since you've been struggling with these food issues most of your life. Look up adult sensory processing disorder or adult aspergers/autism spectrum to see if it sounds like what you experience. http://spdlife.org/symptoms/index.html

Have you considered smoothies or shakes to get vitamins and protein? Possibly you can drink some things you can not eat at this time.
Do you have a food processor? You can finely chop all kinds of vegetables or fruits and add them to things like pasta sauces, soups, casseroles, smoothies, mix with meat for burgers, meatloaf, meatballs.

yeah, i'm so frustrated about it i do feel very negative about how i eat. since my son has been going through assessment for ASD i've looked at all aspects of the spectrum and to be honest it doesn't seem like i'd be on the spectrum at all. Never say never though.

cafeaulait7

Do you like cake or brownies, etc? You can actually sneak certain vegetables in there and you can't taste them at all. And pureed fruit as well (not at the same time).

I can only understand what you mean because the melon family completely grosses me out. The smell even makes me sick, and I have no idea why (my other family members adore them). I was so embarrassed at a small dinner party where the dessert course was a fruit cup, because I can't even pick out the cantaloupe and still eat the rest. I can spot the smell of cantaloupe juice from a mile away, unfortunately. My sister used to chase me around the house with her cantaloupe snack to bother me, lol. But, of course, folks aren't generally faced with melons that often, so mine's no biggie.

caffeinatedcami

pichiPurinsesu wrote: »

Lounmoun wrote: »

I know you are frustrated but maybe start with not being so negative or judgmental about food. Calling food you enjoy crap or junk maybe doesn't help you. Absolutely everyone on this planet has food preferences and foods they don't like to eat. You have stronger aversions or sensitivity to some foods than most. The food you can comfortably eat right now isn't junk though. It all has nutrition. It isn't everything you need but it isn't garbage.
If you haven't tried therapy or getting a diagnosis for autism spectrum or sensory processing disorder that might be a good thing to look into since you've been struggling with these food issues most of your life. Look up adult sensory processing disorder or adult aspergers/autism spectrum to see if it sounds like what you experience. http://spdlife.org/symptoms/index.html

Have you considered smoothies or shakes to get vitamins and protein? Possibly you can drink some things you can not eat at this time.
Do you have a food processor? You can finely chop all kinds of vegetables or fruits and add them to things like pasta sauces, soups, casseroles, smoothies, mix with meat for burgers, meatloaf, meatballs.

yeah, i'm so frustrated about it i do feel very negative about how i eat. since my son has been going through assessment for ASD i've looked at all aspects of the spectrum and to be honest it doesn't seem like i'd be on the spectrum at all. Never say never though.

I'm sorry you're struggling with this. It does sound frustrating and I agree with the other posters that small steps toward a more varied diet will be key. You have to be patient with yourself. What you've described doesn't sound like autism to me. It sounds like Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) I read an article about it recently. It's a new DSM classification. There's no need to label yourself with a disorder unless you find the label helpful. But you might find that there are a lot of people who struggle with the same sorts of food issues that you do.

PhoenyxHellfyre

I'm autistic. My taste buds also flip lids when it comes to certain food textures. Definitely frustrating. If you're trying to find foods that fulfill your macros, then trial and error is a good plan. Example: I cannot consume turkey, chicken, seafood. Fantastic sources of protein. Can't eat. Red meat is pricy to eat every day. So, I use protein powders, have fallen wildly in love with eggs, fiber protein bars, regular protein bars, Greek yogurt, and tossing a couple slices of ham in a skillet, etc. Generally, I make it work. Some days, I don't, but that's okay.

If you think you can stomach it, maybe try what wigs you out in different manners - or if you have a close friend/parent/S.O., have them make you something and be vague about it until later. Back on the poultry issue, the only, and I mean ONLY turkey I can eat is the 93/7 Jennie-O ground turkey, and that's only if it's ground further, mixed with taco seasonings, and made to be a walking taco. (Single serve Dorito bag with the meat and whatever else you wanna chuck in there.) Discovered that by accident, but it helps for a week every couple of months.

All that madness, and I've still managed to lose over 200lbs. Find things you like, and go nuts.

RodaRose

You really can eat the foods that work for you: bland carby startchy foods, pasta, rice, potatoes, cheese, potato soup, lentils, certain types of hamburger.

kf1834

ilex70 wrote: »

From things I've seen with people that have various phobias the usual therapy is desensitization, like start with just smelling/touching but not tasting; then maybe try putting some in your mouth for a short time, but not swallowing it...gradually increase the time so you get more accustomed to it. That sort of thing...

This. Look up "food chaining", there are books on techniques on how to do this. Getting used to being around the food helps, the chaining technique is a gradual way to start with foods you like plus something similar to the phobia food(s), then once you have conquered that have something a little closer, until you make your way to the food you previously feared. (Ex: french fries > deep fried veggies > veggies)
Conquer this separately from the weight loss. Work on reducing calories on the foods you eat now, but try experimenting with this also. After all you can lose weight by eating nothing but mac & cheese if you stop at your calorie limit, but you're making an effort to get healthy, too. Good for you!
If you really need help there are sensory therapists who can help. My experience is with treatment for my child but they may have these for adults, too.
Good luck!

pichiPurinsesu

thank you everyone for the support.