Advice please on trying new foods

mclyma112

For years I have always had difficulty trying new foods due to textures. It has been to the point of fearfulness. Years later it makes sense after a diagnosis of autism that it is part of it for me. I am now trying to lose weight due to prediabetes. I am going low carb and sugar. I need to eat leafy greens and more vegetable, but I cannot seem to get past the textures (or that they taste like grass to me). Has anyone else been in this situation? How did you overcome it or make it taste better?

SafariGalNYC

have you thought about making a green juice in a vitamix or blender to change the texture ? Add a piece of fruit to make a smoothie?

I buy these pre made to get extra green in… they come in a lot of fruit added flavors ..

csplatt

My son has ARFID / pediatric feeding disorder. At 16 he still can't do fruits or vegetables. He can do homemade fruit smoothies. I think your best bet for texture-free may be something store bought like pictured above! At least as a first step.

Also, keep in mind you can take a multivitamin and use a food scale to count your calories to create a deficit. This may be a more realistic first step.

Have you studied Kay Toomey's Steps to Eating? For dessensitization when my son was younger, being able to have food on the plate he wasn't expected to try was a goal. Then touching the food without getting sick. Then moving the food up closer to his mouth and smelling it. Then licking it. You could start working through these exercises without asking yourself to actually eat the new item. Higher order steps were holding the food in his teeth then dropping it back onto the plate. Taking a bite but then dropping it out of his mouth on the plate. It's so much work but it does take the pressure off of needing to chew and swallow when so much aversion and anxiety is involved.