I don't eat any fruit or veg.

[MeeeowthThatsRight]

Background : Severe MH problems alongside being ND and having physical health problems.

Completely given up last few years on food front. Severely ND child with ARFID who eats same thing everyday.

Food /cooking is nothing but a chore and i live off crisps/toast/mcdonalds/whatever is in freezer from iceland.

I know its shit but its not just 'laziness'
Yesterday I thought i should try harder so bought all salad stuff and had a sort of 90s mum salad. Ham, beef, lots of salad, coleslaw, a boiled egg... and Inreally had to force myself to eat it as it made me feel sick.

Its hard to explain, i liked the taste, but the texture and the the smells just made it really difficult.

I always feel like that, especially with meat (but not mcds burgers 🤨🙄)

Obviously tied in with the autism.

I didn't used to be this way, I used to eat so, so healthy but i think a combination of everything over the years and DDs ARFID diagnosis just made me give up on trying

Lots of things are marketed as 'high-protein' now. It is a bit of a supermarket fad.
Look out for labels, e.g. on yoghurts.
How are you with walking around supermarkets?

Try tiny mouthfuls, things you don't need to chew, and swallow quickly.

I'm great with soup.

I am a bit reluctant to say this because I know it will probably get a negative reaction but about 6 years ago I had a gastric sleeve abroad, with no dietary input. Hence why I am on prescription vitamin (forceval)

Its probably gotten so much worse since then as obviously the amount I can eat is restricted.

I feel like I am getting a little older and hitting perimeno and I just feel like my health is a mess and I want to start taking charge of it.

I think a lot of the texture issue and smells is with meat.

For instance (i know not best example) but I bought some mini scotch eggs to go with the salad as i used to like them years ago but they made me feel absolutely SICK but I could happily eat a full packet of quorn scotch eggs over a day.

So maybe I should try and focus of vegetarian protein?

Again I do like eggs but then everyso often I will 'think' about them or crack one and theres just too much of that white string and i wont touch them for months.

I have ARFID. It’s not an easy condition. I have a very limited diet, which is aided by fortified drinks which I get from the doctors.
I don’t really eat much fruit or veg. Every now and then I’ll have carrot and peas with a roast dinner, but I don’t sit there eating apples or anything.

My friend had a gastric sleeve years ago and her eating is also restricted, she said there is things she can't face, i dont know but do you have discomfort if you eat too much fibre it might be your brain reacting to that ?

Hi OP, I don't have any experience or knowledge particularly around your dietary needs - I am autistic too but don't have dietary issues, there's only a few things that I can't tolerate texture and taste wise thankfully. However I am vegetarian and eat a reasonably balanced diet and feed our children the same so if you did want veggie protein ideas I could suggest those.

I don’t either. Only meat. Been doing it over 2 years and ever year I pay for a private comprehensive blood test. It says I’m in excellent metabolic health.

That sounds really difficult but if you can manage soup, you can get all sorts of veggies in it and blend? Add beans or chickpeas for vegetable protein, or Greek yoghurt?

Do you like smoothies? My autistic son doesn't really eat much fruit and virtually no vegetables but will drink a smoothie made with banana, berries, spinach and beetroot. You can add yoghurt or ice cream for some protein and calcium and a spoonful or chia or flax seeds.

It's definitely something to address. Eating such an unhealthy diet can't be helping your mental or physical health.

If you didn't used to be this way, hopefully you can get back to that. Maybe try gradually reintroducing ingredients in small quantities, giving yourself time to get used to the tastes and textures, rather than trying to change everything at once.

I’ve got a recipe for a roasted veg and lentil soup if you would like that? It blends smooth and protein from the lentils

If I don't eat something for a while I feel like this. Even a few weeks is enough to make food feel 'wrong' (I once indulged in American junk food for the entirety of trip to Disney and found it so hard to go back to eating fruit, veg, and anything home cooked once home). I think junk food is easier, especially if you're neurodiverse, because it's more uniform. Oranges can vary in sweetness and juiciness whereas something like a mcdonalds is generally the same each time.

Good nutrition is so important though. The only answer I've found is to push through and eat it until I like it again 🤷‍♀️