I can’t physically eat leftovers

[IsItMeOrThemBeingKnobs]

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I physically cannot force myself to eat leftovers.

I always have the best intentions of meal prepping/cooking more for lunches and then when it gets down to actually eating that stuff it turns my stomach. I end up having to give extra to DH.

Does anyone else get this or am I completely U and weird?!

I'm the same OP. I can eat a cold chicken salad the next day but to eat a once hot meat-based dinner the next day turns my stomach. My DH loves leftovers though, so we just make sure we get our portions right to prevent food waste.

YANBU OP, and I think it is down to sensory issues. I can't eat anything with mince in due to the texture of it, so that is a lot of dishes that I don't eat anyway.

I have trying to be better about it. I recently made a lovely beef stew in the slow cooker, it makes 3 portions, so me and DD have it one day, then I eat it for lunch the next day and it tastes delicious and is even better after sitting there for a day. I think the trick is to make sure that it is piping hot before you eat it.

Some people react to histamines in left over food. Your baby/brain might be telling you that you don’t want to eat it. Some people who are Celiac look back and realise they had started cutting out gluten etc without consciously realising it

no, I'm the same. I feel repulsed by them. Taking them out of the fridge all concealed....ughhhh. I don't know if it's part of my ASD but I can't handle it at all. I can manage things like soup stored in bowls or tupperware and maybe a big bowl of salad kept in the fridge to last a few days, but spag bol etc.....absolutely not.

I'm not generally a precious person at all. I happily buy second hand clothes and fruit from outside a shop by the side of the road with God knows what on it, but there's something about leftovers that turns my stomach.

I've given up trying to get around it now and have accepted that as someone living alone, I'll just need to cook more often or be happy with meals like beans on toast or picky dinners.

I can’t eat left overs but I also can’t eat anything prepared beforehand - no buffet food, left over pizza etc. At Christmas if we cook a ham I can eat it as soon as it’s cooked but not after it’s been in the fridge. I have quite severe MH issues and even after very long discussions with my psychiatrist around my eating habits (I have other issues around food, not an ED) nothing has changed

In case some missed it, OP did say in a subsequent post that she's been referred for an ASD assessment.

OP, I would ask MNHQ to move this to Neurodiverse Mumsnetters or remove the thread.

Are you able to turn the leftovers into something you feel is 'new'? For example what would happen if leftover roast chicken was put in a curry or stir fry? Is that a new thing or still the old one?

Can you rebrand it as "batch cooking" in your head?

bolognaise before it is cooked does look odd - so will the leftover/batch cook you did but once it is cooked through it will be okay.

Or does the act of cooking make you feel like that too? (I am bad with raw chicken)

"I bet you'd be able to force it down if the option was eat it or starve." Not if it makes you throw up.

Yep i cant eat leftover meat the next day

To be fair I no longer eat meat I had such issues with the texture, but leftovers were definitely the worst

However I quite happily cook extra for dinner so I can have the rest for lunch the next day so it doesnt extend to all leftovers for me

That's interesting, I'm autistic and I can't eat leftover food. I have learned over the years just to make what we need. There are multiple reasons why I can't eat them, but being autistic I can't even begin to be able to explain them!

I struggle with this too, particularly if it is something reheated. I don’t think it’s “reasonable” as such, but I can’t deny it does affect what/how much I cook.

I agree with you. A bit precious, and very wasteful if perfectly good food ends up being thrown away.
I once lived in a part of Spain where it was advised not to drink the tap water (it tasted disgusting anyway). When I moved to a place where you could, I was really used to bottled but I forced myself back onto tap and got used to it, because I wasn't going to be 'that person' and generate more plastic waste than necessary.

have ASD, most of my kids do and it is hit or miss whether we are people who can eat leftovers or not so I really don't think it's to do with ASD, more like to do with being unreasonable/wasteful imo.

I really hate the way if anything is done which is considered slightly odd, it becomes ASD.

I have some struggles with this too
(and mild autistic traits). A lot of the time it’s not a problem, but then it will flare up and I can’t bring myself to eat it.

It can be very subtle - sometimes I’ll have made extra with specific plans to eat it the next day, but I’ll just not feel hungry at dinner time and dh will helpfully hoover up the extra. It took me a while to notice the pattern.

I’m not great with packed lunches (valid childhood reasons) and maybe it stems from that.

I often prep x2 or x3 and freeze which doesn’t bother me at all. And I’d agree that soups, casseroles and curries are better for it.

@Cautiouselectric yes! Why is that?!

Autism can be the reason some people don't eat leftovers though. Our brains think differently, to each other. Some people being able to do something does not exclude the autism being the reason others can't. That's like saying my DD can go to school because some autistic people do it. As it happens she isn't able to go to school right now and it absolutely is because of her autism.

I understand the reasoning when we are seeing abusive behaviour blamed in autism but in a case of being able to eat food, we all have our differences and it's really common for autistic people to have eating issues/disorders/problems

im thr same unless it comes to chinese takeaways!! not sure why

@Mariposista - the waste issue can be solved, if the OP is careful only to cook as much as she and her dh need. It would take careful planning and measuring, and would add extra work, but if she is happy to do it, and happy to cook from fresh every day, and that helps her deal with her feelings, that would be fine, surely?

Absolutely baffled that we are being bombarded with 'heat or eat' messages in the press where families are having to make awful choices just to survive, that and there are so many starving children in the world and so many of you can't manage to eat left over food. I think there are far too many of you on here who just need to get a grip.

I have a disability, autism; it affects so many aspects of my life and eating leftover food is one of them.

It's short sighted of you to assume not being able to eat leftover food means throwing food away.

My inability to eat meat/leftover meat in no way affects anyone having to choose between 'heat or eat' or children starving.

Me 'getting a grip' will not feed those children, heat peoples houses or in anyway do anything other than make me gag and throw up.

Or does it not count as food waste if i throw it up?

Used to be like you, but as people say turn the phrase to batch cooking in your head and it saves you time the next day. Now its something that i do regularly. Make large pots of bolognaise, curry, shepherds pie etc and freeze what's not used. When am making mash spuds and veg always cook always cooked extra so enough for next day. The time it saves the next day is lovely and knowing that i have stuff in the fridge means i eat properly too. Yesterday i cooked a large turkey, boned and rolled with all trimmings, have everything in the fridge now for dinner this eve, which is great as i have to work late. Just heat it up ( apart from the turkey off course) this eve in the microwave. Also had a lovely large turkey and stuffing roll today for lunch. Its something i think you can work on, not only does it save you money but can save you alot of time too

I am paranoid (sensible?) about food poisoning so I only cook what I will eat then.

I am more grossed out by some work colleagues leftovers in the work fridge : (I hope this a I feel sick emoji) cold KFC chips!

"I really don't think it's to do with ASD, more like to do with being unreasonable/wasteful imo." It is to do with ASD in that it can be a sensory problem related to a particular sensory experience. I'm autistic and mostly don't have a problem with them but many other smells/textures make me gag & produce disgust similar to what people are describing with regards to leftovers. It's not being precious and just not fancying eating something, it's a physical reaction that can involve gagging and vomiting. But once again people are enjoying feeling morally superior and telling disabled people they need to get a grip.