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 have an ASD diagnosis (among other things).

Calling this a sensory issue is completely wrong.

There's no way your senses can universally tell the difference between food that has been cooked just now and food that has been cooked earlier and stored and brought back up to temperature properly.

This is entirely a mental issue. The OP could work on it if they need to (i.e. if they don't have time/money to cook from scratch every meal), but if they are happy as they are and don't waste food then there is no need to.

I've never met anyone who genuinely cooks everything 'fresh' so if people on this thread wanted to work on the issue I'd start by thinking about all the food you do eat that's pre-prepared (cooked meats/cheeses, anything in tins, anything that's cooked before freezing, meals in restaurants etc).

Lots of 'issues' with leftovers on this thread could easily be dealt with i.e. if the plastic tubs you are putting food in give it a 'plasticy' taste, then use different containers! (Glass exists!). If you don't fancy the same food two days in a row then freeze and eat weeks later, or change what the food is (one days roast meat becomes another days pie filling etc).

I have an ASD diagnosis (among other things).

Calling this a sensory issue is completely wrong.

The only thing wrong here is thinking your experience is the only one. Lots of people can and do have huge food related issues which will extend to leftover food. It's interesting how you go on to say it's a mantle issue as if that removes it from the disability though. Perhaps you could learn that we all have different experiences? The biggest problem I have ever had as an autism person is not being listened to. If I tell you I have an issue with something, you don't get to tell me I don't. If I say 'this is a problem' you don't get to tell me it isn't. It might not be an issue for you but it is for many others. Please stop gatekeeping autism. It's really unhelpful for everyone, yourself included.

The fact that people in third world countries get diagnosed with eating disorders/sensory disorders is really going to mess with your head

'Picky' eaters will not let themselves starve, if its a choice between eating something they dont like and starving they will eat

People, especially children, with bad sensory processing disorders will let themselves starve and its really dangerous to believe the whole 'a child will eat if they are hungry' thing. One of my neighbours growing up ended up with her son in hospital because she was surrounded by people (even medical) who told her her son would eat if he was hungry and not to give in to his pickiness. He wouldnt through

Do you also see depression as a luxury, or me/cfs etc or do you just reserve it for things you dont know much about so cant possibly be a 'real' issue

Yeah totally its like people with depression taking up scant resources for diagnosis and therapy they should just take personal respinsibility witj something as simple as being happy...

Just because you havent experienced something doesnt make it less valid

That's not always the case.

Using my son as an example he can't tolerate certain textures or consistencies at all. He can't reheat food in the microwave because he insists the texture is different and to him is inedible.

I absolutely believe him. His sensory experiences are huge. He can't filter out background noise and is so sensitive to noise that he has to wear noise cancelling headphones in busy places, he is light sensitive, he can't tolerate so many clothes, can't have seams, labels etc he can't wear long sleeves, the inserts in shoes hurt him! The list is endless. This is not mental health. It is physical. Only a fool would think that taste would be any different to his other extremely heightened and overwhelming senses.

I also have autism (adult DX). My experience is completely different to his. His is still real. My other son was DX at 2.5 yrs old. His experience has always been completely different to mine and his brother (DX 3) and he will happily eat things that were cooked days ago.

Ehhhh....no.

In this case, the ASD is extremely relevant. Food aversions are a big part of it. I just hadn't put two and two together and realised my ickiness about leftovers is yet another of my ASD symptoms.

Just because it's not true for you means it isn't true for anyone?

I can absolutely tell when food has been reheated. It has a different texture and a different smell. I have only just learned from reading this thread that not everyone even notices this. I assumed everyone did and I was just picky.

This is why I can happily eat a salad made a day ago but gag when I reheat food, especially meat.

I'm medically unable to eat leftovers because they are too high in histamine. I wonder if you could have a similar issue, an actual physical problem? But you're just unaware of it?

@DyingForACuppa Everything I eat is cooked fresh for me, for medical reasons. Admittedly not by me, but that's because I'm not well enough to cook.

ARFID and Sensory processing disorder are recognised conditions. Just because you don’t have it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
I don’t have any of these conditions but 💯 can tell difference in taste and texture of reheated pasta bake or reheated risotto it’s dryer for a start. Yes that’s properly cooled and stored. I don’t mind and I eat it. If you are sensitive to smells, tastes, textures then you can’t eat it. My DD couldn’t physically swallow it. There isn’t more food waste as you just cook 1 portion at a time if you don’t want reheated food.

As I said before food tasting different reheated is a recognised thing - chefs often advise in recipes to make stew, curry etc day before. Flavours deepen etc.

100% this. The idea of reheated risotto makes me feel nauseous. You can also get food poisoning from improperly reheated rice.

I would rather just cook a new one. I quite often make risotto two nights in a row from scratch. Hardly a great imposition, is it? Takes me about 30 minutes in total and uses one pot. I'd rather enjoy my dinner than battle through eating a claggy mess.

Not sure why people keep banging on about food waste. Do they not realise you can just make as much as you're going to eat?

I think there’s a big difference between being aware that foods can taste different/worse reheated (obviously true) and saying that you can’t eat leftovers on principle.

It’s not avoiding on principle though it’s a recognised condition. It’s not pickiness from choice. My friends son has sensory issues - memories of him asking me for 100% cotton pjs for Christmas age 5.
My teen now has it. No official diagnosis but it’s physical. She can’t tolerate certain smells, aversion to touching certain foods, gags at sight of some foods. It’s texture related - no sauce, no mixed together foods eg no curry, no Bolognese, nothing touching on plate.
She couldn’t physically swallow reheated risotto she’d gag. Yes life would be a lot easier if she just got over it but it’s not that simple. She is working on expanding her safe foods but I doubt it will ever extend to mushy reheated leftovers.

@Dixiechickonhols That's the point I'm making. People with sensory issues will be highly sensitive to how reheated foods taste and feel different. That's not the same as people further up the thread saying that they can't eat leftovers because of the idea of something being left over.

Seadogs Mine was in response to Dyingforacuppa saying sensory didn’t exist.

But how can you be so sure that it’s due to sensory condition rather than simply “yucky don’t want it!”

But how can you be so sure that it’s due to sensory condition rather than simply “yucky don’t want it!”

Are you seriously dismissing not just my disability but my own self awareness?

I'm autistic, not an idiot. HTH.

Good heavens
you are on a knife edge @jubileetrain

I wonder why...

famagusta My DD doesn’t have a diagnosis but she visibly recoils or gags at some foods, can’t cope sitting opposite me if I’m eating some foods. Says what is that smell? Opens fridge and sometimes gags. It’s a physical reaction. It’s not just oh I don’t fancy it. It’s same as someone covering ears if they are noise sensitive you can see it’s causing them distress.

@Dixiechickonhols

You are wasting your time attempting discussion with that poster.

My late father would never eat cold meat, the day after a roast dinner. If we'd been to our parents' house for Sunday lunch, my brother and I would make sure we 'dropped in' on Monday, one of us invariably came away with the left overs off the joint!

I didn't mention my experience AT ALL, let alone say mine was the only one.

I also didn't say sensory issues don't exist as claimed futher down - I have them for fucks sake!

I have also not said that SOME foods don't change texture on reheating - I'd never reheat pasta, for example.

But you cannot say that refusing to eat ALL leftovers, no matter the taste/texture is a sensory issue. It's just not.

It it still an issue, but it's mental, not sensory.

Yes,, precisely why for years before I went vegetarian I only ever ate meat free food outside of my house

The reason I ate meat for 30 odd years is because I got brought up by people with the opinions like some of the people on this thread 'its all in my head, i just need to get a grip, there are people starving in the world so I should be thankful' etc etc

Meal times as a child were me gagging and throwing up and forcing myself to eat food I hated because the alternative, my parents anger, was fractionally worse.

So people are right when they say some of us with sensory issues would eat things like this if they had to, its just they miss the point of how fucking abusive you have to be to be as a parent to be the worse option than eating something that makes your child physically ill.

I think my mum did realise she was being unfair eventually as i remember a lot more meat free meals in my teenage years. And she would turn a blind eye when I would pass my sister the meat off the roast so i didnt have to eat all of it. But she would never have given me an alternative protein source because people have meat with their sunday rost and thats that.

For years then I only ate meat at other peoples houses to 'be polite' until I realised how stupid I was being. Wierdly my mum is quite enthusiastic about cooking vegetarian food for me where as I was happy to continue to have the roast without the meat so as to not put her out

i think its because my nephew has the same sensory issues and it turns out if you cant force feed or hit a child you cant make them eat what you dont want and my mum has realised how bad her behaviour was

I sincerely hope some posters on this thread do not have children with sensory issues