Impossible to make cheaper food swaps

[Help123456889]

Hello first time poster so sorry if this is not correct ! I have hit a brick wall and am unsure if I can reduce my food bill and wondered if anyone else has been in a similar situation? Basically to not drip feed my DD is autistic and food has always been difficult she is underweight and I know I will get hate for saying this but she honnestly would rather starve than eat the foods that are not her safe foods. Thankfully over the years she now has quite a wide range of foods she will eat BUT she is very specific it has to be the same brand/product each time. Also I should add she has very sensitive taste buds she can tell the difference ! I have tried several times to put a different type in the same packaging etc and she knows instantly it’s crazy and this method has backfired on me in the past as she then decides she can’t eat that food anymore as she doesn’t like it. However her preferences are expensive not all are but many are and they are very random she is not brand loyal just very for fussy I guess and I am not sure how I can afford them much longer for example just a few foods

• Tiptree Ketchup


• Hellmans Mayo


• M&S baked beans


• Tilda rice pouch


• village bakery crumpets


• Asda rich teas

sorry for the long message and I know it is trivial but does anyone have any advice or experience on how to change this

thanks in advance

OP that sounds really difficult. I have no experience of autism but would it be an option to talk to her and actually show her the price differential and explain that you need to make changes for cost of living reasons.
Basically involve her in the subs process making changes one at a time.

Another thing is maybe to bulk buy and stockpile to fix in prices.

I am sorry if my suggestions are too simplistic and / or useless.

Yanbu Your daughter isn’t just fussy.
I think this is an issue that will affect a lot of people with disabilities themselves or a household member. Also (if not counted as disability) allergies.

Really tough. Bulk buying maybe if you see a deal. I suppose the only thing from now on at least at home is not to introduce the expensive version on a first trial of new food. (Easier said than done if a gift.)

Thank you for advice those are good ideas I will try although I fear her reaction will be to say that’s ok I don’t need to eat those things anymore but consequently not eat anything but in a very well meaning way not blackmail way its just how she will see it I fear

Try and keep an eye on prices online (so you are not driving about and wasting fuel) and when one of more of those items are on offer, do your main shop there and stock up as much as you can afford.

M&S beans surprisingly are one of the cheaper ones (apart from value ranges obviously). Also the Asda rich tea probably very cheap.

the ketchup and mayo - would she understand that as these are ‘luxuries’ and not main foods, she needs to choose whether to have smaller amounts or consider a different brand?

Re the crumpets, again would she understand that these are expensive and is there another bread option she eats? - if so crumpets might need to become an occasional thing rather than regular?

Get specialist dietician support on managing it. ARFID is very real.

Do you claim Dla? I use that to pay for my dc with asd food requirements.

Would she qualify for DLA?

Also, does she like cooking? You mention she is underweight - would she like to learn how to make mayo or a similar dressing? Or a home made ketchup/tomato salsa? I expect the sauces you currently buy add useful calories and help her to enjoy her meals.

Could you keep the packets of certain things and clean them out then put the different brands inside, or will she notice the taste?

Can you mix the preferred brand with the cheaper one, very very slowly. Eg, take her normal mayo, add a spoonful of cheaper stuff to the jar and mix it up. Then once she’s eaten that for a bit, add more cheaper mayo. Eventually it will be all cheaper mayo, and you made it go further.

This is how you move cats and dogs onto new food, and whilst I am in no way comparing your DD to a pet, it might be worth a try,

Could you for example with the mayo and ketchup gradually add a little bit of the alternative to the existing bottle gradually increasing the amount. That way the taste buds become gradually used to the new cheaper product.

With food aversions in autism it's possible to make changes. But they are gradual - and never be afraid to exercise the secret weapon of outright bribery! I bribed dd with all kinds of things to get her to eat!

Another tip for anyone with younger kids who could be becoming fussy (with or without medical reasons) is to vary brands etc from the outset, it's easier to never go down this route than getting out of it!

thank you all for your help it is very much appreciated! I am going to try adding the cheaper options little by little to see how it goes and also I didn’t realise I could claim DLA for food but I will look into it.

Oh op, that's tough. I don't know about the other things but Winiary (polish brand) is very similar to hellmans. Available in several supermarkets.

You can use DLA for anything that benefits your child (IIRC thats sort of the wording in the letter). It's been a financial cushion for me to spend that bit extra on food, sensory toys, outings and breakages for my DD.

Mmm. The ASD teens I worked with were as susceptible to peer pressure as the next. So they definitely had preferences - dry sandwiches, no green veg, nothing touching etc but as a class of ASD students they all tried the cool kids food choices. Very spicy Korean pot noodles weirdly was favourite.

Another recommendation to apply for DLA

You cant claim DLA for food, but if you are entitled to DLA because your child has needs beyond those of a equivalent age child then you can use that DLA money to buy food.

Also none of those things are what I would think of as a necessary part of someone's diet except the rice the rice.

Sometimes it is worth being brutal and assessing if stuff you are buying is even a necessary part of your diet.

When DS has become fixated on a specific food that really isnt necessary, I have a tendency to stop buying it altogether (chicken soup) . Mayo, isnt actually a necessary part of your diet so I wouldn't bother buying it, same with the beans and crumpets. Beans are awful for texture sensitive people.

But that begs the question how is she with stuff that is necessary. EG veg, things like sweetcorn broccoli etc. Plain meat? Do you boil or steam veg? (Undercooked steam is often easiest to get a pass on) We tend to think of meat, potatoes/pasta and steam veg as relatively boring especially if eaten every day but there isnt really much wrong with it and its cheap. They dont mix easily on a plate which helps. Most of the restricted diet people (adults and kids) i know will actually quite happily eat plain meat and carbohydrates. The veg is more challenging.

Definitely get plates with separators to keep food apart. Make sure you can see everything on the plate too, nothing burried. Serve pasta sauce seperate from the pasta dont serve gravy

How is she with things like full fat milk, proper butter and peanut butter? These are all foods that can be added in to increase calorie intake if she is a bit low calorie wise. Milk and peanut butter are also handy for keeping protein levels up too.

On the rice front is it just that type of rice or is it that if it comes out the packet it's not mixed with anything. Eg DD will happily eat plain rice but is having trouble with mushrooms atm (she can tell when the mushrooms supplier has changed by texture). I'm just wondering if it as much as anything is the reassurance that the rice wont be mixed with anything.

Thank you for your help in regards to not nessecary it isn’t just these foods they were just example it stretches to a wide range to sliced bread to jam.

cooked veg is a nightmare as if it is too soft or too crunchy it’s a no but she will happily eat almost any veg raw even cauliflower, sprouts, parsnips etc. She regular snacks on raw veg although tomatoes are a no ! Fruit is a bit harder as if it is too soft it’s not good but generally apple and pears are good and soft fruits such as plums, nectaries, berries etc i stew them down and keep in fridge and she loves these as they always the same texture. Lucky fruit and veg she will eat all day however this is not piling ont he pounds really.

as with peanut butter she does like it but again one brand only. She is happy to have milk in cereal and loves chocolate milk again certain one.

potatoes she likes all forms really apart from chips I think the inconsistency of size makes it hard. She will eat all meat and fish however can’t be touching others so we do already have food sepeartions plate they are life savers! As with the rice I will investigate why! I think it is because it is always the same texture and taste because when I cook it invariably it will always be a slightly different texture depending on how much water is absorbed.

thanks again for your help

Sorry I meant to add I think it is more that it’s not the same for instance she can even tell when dried pasta is a different brand after being cooked

Op ring up tomorrow abs ask the dwp for a dla fork you get six weeks to fill it in and any award is backdated.
Use this guide to help you and send her asd diagnosis and any other professional letters that mention her needs.
cerebra.org.uk/download/disability-living-allowance-dla-guide/

*and

And form not fork stupid phone!

There is information on DLA at Citizens Advice

I am a committed Hellman's Mayo person - the nearest cheaper match I have found is Lidl own-brand. It's not identical so a straight swap won't work but it might be a good one to try with your gradual blending strategy.