Mindful Eating: as an autistic person whose body doesn’t give them hunger cues until I’m so hungry I’m nauseous, I’ve had a difficult relationship with food. Something I enjoy one moment makes me gag and feel disgusted a few bites in. Eating sounds are all I can focus on, though they’re the last thing I’d like to hear. Ear plugs/noise canceling headphones focus the sound reception more intensely and all I can hear and feel is myself eating. My gag reflex is hypersensitive and swallowing often poses its own set of difficulties and I often choke on air, saliva, water, bolus, etc.

In spite of these and other struggles, I’ve been lucky enough to find a partner who is also autistic and has fibro, experiences many of the same nutrient deficiencies and hyper specific sensory needs I do, and we’ve been same-fooding with such healthy and yummy foods for the past couple of months, together. It doesn’t feel impossible or even difficult much of the time, as we are falling into a tender grocery and prep routine that can be easily adjusted around flare-ups, depression dips and meltdowns. I’m grateful for the ability to manage things better and have a rotation of set foods that meet our nutritional and sensory needs. #Autistic #samefooding