Food should be simple… but for many autistic adults, it’s anything but.
✔ Certain textures, smells, or flavors might make eating feel impossible.
✔ Meal planning can feel overwhelming, exhausting, or just plain uninteresting.
✔ Executive dysfunction makes grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up feel like too much.
And if you grew up hearing “just eat what’s on your plate” or “stop being so picky,” you might have internalized guilt around your food preferences. But the truth is your sensory needs are real, and you deserve to eat in a way that works for you.
So let’s talk about how to make meal planning and nutrition work for your autistic brain, without stress or shame.
Why Food & Meal Planning Can Be Hard
✔ Sensory Sensitivities & Food Aversions
- Certain textures, smells, or flavors can be physically unbearable… it’s not just “picky eating.”
- If a food feels wrong in your mouth, eating it can be overwhelming or even nauseating.
✔ Executive Dysfunction Makes Cooking Feel Impossible
- Planning meals, grocery shopping, prepping, cooking, and cleaning? That’s a LOT of steps.
- If you struggle with task initiation, decision-making, or organizing steps, meal prep can feel like an uphill battle.
✔ Decision Paralysis & Food Repetition
- Too many choices can make picking a meal stressful.
- You might default to eating the same few foods because it’s easier, but worry about not getting enough nutrition.
✔ Sensory-Seeking & Dopamine-Driven Eating
- Food can be a source of comfort, routine, or sensory regulation.
- If you hyperfixate on certain foods, you might eat the same thing for weeks before suddenly hating it.
How to Make Eating Easier & Less Stressful
✔ Step 1: Accept That Your Sensory Needs Are Valid
- You’re not being “difficult.” If a food doesn’t work for you, you don’t have to force it.
- Find alternative ways to get the nutrients you need without eating things that make you miserable.
✔ Step 2: Keep a “Safe Foods” List
- Write down go-to meals and snacks that are easy, satisfying, and don’t cause sensory distress.
- Having a list makes grocery shopping and meal planning simpler.
✔ Step 3: Use Meal Rotation to Avoid Burnout
- If you eat the same foods on repeat, try cycling through a few safe meals to keep it interesting.
- Example: Instead of eating chicken nuggets every day, rotate between:
- Chicken nuggets
- Grilled chicken strips
- Chicken tenders in a wrap
✔ Step 4: Make Cooking As Easy As Possible
- If chopping, peeling, or prepping feels overwhelming, use:
- Pre-cut veggies & frozen meals
- One-pan or slow cooker meals
- Air fryer options that still meet your needs
✔ Step 5: Use Shortcuts & Tools to Reduce Mental Load
- Grocery delivery or pickup can save energy and reduce overstimulation.
- Meal kits with pre-measured ingredients can make cooking easier.
- Set reminders for when to eat if time blindness makes you forget meals.
✔ Step 6: Find Small Ways to Improve Nutrition (Without Stressing)
- If eating fruits and veggies is hard, try:
- Smoothies instead of whole fruit.
- Adding extra nutrients to foods you already like (e.g., blending spinach into a pasta sauce).
- Focus on balance, not perfection. Any step toward better nutrition counts.
✔ Step 7: Give Yourself Permission to Eat What Works for You
- You don’t have to eat “traditionally healthy” foods to be nourished.
- Prioritize what makes you feel good and meets your sensory needs.
Food should be nourishing, not stressful.
✔ You deserve to eat in a way that honors your sensory needs.
✔ You don’t have to follow neurotypical food rules to be healthy.
✔ The best meal plan is one that works for your brain and body.
As always… take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and know that you are not alone in this journey. ❤