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One Monday, I was going to work in the morning. I decided to stop and get breakfast since I had time. As soon as the thought entered my brain, I was, like, "I'm HUNGRY! Why am I so HUNGRY?!" I t took me a minute or two to realize that I hadn't eaten since dinner. On the previous Friday!
Wow, no wonder you were hungry! Were you involved with a new hyperfocus all weekend? I remember years ago there were times I would garden hardcore until I was so wobbly and weak I couldn't function. My husband had to bring me a sandwich! I always remember to have plenty of water outside with me, but I never managed to prepare food. 🤣
In the beginning of the pandemic, I created a snack bar between our kitchen and game room. It was such a lifesaver when we were anxious and disregulated that we've kept it. Nuts, dried fruits, protein bars, crackers, gummies, chocolate, and gum - plus snack-sized bowls & plates for portion control. Honestly the best thing for keeping our autistic family fed when we suddenly notice we're starving and dinner's not ready.
Very good point, thank you! I just described the start of the short to my partner. He was like "Nah, that's not a problem for you. You communicate right away when you're hungry, thirsty or have to pee. You don't know any hesitations with those topics" I explain the middle part of your short, that I just communicate when it is an emergency because I just realise it then. He is like "oh, well, yes. Let me watch the video please. ... Oh, that's 100% you. I will buy some granola bars..."
I was diagnosed at 52, but always knew I had challenges that everyone around me did not have. I worked very hard to compensate and spent time delving into the areas where I had issues, like what’s going on inside me. I tried to share my struggles in order to gain insight and possibly pick up some tips and tricks to help me. But the response I almost always got was “What are you talking about? What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy, or just defective?” If someone tells you that they are having difficulties in any odd area, believe them. Don’t tell them they are stupid for feeling different. Because when it comes down to it, we are all unique individuals and we are all different.
@@kathydodge8028 Actually, no. Since 2020 everyone around me has passed away. Sorry. Hey; but at least it’s quiet! My wife was as silent as a bull in a china shop. Now it’s just me and our dog…
@@plrs4cats I thank you, my chi-weenie thanks you, and since she’s a rescue socialized by cats, she has offered you a very grateful purr. Well. Almost a purr. She tries. She doesn’t have the vocal equipment necessary for a good meow, but she tries. And that’s what’s important.
After reading the comments and seeing how vital food/snacking is to our community - I'm wanting to hold space for all of us that went through the 90s and 00s where diet culture and starvation were entrenched in our lives and I know, like so many things, that REALLY impacted the ND community in a big way. Not only was it incredibly harmful to the NTs who are still chasing aspects of it even today, but as we can all attest to - it was DAMAGING to our community and we are still emotional and mentally working to unpack and UNLEARN so much from that era. I'm also feeling once again so incredibly grateful to have this community to go through this unlearn and relearning process
One of my greatest discoveries as a mom, and later as an AuDHD mom to an AuDHD kid, was to totally empty my center console in my car and fill it with snacks. During preschool I'd dump a jumbo sized box of fruit gummie packets and a handful of granola bars in my center console. Kiddo would go in the car after a long day at school, grab a snack ASAP, and was allowed to eat it as soon as he was buckled in. The other rule was that I did not initiate conversation. I put in my earbuds and was silent until he was ready to talk. If I followed his cue, not a meltdown to be had. The kid is in middle school and we both still prioritize car snacks.
I keep a box of snacks in my trunk for this reason as well! We walk to the car, I stop and grab us both snacks from the trunk, and once she is buckled, snack time!
That sounds like a great idea, at least in the fall and spring. In the summer that sounds like melted gummy snacks and dried out food. 😅 Love it though!
Learning what hungry feels like (as well as keeping snacks on hand) was super helpful for me. I don't usually feel hunger the typical way. If my stomach is growling and feels twingy, I'm usually already low blood sugar. For me, hunger feels like being short of breath, a little cold, slightly depressed, and more easily overwhelmed. I have to set timers so I remember to eat, but sometimes I still don't have enough calories even if I've had the right number of meals, so it's important to tell what hunger feels like for me. I kind of learned it by accident, when I'd get overwhelmed and feel terrible, and then eat and suddenly my body feels so much better. It was kind of a compare and contrast to how I felt (that I could easily identify, even if I couldn't name it) before and after eating.
I’m honestly still not great at identifying my early signs of hunger. I used to routinely struggle with low blood sugar and I remember taking a test to figure out if I was hypoglycemic. The doctor was like “well, maybe a little bit, but you’re pretty normal.” Now I think maybe I just don’t feel hunger until my metaphorical gas tank is already on E. I would get so frustrated because I would be shaking and dizzy but I didn’t even want to eat yet. Throw in the fact that my ADHD meds kill my appetite and I have to force myself to eat lunch sometimes and it’s not a great situation. 😅 I finally built a habit of eating between-meal snacks every day even when I don’t feel like I need it. I keep this one particular trail mix on hand all the time because it’s got a lot of protein and keeps my blood sugar consistent.
Self-diagnosed, and this is spot on for me. I will not think to eat until i am flat out hangry. Sometimes it will be late afternoon, and i realize I haven't drunk anything all day. And, tbh, as a kid, I peed my pants a lot because by the time i knew i had to go, it was too late. I'm so glad i found this channel. It was something you said in a video about not making eye contact with people that was the big thing in a long list of other things that led me to believe I am on the spectrum. I have always looked at lips while people speak. At one point, i wondered if i was deaf and reading lips, even though I could hear...the mind plays tricks.😂❤
My parents didn't know I was autistic when I was growing up but one of the first things they learned about me as a child was that protein is vital to my diet throughout the day and as an adult it still is. While I try to get in two good meals a-day, I also eat smaller meals (snacks) that keep me regulated emotionally and mentally up to 3 times daily. Just as you described, my body doesn't always seem to tell me when I need nutrition. I don't know until I'm feeling weak or getting cranky at everything and everyone! I keep lunch meat in that I can just grab, trail mix to raise my blood sugar...anything that I don't have to cook and that isn't a full meal but will keep me going and feeling grounded. 🙂
I just found that if I mix unsalted mixed nuts and a bag of peanut butter m&ms it works for me. I won’t get tired eating one snack. I also save the candy for last when I’m eating. I have a small portion cup that I use. Not too much not too little.
One thing I really like about my son's new school is they give him access to his snacks all day. My son is really active and also is a sensory seeker when it comes to his sense of taste. His other school would make him wait until lunch or snack time and then get "behaviors" from him when he requested a snack on his AAC device and got denied. Great topic!
I was just reading a thread in a facebook group talking about how it was probably really bad actually that we all grew up having to get permission to eat and go to the bathroom at school. I remember some teachers being so stingy with bathroom passes because I guess they thought we were all just trying to get out of class. This conversation really throws a wrench in all their old arguments because “you should’ve eaten/gone to the bathroom at lunch/break!” doesn’t really help if the child you’re reprimanding doesn’t have the expected body cues to do those things. I’m glad that your son’s school doesn’t restrict him from food-it’s such a simple thing and ultimately makes everyone’s day easier.
I find a protein-rich breakfast helps too, so that hunger won't sneak up on me. Peanut butter on toast or sliced apple with peanut butter are my favourites. I had peanut butter and banana on a tortilla this morning and it's really sticking to me nicely.
I struggle to eat breakfast. I can force it but it's like eating when I'm full. My brain has gotten the hunger signal yet and thinks my empty stomach is full from night before. i'm not sure if this is autistic thing but I think it being on spectrum plays a part. I read chronotypes, I have late sleeper chrono type. Late sleep is someon that falls asleep the easiest between 12:00 am and 2:00 am that wakes up energized between 8am and 10 am. There complete opposite where people find the same between 8:00 pm and 10 PM and get up energized between 4:00 am and 6:00. What I've not is consistently I get really hungry for breakfast between 8 and 10. Problem is I'm up at 5:30 to go by 7:00 am. This became a topic of research for me. Turned into quite the rabbit hole. There so research on this, so many peer reviewed papers. What really cool is AI can assist in consuming the those papers. Best stop here as I could go down the AI thing next.
I recently took out all the kitchen toys from the kids (2&3) play kitchen and replaced them with snacks and utensils. My friends thought I was setting myself up for disaster and tons of food waste. We had one day of pure chaos and now not only do they not realize they are hungry, they forget they have snacks available 😅 I have also started the snacks before dinner (when they ask) and it means that my kids actually eat and dinner is much more pleasant. I highly agree with this take!
@@bethanykittok3903 yes! It's hard to go against conventional parenting strategies, upbringing, and personal expectations of parenting. The "no snacks before meals" is even something that I have seen in daycare and preschool manuals about teaching the kids to have delayed gratification and/or self control. It seems completely logical on paper until you have two ND kids melting down at your feet while you scramble to get dinner on the table. Allowing snacks before meals is much more intuitive now and seems obvious now that we have gotten here.
I usually manage without snacks, but I do have a little emergency stack of crisps around. The more dysregulated I am the more crunchy I need my food and my dislike of sweet things grows, so those are palatable even when I am at my worst. And I agree, they are invaluable.
I find myself having to do this with cooking dinner! I used to/sometimes still get really fixated on doing things in the "right" order. So I'd be lightheaded from being so hungry, but if I'd decided I'm cooking dinner that night it felt "wrong" to eat something else like a snack first. Even though I was so hungry I had no energy to cook! Thing is, it took me years to finally realize this was even what was happening 🤦🏼♀️ I used to think I just hated cooking or that it was my ADHD bc I couldn't feel the hunger for what it was
I regulary overeat because I forget eating (drinking, toilet, sleeping, ...) until I am REALLY hungry and then immediatliy need to eat. And do fast then of cause. So a yes, but.. I try to eat at least two times a day even if I don't feel hungry that time. Just a little. And learn to quit what I am doing earlier when I feel hungry. So I can tolerate a bit waiting time for preparing something more healthier then open a package and just shovel it into me. The ADHD makes it more difficult I think then being "pure" autistic. Hayley Honeyman (who is very young and has no kids and a lot of different needs/habits then most of us, I know) made a video about how to eat healthier and prepare different energy level meals, plan/storage them. Found it very helpful for me as an unemployed single with no outside structure now.
I find it helps to keep a really solid meal schedule. Which is a challenge, but has become a routine now, at least. It's more difficult to get started than to maintain, and it's really worth it. The meal schedule anchors our day. The snacks I like to keep on hand include some salty and some sweet. Pretzels, olives, pickled vegetables, and plenty of fruit.
You literally just reminded me to eat. Lol. Someday I want to be able to explain all of these things so clearly to others. It all makes sense when I hear it but when I try to explain it to others I am so not eloquent like I lose my ability to use words correctly. Apple 🍏 chips for the win. If I didn’t have snacks I would be very sick because I don’t Oneal’s very well.
I hope you are enjoying all the views I've been giving your videos lately. A few years ago, my partnerand I realized she is on the spectrum around the same time we realized the same about our kid, and there were almost no resources for parenting while on the spectrum yourself, so your content is very much appreciated by our family ❤
yes to this, my interoception is a huge struggle for me. even just knowing i have palatable food acceissible to me is extremely important to keeping me more regulated!
I always take a snack with me when I’m going somewhere. Even if I don’t eat it half the time, just knowing I have that at my fingertips if I start feeling crappy makes me feel so much more at ease.
One of the first things I taught my nephew as a toddler was which snacks had protein, knowing he was going to need it in our very neurodivergent family (we have a multigenerational home). So string cheese, smoked gouda (not regular, made that mistake only once), yogurt in flavors he loves, spoonful of creamy peanut butter, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese or even a glass of milk. Foods that are easy to grab and he could learn to get himself if he was starting to get hangry, which he does now. If he says he's hungry, he knows what is going to help his brain and body function the best. There's some good research on ADHD, protein and brain function, so in a house of AuDHDers this has been really helpful. Applesauce, bananas, and fruit snacks are also choices. As a late elementary kid he will now also do protein drinks (which I keep around for myself because I do forget to eat, even though I know better 😆) and baby bella cheese are new this summer, so his foods are slowly expanding. I learned pretty young to snack because if i didn't eat when I was hungry, I would get a migraine. That being said, my parents would still give my friends snacks for me as a teenager if we were going out because they would see the crash coming before me. I now keep protein shakes and snacks in my room for pick me ups between meals or if i need food with meds but I don't feel hungry or the idea of standing and staring at the pantry or fridge is overwhelming.
I have roommates and oftentimes my anxiety or my deregulation would get in the way of being able to make it to the kitchen for a snack and or quick meal. I keep a snack box and a filled water bottle in my room now as a tiny accommodation that’s become a huge help!
Popsicles are a must for us. It helps with hydration and is something we love. Also little individual bags of popcorn and little fruit trays work for us.
Me! 🙋🏻♀️ I’m the Snack Girl 🤓 Even as a kid in HS I would always have snacks in my locker- and tell my friends they were welcome to grab one- or a band aid or whatever they needed- these essential “Kits”come in handy for all occasions.. Sharing is caring!! Thanx for all that you share w us 🌻✨💜 You are supportive and Helpful in so many ways 🌈✨
I agree. I like to have beef jerky on-hand. My ex doesn't take care of the kids' needs because she refuses to acknowledge they're all Autistic. And she left me because I'm Autistic. We were together 20 years, but the moment I was diagnosed, she left and ran off... So, yeah, I keep food on-hand as much as possible. And, I believe eating for one's blood type is ideal for maximizing one's health. My ex is Chinese, and she could eat seafood all the time and, God-willing, be healthy always. My ancestors are Native American and Norweigan, in the main, so, heavy meats, sweet meats, and fermented foods are good for me. As I said, I like having beef jerky on-hand.
Very wise. It can stop a blood sugar drop that can derail the time ahead. Almonds work well for me. Tetrapak protein drinks can be good too, though the sugar and preservatives aren't ideal. It's the less of two evils, the other being too dizzy and dysregulated to make something healthier.
This is very helpful and great timing because I only eat one meal a day because I just forget to eat! Having snacks handy is a helpful reminder. I also have trouble winding down for bed and the reminder to accommodate myself to make the process easier is helpful too! So thank you for the reminders to self care! 😊
I started working with a nutritionist recently (through berry health, covered by insurance, highly recommend if you can access it!), and she is very big on snacks and encouraged me to bring more snacks to work because I realized that sometimes I was going like 6-8 hours between lunch and dinner without eating anything. and by the end of the workday I'd be extremely burnt out and overstimulated and just often get fast food omw home because I didn't have the mental or physical energy to make dinner. snacking between meals hashelped my quality of life!
My mother starts cooking by laying out salad. Not making it into a bowl, but putting the stuff on everyone's plates. You come in hungry while she cooks? Start with the salad. It's also a trick to get everyone eating enough veggies! I often need snacks at the end of a long time shopping trip. Usually the grocery store is last, so if I don't have anything with me, I buy something there and eat it on my way out. It's not too important what - even the unhealthiest chocolate bar will work, but I try to have one that's in proportion to how long it takes to get home and dinner on the table. Some things I've kept in my handbag, or at work: nuts or almonds, sesame seed bars, protein bars. At work I tend to have fruit for the the afternoon break - aka a planned snack. Sometimes I have meal drinks or protein drinks at home, those are known to have saved many days.
As a teenager and in my 20s I often struggled with being "hangry". I had a roommate who would always tell me to eat when I got upset ha ha. It is less of an issue in my 40s, post massage school and post nursing school, becoming more in tune with what my body is saying and understanding how everything works together. I snack more at work than I used to, just gotta try to pick the healthy snacks!
My parents still tell me to go eat when I'm hangry. I always act as though I'm not a child and it's the world's fault for being a pill when I know they're right I should head straight for the refrigerator 😄
My partner came up with a good hack, that works for me. If he asked if I was hungry I generally said no but if he then immediately asked "and will you be hungry in 15 minutes" I could perceive that much better and answer with a yes or no that tends to be accurate.
This has always been a huge problem for me, and for so much of my life has lead me to making appalling food choices - as obviously when I’m in that state I’ll almost always go for junk food. Recently though, after a health scare, I’ve been trying to change that and my favourite thing to snack on right now is almonds and raisins. Very good at getting rid of the hunger pains and gives me the energy to prepare something healthy 😊
I keep a variety of snacks in my office at work. I try to have a variety, since what I want one day isn't always what I want the next. Right now I've got goldfish crackers, dark chocolate, granola bars, a "cocktail party" nut mix, and microwave popcorn. Also many different varieties of tea. I try to always keep a mug of tea on my desk, which I re-steep over the course of the day so there's really not much caffeine in it -- it's just something I can use as a fidget for my hands and mouth, AND keeps me hydrated lol.
Interesting. Every monday I stockpile a bunch of snacks to keep and eat at work for the rest of the week because I get very disregulated from being hungry as well, but I never thought of it in these terms. I mostly get healthy-ish things like fruit, yoghurt or nuts with one or two unhealthier things like chocolate or candy for when I really need a pickmeup 😄
I’ve never thought I had trouble telling when I’m hungry but I totally get the disregulation from hunger thing. As a late diagnosed adult I had never considered it may be an autistic trait before but I definitely really struggle with being hungry more than the average person. I can’t concentrate and become extremely agitated until I eat something even if it’s just a snack to keep me going until I can eat a full meal. This was a real struggle for me when in employment and often didn’t have full control over lunch break times, or maybe having to wait longer due to staff shortages or busier than usual days but now I’m self employed and it’s much better. Sometimes if I’m hyper focused (possible ADD too) I may forget to eat for a while but at least I’m free to wander over to the kitchen at any time I want 😮🙌
Some snacks that I always keep on hand are ziplock bags of my favorite cereals, cereal/protein bars, fruit snacks, gold fish, pretzels, cheese it's, chips, wheat thins, hostess/little Debbie snacks. I also stock up on Kraft Mac and cheese, my fav brand of hot dogs, my fav brand of pickles, my favorite frozen pizza, corn dogs, tuna, peanut butter and jelly, eggs, milk, bread, sliced cheese, bagels, English muffins that way I can make simple quick easy meals I know I love
Hey, i experience this with food and when i hear you speak about it, it makes me try and remember the emotions with not eating and the disregulation. They have improved, and i think that one thing inadvertently helped. I was fasting a few days at a time from food for health reasons and spiritual reasons. I remember going into it with the mindset of knowing i was going to experience many mood shifts and to be aware. It made me practice reacting out of hanger. I was able to go through those feelings of discomfort when my stomach would growel. But it became easier. And now, even though i might not be fasting, if unexpectedly i have to go without food because of a busy day, i dont get as irritable.
Good plan. Snacks don't always mean overeating and not leaving room for dinner. It also sounds like it is encouraging listening to body cues when they are heard, instead of ignoring them.
Oh my goodness yes!! I 100% agree with everything you said here - thank you for being ao validating. Dysregulatuon can happen so fast because we don't realize we are hungry or thirsty, and then we ARE. 😂
me: its okay but your yelling . i think you may need a snack. Start with this and we can see in 5 min what to do. her: NO... me:one bite. her:fine. 3 seconds later calm child.
I have three beautifully unique grandchildren ages two, four and six who snack constantly. My biggest struggle is providing healthy, nutritious and on-the-go snacks for them when two are also allergic to peanuts, eggs and probably gluten. If anyone has suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate the help. Love your content, Taylor! I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until my 50's and as I research more, it's obvious that I'm usually masking and have been my entire life. Your channel has helped my journey in discovering and being comfortable with who I really am without relying on a mask all of the time. Masking is so exhausting.
Before we knew my little was autistic I just always packed snacks and drinks. For the store, the playground, in her backpack for the bus ride to and from school. They are a must! And she gets snacks while I’m cooking dinner. Snack time before we head up to bed. We have a shelf in the dining room that has all kinds of snacks and she goes and gets them when she needs to. I just buy different things at the store every week. Her preference changes a lot so she likes one thing one week and not the next. I’ve found she does better with smaller meals and lots of snacking in between than just your standard breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Very good video, thanks for making it. I've also hypothesized, and I've seen some others on the spectrum wonder as well, that we might need more food sometimes. Because a lot of activities (if not all) take more work for our brains, and so take a higher (caloric) toll on our bodies. Defenitely not nutritional advice!!! Just something interesting I read+think about, and I hope a study gets done on it. As for regulating with food, personally I find that eating the three meals at standard times is super important. If I'm already overstimulated, having a standard meal to fall back on eliminates the hurdle of choice and helps me still eat on time. And I always have at least two snack bars on me, in case something required more time or energy from me and I get hungry before I'm home. If I eat snacks at 5 I can still eat dinner at 6, usually doesn't even ruin my appetite. My body has just gotten used to food at those times, so if I snack at 5 it's as if my body just sticks to the pattern and makes me feel hungry at 6 again. Now if I eat a full meal at 5 it's different, but I know not to have four full meals on one day.
I often used to buy what we in the UK call a flapjack generally but was called an oat crunch in my local bakery that was on my school run/nursery run, or a gingerbread man (my kids are sensory seekers to a degree). If they had a snack at the school gate there were a lot less problems on the way home. And/or if I had something else in a packet, it helped eke out the good vibes if I had lost my keys and we had to get on foot to a friend who had spare keys. Sometimes fruit, like small citrus, sometimes something like healthy kids snacks or unhealthy kids snacks. I tried to vary it.
I am so boring in a way, with my eating. I eat the same time everyday and for lunch while at work I have the same everyday. I find that my body works better if it knows when it's eating and what it's eating, my energy levels are better. If I go off track then I definitely feel dysregulation. Your hair looks lovely, all wavy.😍
This is 100% true with my mom. My mom and I both are on the spectrum, but she refuses to believe it. However, she does not interpret physical cues well. She won’t realize she’s hungry, thirsty, tired, or even in physical pain, until it’s fairly intense, and then of course the slightest thing dis-regulates her and she melts down. I used to try to meal plan and make a schedule for us when it came to meals, but I very quickly found that what we needed out of food were two very different things, but I did find my mom was much happier and more content to just eat snacks, or very small meals (that most other people would consider an appetizer), and not try to force her to a schedule. I’m constantly buying and trying to find new things that she can always fall back on, and that in and of itself is somewhat of a challenge, but one thing she does tend to always love are nuts like peanuts and pistachios, and she also LOVES sunflower seeds. And yes! Protein is amazing when it comes to being satiated for longer, that definitely helps me. My mom doesn’t lean that way most of the time, but I always keep a bag of jerky on hand just in case.
Yogurt tubes are a go-to for me! The same, uniform taste every time, I can swap flavours if I so choose, they're quick to eat and don't dirty utensils, and I find yogurt is really good at soothing my throat if I've gotten acid reflux from not eating or eating something oily! Only downside is they need to be refrigerated! But they're great for at-home snacks!
Hemp seeds! I eat them right out of the bag. I love the nutty taste. They are full of iron and protein. I always think I’m gonna over do it. But by the second spoonful I’m always full. And dried apricots! They are nutrient dense because its a whole fruit but tiny bite size cause its dried. Also great for iron. I’m iron deficient. I mix carrot/ginger juice with the prepared big bottles of fruit smoothie. And greek yogurt. I microwave frozen fruit (squish it to get a bunch of juice) and mix it in with simple syrup once it cools. It gets hot! Don’t burn yourself. I do have to prep this. And peanut butter toast. And eggs!
For someone with both ADHD and AS, I need to make sure the snack I eat doesn't feel too rewarding or mess with my blood sugar. Just something that fills my belly for a while. Like seeds, a piece of bread, plain potato chips...
I definitely keep myself stocked up on snacks cause yeah, I do struggle to understand when I'm hungry and once I realize that I am, it's too late to cook. So I keep snacks on hand to keep myself regulated enough to actually cook a proper meal rather than choosing a whole bunch of junk food. My go to snacks are usually cheddar cheese, tuna snacks with the crackers, protein bars, Ritz crackers by themselves, trail mix with smarties to incentivize me :P bananas, or a bowl of yogurt and peanut butter. And yeah, I usually also choose protein cause it seems to calm my stomach down a lot and for longer and I feel better but not super unhealthy from eating a lot of sugar or salty, fatty foods.
I have that too! And also startet carrying around food like nuts, rice crackers or protein bars. Really bad are situations like being out with friends and they don't unterstand that me being hungry means that I am hungry now. Even after explaining it's like "Oh, let's slowly see where we wanna go" for them. But in the future I will surely have some snacks then as well.
When I cook little plate with greetings from the kitchen. Mostly cut bell pepper or carrot. Sometimes apple slizes or cheese or chocolate When i am alone and one preped meal in the fridge, or at least prepared rice or potstoes. To cook will then take 5-10 min. And I eat a bite before cooking
good advice. hanger can be a real issue for me, especially when my brain is hyperfocused on something else. i'll try to implement that when i'm allowed to snack again in August (my invisalign treatment is completed by then and all i need to do is brush/floss every night and wear the latest trays as night-braces).
I’m really good at ignoring my body’s cues when I’m busy. I can go the whole work day not eating, barely drinking and only going to the bathroom maybe once. The minute my work is done, I suddenly realize I have to go to the bathroom immediately, then I realize I’m thirsty and dehydrated, then I’m starving when only a couple of minutes ago I didn’t feel hungry at all. Looking back, it’s probably why I had accidents at school at an older age than the other kids. I just didn’t feel it until it was urgent. I also hate eating when I wake up, even though I know that I’ll have no energy if I don’t. I have to force feed myself an energy bar in the morning, sometimes I can’t even stomach that. It’s funny, I work in a caring profession. I’m great at reading the cues of the children I care for, but I’m shite at taking care of myself.
I find that one of the most useful things to do is to cook in large amounts and either freeze portions of have a pot of stew or soup sitting in the fridge that you can take from and reheat in 3 minutes. Likewise, prepping some mixed salad or cut salad vegetables and having them in the fridge next to easy proteins such as: hard boiled eggs, cheese, houmous or any other dip.
My safe food snacks that are also a little healyhy are: a specific bulk bin nut and dried fruit mix. If I am home I have cucumber slices and hummus. The trick is finding a vegetable and dip that are both safe. As a kid it was broccoli and a very specific herb dip that was discontinued. Broccoli has been unsafe ever since. For example, I only eat english cucumbers where the end has been chopped off and rubbed across the stump until all the bitter while buildup has been drawn out before slicing. Pain in the but to first prepare, but one long cucumber can last me for days. I can force myself to eat baby carrots. I hate celery strings so that is a no for me. My husband is the opposite. He gets celery.
interoception is our 8th sense, the 6th sense Vestibular and 7th is propriocetion. These are internal sense where as the first 5 external senses. 6the sense is our internal balance, 7th is where our body is in space from a internal prospective and the last on the one that we feel hunger, thirst, feel our heart beat as such. When I first heard this I had research it. So we have 8 sense, 5 external and 3 internal.
I tend to hyperfocus (still working on that ADHD diagnosis!), so don't notice when I'm hungry, or need to use the bathroom. Hyperfocus also means I tend to get so absorbed in what I'm doing that I don't notice the passage of time, which means I've been writing for the last five hours and still haven't done dishes, or rewashed the sheets that have been in my washer for almost a week, now. Snacking when hungry sounds like a good idea to me, since I tend to have a snack when I finally notice I'm hungry anyway. I was having granola bars (peanut and almond with dark chocolate), but then remembered that a lot of ingredients tend to be made with chemical substitutes that are theoretically the same thing, but that our bodies might not recognize, so I switched to trail mix, and found it gave me more energy. But, trail mix can be expensive. So, I bought the ingredients and made my own! One cup each of dried cherries and raisins, tossed with some sugar to keep them from sticking (1-2 teaspoons). Add to that one cup of chocolate M&Ms, one cup of whole almonds, and 2 cups of peanuts, then mix it all together and divvy it up into containers. I got about six and a half cups of trail mix from this, which looked to be 2-3 times more than what came in the store-bought container. And, it contains just enough chocolate to keep me from buying candy bars during my breaks at work! (I'd have put cashews in, but it turned out I am allergic to them, as they're related to poison ivy--a real bummer, since I love cashews!)
I recently made peanut butter oatmeal cookies, and added walnuts and a few chocolate chips. They're a GREAT safe food! Next time I'll reduce the sugar or replace it with Splenda and add the chocolate chips before the oats.
Just found your channel yesterday and have been overwhelming myself with information and realizations. I have almost no support whatsoever now and have been depressed for years. Surrounded by a pattern of failures I’m struggling to find a way to pull myself out of the dark pit. I found a light in your videos and they are helping me understand myself and my behavior that gives me hope for change. Thank you so much! I’m 41 and I thought my life was over, but maybe it’s just beginning again.
I only have two states with regard to hunger. Famished or ravenous, and all the rest of the time. There are no in betweens, it seems. It took me over 50 years to find out that this and similar issues with thirst or being tired or needing to go to the bathroom are often related to autism. I never even really understood that I had these problems, other than knowing that I never felt hungry until I was HUNGRY, and never noticed I needed to go to the bathroom until I needed to go RIGHT NOW, or noticed that I was tired until I was falling asleep on the floor next to my chair, etc.
Love my snacks! I try to eat breakffast and lunch at the same time so i dont run into this issue. Because i will eat six snacks when im at the breaking point and then i dont eat a real meal.
I come from a family with more autistic than allistic members, and many of us have (or have had) problems with interoception. A few of us don't recognise when we're ill or in pain until or unless it gets very bad. Some of us had significant issues with toilet training. Heat and cold is another such issue, where for some dressing appropriately for the temperature is problematic. They may not 'feel' cold, even when it's very cold and their skin is icy cold to touch, for example. Try getting a 7 year old to keep their warm clothes on when they're 'not cold'. By far the most common for us is thirst and hunger. If we are hyperfocused on something we won't notice that we're hungry, or that we haven't eaten. Setting alarms can help, but not as much as you might think. I tend to silence the alarm when it goes off but because I hate interruptions and stopping partway through something, I decide to just finish the chapter, finish this level, get to a safe spot, or whatever, and then lose track. A little later I stop and go to get dinner - and it's 3AM. A related problem is that some of us can't tell when we're full. They just keep eating because they still feel hungry. As kids you have to try to teach them what's a reasonable amount of food. It doesn't always work, and can later lead to various health issues. Two that I can recall would literally eat until they started vomiting, complaining until that point that they were hungry. I didn't have that issue, but it seemed to me that they couldn't tell hungers pangs from a stomach ache from overeating. So you're definitely not alone.
I use protein bars, too! HEB makes some good ones that have nice protein content and everything; my dietician recommended them. I like the texture of frozen things, so especially frozen peas or lima beans, or just frozen mango pieces or something. It is really difficult, though, having something that's always appealing enough to get myself to eat it. I find that I go through phases, though, so a lot of times, I can find something that will do the trick for a while, at least.
Thanks for the suggestion! I just got an HEB nearby so I'll have to look for those protein bars. I need to switch it up bc I've had approximately one million of the ones I'm used to (sarcasm).
I have just started to learn to eat a snack when I feel tired and grumpy because that is a sign of hunger too. 😅 I really suffered as a kid when I wasn't allowed to eat (something suitable to me) between meals. I have a very sensitive stomach so I couldn't eat normal portion sizes and eating fruit (the only snack offered usually) would give me stomach pain and nausea. I really could have used this accommodation! Developed a lot of anxiety around food and eating.
For me, certain nuts and protein bars are my favorite. With regards to nuts, I like cashews, and I don’t like peanuts. I avoid almonds because I also have problems with kidney stones, and almonds are high in Oxalate, which is one of the common types of stones. For protein bars, I find that the more cake-like or rice krispie like styles from Quest work really well for me, as well as the Alani bars that I sometimes pick up at Walgreens. I’m definitely eating more snacks now than I used to, but I think I’m also eating healthier snacks. And I don’t get that super hungry “I’m gonna die if I don’t eat right now” kind of feeling.
I am learning that I too regulate better when I can satisfy that interoceptive need asap. Not just eating or drinking but other things also. The signals are usually missed by me and so when the need arises, it must be fulfilled immediately. Its only through routines that I can ease these pressures somewhat.
This! For some reason, sometimes my hunger cue comes off as nausea initially. So when it actually hits me, I'm hungry to the point where I'm about to pass out if I don't eat.
I confirm! I feel hungry very quickly, but I don't always act on it, even though it makes me hangry. I have been exprimenting with eating more snacks for a few weeks now, and I have to say, it makes it easier to keep my energy levels up throughout the day. As a woman who easily puts on weight on her belly I do feel a bit worried about weight gain, but I feel atm the mental stability "outweights" the possible vanity question haha
Even before I was diagnosed ive been carrying snacks wherever I go for this reason. I hate being told when I can and cannot eat, if I dont eat as soon as I feel hunger my whole day can be down the drain. I never thought of it as an accomodation though, so I'll keep that in mind for future if I need it :)
I have finally found something small that I can eat everyday for breakfast. I do t like eggs. But I eat whole milk greek vanilla honey yogurt plain or w blueberries. Took me 49 years. Just dx with severe adhd this last year and waiting for further testing .I'm certain I'm on the spectrum. Ty
It was not until this video that I realized I likely struggle with this! I have been getting low blood sugar spells since I was a teen. Perhaps this is why! I like vanilla soy yogurt w Nature Valley crunch honey & oats granola crumbled into it and sliced strawberries. Soy milk yogurt can be left out longer than dairy. I sometimes only eat two bowls of oatmeal in a day and nothing else bc all I feel I can stand in my mouth.
My daughter and I are ADHD'ers. Gluten-intolerant and sugar/food additive sensitive. So I always carry a snack or two around with me, also a bottle of clean drinking water. I have to remind her to eat a snack in the afternoon even if she doesn't always feel like it because if she doesn't, she crashes and things aren't fun after that.
My safe foods: - a spoonful of mild tasting, cold yogurt that is not stirred/broken. - cold celery sticks - cold brewed green tea - cold tofu Thank you refrigerator.
One Monday, I was going to work in the morning. I decided to stop and get breakfast since I had time. As soon as the thought entered my brain, I was, like, "I'm HUNGRY! Why am I so HUNGRY?!" I t took me a minute or two to realize that I hadn't eaten since dinner. On the previous Friday!
👀😂🍽️
How did you survive until Monday? 😭
What? That's too long. Maybe you should try to programm alarms for meal times.
Wow, no wonder you were hungry! Were you involved with a new hyperfocus all weekend? I remember years ago there were times I would garden hardcore until I was so wobbly and weak I couldn't function. My husband had to bring me a sandwich! I always remember to have plenty of water outside with me, but I never managed to prepare food. 🤣
@@gabrielaaguilera2770 I don't know. It just seemed like eating never came up as an agenda item in my brain that weekend.
In the beginning of the pandemic, I created a snack bar between our kitchen and game room. It was such a lifesaver when we were anxious and disregulated that we've kept it.
Nuts, dried fruits, protein bars, crackers, gummies, chocolate, and gum - plus snack-sized bowls & plates for portion control. Honestly the best thing for keeping our autistic family fed when we suddenly notice we're starving and dinner's not ready.
This is genius! Being able to see the food to give the cue as a reminder. I will try this!
ETA: Applesauce cups & fruit snacks
This is so real, I often find myself feeling great after eating and I go "OH... I was hungry?" lol
Very good point, thank you!
I just described the start of the short to my partner. He was like "Nah, that's not a problem for you. You communicate right away when you're hungry, thirsty or have to pee. You don't know any hesitations with those topics"
I explain the middle part of your short, that I just communicate when it is an emergency because I just realise it then.
He is like "oh, well, yes. Let me watch the video please. ... Oh, that's 100% you. I will buy some granola bars..."
I was diagnosed at 52, but always knew I had challenges that everyone around me did not have. I worked very hard to compensate and spent time delving into the areas where I had issues, like what’s going on inside me. I tried to share my struggles in order to gain insight and possibly pick up some tips and tricks to help me. But the response I almost always got was “What are you talking about? What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy, or just defective?”
If someone tells you that they are having difficulties in any odd area, believe them. Don’t tell them they are stupid for feeling different. Because when it comes down to it, we are all unique individuals and we are all different.
I'm sorry you went through that, that sounds awful. I hope you have a decent support network now 🫶
@@kathydodge8028 Actually, no. Since 2020 everyone around me has passed away. Sorry. Hey; but at least it’s quiet! My wife was as silent as a bull in a china shop. Now it’s just me and our dog…
@QuartetTenor so sorry for your loss. Hugs for you and a scratch behind the ears for your pup.
@@plrs4cats I thank you, my chi-weenie thanks you, and since she’s a rescue socialized by cats, she has offered you a very grateful purr. Well. Almost a purr. She tries. She doesn’t have the vocal equipment necessary for a good meow, but she tries. And that’s what’s important.
After reading the comments and seeing how vital food/snacking is to our community - I'm wanting to hold space for all of us that went through the 90s and 00s where diet culture and starvation were entrenched in our lives and I know, like so many things, that REALLY impacted the ND community in a big way. Not only was it incredibly harmful to the NTs who are still chasing aspects of it even today, but as we can all attest to - it was DAMAGING to our community and we are still emotional and mentally working to unpack and UNLEARN so much from that era.
I'm also feeling once again so incredibly grateful to have this community to go through this unlearn and relearning process
Thank you for saying that. ❤For holding space, for giving validation to those who deserve to unlearn it. God Bless!
One of my greatest discoveries as a mom, and later as an AuDHD mom to an AuDHD kid, was to totally empty my center console in my car and fill it with snacks.
During preschool I'd dump a jumbo sized box of fruit gummie packets and a handful of granola bars in my center console. Kiddo would go in the car after a long day at school, grab a snack ASAP, and was allowed to eat it as soon as he was buckled in.
The other rule was that I did not initiate conversation. I put in my earbuds and was silent until he was ready to talk. If I followed his cue, not a meltdown to be had.
The kid is in middle school and we both still prioritize car snacks.
Love hearing stuff like this, just parents supporting & respecting the needs of autistic kids :) really happy for you both
I keep a box of snacks in my trunk for this reason as well! We walk to the car, I stop and grab us both snacks from the trunk, and once she is buckled, snack time!
That sounds like a great idea, at least in the fall and spring. In the summer that sounds like melted gummy snacks and dried out food. 😅 Love it though!
Learning what hungry feels like (as well as keeping snacks on hand) was super helpful for me. I don't usually feel hunger the typical way. If my stomach is growling and feels twingy, I'm usually already low blood sugar. For me, hunger feels like being short of breath, a little cold, slightly depressed, and more easily overwhelmed. I have to set timers so I remember to eat, but sometimes I still don't have enough calories even if I've had the right number of meals, so it's important to tell what hunger feels like for me.
I kind of learned it by accident, when I'd get overwhelmed and feel terrible, and then eat and suddenly my body feels so much better. It was kind of a compare and contrast to how I felt (that I could easily identify, even if I couldn't name it) before and after eating.
I’m honestly still not great at identifying my early signs of hunger. I used to routinely struggle with low blood sugar and I remember taking a test to figure out if I was hypoglycemic. The doctor was like “well, maybe a little bit, but you’re pretty normal.” Now I think maybe I just don’t feel hunger until my metaphorical gas tank is already on E. I would get so frustrated because I would be shaking and dizzy but I didn’t even want to eat yet. Throw in the fact that my ADHD meds kill my appetite and I have to force myself to eat lunch sometimes and it’s not a great situation. 😅
I finally built a habit of eating between-meal snacks every day even when I don’t feel like I need it. I keep this one particular trail mix on hand all the time because it’s got a lot of protein and keeps my blood sugar consistent.
Self-diagnosed, and this is spot on for me. I will not think to eat until i am flat out hangry. Sometimes it will be late afternoon, and i realize I haven't drunk anything all day. And, tbh, as a kid, I peed my pants a lot because by the time i knew i had to go, it was too late. I'm so glad i found this channel. It was something you said in a video about not making eye contact with people that was the big thing in a long list of other things that led me to believe I am on the spectrum. I have always looked at lips while people speak. At one point, i wondered if i was deaf and reading lips, even though I could hear...the mind plays tricks.😂❤
Put it this way: oh, you don't want me to eat a snack because it might spoil dinner? Me having a meltdown because I'm hangry will REALLY spoil dinner.
This one is HUGE for me. I don't realize I'm hungry until it is too late and I'm about to feel sick from not eating.
My parents didn't know I was autistic when I was growing up but one of the first things they learned about me as a child was that protein is vital to my diet throughout the day and as an adult it still is.
While I try to get in two good meals a-day, I also eat smaller meals (snacks) that keep me regulated emotionally and mentally up to 3 times daily. Just as you described, my body doesn't always seem to tell me when I need nutrition. I don't know until I'm feeling weak or getting cranky at everything and everyone!
I keep lunch meat in that I can just grab, trail mix to raise my blood sugar...anything that I don't have to cook and that isn't a full meal but will keep me going and feeling grounded. 🙂
My priorities during pregnancy:
First priority: eat
Second priority: eat well
I also put alarms on my phone to remind myself to cook/eat at regular-ish times. So my circadian rhythm can also be a bit better.
I keep 3 staple foods in the house at all times. These are the foods I always eat and fall back on when dysregulated
I always keep a small bag of Organic Cashew with me. In my purse, my car, different rooms in the house. It has helped tremendously!
I keep protein bars near my bed and in my car. I also keep nuts around and hard boiled eggs are a staple.
I just found that if I mix unsalted mixed nuts and a bag of peanut butter m&ms it works for me. I won’t get tired eating one snack. I also save the candy for last when I’m eating. I have a small portion cup that I use. Not too much not too little.
This sounds like a good hack to me!
Love it! I do nuts mixed with a spoonful of peanut butter :P
One thing I really like about my son's new school is they give him access to his snacks all day. My son is really active and also is a sensory seeker when it comes to his sense of taste. His other school would make him wait until lunch or snack time and then get "behaviors" from him when he requested a snack on his AAC device and got denied. Great topic!
I was just reading a thread in a facebook group talking about how it was probably really bad actually that we all grew up having to get permission to eat and go to the bathroom at school. I remember some teachers being so stingy with bathroom passes because I guess they thought we were all just trying to get out of class. This conversation really throws a wrench in all their old arguments because “you should’ve eaten/gone to the bathroom at lunch/break!” doesn’t really help if the child you’re reprimanding doesn’t have the expected body cues to do those things. I’m glad that your son’s school doesn’t restrict him from food-it’s such a simple thing and ultimately makes everyone’s day easier.
@@myconfusedmerriment exactly! Thanks, me too! 💞
I find a protein-rich breakfast helps too, so that hunger won't sneak up on me. Peanut butter on toast or sliced apple with peanut butter are my favourites. I had peanut butter and banana on a tortilla this morning and it's really sticking to me nicely.
I struggle to eat breakfast. I can force it but it's like eating when I'm full. My brain has gotten the hunger signal yet and thinks my empty stomach is full from night before. i'm not sure if this is autistic thing but I think it being on spectrum plays a part. I read chronotypes, I have late sleeper chrono type. Late sleep is someon that falls asleep the easiest between 12:00 am and 2:00 am that wakes up energized between 8am and 10 am. There complete opposite where people find the same between 8:00 pm and 10 PM and get up energized between 4:00 am and 6:00. What I've not is consistently I get really hungry for breakfast between 8 and 10. Problem is I'm up at 5:30 to go by 7:00 am. This became a topic of research for me. Turned into quite the rabbit hole. There so research on this, so many peer reviewed papers. What really cool is AI can assist in consuming the those papers. Best stop here as I could go down the AI thing next.
I recently took out all the kitchen toys from the kids (2&3) play kitchen and replaced them with snacks and utensils. My friends thought I was setting myself up for disaster and tons of food waste. We had one day of pure chaos and now not only do they not realize they are hungry, they forget they have snacks available 😅
I have also started the snacks before dinner (when they ask) and it means that my kids actually eat and dinner is much more pleasant. I highly agree with this take!
If it's healthy snacks, does it even matter??
Weird. Teaching your kids to ask for what they need really works? 😂
@@kikijewell2967 Fed is best!
@@bethanykittok3903 yes! It's hard to go against conventional parenting strategies, upbringing, and personal expectations of parenting. The "no snacks before meals" is even something that I have seen in daycare and preschool manuals about teaching the kids to have delayed gratification and/or self control. It seems completely logical on paper until you have two ND kids melting down at your feet while you scramble to get dinner on the table. Allowing snacks before meals is much more intuitive now and seems obvious now that we have gotten here.
I usually manage without snacks, but I do have a little emergency stack of crisps around. The more dysregulated I am the more crunchy I need my food and my dislike of sweet things grows, so those are palatable even when I am at my worst. And I agree, they are invaluable.
This is so accurate thank you dearly for phrasing and sharing. My appetite is garbage
I find myself having to do this with cooking dinner! I used to/sometimes still get really fixated on doing things in the "right" order. So I'd be lightheaded from being so hungry, but if I'd decided I'm cooking dinner that night it felt "wrong" to eat something else like a snack first. Even though I was so hungry I had no energy to cook! Thing is, it took me years to finally realize this was even what was happening 🤦🏼♀️ I used to think I just hated cooking or that it was my ADHD bc I couldn't feel the hunger for what it was
I always have a bite of something before I start preparing a meal! If not then I just stare inside the fridge for 10 minutes blankly 😅
when I start to wonder if I'm really autistic you drop something like this and I'm like "yeah, I need to find a psychiatrist"
Typically a developmental psychologist is who an undiagnosed adult would see. Good luck! 😊
@@Ann963 thank you darling! I need to look into it 🤍
Samezeez, internet fren! 😂
I regulary overeat because I forget eating (drinking, toilet, sleeping, ...) until I am REALLY hungry and then immediatliy need to eat. And do fast then of cause.
So a yes, but..
I try to eat at least two times a day even if I don't feel hungry that time. Just a little. And learn to quit what I am doing earlier when I feel hungry. So I can tolerate a bit waiting time for preparing something more healthier then open a package and just shovel it into me.
The ADHD makes it more difficult I think then being "pure" autistic.
Hayley Honeyman (who is very young and has no kids and a lot of different needs/habits then most of us, I know) made a video about how to eat healthier and prepare different energy level meals, plan/storage them.
Found it very helpful for me as an unemployed single with no outside structure now.
I find it helps to keep a really solid meal schedule. Which is a challenge, but has become a routine now, at least. It's more difficult to get started than to maintain, and it's really worth it. The meal schedule anchors our day.
The snacks I like to keep on hand include some salty and some sweet. Pretzels, olives, pickled vegetables, and plenty of fruit.
You literally just reminded me to eat. Lol. Someday I want to be able to explain all of these things so clearly to others. It all makes sense when I hear it but when I try to explain it to others I am so not eloquent like I lose my ability to use words correctly. Apple 🍏 chips for the win. If I didn’t have snacks I would be very sick because I don’t Oneal’s very well.
I hope you are enjoying all the views I've been giving your videos lately. A few years ago, my partnerand I realized she is on the spectrum around the same time we realized the same about our kid, and there were almost no resources for parenting while on the spectrum yourself, so your content is very much appreciated by our family ❤
yes to this, my interoception is a huge struggle for me. even just knowing i have palatable food acceissible to me is extremely important to keeping me more regulated!
I always take a snack with me when I’m going somewhere. Even if I don’t eat it half the time, just knowing I have that at my fingertips if I start feeling crappy makes me feel so much more at ease.
One of the first things I taught my nephew as a toddler was which snacks had protein, knowing he was going to need it in our very neurodivergent family (we have a multigenerational home). So string cheese, smoked gouda (not regular, made that mistake only once), yogurt in flavors he loves, spoonful of creamy peanut butter, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese or even a glass of milk. Foods that are easy to grab and he could learn to get himself if he was starting to get hangry, which he does now. If he says he's hungry, he knows what is going to help his brain and body function the best. There's some good research on ADHD, protein and brain function, so in a house of AuDHDers this has been really helpful. Applesauce, bananas, and fruit snacks are also choices. As a late elementary kid he will now also do protein drinks (which I keep around for myself because I do forget to eat, even though I know better 😆) and baby bella cheese are new this summer, so his foods are slowly expanding.
I learned pretty young to snack because if i didn't eat when I was hungry, I would get a migraine. That being said, my parents would still give my friends snacks for me as a teenager if we were going out because they would see the crash coming before me. I now keep protein shakes and snacks in my room for pick me ups between meals or if i need food with meds but I don't feel hungry or the idea of standing and staring at the pantry or fridge is overwhelming.
I usually have a small container with mixed nuts and cranberry or raisins. Works miracles...
Grazing is pretty common among high IQ people and it sounds like people with autism may also be grazers. It's not just 3 meals a day.
Thank you so much for your free resources & all the great info!! ❤
I have roommates and oftentimes my anxiety or my deregulation would get in the way of being able to make it to the kitchen for a snack and or quick meal. I keep a snack box and a filled water bottle in my room now as a tiny accommodation that’s become a huge help!
Popsicles are a must for us. It helps with hydration and is something we love. Also little individual bags of popcorn and little fruit trays work for us.
I have been eating Utz extra dark pretzels with plain, raw pecans. It is wonderful. Sometimes I chuck in some chocolate chips too.
Me! 🙋🏻♀️ I’m the Snack Girl 🤓
Even as a kid in HS I would always have snacks in my locker- and tell my friends they were welcome to grab one- or a band aid or whatever they needed- these essential “Kits”come in handy for all occasions..
Sharing is caring!! Thanx for all that you share w us 🌻✨💜 You are supportive and Helpful in so many ways 🌈✨
I agree. I like to have beef jerky on-hand.
My ex doesn't take care of the kids' needs because she refuses to acknowledge they're all Autistic.
And she left me because I'm Autistic. We were together 20 years, but the moment I was diagnosed, she left and ran off...
So, yeah, I keep food on-hand as much as possible. And, I believe eating for one's blood type is ideal for maximizing one's health.
My ex is Chinese, and she could eat seafood all the time and, God-willing, be healthy always.
My ancestors are Native American and Norweigan, in the main, so, heavy meats, sweet meats, and fermented foods are good for me.
As I said, I like having beef jerky on-hand.
Very wise. It can stop a blood sugar drop that can derail the time ahead. Almonds work well for me. Tetrapak protein drinks can be good too, though the sugar and preservatives aren't ideal. It's the less of two evils, the other being too dizzy and dysregulated to make something healthier.
This is very helpful and great timing because I only eat one meal a day because I just forget to eat! Having snacks handy is a helpful reminder. I also have trouble winding down for bed and the reminder to accommodate myself to make the process easier is helpful too! So thank you for the reminders to self care! 😊
I started working with a nutritionist recently (through berry health, covered by insurance, highly recommend if you can access it!), and she is very big on snacks and encouraged me to bring more snacks to work because I realized that sometimes I was going like 6-8 hours between lunch and dinner without eating anything. and by the end of the workday I'd be extremely burnt out and overstimulated and just often get fast food omw home because I didn't have the mental or physical energy to make dinner. snacking between meals hashelped my quality of life!
My mother starts cooking by laying out salad. Not making it into a bowl, but putting the stuff on everyone's plates. You come in hungry while she cooks? Start with the salad. It's also a trick to get everyone eating enough veggies!
I often need snacks at the end of a long time shopping trip. Usually the grocery store is last, so if I don't have anything with me, I buy something there and eat it on my way out. It's not too important what - even the unhealthiest chocolate bar will work, but I try to have one that's in proportion to how long it takes to get home and dinner on the table.
Some things I've kept in my handbag, or at work: nuts or almonds, sesame seed bars, protein bars. At work I tend to have fruit for the the afternoon break - aka a planned snack. Sometimes I have meal drinks or protein drinks at home, those are known to have saved many days.
This is such a great reminder. Thank you, Taylor! 💖🤗💕
As a teenager and in my 20s I often struggled with being "hangry". I had a roommate who would always tell me to eat when I got upset ha ha. It is less of an issue in my 40s, post massage school and post nursing school, becoming more in tune with what my body is saying and understanding how everything works together. I snack more at work than I used to, just gotta try to pick the healthy snacks!
My parents still tell me to go eat when I'm hangry. I always act as though I'm not a child and it's the world's fault for being a pill when I know they're right I should head straight for the refrigerator 😄
My partner came up with a good hack, that works for me. If he asked if I was hungry I generally said no but if he then immediately asked "and will you be hungry in 15 minutes" I could perceive that much better and answer with a yes or no that tends to be accurate.
This has always been a huge problem for me, and for so much of my life has lead me to making appalling food choices - as obviously when I’m in that state I’ll almost always go for junk food. Recently though, after a health scare, I’ve been trying to change that and my favourite thing to snack on right now is almonds and raisins. Very good at getting rid of the hunger pains and gives me the energy to prepare something healthy 😊
Awesome advice. True for me & I wish I’d known this when my kids were younger. Especially my son.
I keep a variety of snacks in my office at work. I try to have a variety, since what I want one day isn't always what I want the next. Right now I've got goldfish crackers, dark chocolate, granola bars, a "cocktail party" nut mix, and microwave popcorn. Also many different varieties of tea. I try to always keep a mug of tea on my desk, which I re-steep over the course of the day so there's really not much caffeine in it -- it's just something I can use as a fidget for my hands and mouth, AND keeps me hydrated lol.
Such a good tip! I have only really begun to learn this for myself, thank you for putting it in words!
Interesting. Every monday I stockpile a bunch of snacks to keep and eat at work for the rest of the week because I get very disregulated from being hungry as well, but I never thought of it in these terms.
I mostly get healthy-ish things like fruit, yoghurt or nuts with one or two unhealthier things like chocolate or candy for when I really need a pickmeup 😄
I’ve never thought I had trouble telling when I’m hungry but I totally get the disregulation from hunger thing. As a late diagnosed adult I had never considered it may be an autistic trait before but I definitely really struggle with being hungry more than the average person. I can’t concentrate and become extremely agitated until I eat something even if it’s just a snack to keep me going until I can eat a full meal. This was a real struggle for me when in employment and often didn’t have full control over lunch break times, or maybe having to wait longer due to staff shortages or busier than usual days but now I’m self employed and it’s much better. Sometimes if I’m hyper focused (possible ADD too) I may forget to eat for a while but at least I’m free to wander over to the kitchen at any time I want 😮🙌
Some snacks that I always keep on hand are ziplock bags of my favorite cereals, cereal/protein bars, fruit snacks, gold fish, pretzels, cheese it's, chips, wheat thins, hostess/little Debbie snacks. I also stock up on Kraft Mac and cheese, my fav brand of hot dogs, my fav brand of pickles, my favorite frozen pizza, corn dogs, tuna, peanut butter and jelly, eggs, milk, bread, sliced cheese, bagels, English muffins that way I can make simple quick easy meals I know I love
Hey, i experience this with food and when i hear you speak about it, it makes me try and remember the emotions with not eating and the disregulation. They have improved, and i think that one thing inadvertently helped. I was fasting a few days at a time from food for health reasons and spiritual reasons. I remember going into it with the mindset of knowing i was going to experience many mood shifts and to be aware. It made me practice reacting out of hanger. I was able to go through those feelings of discomfort when my stomach would growel. But it became easier. And now, even though i might not be fasting, if unexpectedly i have to go without food because of a busy day, i dont get as irritable.
Good plan. Snacks don't always mean overeating and not leaving room for dinner. It also sounds like it is encouraging listening to body cues when they are heard, instead of ignoring them.
Oh my goodness yes!! I 100% agree with everything you said here - thank you for being ao validating. Dysregulatuon can happen so fast because we don't realize we are hungry or thirsty, and then we ARE. 😂
me: its okay but your yelling . i think you may need a snack.
Start with this and we can see in 5 min what to do. her: NO... me:one bite. her:fine.
3 seconds later calm child.
I have three beautifully unique grandchildren ages two, four and six who snack constantly. My biggest struggle is providing healthy, nutritious and on-the-go snacks for them when two are also allergic to peanuts, eggs and probably gluten. If anyone has suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate the help. Love your content, Taylor! I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until my 50's and as I research more, it's obvious that I'm usually masking and have been my entire life. Your channel has helped my journey in discovering and being comfortable with who I really am without relying on a mask all of the time. Masking is so exhausting.
I've been suffering from ARFID since I was born, and at 6 I developed OSFED. Those EDs have a strong impact on my interoception.
Before we knew my little was autistic I just always packed snacks and drinks. For the store, the playground, in her backpack for the bus ride to and from school. They are a must! And she gets snacks while I’m cooking dinner. Snack time before we head up to bed. We have a shelf in the dining room that has all kinds of snacks and she goes and gets them when she needs to. I just buy different things at the store every week. Her preference changes a lot so she likes one thing one week and not the next. I’ve found she does better with smaller meals and lots of snacking in between than just your standard breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Very good video, thanks for making it. I've also hypothesized, and I've seen some others on the spectrum wonder as well, that we might need more food sometimes. Because a lot of activities (if not all) take more work for our brains, and so take a higher (caloric) toll on our bodies. Defenitely not nutritional advice!!! Just something interesting I read+think about, and I hope a study gets done on it.
As for regulating with food, personally I find that eating the three meals at standard times is super important. If I'm already overstimulated, having a standard meal to fall back on eliminates the hurdle of choice and helps me still eat on time.
And I always have at least two snack bars on me, in case something required more time or energy from me and I get hungry before I'm home. If I eat snacks at 5 I can still eat dinner at 6, usually doesn't even ruin my appetite. My body has just gotten used to food at those times, so if I snack at 5 it's as if my body just sticks to the pattern and makes me feel hungry at 6 again. Now if I eat a full meal at 5 it's different, but I know not to have four full meals on one day.
I often used to buy what we in the UK call a flapjack generally but was called an oat crunch in my local bakery that was on my school run/nursery run, or a gingerbread man (my kids are sensory seekers to a degree). If they had a snack at the school gate there were a lot less problems on the way home. And/or if I had something else in a packet, it helped eke out the good vibes if I had lost my keys and we had to get on foot to a friend who had spare keys. Sometimes fruit, like small citrus, sometimes something like healthy kids snacks or unhealthy kids snacks. I tried to vary it.
Snacks are the key to a peaceful body. Great topic Mom on the Spectrum. Thank you
I am so boring in a way, with my eating. I eat the same time everyday and for lunch while at work I have the same everyday. I find that my body works better if it knows when it's eating and what it's eating, my energy levels are better. If I go off track then I definitely feel dysregulation. Your hair looks lovely, all wavy.😍
This is 100% true with my mom. My mom and I both are on the spectrum, but she refuses to believe it. However, she does not interpret physical cues well. She won’t realize she’s hungry, thirsty, tired, or even in physical pain, until it’s fairly intense, and then of course the slightest thing dis-regulates her and she melts down.
I used to try to meal plan and make a schedule for us when it came to meals, but I very quickly found that what we needed out of food were two very different things, but I did find my mom was much happier and more content to just eat snacks, or very small meals (that most other people would consider an appetizer), and not try to force her to a schedule. I’m constantly buying and trying to find new things that she can always fall back on, and that in and of itself is somewhat of a challenge, but one thing she does tend to always love are nuts like peanuts and pistachios, and she also LOVES sunflower seeds.
And yes! Protein is amazing when it comes to being satiated for longer, that definitely helps me. My mom doesn’t lean that way most of the time, but I always keep a bag of jerky on hand just in case.
Yogurt tubes are a go-to for me! The same, uniform taste every time, I can swap flavours if I so choose, they're quick to eat and don't dirty utensils, and I find yogurt is really good at soothing my throat if I've gotten acid reflux from not eating or eating something oily!
Only downside is they need to be refrigerated! But they're great for at-home snacks!
I never considered how hungry or hangry can affect ppl, especially autistics. I'm on spectrum, & makes perfect sense! Thx
Hemp seeds! I eat them right out of the bag. I love the nutty taste. They are full of iron and protein. I always think I’m gonna over do it. But by the second spoonful I’m always full.
And dried apricots! They are nutrient dense because its a whole fruit but tiny bite size cause its dried. Also great for iron. I’m iron deficient.
I mix carrot/ginger juice with the prepared big bottles of fruit smoothie.
And greek yogurt. I microwave frozen fruit (squish it to get a bunch of juice) and mix it in with simple syrup once it cools. It gets hot! Don’t burn yourself. I do have to prep this.
And peanut butter toast. And eggs!
Snack Ideas:
- carrot sticks and houmous
- cucumber and greek yogurt
- lettuce and peanut butter
- apple/pear and nuts/cheese
- hard boiled egg and sliced tomato (+ optional olive oil)
- feta cheese and olives
- boiled chickpeas (+ optional lemon juice and/or Tahini)
- plain cooked chicken breast ready to slice
I have the other lovely form where I'm constantly extremely aware of every bodily sensation unless I'm hyper focused on something else
For someone with both ADHD and AS, I need to make sure the snack I eat doesn't feel too rewarding or mess with my blood sugar. Just something that fills my belly for a while. Like seeds, a piece of bread, plain potato chips...
I definitely keep myself stocked up on snacks cause yeah, I do struggle to understand when I'm hungry and once I realize that I am, it's too late to cook. So I keep snacks on hand to keep myself regulated enough to actually cook a proper meal rather than choosing a whole bunch of junk food. My go to snacks are usually cheddar cheese, tuna snacks with the crackers, protein bars, Ritz crackers by themselves, trail mix with smarties to incentivize me :P bananas, or a bowl of yogurt and peanut butter. And yeah, I usually also choose protein cause it seems to calm my stomach down a lot and for longer and I feel better but not super unhealthy from eating a lot of sugar or salty, fatty foods.
I have that too! And also startet carrying around food like nuts, rice crackers or protein bars.
Really bad are situations like being out with friends and they don't unterstand that me being hungry means that I am hungry now. Even after explaining it's like "Oh, let's slowly see where we wanna go" for them. But in the future I will surely have some snacks then as well.
When I cook little plate with greetings from the kitchen. Mostly cut bell pepper or carrot.
Sometimes apple slizes or cheese or chocolate
When i am alone and one preped meal in the fridge, or at least prepared rice or potstoes. To cook will then take 5-10 min. And I eat a bite before cooking
good advice. hanger can be a real issue for me, especially when my brain is hyperfocused on something else. i'll try to implement that when i'm allowed to snack again in August (my invisalign treatment is completed by then and all i need to do is brush/floss every night and wear the latest trays as night-braces).
I’m really good at ignoring my body’s cues when I’m busy. I can go the whole work day not eating, barely drinking and only going to the bathroom maybe once. The minute my work is done, I suddenly realize I have to go to the bathroom immediately, then I realize I’m thirsty and dehydrated, then I’m starving when only a couple of minutes ago I didn’t feel hungry at all.
Looking back, it’s probably why I had accidents at school at an older age than the other kids. I just didn’t feel it until it was urgent.
I also hate eating when I wake up, even though I know that I’ll have no energy if I don’t. I have to force feed myself an energy bar in the morning, sometimes I can’t even stomach that.
It’s funny, I work in a caring profession. I’m great at reading the cues of the children I care for, but I’m shite at taking care of myself.
I used to keep a bowl of roasted nuts and seeds on the counter ... So easy... So good... ❤
I find that one of the most useful things to do is to cook in large amounts and either freeze portions of have a pot of stew or soup sitting in the fridge that you can take from and reheat in 3 minutes.
Likewise, prepping some mixed salad or cut salad vegetables and having them in the fridge next to easy proteins such as: hard boiled eggs, cheese, houmous or any other dip.
My safe food snacks that are also a little healyhy are: a specific bulk bin nut and dried fruit mix. If I am home I have cucumber slices and hummus. The trick is finding a vegetable and dip that are both safe. As a kid it was broccoli and a very specific herb dip that was discontinued. Broccoli has been unsafe ever since.
For example, I only eat english cucumbers where the end has been chopped off and rubbed across the stump until all the bitter while buildup has been drawn out before slicing. Pain in the but to first prepare, but one long cucumber can last me for days. I can force myself to eat baby carrots. I hate celery strings so that is a no for me. My husband is the opposite. He gets celery.
interoception is our 8th sense, the 6th sense Vestibular and 7th is propriocetion. These are internal sense where as the first 5 external senses. 6the sense is our internal balance, 7th is where our body is in space from a internal prospective and the last on the one that we feel hunger, thirst, feel our heart beat as such. When I first heard this I had research it. So we have 8 sense, 5 external and 3 internal.
I tend to hyperfocus (still working on that ADHD diagnosis!), so don't notice when I'm hungry, or need to use the bathroom. Hyperfocus also means I tend to get so absorbed in what I'm doing that I don't notice the passage of time, which means I've been writing for the last five hours and still haven't done dishes, or rewashed the sheets that have been in my washer for almost a week, now. Snacking when hungry sounds like a good idea to me, since I tend to have a snack when I finally notice I'm hungry anyway.
I was having granola bars (peanut and almond with dark chocolate), but then remembered that a lot of ingredients tend to be made with chemical substitutes that are theoretically the same thing, but that our bodies might not recognize, so I switched to trail mix, and found it gave me more energy. But, trail mix can be expensive. So, I bought the ingredients and made my own! One cup each of dried cherries and raisins, tossed with some sugar to keep them from sticking (1-2 teaspoons). Add to that one cup of chocolate M&Ms, one cup of whole almonds, and 2 cups of peanuts, then mix it all together and divvy it up into containers. I got about six and a half cups of trail mix from this, which looked to be 2-3 times more than what came in the store-bought container. And, it contains just enough chocolate to keep me from buying candy bars during my breaks at work! (I'd have put cashews in, but it turned out I am allergic to them, as they're related to poison ivy--a real bummer, since I love cashews!)
If you’re allergic to poison oak and cashews, stay away from mango too. They’re in the same weird ass family. It’s a bummer.
I recently made peanut butter oatmeal cookies, and added walnuts and a few chocolate chips. They're a GREAT safe food! Next time I'll reduce the sugar or replace it with Splenda and add the chocolate chips before the oats.
Just found your channel yesterday and have been overwhelming myself with information and realizations. I have almost no support whatsoever now and have been depressed for years. Surrounded by a pattern of failures I’m struggling to find a way to pull myself out of the dark pit. I found a light in your videos and they are helping me understand myself and my behavior that gives me hope for change. Thank you so much! I’m 41 and I thought my life was over, but maybe it’s just beginning again.
I only have two states with regard to hunger. Famished or ravenous, and all the rest of the time. There are no in betweens, it seems. It took me over 50 years to find out that this and similar issues with thirst or being tired or needing to go to the bathroom are often related to autism. I never even really understood that I had these problems, other than knowing that I never felt hungry until I was HUNGRY, and never noticed I needed to go to the bathroom until I needed to go RIGHT NOW, or noticed that I was tired until I was falling asleep on the floor next to my chair, etc.
Love my snacks! I try to eat breakffast and lunch at the same time so i dont run into this issue. Because i will eat six snacks when im at the breaking point and then i dont eat a real meal.
I come from a family with more autistic than allistic members, and many of us have (or have had) problems with interoception.
A few of us don't recognise when we're ill or in pain until or unless it gets very bad. Some of us had significant issues with toilet training. Heat and cold is another such issue, where for some dressing appropriately for the temperature is problematic. They may not 'feel' cold, even when it's very cold and their skin is icy cold to touch, for example. Try getting a 7 year old to keep their warm clothes on when they're 'not cold'.
By far the most common for us is thirst and hunger. If we are hyperfocused on something we won't notice that we're hungry, or that we haven't eaten. Setting alarms can help, but not as much as you might think. I tend to silence the alarm when it goes off but because I hate interruptions and stopping partway through something, I decide to just finish the chapter, finish this level, get to a safe spot, or whatever, and then lose track. A little later I stop and go to get dinner - and it's 3AM.
A related problem is that some of us can't tell when we're full. They just keep eating because they still feel hungry. As kids you have to try to teach them what's a reasonable amount of food. It doesn't always work, and can later lead to various health issues. Two that I can recall would literally eat until they started vomiting, complaining until that point that they were hungry. I didn't have that issue, but it seemed to me that they couldn't tell hungers pangs from a stomach ache from overeating.
So you're definitely not alone.
I use protein bars, too! HEB makes some good ones that have nice protein content and everything; my dietician recommended them.
I like the texture of frozen things, so especially frozen peas or lima beans, or just frozen mango pieces or something. It is really difficult, though, having something that's always appealing enough to get myself to eat it. I find that I go through phases, though, so a lot of times, I can find something that will do the trick for a while, at least.
Thanks for the suggestion! I just got an HEB nearby so I'll have to look for those protein bars. I need to switch it up bc I've had approximately one million of the ones I'm used to (sarcasm).
I have just started to learn to eat a snack when I feel tired and grumpy because that is a sign of hunger too. 😅
I really suffered as a kid when I wasn't allowed to eat (something suitable to me) between meals. I have a very sensitive stomach so I couldn't eat normal portion sizes and eating fruit (the only snack offered usually) would give me stomach pain and nausea. I really could have used this accommodation!
Developed a lot of anxiety around food and eating.
We have a snack drawer in our bedroom heh and I had made both my daughters their own snack cubby to have access to whenever they wanted a snack 😅
For me, certain nuts and protein bars are my favorite. With regards to nuts, I like cashews, and I don’t like peanuts. I avoid almonds because I also have problems with kidney stones, and almonds are high in Oxalate, which is one of the common types of stones.
For protein bars, I find that the more cake-like or rice krispie like styles from Quest work really well for me, as well as the Alani bars that I sometimes pick up at Walgreens.
I’m definitely eating more snacks now than I used to, but I think I’m also eating healthier snacks. And I don’t get that super hungry “I’m gonna die if I don’t eat right now” kind of feeling.
I am learning that I too regulate better when I can satisfy that interoceptive need asap. Not just eating or drinking but other things also. The signals are usually missed by me and so when the need arises, it must be fulfilled immediately. Its only through routines that I can ease these pressures somewhat.
This! For some reason, sometimes my hunger cue comes off as nausea initially. So when it actually hits me, I'm hungry to the point where I'm about to pass out if I don't eat.
I confirm! I feel hungry very quickly, but I don't always act on it, even though it makes me hangry. I have been exprimenting with eating more snacks for a few weeks now, and I have to say, it makes it easier to keep my energy levels up throughout the day. As a woman who easily puts on weight on her belly I do feel a bit worried about weight gain, but I feel atm the mental stability "outweights" the possible vanity question haha
Even before I was diagnosed ive been carrying snacks wherever I go for this reason. I hate being told when I can and cannot eat, if I dont eat as soon as I feel hunger my whole day can be down the drain.
I never thought of it as an accomodation though, so I'll keep that in mind for future if I need it :)
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Your iq must be high
@@MomontheSpectrum ur the best
I have finally found something small that I can eat everyday for breakfast. I do t like eggs. But I eat whole milk greek vanilla honey yogurt plain or w blueberries. Took me 49 years. Just dx with severe adhd this last year and waiting for further testing .I'm certain I'm on the spectrum. Ty
It was not until this video that I realized I likely struggle with this! I have been getting low blood sugar spells since I was a teen. Perhaps this is why! I like vanilla soy yogurt w Nature Valley crunch honey & oats granola crumbled into it and sliced strawberries. Soy milk yogurt can be left out longer than dairy. I sometimes only eat two bowls of oatmeal in a day and nothing else bc all I feel I can stand in my mouth.
My favorite snacks are nuts. Nuts, especially cashews or pistachios, always work for me.
My daughter and I are ADHD'ers. Gluten-intolerant and sugar/food additive sensitive. So I always carry a snack or two around with me, also a bottle of clean drinking water. I have to remind her to eat a snack in the afternoon even if she doesn't always feel like it because if she doesn't, she crashes and things aren't fun after that.
My safe foods:
- a spoonful of mild tasting, cold yogurt that is not stirred/broken.
- cold celery sticks
- cold brewed green tea
- cold tofu
Thank you refrigerator.