Nom Nom Issue 4.26.25

Food Fights: A Neurodivergent's Guide to Integrating Sensory Superpowers

Author

Avery Burk
April 26, 2025

Intro

Hey there Friends!

Last week we faced the Texture Terrorizer - seeing the havoc he can wreak in our foodie experience.

Battles with this infamous nemesis bare their teeth throughout our lives, so to find our foodie joy we must be prepared to respond. We had a battle just the other day when we went for water ice with our families. Responses like "it's too gritty" and "the chocolates taste different" were ringing in the streets. The victory was, in fact, their willingness to TRY new sensations, even if they didn't like them in the end.

This week we'll learn how to apply adaptive nourishment to fight the Texture Terrorizer with compassion, patience, and a bit of joy!

Table of Contents

🧠 Life Hack

🍽️ Comfort Corner

💌 Before You Go

🧠 Life Hack - Sensory Superpowers

Last week our hero, Captain Comfort Food, embraced their unique, powerful sensory profile to build self-awareness that prepares them for any battle. By being aware, we adaptively nourish ourselves, our way! No need to follow someone else's diet or training plan when we can work with and acknowledge our own strength.

What is adaptive nourishment?

Adaptive nourishment is the cornerstone to superpowers and refers to a flexible and personalized approach to nutrition that adjusts to an individual's unique needs, preferences, and circumstances. 

This concept emphasizes the importance of balancing nourishment and pleasure, considering both physical and emotional aspects of eating. It involves creating a positive relationship with food, adapting meal plans to fit personal journeys, and embracing diverse and nutrient-rich foods to support overall health.

So what do I do with this?

Now that we know what it is, how do we apply it to defeat the Texture Terrorizer?

The answer - Texture balanced meals with a dash of experimentation! Using your sensory profile, you can build meals that incorporate the textures that make you feel zen 😌 while slowly introducing textures that might push you a bit outside your comfort zone. 

First, we can adapt any meal or recipe to match our unique and powerful profile by layering textures. Then we can introduce new textures in ways that engage the novelty-seeking parts of our beautiful brains.

Have fun with it! Make it a game like "Can you guess this food?" or have Try-It Tuesdays, because our awesome neurodivergent brains love games and themes!! 

Go slow, be compassionate if your spidey senses feel the Texture Terrorizer is near, then celebrate the victory of trying, even if you still hate the food. 

Adaptive nourishment takes time to build!

🔬 Science Corner

Too Much, Too Fast Feels Bad:

Imagine your ears are super sensitive to loud noises or your skin really doesn't like scratchy clothes. For some kids (and grown-ups) whose brains work a little differently, like with ASD or SPD, research has shown that sudden big changes or really new and strong sensations can feel like too much all at once, which can make them feel worried, upset, and want to hide away.

Knowing What's Next Feels Safe:

Think about how you like to know what's happening during the day. For some people, knowing what's going to happen makes them feel safe and less worried. Evidence has shown that gradual introductions can give their brains time to get used to new things, so they don't feel  so scary.

New and Fun Can Help Focus:

Imagine if you only ever played the same game. You'd probably get bored! For some people with ADHD, their brains like new and exciting things. Evidence shows new and engaging experiences can increase dopamine levels and improve motivation to try new things.

New Foods Can Feel Extra Scary:

New word for the week - neophobia. Neophobia is the fear of new things. Studies show higher rates of food neophobia in neurodivergent children (62.4-62.8% in neurodivergent children vs. 29.4-33.4% in neurotypical children). No matter how you slice it, people have a REAL fear of new foods.

🌈 Real Life Examples

To layer textures, pick one of these cooking methods to try in your experiments:

  • Mix Different Cooking Methods

  • Incorporate Diverse Ingredients

  • Use Garnishes

  • Balance Temperatures

Here are some ways to incorporate fun in your texture training:

  • Make a theme: One meal a week, add a new texture

  • Make it a game: Try it blindfolded or make it a competition among family members

  • Tweak it: Pick a favorite comfort meal and tweak the texture

🦸‍♀️ Superhero Training:

Knowing your battlefield, this week try a fun way to incorporate both your comfy, favorite textures by layering them in new ways or introduce a new texture through a fun experiment.

🍽️ Comfort Corner

Try these easy recipes to bring fun and comfort to sensory-overloaded days:

Tailor the flavor profile to your unique yum with only 5 minutes of prep! No air fryer? No worries, an oven works well too.

Mango is all the rage in our house these days! This sweet, bright bowl is super smooth but can be texturized (or not!) to your liking. Sneak in some protein by adding your favorite protein powder, Greek yogurt, or even cottage cheese (the blender will mask it beautifully!)

💌 Before You Go

Thanks for joining us this week!

Let’s spice things up by layering your favorite comfy textures in ways that make you feel like a fashion superhero. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, dive into a small, fun experiment with a brand-new texture. 

Remember: You are uniquely and wonderfully designed, you have support, and you are loved!

Let's see what adventure awaits us next week!

Avery Burk

P.S.  - Drop us an email to let us know your results.

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