Nom Nom Issue 5.2.25

Subject: Deep Dive into Integrating Sensory Superpowers

Author

Avery Burk
May 02, 2025

In Today’s Issue

Life Hack - 4 steps to Texture Tolerance

Superhero Training - Real Life Example from Nom Nom HQ

Comfort Corner - Southern Mac-N-Cheese with a Twist

Intro

Alright, spectacular superheroes in training!

Just a quick blast of truth serum for your eyeballs: YOU. ARE. AWESOME. 🔥 (Yeah, I went there with the fire emoji. Because you're that hot.)

Now, because we actually listen to you magnificent creatures, today's newsletter is all about diving into the glorious feedback you've sent our way. Thank you for submitting and keep it coming!

“I never thought about the reaction to texture being a trigger…in a future edition dig a little deeper into the life hacks.”

Fred (Neurodivergent Superhero and Caregiver)

“It was helpful and validating that you called out that it's not just being picky or difficult, it's experiencing the world differently.  Telling me more about the real life examples would be helpful”

 Val (Neurodivergent Caregiver)

Prepare for insights, maybe a chuckle or two at our expense, and definitely some appreciation for your brilliance. Let's do this!

🧠 Life Hack - 🦸‍♀️ Sensory Superpowers Unlocked

So, you remember our little chat about tickling those taste buds and giving your mouth a textural playground? Good. Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty, the "how to avoid a kitchen meltdown while expanding your palate" part, in a snappy four-step framework.

STEP 1: Know your texture allies & enemies 

 Use the sensory profile to identify your:

  • highest rated texture preferences

  • lowest rated texture preference 

  • highest rated taste preference  

(Here’s a link if you’re like us and might have forgotten your homework once or ten times).

STEP 2: Find your safe-zone recipes 

Pick a recipe that’s got your favorite flavor and those textures you already adore. This is our safe zone, our home base before we bravely venture into the unknown... slightly.

STEP 3: Sneak in tiny texture upgrades

Now, here's where the fun begins (and maybe a tiny bit of existential dread creeps back in, but we'll squash it with humor). Introduce ONE. SMALL. CHANGE. Think a rogue sprinkle of a garnish, cook an ingredient differently, or serve the meal in a different way (a la cold vs hot or vice versa).

STEP 4: Spice it up with some FUN!

Let's face it, trying new things can feel a bit… meh or even AAHH. So, let's inject some FUN! 

  • Theme nights are your friend. Cinco de Mayo? 💃🌮 Suddenly, that questionable salsa has a sombrero on! 

  • Blindfolding the fam and making them guess ingredients? Pure comedic gold (and maybe a little educational). The point is, make it light, make it silly, make it an experience.

🧠 Listen, this isn't a race. It's a delicious, potentially hilarious, journey. 

If something makes your face do the 😖 emoji, that's okay! Give yourself a high-five for trying, and we'll concoct another taste adventure next week. 

Small victories, my friend, small victories. Now go forth and conquer your culinary comfort zone, one giggle-inducing bite at a time! 😋

🥣Real Life Superhero Training:

Look, we wouldn't ask you to skydive without a parachute. So before you embark on your own taste bud transformation, let us share how we survived—I mean succeeded—at Nom Noms HQ.

Nomster #1—our brave test subject who didn't know they were signing up for culinary experimentation—showed a profile that screamed "CREAMY AND SOFT TEXTURES ONLY" with an equal love affair with all things savory and sweet. 

✨Basically the food equivalent of someone who wears only sweatpants and refuses to acknowledge formal wear exists.

We landed on the ultimate comfort food hack: Mac-N-Cheese BUT WITH A TWIST. 🌪️ 

We sprinkled those innocent noodles with panko crumbs—yes, the dreaded MIXED TEXTURES. ☠️   

It's like inviting the villain 🦹‍♂️ to the superhero squad tryouts. Chaotic? For sure. But who knows? Maybe they'll bring the best snacks (and a surprisingly useful evil laugh).

To soften the blow of this textural betrayal, we turned the kitchen into a mini nightclub, blasting Nomster's playlist while demonstrating our deeply concerning dance moves. Nothing says "please try this potentially traumatizing food" like watching your loved ones flail rhythmically to Taylor Swift. 🙈

The moment of truth arrived with all the tension of a superhero movie climax. We cheered as Nomster took that first brave bite, our enthusiasm somewhere between "winning gold at the Olympics" and "your toddler using the potty correctly." Was it a “love it”? Nah, more of meh, but the victory was in the trying! 🥂

And there you have it—proof that we practice what we preach, and sometimes survive to tell the tale. Your turn.

🍽️ Comfort Corner

Try this easy recipe to bring fun and comfort to sensory superhero training:

Simplification Modifications

  • Use 6 cups of sharp cheddar omit the gruyere and onions

Taste/Texture Modifications

  • To make it extra savory add in the optional spices or we like a ½ teaspoon of dried mustard powder, rather than cayenne, which can be too spicy for some

Nutrition/Dietary Modifications

  • Increase protein by substituting half of the milk with low-fat cottage cheese (blend to remove offending lumps)

  • Don’t recommend substituting dairy-free options because it alters taste and texture 😣

  • Gluten free noodles and panko can be easily substituted for our GF crew

💌 Before You Go

Until next time, keep embracing your sensory superpowers - every small step is a victory!!

Drop us an email to let us tell us how you spiced it up this week! 

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

Stay Delicious,

- Avery Burk

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