If you're reading this, you might be wondering if your relationship with food is connected to being
neurodivergent. Maybe you've always been called a "picky eater," or people have commented
on your eating habits in ways that made you feel ashamed. Perhaps you forget to eat when
you're hyperfocused, or certain textures make you gag, or you need your food arranged in a
specific way to feel comfortable eating.
You're not alone, and you're not broken.
The intersection of neurodiversity and eating challenges is real, complex, and often
misunderstood. If you have autism, have ADHD, or experience both (sometimes called AuDHD),
your brain processes the world differently, and that includes how you experience food, eating,
and your body.
Understanding Your Neurodivergent Brain and Food
Your neurodivergent brain isn't defective; it's just wired differently. These differences can
significantly impact how you relate to food and eating.
If You Have Autism
You might find that eating feels complicated because:
● Certain textures, tastes, or smells are genuinely overwhelming, not just preferences
● You need predictable routines around food to feel safe and comfortable
● New foods feel scary or wrong in ways that are hard to explain to others
● You have "safe foods" that you can always eat, even when nothing else appeals to you
● The social aspects of eating (restaurants, dinner parties, trying new foods with others)
feel stressful
● You need your food arranged in certain ways or eating specific foods in specific orders
These aren't character flaws or things you need to "get over." They're part of how your brain
experiences the sensory world when you have autism.
If You Have ADHD
Your ADHD brain might create eating challenges like:
● Forgetting to eat when you're hyper-focused on something interesting
● Feeling overwhelmed by meal planning and preparation
● Eating the same thing repeatedly when you find something that works, then suddenly
being unable to eat it anymore
● Impulsively eating whatever is easiest rather than what would nourish you
● Time blindness is making regular meal times difficult
● Executive functioning challenges make grocery shopping and cooking feel impossible
● Hyperfixating on certain foods for periods of time
Again, these aren't personal failures; they're how your ADHD brain interacts with the demands
of feeding yourself consistently.
If You Have AuDHD
Living with both autism and ADHD traits can create a perfect storm of eating challenges. You
might struggle with sensory sensitivities while also forgetting to eat, or need predictable routines
while also dealing with executive functioning challenges that make those routines hard to
maintain.
When Different Becomes Disordered: Recognizing Eating
Disorders
Sometimes, what starts as neurodivergent traits around food can develop into more serious
eating disorders. This doesn't mean your neurodivergence caused an eating disorder, but the
two can definitely interact in ways that create problems.
ARFID: More Than "Picky Eating"
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is often what people mean when they
dismiss eating patterns in people with autism as "just being picky." But ARFID is a real eating
disorder where your food restriction significantly impacts your health, weight, nutrition, or social
functioning.
You might have ARFID if:
● Your food limitations are causing weight loss or poor nutrition
● You're avoiding social situations because of food
● Your eating patterns are interfering with your daily life
● You have genuine fear or disgust responses to many foods, not just preferences
Other Eating Disorders in Neurodivergent People
Neurodivergent individuals can also experience anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder,
though they might look different from what they do in neurotypical people:
● Anorexia might be less about body image and more about control, routine, or sensory
comfort
● Bulimia might develop when ADHD impulsivity intersects with shame about eating
patterns
● Binge eating might happen when executive functioning challenges lead to chaotic
eating patterns
The important thing to know is that eating disorders in neurodivergent people are often
misunderstood, dismissed, or misdiagnosed.
The Masking Problem: Hiding Your Struggles
If you're neurodivergent, you've probably learned to mask, to hide your differences to fit in
better. You might mask your eating struggles, too:
● Saying you're "not hungry" instead of explaining that the texture makes you want to
throw up
● Claiming you "forgot" to eat instead of admitting you were too overwhelmed to figure out
what to make
● Pretending you're fine with restaurant choices while internally panicking about the menu
● Making jokes about being a "picky eater" to deflect concern
Masking takes enormous energy and can make it harder for you to get the support you need. It
can also make eating disorders harder to recognize and treat.
Why Traditional Eating Disorder Treatment Often Fails
Neurodivergent People
Most eating disorder treatment is designed for neurotypical brains. This means:
● Your sensory needs might be dismissed as "excuses"
● Your need for routine might be seen as "rigidity" to break down
● Your executive functioning challenges might be labeled as "lack of motivation."
● Your communication style might be misunderstood as "resistance" to treatment
This is why it's crucial to find professionals who understand both neurodiversity and eating
disorders, people who won't try to force your brain to work like a neurotypical brain.
What Actually Helps: Treatment That Works With Your Brain
Recovery from eating challenges as a neurodivergent person requires approaches that honor
how your brain actually works.
Sensory-Informed Care
Good treatment will:
● Take your sensory sensitivities seriously, not dismiss them
● Help you gradually expand your food repertoire at your own pace
● Teach you coping strategies for overwhelming eating environments
● Work with your safe foods rather than trying to eliminate them entirely
Executive Functioning Support
Effective treatment addresses:
● Practical meal planning that works with your brain
● Systems for remembering to eat that align with how you naturally function
● Breaking down food preparation into manageable steps
● Building flexibility into routines without abandoning structure entirely
Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy
The right therapist will:
● Understand that your neurodivergent traits are not problems to fix
● Adapt therapeutic approaches to work with your learning style
● Address both your neurodivergence and eating concerns together
● Help you develop self-compassion for your unique challenges
Practical Strategies That Actually Work
For Daily Life
Finding what works for you might involve:
● Meal planning tools that match how your brain processes information (visual schedules,
apps, simple lists)
● Having backup plans for when your usual routines get disrupted
● Keeping safe foods available even when you're trying new things
● Setting phone reminders to eat if you tend to forget
● Creating calm, comfortable environments for eating
For Difficult Moments
When eating feels overwhelming:
● Remember that having safe foods is okay; you need to nourish your body
● Use grounding techniques for sensory overwhelm (deep breathing, fidget tools, changing
your environment)
● Practice self-compassion when you can't eat what you planned or wanted to
● Celebrate small wins, like trying one new food or eating when you didn't feel like it
Building Support
Look for:
● Healthcare providers who understand neurodiversity
● Online communities of other neurodivergent people with eating challenges
● Friends and family who respect your needs without judgment
● Resources specifically created for neurodivergent experiences
For Your Support People: How Others Can Help
If you're sharing this with family, friends, or partners, here's what you need them to know:
What helps:
● Respecting your sensory needs and food preferences
● Not making comments about what or how much you're eating
● Supporting your routines while being flexible when needed
● Learning about neurodiversity to better understand your experience
● Focusing on your overall health and well-being, not just food
What doesn't help:
● Forcing you to try new foods or eat in uncomfortable situations
● Making jokes about your eating habits or calling you "picky"
● Comparing your eating to neurotypical standards
● Dismissing your challenges as willfulness or attention-seeking
Information for Mental Health Professionals
If you're a clinician working with neurodivergent clients who have eating challenges, effective
treatment requires integrating neurodiversity-affirming approaches into every aspect of care.
This means collaborating closely with dietitians and medical professionals who also understand
the intersection of these experiences.
Treatment Adaptations
Comprehensive DBT skills, when adjusted for neurodivergence, can be highly effective for
emotional regulation and distress tolerance. Working with cognitive distortions helps clients
recognize unhelpful thought patterns, while exploring the avoidance control cycle illuminates
how attempts to control food or body can paradoxically increase distress. Addressing the shame
spiral is particularly important for neurodivergent clients who may have experienced years of
criticism about their differences.
Values work from ACT helps clients connect with what truly matters to them, moving beyond
societal expectations or family pressures around eating and body image. This approach is
especially powerful for neurodivergent individuals who may have learned to mask their authentic
selves.
Creating Supportive Treatment
Recovery requires comprehensive approaches that honor both neurodiverse traits and food
relationships. Essential sensory accommodations include considering texture, flavor, and
temperature preferences, as well as lighting and noise levels during sessions and when
discussing meals. Treatment must balance the importance of predictable patterns with building
flexibility, addressing individual executive functioning needs through personalized strategies.
Family and caregiver education is crucial, involving educating families about both neurodiversity
and eating disorders, reducing stigma and shame around both conditions, and developing
collaborative problem-solving approaches.
The key is addressing both neurodivergence and eating disorders simultaneously rather than
treating them as separate issues. Creating sensory-friendly therapeutic environments and being
flexible with traditional approaches can make the difference between treatment that works and
treatment that feels like another place where the client doesn't fit.
Moving Forward: You Deserve Support That Works
Your neurodivergent brain isn't broken, and your eating challenges aren't character flaws. You
deserve support that understands both parts of your experience, your neurodivergence and your
relationship with food.
Recovery might look different for you than it does for neurotypical people, and that's okay. It
might involve keeping some safe foods forever, needing specific routines around eating, or
requiring accommodations that others don't understand. That doesn't make your recovery less
valid or complete.
The right support exists. Some professionals understand neurodiversity and eating disorders.
There are communities of people who share your experiences. There are treatment approaches
designed to work with your brain, not against it.
You deserve to have a peaceful relationship with food that honors who you are. You deserve to
be understood, not fixed. And you deserve to know that struggling with eating as a
neurodivergent person doesn't make you broken, it makes you human.
With proper understanding, appropriate treatment adaptations, and supportive communities, you
can achieve a meaningful relationship with food while celebrating your unique neurological
differences as strengths rather than deficits.
About the Author
Jasmine Jaquess, MA, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor based in Colorado Springs,
specializing in relationships, trauma, eating disorders, and neurodiversity. She integrates
evidence-based therapies such as DBT and ACT with neurodiversity-affirming approaches to
provide personalized care. Learn more about Black and Bold Therapy here!
Contact Information:
● Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
● Services: Individual therapy, eating disorder treatment, neurodiversity-affirming therapy
● Specialties: Trauma therapy, relationship counseling, ADHD and autism support
