Samefood

The term “samefood” refers to the autistic tendency to eat the same food very frequently or even exclusively for days, weeks, even months at a time.

Samefood can be used as a noun or a verb. For example:

“Sour cream and onion chips are my samefood right now.”

or

“I don’t usually samefood much, but this past week I can’t stop eating spicy ramen.”

A samefood often needs to be prepared in a very specific way, eaten in a ritualistic manner, or may only be a specific brand.

Anything outside of these criteria is Not Right and does not satisfy the samefood need.

It is considered upsetting and tragic when someone else in the household eats your samefood without consulting you, or if you ask someone to buy you a particular brand and they bring home a different one instead.

Autistic folk will commiserate with each other over tragedies like this because to us they ARE tragedies and neurotypical people just don’t understand.

If you have ever made yourself sick bingeing on whipped cream or discovered that yes, you CAN eat too many pumpkin seeds, you’ll find no judgement in the autistic community.

We welcome you and your samefoods.

7 Cool Aspects of Autistic Culture » NeuroClastic

Some people with autism struggle with food aversions and fixations. The term “samefood” refers to people with autism’s tendency to eat the same food for days, weeks, or months. I have always samefooded, but until my diagnosis with autism, it was an oddity I was often mocked for. The more stressed I am, the more I samefood. One time I ate only Kix cereal for three months. We are often criticized and yelled at for this behavior by neurotypicals, but it brings us peace and solace. 

The New Language of Autism | Psychology Today United Kingdom

Samefood: Eating the same meal or snack every day, e.g. always having the same kind of soup for lunch.

Autism Glossary — Aurora Autistic Consulting

There are food-averse folks who can verbalize quite clearly what they won’t eat, and I just as frequently hear about those who will only eat a specific thing. This is commonly referred to as a samefood. It’s important to recognize that these two presentations are often intertwined. If you only eat smooth soup, it is easy to avoid anything that’s crunchy. If you only eat a specific brand of frozen breaded chicken nuggets, you find comfort in the knowledge that what you are going to eat is both familiar and unproblematic.

Color Taste Texture a book by Matthew Broberg-Moffitt

Accept that your loved one has a samefood. Do your best to be supportive of their choices and provide opportunities for them to explore safely and without judgment. If the answer is no, it’s time to find creative nutrition solutions that work within their palette (or palate!) and preferences. That might be with a prepackaged nutrition supplement or with a more holistic and tailored option (such as Gavin’s Vanilla Shake, this page). Above all, I don’t want people to starve or suffer.

Color Taste Texture a book by Matthew Broberg-Moffitt

There are no “picky eaters” at Stimpunks. We reframe “picky” as selective or hypersensory. We like our samefoods for reasons. They are compatible with our heightened senses.

Further Reading