Food Chaining for Autism: Why It Helps with Selective Eating (& Free Examples!)

Selective eating is extremely common in autism with 90% of kids being a selective eater on the spectrum. Food chaining is the process of gradually introducing new foods by starting with their safe foods, but why does that matter?

Food chaining has the potential to expand a child’s diet and prevent nutrient deficiencies while reducing stress around trying new foods. If your child struggles with selective eating, has food sensory issues, texture sensitivity, and has food aversions, you’re in the right place.

In this post we will be going over food chaining and its principles, how selective eating relates to autism, and provide food chaining examples and tips for implementing food chaining at home. Navigating a limited diet can be overwhelming, so read below for help.

What is Food Chaining? 

Food chaining is a way to introduce new foods gradually to your child. This process starts by using foods that your child already prefers and slowly changing the foods in small ways to accept a new food over time. This slower introduction to new foods makes it easier for children to feel comfortable trying these newer things that might be scary or overstimulating  to them at first. It is an exposure process that leads children towards a path of success. This process is very flexible and can be changed to fit what your child likes and expand their diet towards foods that can give them more nutrients. This can be especially important for children with autism and sensory food aversions. 

Selective Eating and Autism

A large majority of children on the autism spectrum are selective eaters. This is not the fault of parenting, but it is something that is related to many things common in autism. Sensory sensitivity is the most common reason for selective eating in autism. Many foods can have textures, smells, and tastes that cause sensory overload. This can cause children with autism to feel anxious and overwhelmed to try new foods. Constipation is another common reason that selective eating is common is autism. Having a limited diet can cause constipation, and constipation can cause children to limit what they eat. Sometimes even a lack of muscle tone in the mouth and jaw can make eating certain foods difficult. All of these reasons lead to children with autism being at a high risk for having a limited diet. 

Picky Eating vs Selective Eating in Autism

You may be wondering: are selective eating and picky eating the same thing? Yes and no. They both signify that a child’s diet is limited to a certain number of foods or may neglect certain food groups and types. However, the autism community prefers the term “selective eating” rather than “picky eating” as the term “picky eating” insinuates that their limited diet is a choice and that the individual is choosing to be picky. This could not be further from the truth as most cases of selective eating in autism are due to severe sensory aversions, low muscle tone, gastrointestinal issues, and a handful of other conditions. It’s important to understand that a limited diet is NOT a child trying to be difficult, being spoiled, or being manipulative - we must understand the reason for the limited diet at its core so we can support the child in expanding in a way that will support the child’s sensory needs.

Why Food Chaining Works for Autism

Food chaining allows children to explore food at their own pace and can be tailored to a child’s individualized sensory and nutritional needs. Two children may have the same nutritional goal to increase protein, but one may be successful by adding in mushy foods like hummus and refried beans, while they other may have more success with crunchy foods like fish sticks and chicken nuggets. This flexibility allows personalized nutrition to be sensitive to your child’s sensory sensitivities, chewing ability, and food tolerance while still expanding their diet to more diverse foods. Food chaining’s strength is that it reduces the anxiety around food and works with what your child already eats to move forward. 

The Principles of Food Chaining

To start food chaining you need to identify which foods are preferred foods for your child. Making a comprehensive list of all of your child’s accepted foods is a good way to start. Look at what the food is and identify the color, texture, and temperature of the food. Once you’ve identified what foods are preferred and their characteristics, choose one to start the food chaining process. Choose a goal for where you want this food to lead you. In order to start transitioning from your starting food to your goal, choose another food that is similar to the first in color, texture, and temperature with minor differences. This transition food can help get your child ready to start to accept their goal food. Continue adding new foods headed towards your goal until you achieve your goal. See below for examples of this process. 

Food Chaining Examples for Autism

Example 1: Fast Food Chicken Nuggets to Chicken Breast 

Fast Food Chicken Nuggets → Frozen Chicken Nuggets → Frozen Chicken Strips → Homemade Chicken Strips → Breaded Chicken Breast Cut Into Strips → Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Cut Into Strips → Chicken Breast Cut Into Strips

Example 2: Mac & Cheese to Broccoli Food Chain

Boxed Mac and Cheese → Mac and Cheese Made with Shredded Cheese → Mac and Cheese with Tiny Broccoli “Sprinkles” → Mac and Cheese with Bigger Pieces of Broccoli → Broccoli with Cheese → Broccoli 

Example 3: Frozen French Fries to Cooked Cauliflower Food Chain

Frozen French Fries → Frozen Potato Wedges → Roasted Potatoes → Baked Potato → Mashed Potato → Mashed Cauliflower → Cooked Cauliflower 

Example 4: Buttered Noodles to Spaghetti with Red Sauce Food Chain

Buttered Noodles → Buttered Noodles with a Drop of Red Sauce in the Bottom of the Bowl → Buttered Noodles with a Drop of Sauce Mixed in the Bottom 1/3 of Noodles → Buttered Noodles with a Bit More Sauce Mixed in the Bottom 1/2 of Noodles →  Buttered Noodles with a Light Sauce Mixed in the Entire Bowl → Noodles Mixed With Sauce

Implementing Food Chaining at Home

Keep in mind that it can take an autistic child 20-30 times to accept a new food, so this is a slow process. Setting up optimal conditions at home can make the process much smoother. Making sure that the mealtime environment is calm and not overly distracting can lower the overwhelming feeling of trying new foods. Make sure that your routine for trying new foods is something you can stick to. Pick a mealtime that is easiest for you to implement this experience. Routines for eating are key to a smooth eating experience, and that will set the expectation of trying new foods at certain times. Remember all small changes are good changes!

Need More Autism Selective Eating Support?

If you’re looking for online support in expanding your child’s diet with food chaining and other sensory-friendly approaches, join the Nourishing Autism Collective!