As a very late diagnosed autistic woman myself and an expert in eating disorders I have been cogitating on the relationship between food and self regulation in autistic people. As background I ran one of the first eating disorders in the country and am myself recovering from anorexia and compulsive overeating. Parenthetically I am also sober for 45 years. I became a metabolic coach a few years after learning about therapeutic ketosis for my metabolic health. To my delight all the symptoms of my eating disorder resolved particularly when I adopted a carnivore zero carb eating regimen. I like regimens because I am autistic and it fits so well with the way my brain works.
I recently began working with a brilliant autistic woman who was in deep trauma from a very unhappy marriage. She wanted support for her mental health and, particularly from her bulimia which I prefer to call vomiting behavior. In autism it all starts with food preferences. It is well known that due to our hyper sensitive nervous systems we gravitate to certain foods. I wasn’t particularly picky as a child although my favorite breakfast was graham crackers crunched up in a bowl with chocolate sauce and milk. My mother let me eat this. I was always a very ritualistic eater for instance eating around the core of a carrot to savor the sweet inner core as my ritual finale. Speaking of carrots in my adolescent anorexic years I ate so many carrots that my skin turned orange.
Autistics are all about attempts at self regulation. We constantly are looking for ways to self soothe especially if we are high masking individuals who are attempting to fit into the neurotypical ways of our peers. We have many food aversions which restrict our consumption around texture and taste. Most of these self regulatory attempts are referred to as stimming. Most of our stimming behaviors are healthy and to be encouraged as they do help us to self regulate. Some of them however are harmful. Eating disorders and other forms of addiction, cutting, etc. can lead to shame and blossom into depression, anxiety, OCD which only cause more pain and the need to self regulate which can lead to a disastrous feedback loop of pain, suffering and more metabolic illnesses down the line such as diabetes, heart disease, IBS, and cancer to name a few.
I teach all my clients who are suffering from metabolic disorders including depression and anxiety to get into therapeutic ketosis which will ultimately enable them to focus on the other issues which lead to health such as regular exercise, good sleep, and particularly for those with autism, to set up your life which reduces stress, such as avoiding small talk, parties, noisy environments and most importantly unhappy stressful relationships. Most of my relationships are with my immediate family who I live with who are also introverted and don’t give me grief for preferring to be alone in my sweet little safe room. I have a few outside friends who get me and love me for my quirky self. The remaining relationships I have are with my clients and my Buddhist sangha because I love my work and Buddhism and we engage in anything but small talk.
If what I am sharing here makes you wonder if you might be on the Autism Spectrum or on your way to or have a metabolic illness do your research. Learn more about those issues which plague your equanimity and balance. And if you are so inclined to get professional health give me a call or find someone who is well versed in Autism and metabolic health who can support and guide you into a more fulfilling happy life.
Be well
Michele: mhappenow.happe@gmail.com, 775 230-1507, Blue Sky, and Linkedin
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