Welcome!
If you’ve ever struggled with food, meal planning, or healthy eating and felt like it was more complicated than it should be, you’re not alone. For many of us who are neurodiverse, food isn’t just food—it’s part of a much larger story that involves sensory preferences, emotional regulation, and even dopamine-seeking behaviors. I know this firsthand because I’ve been on a journey to understand and heal my relationship with food, and I’ve discovered just how interconnected these things really are.
When I began my health and wellness journey, I thought I had all the tools I needed. After taking classes with Noom, I had the knowledge about nutrition and behavior change—but I still struggled. It wasn’t until I started to explore my neurodiverse side that everything began to click. Around this same time, I also dove into biohacking using Levels to track my glucose and understand how different foods and behaviors impacted my body. I was doing everything glucose-related—learning about blood sugar regulation, experimenting with food sequencing, and finding what worked for me. This dual journey—understanding both my neurodiversity and my body’s response to food—gave me insights I never had before. It became clear that my relationship with food, cooking, and eating out wasn’t just about knowing the “right” things to eat but also about managing sensory needs, emotional regulation, and blood sugar levels.
This blog series will take you through my experiences and the insights I’ve gained from the book Looking After Your Autistic Self: A Personalized Self-Care Approach to Managing Your Sensory and Emotional Wellness by Laura James. Her words helped me connect the dots between my neurodiversity and the complicated dance I do with food. She discusses common challenges like food aversions, difficulties with eating food cooked by others, sensory-seeking behaviors (like overeating for dopamine), and even how we may crave certain foods to soothe our nervous system after sensory overload.
As I read through her book, so many things resonated with me. And I want to share those experiences with you, along with practical strategies and personal reflections that I hope will inspire you to explore your own relationship with food.
What to Expect from This Series
This series will break down different aspects of how neurodiversity affects eating, meal planning, and overall health. Each post will dive into topics like:
Food Aversions and Sensory Triggers: Why certain textures, smells, or tastes might be difficult to tolerate.
Overeating and Dopamine-Seeking: The sensory and emotional link to overeating and how to manage it.
Eating Food Cooked by Others: Why it’s hard to eat food outside of your control and how to navigate that without shame.
Easy Foods Without Guilt: Managing overwhelm with ready-made meals and removing perfectionism from your health journey.
Planning for Eating Out: How checking menus and preparing in advance can make eating out stress-free.
Cravings After Sensory Overload: Recognizing the patterns and finding alternative ways to regulate the nervous system.
In each post, I’ll share personal stories from my own journey—like how I learned to bring food with me when visiting family or how pre-prepared meals from Sprouts and Ideal Nutrition became a lifeline on overwhelming days. I’ll also explore strategies I’ve found helpful, like planning ahead and having go-to comfort foods ready without guilt or shame.
Why This Series Matters
For those of us who are neurodiverse, food can be both a challenge and a tool for self-care. Eating isn’t just about nourishment—it’s tied to our sensory experiences, emotional regulation, and mental well-being. And yet, many traditional approaches to healthy eating don’t address the unique needs that come with neurodiversity.
This series is about giving ourselves permission to explore those needs and to find what works for us without judgment. Whether it’s using warm drinks to soothe, bringing snacks to a social gathering, or recognizing that perfection isn’t the goal, this journey is about self-compassion and learning to listen to our bodies.
Join Me on This Journey
Over the next few posts, we’ll dive into each topic more deeply. I’ll share not just what I’ve learned, but also the things I’m still figuring out—because this journey is ongoing. My hope is that these posts spark curiosity and offer you practical tools to apply in your own life. Together, we’ll explore how food, neurodiversity, and sensory wellness intersect in ways that can help us live more authentically and feel more at peace with our choices.
What’s Next?
In the first post of the series, we’ll dive into food aversions and sensory triggers—why certain foods are hard to tolerate, how to identify the foods you seek for comfort, and ways to create a more positive relationship with food.
I’m so excited to take this journey with you. Let’s uncover the layers together and explore how we can bring more ease, nourishment, and joy into our relationship with food.
Reflective Thought:
Take a moment to think about your own relationship with food. Are there foods you tend to avoid because of their texture, smell, or taste? What foods bring you comfort?
Action Step:
Grab a journal and jot down some thoughts about your eating habits. If you notice any patterns, write them down without judgment—just observe. This will help you as we dive deeper into these topics in future posts.
Additional Resources:
Looking After Your Autistic Self: A Personalized Self-Care Approach to Managing Your Sensory and Emotional Wellness by Laura James
Journaling Prompts for Exploring Food Habits
Apps for Menu Planning and Tracking Glucose Levels
Thank you for joining me on this journey! Stay tuned for the next post, where we’ll take a closer look at food aversions and sensory triggers—and how understanding them can bring us closer to a healthier relationship with food.
“You just made a valuable investment in your understanding, neurodiverse strengths, and mind-body growth—steps toward a fulfilling and empowered life. Thank you for being here.”
Hi, I’m Yvette—therapist, and passionate advocate for holistic wellness. I believe in helping people grow into their most authentic selves through self-awareness, emotional understanding, and intentional living. As someone navigating neurodiversity myself, I know firsthand how sensory needs, mental health, and nutrition are deeply interconnected. This blog is a reflection of my journey—sharing tools, insights, and resources that I hope will empower you to embrace your own unique path to well-being.