Eating a meal is a complex sensory experience. We notice the flavors, odors, textures, appearance, colors, and heat of the food, as well as the noise it makes as we—or those around us—cut into it and chew. For many people, it is this richness of experience that makes mealtimes so enjoyable, but for others, some or all of these sensory inputs can be overwhelming and stressful. Here, we explore the issue further, reveal how we might detect this issue in our children, and share some tried-and-tested strategies for taking the stress out of mealtimes.
Do I Have a Sensory Processing Issue?
It is thought that up to 16 percent of the neurotypical population has some sort of sensory processing issue, while the figure for those who are neurodivergent could be as high as 80 percent. Common as it is, Sensory Processing Disorder can present in a huge variety of ways, which makes diagnosis very difficult. But there are some common signs that this might be an issue for you, including:
🚫 if you are sensitive to touch and cannot tolerate certain fabrics or labels against your skin
🙉 if you are sensitive to sounds and cannot bear loud or unexpected noises
🤢 if you are sensitive to smells, and fragrances like perfumes and scented candles make you feel nauseous
🙅 if the textures, smells, or appearance of certain foods make them a straight-up no-go area
Lots of people dislike some or all of these things at times, but it is the strength of reaction to them that suggests that the brain is having trouble processing the signals. For those with a sensory disorder, touch, sound, light, smell and / or taste experiences are not just unpleasant; they can be painful, anxiety-inducing, frightening, or distressing.
Sensory Processing Issues and Food
In terms of food, you may have non-typical sensory processing patterns if you:
- Are a ‘picky eater’
- Eat only very specific foods
- Are not open to trying other foods
- Have strong reactions to particular flavors or textures
Sensory Processing at Mealtimes for Children
Mealtimes can be incredibly stressful for children who have sensory processing issues. The smells, noise, colors, flavors, and textures come all at once and can be utterly overwhelming. They may not be able to explain how they are feeling and so we need to look for clues. These may include…
Stress Response to Noises
- Repeated eye blinking
- Being startled by noises
- Avoiding crunchy foods
- Covering ears during the meal
Visual Stimuli
- Looking away from the food or closing their eyes
- Moving chair back from table
- Repeatedly blinking or their eyes watering
- Attempting to scatter foods off the table
- Squinting
Overwhelming Smells
- Covering their nose with hand or clothing
- Eyes watering
- Turning their head away from the food
- Coughing or gagging
Taste Response
- Gagging
- Vomiting when trying certain foods
- Grimacing
- Shuddering
Touch Response
- Using their teeth to clear utensils instead of their lips
- Grimacing
- Frequent hand wiping
- Seeking out or avoiding specific utensils
- Avoiding touching different food textures
- Using the least amount of surface area possible to manipulate food
Reaction to Movement
- Startling when their chair is pushed up to table
- Avoiding very chewy foods
- Avoiding drinking from an open cup
- Tucking their chin to drink instead of tipping their head backwards
- Being fearful when their feet leave ground to climb into a chair
How to Support Sensory Overload at Mealtimes
St. George’s Hospital, one of the UK’s largest teaching hospitals, has offered some useful strategies to help if a child or young person is feeling over-stimulated or anxious at mealtimes. Their calming suggestions include:
- Covering them in a big, heavy blanket
- Putting their or your hands on their head and gently pressing down
- Slow rocking them, such as in a rocking chair
- Giving them a bear hug and holding them tight
- Introducing a pleasant scent such as lavender
- Encouraging them to manipulate a fidget toy
- Offering them a candy to suck
Longer-Term Strategies
Because our sensory responses are highly individual, any solutions will be too. These are some worth exploring if your child struggles with sensory processing at mealtimes.
- Outside of mealtimes, introduce activities that stimulate the mouth, such as offering cold foods (e.g. frozen bananas), chewy foods, crunchy foods, and spicy foods
- Outside of mealtimes, introduce sucking and blowing activities, such as drinking fruit puree with a straw or blowing bubbles in water
- Introduce foods that they need to tug, such as toffee bars or liquorice
- Building up a consistent tooth-brushing regime (make it fun with songs, if helpful) to help with any issues around the mouth being touched
- Giving a facial massage before mealtimes – keep it fun!
- Include your child in age-appropriate meal prep and encourage them to set the table or help clean up afterwards
- Set a schedule, eating at the same time each day in the same place
- Use the same utensils every day
- If noise sensitivity is an issue, your child may benefit from headphones. If not, perhaps music will help calm them
- Keep mealtimes fun
- Consider exploring sensory integration therapy or other therapies. Speak to your care provider
Sensory Food Issues and Veganism
Sensory processing issues can affect anyone but for vegans, the challenge of creating a positive mealtime experience can be a little tougher for a few reasons.
So much of the food available at grocery stores contains hidden animal products, which means there are lots of convenient foods that are not available to vegans. (Note: most of these products could be made without animal products very easily, but ingredients are often included for cost-cutting purposes, rather than health, sustainability, ethics, or even taste.) For people who can only tolerate very few textures or flavors, any reduction in available foods can present something of a challenge. This is particularly challenging in areas of the world where there is not a wide range of vegan foods available. In those cases, it may mean making your own, which – while being more time consuming – does allow us to create exactly what we want, using ingredients that are good for us and that we can tolerate.
And another plus point: the gristle or fatty mouthfeel of meat can be a problem for people with sensory processing issues, and these are naturally avoided with a vegan, plant-based diet. This was the case for at least one vegan who reports: “Being vegan made me much less picky because I was no longer afraid of what body parts might be in my food!”
Of course, textural problems are not just connected to meat. People often report that the texture of certain vegetables—notably tomatoes and mushrooms—makes them feel icky, and that anything with ‘bits’ in it can be problematic. If there are a lot of textures that cannot be tolerated, creativity may be needed to get the nutrients we need in a palatable form.
Vegan Food Sensory Options to Explore
- Blend fruits and vegetables into purees, soups and smoothies if that texture works better
- If foods need to be crunchy, try dehydrating them or eating them raw instead
- Substitute any problematic ingredients in a recipe for acceptable ones: this is generally simple in plant-based cooking
- As fast foods are often the most consistent in terms of texture and flavor, it is possible your child will enjoy these more than you might wish. If so, see if there is a vegan version that will similarly appeal.
- As predictability of experience is important, if you find a recipe that works, don’t change it!
- Keep a record of tried-and-approved recipes and aim to increase them slowly
- Don’t take away safe foods. Allow kids to eat the foods they like and add to the repertoire
- Make any changes slowly to avoid creating stress and anxiety around food
- Don’t trick children into eating things they don’t want. Trust is important
- Don’t worry about them eating peculiar combinations. If they eat apples with their pasta, or ketchup on their breakfast cereal, that’s ok.
- Know that sensory issues are unlikely to remain exactly the same forever so keep introducing new foods to gently expand the range of acceptable foods. But be aware, it can also work the other way, and what was once acceptable may not always be
- Veganism is defined as avoiding all animal products as far as is possible and practicable. For people with food sensory sensitivities, being vegan may not look like veganism for other people.
