The Art of the “Safe Food”: Why I’ve Eaten the Same Sandwich for 40 Days Straight 🥪🛑
If you open my fridge right now, you will not find a balanced variety of ingredients to create a culinary masterpiece.
You will find 12 yogurts of the exact same flavor.
You will find one specific brand of cheese.
And you will find the one (1) type of bread that my brain has deemed “Acceptable.”
Welcome to the world of Safe Foods (or “Same Foods”).
To a neurotypical person, eating the exact same lunch every single day for six weeks sounds like torture. “Don’t you get bored?” they ask.
No, Karen. I don’t get bored. I get Safety.
Here is why Autistic and ADHD brains cling to “Safe Foods,” and why the phrase “New and Improved Recipe” is the scariest sentence in the English language.
1. The Consistency of Texture 🍝
For many of us, eating isn’t just about taste; it’s a sensory minefield.
We crave predictability.
- A Chicken Nugget is safe. I know exactly what the texture will be. It is uniform. It is reliable. It will not surprise me.
- A Blueberry is chaos. It is fruit Russian Roulette. One blueberry is sweet and firm. The next one is mushy and sour. It is a betrayal. I cannot trust a blueberry.
When the world is loud, chaotic, and overwhelming, knowing exactly what my lunch is going to feel like in my mouth provides a tiny anchor of control.
2. Avoiding Decision Fatigue 🤯
By the time I get to dinner, I have made 4,000 decisions.
What to wear. Which email to answer first. How to phrase a text message. Whether to merge lanes.
My “Decision Tank” is empty.
Asking me, “What do you want for dinner?” is a threat. I do not know. I cannot process options.
But if I have a Safe Food? The decision is already made.
“I will have the pasta. The same pasta I had yesterday. And the day before.”
It saves mental energy for more important things, like re-watching The Office for the 9th time.
3. The Ultimate Betrayal: “New & Improved!” ⚠️
There is no heartbreak quite like going to the grocery store to buy Your Specific Brand of Crackers, and seeing a bright yellow burst on the box that says: “New Look! Same Great Taste!”
We know that is a lie.
They changed the flour. They changed the shape. The crunch is different.
To a neurotypical person, it’s a cracker. To us, the Safe Food has been compromised. The trust is broken. We must now wander the wilderness (the snack aisle) for weeks searching for a replacement, mourning the loss of the Old Cracker.
4. The “Sudden Death” Phase 💀
There is a dark side to the Safe Food life.
You will eat the same meal for breakfast every day for three months. You love it. You crave it. You buy it in bulk.
And then… one Tuesday morning… you take a bite… and your brain says:
“NO.”
The “Ick” has arrived.
Suddenly, the texture is wrong. The flavor is repulsive. You can never eat this food again.
Now you are stuck with a pantry full of 40 granola bars that you would rather die than consume.
It’s tragic. But it’s the cycle of life.
Fed is Best (Yes, Even for Adults)
There is a lot of shame around “picky eating.” We feel like we should be eating salads and complex curries because “that’s what adults do.”
But honestly? Being an adult is hard enough.
If the only thing you have the sensory bandwidth to eat today is a bowl of cereal or buttered noodles? Eat the noodles.
Calories are better than no calories. A fed nervous system is a regulated nervous system.
So, go ahead. Order the chicken tenders. We aren’t judging. We’re probably ordering them too.
Comfort is key.
If you’re going to eat your Safe Food on the couch, you need the right uniform.
☁️ Shop our Sensory-Friendly Collection. (Soft enough to handle the “Sudden Death” phase).
☕ Sipping your Safe Drink? Do it in style with our Neurospicy Mugs.