What to Eat?

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My son, who's on the spectrum, has classically been a McDonald's and Diet coke fanatic (chicken nuggets and fries only). However, he's changing his habits since being in Health class this semester. I'm happy that he wants to make healthier choices, but the problem is, there is not too much "healthy" that he actually likes. So he's hardly eating anything

He gave me permission to ask what y'all eat for healthy foods.

(P.S. I chose to post this here, rather than the parenting section, because I want to hear from those of you with Aspergers/autism)

Roasted almonds, dried cranberries, Cheerios, mozzarella sticks, whole wheat crackers, bagels with peanut butter, Amy's Organic mac 'n cheese and frozen burritos, and instant oatmeal are all easy and healthy go-to foods for picky people who don't cook beyond the microwave. At a convenience store, I'd get a packet of peanuts and a bottle of juice instead of chips, candy, and soda. Gluten free chicken strips and a La Croix water might hit the spot when your son is craving McNuggets and Diet Coke. Good luck to him on his new eating habits!

It's hard to suggest things without knowing what kinds of tastes/smells/textures he likes and dislikes or can/can't tolerate.

If he's a fan of peanut butter and also of crunchy things and doesn't have a problem with mixing the textures he might like peanut butter and celery (if he has problems with the stringy veins in celery, I find they can often be pulled out fairly easily as they tend to be near the surface on one side of the stalk).

Maybe its unfair to use autistic traits to manipulate your kids into healthy habits, BUT - involving the special interest function might help. I did this to myself when I would routinely forget to eat for days at a time. I deliberately created a special interest in a specific area of food - kaiseki-ryori and Japanese quisine. Its generally very healthy, and involved other areas - it's very technically based and I appreciate the precision, it has a strong aesthetic which I find appealing, and is cohesive with my philosophical perspective. It could be anything food related though - transitioning into vegetarianism/veganism, organic/sustainable/permaculture related or home grown food, whatever. The approach allows for individual tastes and sensory variances, rather than just a list of what I find appealing (and since it is a special interest, I could go on, and on, and on ...)

Stir-fried dishes, three parts vegetables and one part meat. Thin-crust pizza with extra cheese and no anchovies. Fried rice. Home-Made po-boy sandwiches with whole-grain bread. Tomato soup. Borscht. Beef stew. Parched corn. Cap'n Crunch cereal. Apple pie. Cherry pie. Chicken pot-pie. Corned beef and cabbage. Cheeseburger. BBQ spareribs. Roasted corn on the cob. Pumpkin pie. Fried chicken. Shish-kebab.

No tofu, please.

These days there are tons of frozen crispy soya-based burgers, fishcakes, hot dogs, sausage rolls and pies that taste (to me) better than anything from MacDonalds. I presume they're relatively healthy. Maybe a trip to a large wholefood store would be helpful. Wholefood cafes can be very nice too.

They'll probably also sell healthier fizzy drinks than diet cola. Or you might get somewhere with a home carbonation machine.

If he likes fries, I think there are low-fat recipes for those.

If you can find out a lot about what textures and flavours he already likes, you might be able to avoid too much trial-and-error.

I tend to balance between buying things like butternut squash pasta that I just need to boil, stir-fries, and homemade quesadillas with lots of beans and vegetables. I eat a lot of mangoes, carrots, bananas, and berries, but those aren't meal foods.

Thanks so much, everyone, for all your suggestions! You're so kind and generous. I'm going to share these with him. Unfortunately, he was really into his computer activities when I just tried to share them with him now But he's grateful. Everyone can be assured I'm not forcing him at all - he actually wants to change his diet, especially after having watched Supersize Me in health class recently.

Well I eat a lot of chicken nuggets, but they are actual chicken breast pieces cut into nugget sized bites. All you can really do is keep trying different stuff to see if he likes it or not. Like you said, texture has a lot to do with it. I like single ingredient foods, meaning the ingredients of a grape is a grape. Also as I have gotten older, I'm less picky. But it's hard to recommend specific foods since only he will know what he likes. One thing I like is raw Spanish peanuts, which a lot of kids autistic or not would probably hate them. So it's pretty much trial and error. Needless to say I don't like stuff that's too rich or spicy.