An expert has shared five reasons why an autistic person might have a 'beige diet'. Conor McDonagh is the owner and director of Caerus Therapies , which offers autism assessments and support. He is also a specialist occupational therapist, with sensory integration certification and expertise in occupational therapy and applied social studies.
Conor frequently shares advice on his TikTok account - from sensory processing issues to how to support an autistic child. Among his videos, Conor shared a clip on why autistic people may have a 'beige diet'. He introduced the video by saying: "I want to give you five reasons why autistic people may go towards a beige diet, where it is very bland and plain.
"My name is Conor McDonagh. I’m an occupational therapist and an advanced sensory integration practitioner. So this often has to do with sensory processing difficulties, there are a number of different sensory processing disorders and they do have an impact in different ways.
" Next, Conor listed the five difficulties autistic people might struggle with when it comes to food - and why they have a diet made up of seemingly only 'beige' food. He said: "So the first of these is where a person may be sensitive to textures of food. These are the types of food that, because of the textures, may overwhelm the central nervous system and push people towards high arousal.
"The second of these is that autistic people may be resistant to foods that taste very strong. Thirdly, they may be resista.