"ED Behaviors" That Are Actually Autistic Traits (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this series on autism and eating disorders, we explored how number attachment, food arrangement patterns, and specific utensil preferences are often misidentified in eating disorder treatment. This second part examines three more autistic traits that treatment providers frequently mistake for eating disorder behaviors: visual food organization, sensory-based seasoning preferences, and temperature sensitivity.

For autistic individuals in eating disorder recovery, having these natural traits labeled as "ED behaviors" can be incredibly damaging. When treatment centers fail to recognize autism and attempt to eliminate these inherent characteristics, they often inadvertently strengthen the eating disorder's grip. Rather than forcing autistic people to mask or suppress their traits, we need a neurodiversity-affirming approach to eating disorder recovery.

In this post, we'll explore each trait in detail and discuss how understanding them as autistic traits rather than ED behaviors can actually support your recovery journey. Whether you're autistic, suspect you might be, or are supporting autistic individuals, understanding these distinctions is crucial for effective eating disorder treatment.

1. “Smoothing Out” Food

Ever catch yourself staring at a jar of peanut butter, feeling an overwhelming urge to smooth out the surface until it's perfectly level? Or found yourself unable to break off a random piece of chocolate because it would disrupt the satisfying grid pattern? You're not alone – though I thought I was for the longest time!

This autistic trait revolves around food needing food to make sense visually, both before and after eating. It's one of those traits I rarely hear discussed, but turns out it's a pretty common autistic experience. The way we create order and visual patterns with our food is actually part of how our brains process eating.

For me, “smooth foods” like peanut butter and yogurt need to be “smoothed out” in the container before putting it away. To paint a picture in my kitchen for you: let’s say, I'm putting peanut butter on my toast. I can't just take the peanut butter from the jar and leave it all roughed up and messy inside. Oh, no, the peanut butter has to be smooth, that is to say, it has to have a satisfying appearance.

In eating disorder treatment, my need for visual order was immediately labeled as an “ED behavior." The staff would watch me spending several minutes smoothing out the nut butter jar or yogurt container, making sure everything looked visually appealing. "Is your eating disorder taking over, Livia?" they'd ask with concern. I was told I couldn't make the food look a particular way because I was just "trying to soothe my anxiety."

But here's the thing about being neurodivergent: we need things to make sense, including the way food looks. When treatment centers fail to recognize that a patient has underlying autism, they end up labeling autistic traits as "ED behaviors" that need to be eliminated. And guess what? This approach only makes things worse. The more I was told to stop, the more compulsive my need for visual order became.

Telling someone their autistic traits are disordered isn't just invalidating, it's harmful. It creates this pressure to change who you are fundamentally, to reach some intangible ideal of "normal." And ironically, being told your autistic traits are "wrong" only intensifies the anxiety they claim you're trying to soothe. This is exactly why traditional treatment approaches often fail autistic individuals: they're trying to fix traits that aren't broken in the first place.

Making Visual Order Work for You in ED Recovery

How can you honor your autistic need for visual order in eating disorder recovery? As I wrote in Part 1, the answer comes down to the word intention. And we become aware of our intention when we stop judging, and instead, invite curiosity. When we stop jumping to the conclusion that it’s an “ED behavior” and lay out the facts. You might want to ask yourself: is your need for visual order coming from a place of fear, or is it helping you process and engage with your food in a way that makes sense for your brain?

For me, accepting my need for food to look a certain way helped reduce my anxiety around eating. Instead of fighting this trait or feeling ashamed about it, I learned to build it into my routine. Yes, I still smooth out my peanut butter – but now I do it because I understand it's part of how my autistic brain processes food, not because my eating disorder is demanding perfection.

Here's what this might look like in practice: if you need your chocolate broken into perfect squares, great! Just make sure you're eating enough of those perfectly-arranged squares to nourish your body. Need to smooth out your yogurt container? Cool! But ensure you eat a portion size that supports your recovery and challenges your fear of weight gain. The goal isn't to eliminate these visual needs – it's to make sure they're serving your wellbeing rather than your eating disorder.

2. Adding Spices, Seasoning, and Textures to food

Let's talk about trait number two: adding spices, seasonings, and textures to food. I see this pattern in so many neurodivergent people who don't even have eating disorders, yet treatment providers are quick to label it as "ED behavior." Why? Because they're missing a crucial piece of the puzzle: many autistic people experience both hypersensitivity AND hyposensitivity.

Here's what I mean: hypersensitivity is when you have a very low tolerance for specific stimuli. Think about how autistic people often can't handle bright lights or loud noises – that's hypersensitivity in action. But hyposensitivity? That's having a much higher threshold for certain stimuli. It's why some autistic people can eat an entire tablespoon of wasabi while others are running for water!

While I'm not the wasabi warrior (you won't catch me taking a bite out of a hot pepper, LOL), I am absolutely obsessed with cinnamon. I put cinnamon on everything! So imagine my frustration in treatment when I wanted to add cinnamon to my apple. The response? Oh no, I could only use cinnamon sugar – because apparently, wanting plain cinnamon was *most definitely* a sign that I was “afraid of sugar and extra calories.”

This kind of assumption made me so angry, especially when they accused me of not being "honest" about my motivations. As I share in Rainbow Girl, I eventually learned to mask in eating disorder treatment. I wrote up elaborate scripts, conjuring up the exact responses I knew providers wanted to hear. What followed was praise for being "honest," which obviously only reinforced my belief that masking was the only way out.

Understanding Sensory Preferences to Support Eating Disorder Recovery

Being particular about seasonings and textures can be an eating disorder behavior – but this often applies to people who are NOT autistic. For autistic individuals, this trait tends to be about meeting our unique sensory needs, not restricting our food intake. So how can you tell the difference between eating disorder and autism? Again, we need to look at the intention behind the behavior. When your eating disorder drives food choices, it's about fear – fear of calories, fear of weight gain, fear of "unhealthy" ingredients. When it's an autistic trait, however, it's about having food meet your sensory needs.

Let me give you an example from my own life: I used to think my need for strong flavors was "weird" or "picky." In treatment, they saw it as a way to "make food less palatable." But once I understood my sensory processing differences, everything clicked. I wasn't trying to make food less enjoyable. I was actually trying to make it MORE enjoyable by meeting my brain's need for stronger sensory input!

This understanding completely changed how I approach food in recovery. Instead of feeling guilty about adding extra seasonings or creating specific textures, I now see it as self-compassion. Want to add a mountain of cinnamon to your oatmeal? Go for it! Need to combine crunchy and smooth textures to make a meal more engaging? That's not your ED talking, but rather, your autistic brain helping you interact with food in a way that makes sense for you.

The key is making sure these preferences don't become rigid rules that limit your nutrition. Your spice cabinet should be a tool to add enjoyment, not another “hack” to restrict. When you honor your sensory needs while challenging the ED thoughts, you create a recovery path that's truly sustainable for your neurodivergent brain.

3. Microwaving Food Multiple Times

My third and final autistic trait is microwaving food multiple times, or making sure that the temperature of your food is "just right." Yes, I am totally Goldilocks! If I eat food that's meant to be hot – like coffee, oatmeal, stew, soup, and so on – I cannot have it at room temperature or cooled down. Even though I can physically eat it, I get overly focused on the fact that the temperature doesn't "make sense" to enjoy it. And when you think about making food hot as quickly and efficiently as possible, well, enter the trusty microwave!

That apparatus is one of my kitchen gems – along with my Vitamix blender and air fryer, of course. But the microwave? I literally could not live without it. Shoutout to you, microwave!

Unfortunately, using a microwave to ensure a comfortable temperature was (yet again) considered disordered in treatment. I remember one particular incident that still makes me shake my head: I tried to microwave my food twice before a meal, causing a whole blow-up with the staff. I'd asked a staff member if I could microwave my food, which was allowed once. When I wanted to warm it a second time, I couldn't find that same staff member. So, I asked a different person. Assuming it was my first time microwaving, they gave me the go-ahead. But when the first staff member saw me, they were outraged that I had “manipulated” the staff so I could microwave my food a second time.

I was so confused as to why this was such a huge deal. I was accused of something called "staff splitting," which was apparently a way to use “ED behaviors” by "splitting between multiple staff members.” How ridiculous does that term even sound? What does it have to do with microwaving food? According to them, needing very hot food was a "strong" eating disorder behavior, though their reasoning made absolutely no sense in the context of my actual needs and experiences.

Using Temperature Preferences to Your Advantage in ED Recovery

Here's how I learned to work with this trait in recovery: first, I had to understand that my need for specific temperatures wasn't “my eating disorder talking.” This was my autistic brain trying to create an environment where eating felt manageable and pleasant. Once I accepted this, I could focus on using temperature preferences to support my recovery rather than letting them become barriers.

For example, instead of feeling guilty about microwaving my food multiple times, I started planning my meals around my temperature needs. I learned that it's okay to pause eating and reheat my food if it gets too cold. I gave myself permission to sit next to the microwave when I’m sipping my morning coffee. And for you, these accommodations may look entirely different! What matters is that you're meeting your nutritional needs while challenging any ED thoughts that try to hijack your sensory preferences.

Embracing Your Autistic Traits in Eating Disorder Recovery

Throughout this post, we've explored three common autistic traits that are often mislabeled as eating disorder behaviors. And you know what? These traits aren't signs of a lingering ED. They're natural expressions of how our neurodivergent brains process and interact with food. Because isn’t that what life is about? Enjoying experiences you literally consume? As long as your habit or preference is not prohibiting you from living in alignment with your values, there is nothing wrong with it!

My hope is that this post has helped you understand some of the behaviors you're currently struggling with, and has given you the permission to stop trying to fit a neurotypical mold of eating disorder recovery. If you want to learn how to turn your autistic traits into powerful tools on your journey to full recovery, listen to my free training on Autism and Eating Disorders here!