More on Eating in Context: Understanding Food Preferences Without Pushing for Change

In a previous post ‘Context Eating: Why We Prefer Specific Foods in Specific Settings’, we explored how some young people and adults alike tend to eat certain foods only in specific situations. This pattern of eating is often referred to as context eating.

You might also be interested in my co-authored book about an Autistic young person and their same food ‘Gabby’s Glimmers’ and my other food blogs such as Why We Need Low Pressure Food Opportunities and How to Get Them to Eat: Rethinking Some Traditional Parenting Strategies

What is Context Eating?

Context eating refers to how our environment and routine shape what, when and how we eat. For many people, eating isn’t just about the food – it’s about the whole experience surrounding the food. This can include:

• Time of day or day of the week: Someone may only eat a particular cereal on weekend mornings.
• Physical setting: A young person may like toast at Nan’s house, or crisps in the car after school.
• Routine: A snack might be linked to the school run or swimming lessons.
• Social context: A certain food might only be eaten when with a particular person like a friend, nanny or sibling.
• Activity-based associations: Popcorn might only be eaten during movies, or ice cream only after a beach trip.

What’s Going On?

For many people, especially neurodivergent or those who find change difficult, context is everything. That food, in that moment, surrounded by familiar sights, smells, people, and routines, feels safe. Take away those surrounding elements, and it’s like offering a completely different food.

The comfort, the predictability, the sensory cues – they’re gone.

Pressure Can Backfire

Another thing to keep in mind: if a person is pressured to eat a food outside its usual context, they may stop eating it altogether. This is true even if they previously loved that food.

The pressure disrupts their sense of safety and control. The food becomes tangled up with stress and they may drop it from their diet entirely, even in the original context where it used to feel okay.

So What Can We Do?

Rather than trying to force a food into a new context, it’s often more effective to:

• Respect the existing food-context links: If crackers only work in the car, that’s okay.
• Use curiosity, not pressure: Observe when and where food is accepted and build on those moments.
• Introduce new foods in gentle, low-pressure ways: For example,
  • A new snack while walking to the park
  • A bite of something crunchy while reading a favourite book
  • A small bowl of something familiar during bath time
  • Something new offered by a trusted adult or friend

These new pairings can help expand a person’s comfort zone, one gentle experience at a time.

The Takeaway? 

For many people, eating is more about context than we realise. Understanding this helps us to work with these patterns. Therefore, we can help build more positive, trusting and flexible relationships with food over time.

Thank you for reading,

Laura Hellfeld

RN, MSN, PHN, CNL

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References and Resources

• Gabby’s Glimmers: An Affirming Story of an Autistic Child and Their Favourite Food, Paperback and Ebook
• Why We Need Low Pressure Food Opportunities, Blog
• How to Get Them to Eat: Rethinking Some Traditional Parenting Strategies, Blog
• Context Eating: Why Selective Eaters Prefer Specific Foods in Specific Situations, Blog