This is an open letter to Atkins and Simply Good Foods USA, Inc. regarding the Atkins® Mocha Latte Shake.
To whom it may concern,
Greetings, my name is Tessa and I am an autistic 30-year-old parent who works full time as a programmer. I am writing to you to share my displeasure with your recent change in the recipe for the Atkins Mocha Latte Protein Shake.
We recently updated our packaging for the Café Caramel and Mocha shakes to be in line with our Iced Coffee Protein shakes. The shakes have been reformulated to include an additional amount of caffeine, equivalent to a cup of coffee, which is consistent with our other Iced Coffee Protein shakes.
—Christine N., Atkins Web Support Staff (Aug. 23 and Sept. 15, 2021)
Here’s the thing: your mocha latte shakes have been my “same food” every morning for more than five (5) years. I have an Amazon subscription that automatically orders four (4) of your 8-packs every month, which has gone through 19 times.
I’ve praised this product in many autistic and disability-led support groups including recently on TikTok at the beginning of this month when talking about what one of my same foods are.
I don’t talk about it as a meal replacement for a diet, but instead, it helps me with my eating disorder called Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (AFRID). It’s quite common in autistic people.
Your shake’s old recipe had a flavor and texture that accommodated my disorder, something that the Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Original Nutritional Drink and SlimFast Original Shake I tried prior to discovering Atkins both failed to do.
Your competitors had a chalky taste that lingered long after finishing it or the thick texture that felt like slime in my mouth. This disorder makes me gag, choke, and cry when it convinces me that something I am eating is poison. It’s embarrassing.
So when I found your shake, it felt like a miracle; a burden was lifted! It didn’t trigger my AFRID response. Knowing I could just drink your shake in the morning also removed the stress and anxiety that revolved around the executive functions it took to make breakfast. Your drink literally helps my daily mental health.
So please, imagine the horror I experienced when my shipment arrived this month in a new box with the terrifying label, “New Look & Great Taste.” Actually, you don’t have to imagine it because I made a TikTok about that too.
I know we can “joke” all day and night about how much I’m being a stereotypical autistic by being incredibly upset about this “minor change,” (“haha, look at the autistic’s insistence on sameness!”) but please understand that it is not minor to me.
If this recipe is here to say, I can’t even be sorry that I won’t be your customer anymore because I’ll be too stressed struggling with my weak cognitive flexibility, working memory, and sensory aversions every morning on top of just trying to survive this pandemic.
I wish this world was built so people like me could thrive instead of just survive. Your small part in that would be most welcoming. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Tessa Watkins (they/them)
Autistic Self-Advocate
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on , and was last reviewed on . Atkins responded! I’ll write an article with the update shortly.
