Child- food issues and vegetarian

littlebug

We’ve always had a relaxed attitude to food in our house. I don’t believe in forcing a child to eat anything or punishing them for not eating something and I think that if good food is there and available for them they will form a healthy diet. This worked well with our eldest who eats a good balanced diet and isn’t afraid to try new things. Sure we thought we were great to have got it so right! My son on the other hand....:rolleyes:

His diet consists of bread, milk, cheese, cereal, certain yogurts and...... I’m actually struggling to think of anything else:( Note there is no meat, fruit or vegetables. Oh he will drink Orange juice But not freshly squeezed or home made. I do think he may be mildly dyspraxic and some of his fussiness is texture related. Some of it is complete aversion. Some of it is general child fussiness e.g liking/ disliking a different cereal from week to week.

He will eat chicken very very occasionally. His fussiness extends to treats... for the most part he doesn’t eat chocolate, sweets or ice cream, there are maybe 2-3 types of biscuits that he will eat and some crisps. He will occasionally drink milk shakes but not the ones I make, probably because you can still see bits of fruit in them. It doesn’t bother him in the slightest if everyone else is eating something nice and he gets nothing so the “you’ll only get a treat if you eat x” has never worked.
He likes “chunky” food that he can hold so no sauces or squishy things (yogurt being the exception. I try to get fortified cereals and let him eat ligas (though maybe a bit strange at his age). When I think of it I don’t think he has ever eaten red meat. Even as a baby he turned it away. He loves to help with the cooking but still won’t eat it. I thought maybe planting and growing vegetables himself might work but no.

Ideas?... he’s nearly 6 now and i’m running out of them. He is a clever little clogs, reads very well and is a little factoid machine so for one thing I’ve wondered about a book to teach him about nutrition which might lead him to make some food decisions for himself. He likes to know “the science bits” so if such a book targeted at children exists it might be good for him.
I’m thinking of trying to hide a dash of carrot juice in his orange juice but other than that I can’t see any other ways of sneaking good food into him.
I have no problem with him being a vegetarian if that’s what he chooses (and the meat/ fish thing seems to be a decision rather than aversion at the minute) but only if he eats a reasonably balanced diet besides.
Aside from his food issues he’s a happy, sensible, well behaved and apparently healthy little boy who is on the upper end of the growth curve for both height and weight.
So what am I asking for ( a lot actually- sorry)
1. Ideas on what nutrients he is missing out on and creative ideas taking into consideration his texture issues.
2. Maybe there are some foods that he might like that might compensate I haven’t thought of since I’m not vegetarian?
3. Recommended child targeted book on nutrition. He can easily handle books for reading age 8 + and probably well beyond with some help and explanations.

Dixie Chick

Hiya, I dont have much advice really but as I child I was like this and my mother used to be in an awful way. Eventually she brought me to the supermarket and let me pick out my own stuff, within reason and i started to eat cold chicken drumsticks from the chilled section and eventually came around to liking veg as a young teen.

littlebug

Thanks Dixie chick. I float between panic and thinking I have to do something about this and thinking " ah he'll sort himself out eventually". At the minute his supermarket choices usually end up with him going all out and getting paninis or ciabatta rather than regular bread:D. However, it is still him choosing something different for himself so that's a good thing.

Dixie Chick

Well I would eat anything now so I personally sorted myself out. Does he like eggs, babybells and stuff like that? or is it a case, he might like them this week and turn his nose up the next week?

littlebug

Dixie Chick wrote: »

Well I would eat anything now so I personally sorted myself out. Does he like eggs, babybells and stuff like that? or is it a case, he might like them this week and turn his nose up the next week?

He doesn't like eggs but there again the older child doesn't either. When I say he eats cheese I mean one particular type of cheese (One block cheese and one type of cheese slices). It's been the same ones for maybe a year now. he will try other types but as soon as he realises it tastes even slightly different he puts it down and won't take any more.

In terms of on-off things that's really only with cereals but I think it's probably as much to do with getting fed up of the same old same old as being fussy.

If I thought he was actually healthy enough with what he is eating I'd be more content to let it go, keep doing what we're doing (always sit at table, no battles, always offer etc).
I think iron is the biggy that's missing. I just don't know enough about nutrition to know if he's getting enough from e.g cheerios, milk etc without foods with higher iron content.

rantyface

I never ate meat either and still don't. Most cereals and breads are fortified with iron so he should be ok. Offer him the healthier cereals. Oats are good for protein and iron if he won't eat meat. You can make oat pancakes that he could pick up and eat with his hands. They can be thick and bready or thin like crepes. If he eats a LOT of dairy he could be getting a good bit of protein from that too. Will he eat nuts?

Maybe the best way to find out if he's getting enough iron is to get a blood test. They only need to prick his finger.

littlebug

Thanks Rantyface. I'd forgotten about oat pancakes. Thick bready ones would be good. He does eat regular pancakes so that might just work! I think i have a recipe somewhere.

neuro-praxis

If you're making pancakes you can adjust them to sneak in lots of ingredients - oats as suggested, but also eggs and pureed fruit and vegetables. For example, pumpkin pancakes are very popular in the US, but a good sub for pumpkin here is butternut squash. Maybe it's a long shot but it's worth a go. Another idea is "meal muffins" - muffins with egg, grated carrots, courgettes etc. cooked into them. There are lots of recipes on the net. They're quite bready so he might be interested.

At least with the dairy he is getting lots of calcium, protein and fat all in one go.

Could you get grains, seeds and oats into home-made bread for him?

Just one more suggestion. Perhaps it would be worth giving him a kid-focused education on what his body needs to grow and be healthy, and follow this up with a new meal time rule: he must TRY new foods. If he does not like them then fine - but he must TRY them. I have friends who have implemented this with their fussy daughter and slowly her palate is widening.

Good luck.

littlebug

Thanks Neuro praxis. Good ideas there. The meal muffins are worth a shot ... I might get away with sneaking something in there.
The more obvious "stuff" there is on his bread the less likely he is to eat it. It's almost funny to watch as he turns a slice over and over checking for errant seeds before he risks eating it :rolleyes:

theg81der

Hi littlebug!

All I can offer to console is that I have a relative who`s mentally disabled and we were concerned about her because she eat soooo little - wheatabix, cheese and onion sandwiches, carrots and spuds and chocolate to be precise. We eventually managed to get a blood test done assuming she`d be deficient in something and she was absolutely perfectly balanced in everything - no idea how that can be possible. So your son is eating what he needs instinctively so don`t worry.

figrolls

Yeah I wish I had more adivse to give, but all I can say is my brother was pretty much the exact same and to be honest isnt a whole lot better at 27...

He ate all around him til he was about 4, there was literally nothing that he wouldnt eat, my mum couldnt keep him full at all. then after a bad throat infection it all stopped. He lived on cereals, triangle cheese,set yoghurt and bread. He's now a bit better and eats eggs and sometimes rasher, sausages or sausage rolls.

When he went to donate blood my mother was full sure they wouldnt allow him as his iron would be too low but its never been a problem.

My mum thinks he damanged his taste buds when he was sick that time, as people with low tastebuds tend to go towards breads and cheeses, things with a certain texture.

But its never held him back in any way or really bothered him to be honest.
Im amazed that he is as nutrionally balanced as he is, but so the blood tests say!

The only book I could recommend that might be of any interest to you is this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/006176793X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280314812&sr=8-2

Not sure if it'll be any way relevant though...

Ever2010

I'm veggie and would eat lentils, quorn, beans etc for protein. How is he on soup?

Another idea might be to get a little veg patch growing? Slightly late in the season now but you could do a few bits and then next spring plant more. My friend's little boy (3) eats nothing but sausages, chicken nuggets and sweetcorn at home - at our house he walks around the garden eating peas, cherry tomatoes and blueberries & strawberries. He's helped me plant & water everything from day one. Might be worth a try?

littlebug

Ever2010 wrote: »

I'm veggie and would eat lentils, quorn, beans etc for protein. How is he on soup?

Another idea might be to get a little veg patch growing? Slightly late in the season now but you could do a few bits and then next spring plant more. My friend's little boy (3) eats nothing but sausages, chicken nuggets and sweetcorn at home - at our house he walks around the garden eating peas, cherry tomatoes and blueberries & strawberries. He's helped me plant & water everything from day one. Might be worth a try?

lentils, beans etc come under his "squishy food category so no go. We have also tried the veg patch. He loves getting involved and planting, watering etc but has no interest in trying them. Same with cooking, loves helping but has no interest in eating it.
I'll give the pancakes a go and see how we get on.

Khannie

I do the oat pancakes for breakfast most mornings. I sneak all sorts into them. Vitamin D, fibre, egg, cottage cheese, sometimes a banana. They're a great way to start the day. You might find them a bit runny unless you use a lot of oats or (my preference) add some psyllium husk. It is best to leave the oats soaking overnight (for a variety of reasons).

Kids will generally eat dairy, carbs, carbs and more carbs given the option and who could blame them? Not me! We've reduced the amount of stuff in the house that we dont want the little one to eat and upped the amount of stuff that we do want her to eat. "There's no bread left" is hard to argue with. Followed up with "Would you like a nice apple instead?" makes for a very effective double whammy.

littlebug

Khannie wrote: »

I do the oat pancakes for breakfast most mornings. I sneak all sorts into them. Vitamin D, fibre, egg, cottage cheese, sometimes a banana. They're a great way to start the day. You might find them a bit runny unless you use a lot of oats or (my preference) add some psyllium husk. It is best to leave the oats soaking overnight (for a variety of reasons).

Thanks Khannie, i've bookmarked the oat pancake thread

Khannie

I'm eating a lot of them these days. Fighting Sunday week and they're just about a complete meal in a snack. I'm amazed I haven't gotten sick of them yet.

rantyface

You can get these toasted chickpeas and lentils in asian shops that are like a savoury snack/crisp type treat. Apparently they're easy to make too.

If you've ever had bombay mix, it's the same idea as the lentils in it.

Cats.Whiskers

littlebug wrote: »

I do think he may be mildly dyspraxic .

I do hope you find a solution your childs limited diet. Perhaps the above statement of yours could hold the solution and then you could try and find out from parents in a similiar situation how they expanded their childs range of food.

littlebug

Well the rest of us LOVED the pancakes :rolleyes: but his majesty just looked at me like I was crazy "eh you KNOW I don't like homemade pancakes" :rolleyes: and no amount of cajoling/ explaining that these were "different" pancakes would make a difference. I'll just keep trying...

Cats.Whiskers wrote: »

Perhaps the above statement of yours could hold the solution and then you could try and find out from parents in a similiar situation how they expanded their childs range of food.

True. It's hard to say....he is a complex little individual.

niceoneted

IN one sense I had to laugh when reading this thread as it brings back so many memories from childhood.
I didn't like meat so much and one sister hated veg so we would swap meat for veg sneakily at the table.
My brother would only eat about 5 things, chicken nuggets, chicken pieces, burnt steak, chips and apples. oh and he drank so much milk the parents joked about getting a dairy cow for the back garden. My mother always fretted about him - she used to make pancakes and french toast - to try and get some egg into him and she had some other clever tricks which I just cannot think of.

Anyway that same brother now has such a wide diet it's unreal, it started when he left home - when no one fussed over what he ate and he was in control of his own eating. He is also vegetarian now, no meat and no dairy, I think he might eat a little cheese never milk (he drank enough for a lifetime as a child).

What about getting a childs multi vitamin tablet so as you ensure he is getting what he needs. Also maybe less fuss and let him select things in the supermarket (again without either affirming/praising his choice or putting it down). My brother was also very bright.

Good luck with it. I think the less fuss attention there is about it the more likely he will adapt. (my brother thinks this is why he changed when he left home)