Dieting when I like nothing healthy!!!

My daughter (13) is a picky eater. I've been on a mission to find vegetables she will eat, and am cooking them different ways. I don't like brussel sprouts, but I want to. They taste different depending on how they are cooked. I still have hope that someday I'll find a recipe that I like.

My daughter's range is getting bigger for what she'll eat now. I don't like fish either. I wish I did. Doesn't mean I still won't try it on occasion. I kinda like it if it's fried, so goodbye healthy benefits with that one.

But I'd suggest you just try things that you usually ban, if you see it cooked in a different way.

I load up the stir fry with all kinds of vegetables nobody in my family would normally eat. Once it's all cooked, with a little sauce and some noodles thrown in, nobody can separate the flavors.

Check out "The Sneaky Chef" cookbook on creative ways to get your kids to eat veggies. Mine have no clue that sometimes they are getting 4 servings in one sitting!!

Find different ways to prepare things you "don't like." I hate raw spinach, but I love it steamed and wilted -- it takes on an entirely new flavor.

A calorie deficit is what you need to lose weight but doing that simply by switching to lower calorie versions of unhealthy foods, with no nutritional value, isn't going to do well for you in the long run. You need to be getting the nutrients your body needs, and baked Lays potato chips aren't going to do that.

Picky or not, try new things. You honestly never know what you might like.

A calorie deficit is all that is needed to lose weight. There is no way to spot reduce and the body chooses where the fat will come off first and last. Since you are a very picky eater, eat at a deficit, research for various recipes and maybe try to incorporate new items slowly. Sure, you can eat whatever you want as long as you are in a deficit to lose weight. However, you would be missing out on nutrition.

this. I think you should look into the If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) way of dieting. I also recommend changing your macros to 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat...or at least 30% protein and 30% fat to start with. Do you like eggs and chicken? How about fruit? I am terrible about incorporating veggies, so I usually blend them up and hide them in other foods. Roasted veggies tend to be better than raw. The only raw veggies I eat are in a salad.

Ignore all the eat clean people, and just eat at a deficit until you find things you like.

I remember going a year only eating grilled cheese sammiches. When I was four. So suck it up buttercup. Now that I am a grown up, I sometimes actually eat things that I may not love, but I know are good for me. Except for pickles. Or any thing pickled. Or any food that has been tainted by pickle juice because there was a pickle on my plate when I SPECIFICALLY ASKED that NO PICKLES come near my plate!!! Errhmm. Sorry.

Anyway. Taste buds mature and change as you do. Try new things along with your favorites. Put veggies in a smoothie and sweeten it up with fruit. Yes, you can lose on a deficit. Yes there are no bad foods. BUT, higher quality, healthy food will keep you fuller longer than junk.

Ignore all the eat clean people, and just eat at a deficit until you find things you like.

That's weird, I've read this entire thread and there has not been one person to preach on the "clean eating" bandwagon. Most of the advice is IIFYM or try to incorporate some vegetables for a more nutrient rich diet. Weight loss or not, incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet is a good thing.

Ignore all the eat clean people, and just eat at a deficit until you find things you like.

That's weird, I've read this entire thread and there has not been one person to preach on the "clean eating" bandwagon. Most of the advice is IIFYM or try to incorporate some vegetables for a more nutrient rich diet. Weight loss or not, incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet is a good thing.

I think that response was directly to the OP, not responding to anyone else posting.

The idea behind the OP is you can't lose weight without eating certain foods.

I like:

meats: Chicken, beef (with the exception of hamburger meat), shrimp, pork

fruits: kiwi, banana, apple, strawberry, flavor of blueberry (not the actual whole fruit), Coconut, Lemon, Orange, Pineapple, Lime, Cantaloupe, Grapes

Vegetables: Carrots, Potatoes, Corn, Pinto beans, Cucumber, Garlic

Nuts and Seeds: Almond, Cashew, Peanut, Pecan, Walnut, Sunflower Seeds

Pasta
Rice
Bread

Just seen this post so few suggestions for meal ideas here

Egg noodles with stirfry vegetables, and beef chunks. Use 1 cal spray fat or similar to cook it in a wok.

You have nuts and seeds there - good for snacks.
Same as above, with the fruit.

Additionally with fruit, you can make fruit salad and breakfast smoothies.
I presume you like pastry too, you can make your own from scratch and voila instant fruit pie

You like a nice variety of meat there, you can NEVER go wrong with chicken, thats loaded with protein. Same with pork. You can have those two staples on a plate and fill the rest of the plate with veggies - cucumber and sweetcorn if you want it with a salad, or you can try corn on the cob or simply have a baked potato with it.

Veggies like carrots you can make into soups, I understand carrot and corindar soup is a good one if you can find a recipe and adapt it to your own tastes.

xx

Here lies my BIGGEST issues when dieting... I am a very picky eater!!! I like almost nothing!!! NO JOKE!!! I do not like anything green except cucumbers and pickles. I do not like hardly any vegetables except the ones that aren't that great for me. I do not like fish. Since there isn't a lot I do like and there's even less that is healthy that I do like I quickly get burnt out on healthy things I do like... Do you have any pointers or advice that might help me lose the belly fat? Thanks

First of all, you should NOT be dieting, you should be 'changing your lifestyle.' Dieting implies you're going back to your old ways once you're done...what do you think will happen then? ...Right or wrong, I don't believe in the clean eating thing. I still eat what I want, but in moderation. Have you ever tried protein shakes? I like Syntha-6. One serving consists of 200 cals, lots of protein and other good nutrients and it tastes like ice cream! ) It's a good meal replacement...but I only recommend replacing one meal a day with it.

Good luck!

Here lies my BIGGEST issues when dieting... I am a very picky eater!!! I like almost nothing!!! NO JOKE!!! I do not like anything green except cucumbers and pickles. I do not like hardly any vegetables except the ones that aren't that great for me. I do not like fish. Since there isn't a lot I do like and there's even less that is healthy that I do like I quickly get burnt out on healthy things I do like... Do you have any pointers or advice that might help me lose the belly fat? Thanks

Figure out your calorie goal and eat food you do like until you reach it. To lose weight you just need to be in a deficit. You can do that with just about any foods.

Like storm15918, I'm also a supertaster with texture issues, my major one being that I cannot stand the texture of meat, all meat. I can't stomach coffee or sweets. Give me salt over sugar any day. I have problems with acidic things like tomatoes because sometimes the acid taste is overwhelming. Alcohol is pretty much a no-go. I cannot eat broccoli raw because it is unbelievably bitter to me, although I can eat it if it's well-steamed. Likewise, I can't eat cabbage or Brussels sprouts raw (too bitter), but I've come to a point where I can eat them happily when prepared in certain ways. Kale is...very problematic. Even if blended into a smoothie with fruit to "cover it up", I can still taste the bitterness of the kale very clearly (and it does NOT blend well with the fruit sugar) when non-supertasters can't taste it at all. I force myself to eat it raw, with some dressing that helps with the bitterness, taking it like medicine.

So, yes, not all people are the same when it comes to tasting, and "picky eating" is not always a case of needing to grow up...although I agree that sometimes it can be. It can also be that people have psychosomatic reactions to certain foods. When I was a kid, I once got sick after eating spaghetti, and it all came back up again. It was years before I could eat spaghetti without gagging. Totally a psychological reaction, and I knew it, but still not one that I could necessarily control. So...people need to get off their high horses and remember that not everyone is just like them.

And looking at the OP's preferences, I see a marked preference for bland and not overly-sweet. I strongly suspect she is a supertaster. If she reads this and maybe sees herself in my preferences above, that would be further evidence. There are also at-home tests you can do. Possibly a quarter of the population are supertasters, many of them women, and most describe themselves as "picky eaters" precisely because taste affects them far more profoundly than it affects normal tasters and non-tasters. If you're not one, you don't know what it's like. Basically, telling a supertaster to "get over" their avoidance of foods that taste really bad to them is like telling a diabetic to "get over" the fact that sugar affects them badly.

THAT said, given the OP's preferences, there are plenty of healthy, satisfying meals that she could make, and anything that is in deficit because of her food preferences can be made up with supplementation. Even though stuff isn't absorbed as well from supplements, it's better than nothing. To the OP I say go on a hunt through the internet for recipes. Many sites have searches where you can put in ingredients you like/have on hand and it will spit out recipes for you. Have a look. And DO try new things. Even if you are a supertaster, it IS possible to become accustomed to certain things if you work at it and if you want to. I WANT to like kale because it's so nutrient-dense and calcium-rich, but...*sigh*

I learn to like it. I gag when I eat foods I don't like (aka Onion and mushy vegetables and fruits). What I do is I stick it in my mouth and wash it down with water. That's only when I'm forced to eat it(family dinner, etc.) but whatever healthy foods I do like, I eat as much as I can of. Also, adding different sauces and toppings to things like peanut butter to apples or celery is a good way to start eating healthy.

Good advice!

Hi Danielle,

Considering that you need to get rid of a belly fat I would advise the following:
1 – The first and the main thing is to strengthen your abdominal muscles. If you are interested I can provide you with more info on exact exercises.
2 - You need to eat if not vegetables than quite many fruits and dairy products (e.g. yogurts and yogurt drinks). And less floury goods like bread, pizza, pasta etc.

I hope this helps
Good luck!

My daughter (13) is a picky eater. I've been on a mission to find vegetables she will eat, and am cooking them different ways. I don't like brussel sprouts, but I want to. They taste different depending on how they are cooked. I still have hope that someday I'll find a recipe that I like.

My daughter's range is getting bigger for what she'll eat now. I don't like fish either. I wish I did. Doesn't mean I still won't try it on occasion. I kinda like it if it's fried, so goodbye healthy benefits with that one.

I wouldn't worry too much about your daughters veg intake just now, I was an extremely fussy eater as a child, it took me until late 20's to develop palate that could deal with the food that i couldn't stand when i was a child (most of it was texture orientated but some like tomatoes and mushrooms i still can't eat as i don't like the texture or the taste). She will probably grow out of it, the best thing to do is NOT make a massive fuss about it, my dad was a complete and utter nightmare and made dinner hell for me as he couldn't understand why i didn' tlike things or almost threw up (usually ended up throwing up properly).

My MIL was very understanding when she first met me and made sure there were alternatives for me, but let me try her plate to see if i now liked things. She has reduced my dislikes massively, i now eat most berries (i never ate any!) my step mum got me to like strawberries by putting black pepper on them to bring out the taste (trust me it works! just an all over sprinkle, leave for 10 mins or so and they taste amazing!). There are still things i don't like or they have to be a particular persons version for me to eat it (aunt's lasagne or MILs rhubarb crumble) but i eat far more veg now too. i used to hate brussel sprouts but i love them now, still hate tomatoes unless they are in soup or sauce form, and mushrooms are just filth

I'm stil bad with fruit as i have to be in the mood for other things, but i eat an apple and a nana everyday. i make sure my veg is my biggest intake and make sure there are at least 2 different ones in my dinner, i eat celery and/or carrots and pb for my snack at work.

as long as your are getting enough vits and minerals from your food then there is no reason to have a large list of things you will eat as long as you can make the things you do not get too boring. I make sure i have multivits and EAA's supplements a few times a week just in case (no one needs to take them more than that, everything you need should come from diet primarily, supplements are just that, added extras for those of us who can't eat what we need to). I also have protein shakes once to twice a day just to avoid having to think about trying to find something quick and healthy for a meal or for early brekkie when food is just not needed yet.

btw, you don't need to eat fish, just up your flax (linseed) intake, there are plenty of other and better sources for what fish provide just google it. Seafood is one of the worst managed and biggest environmentally damaging commercial foods out there (read Taras Grescoes - Dead Seas). If you don't catch it yourself or just eat 'cod' or tinned rubbish then most of the time it's not worth eating. I don't like it, but if i did i wouldn't touch it with someone elses.

good luck with your daughter and OP you too!