Anyone Else Have Kids That Are Finicky Eaters?

DaveJ_43
DaveJ_43 Posts: 139 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What kinds of nutritious foods can you sneak onto their plates?

Lately, mine have been going for Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks if I call it "Chocolate Milk."

Have a wonderful day, fitness peeps! :happy:

Replies

  • academical
    academical Posts: 35
    My youngest son is a picky eater, and I cannot sneak ANYTHING healthy onto his plate... his selections aren't all that varied, and the food is all pre-processed. Blue box mac and cheese, bagel bites, frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, pop tarts... and that's pretty much the extent of his diet. I try to get him to try healthier foods when I have custody of him, but he'll have nothing of it. I've even tried making real, healthier chicken nuggets... no go.

    So yeah, I've got a fussy eater on my hands, and he's 15!
  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
    Well for example I blend carrots and bell peppers and add in spaghetti, no one knows it's there!! Mushrooms can be chopped and added as well..
    Also this might sound crazy but my whole family drinks this like candy:
    One pineapple
    2 banana's and a handful of spinach blended, no one can tell the sinach is there and also makes a good popcicle..

    I am good at being sneaky as my daughter and husband are picky.
  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
    Also you sometimes have to stick to your guns, serve the food and if it's not eaten then it's not eaten, trust me they won't starve, it took my daughter a while but she learned and now she loves all the healthy foods I put on her plate!!
  • Fat_2_Fit_Mommy
    Fat_2_Fit_Mommy Posts: 569 Member
    Well for example I blend carrots and bell peppers and add in spaghetti, no one knows it's there!! Mushrooms can be chopped and added as well..
    Also this might sound crazy but my whole family drinks this like candy:
    One pineapple
    2 banana's and a handful of spinach blended, no one can tell the sinach is there and also makes a good popcicle..

    I am good at being sneaky as my daughter and husband are picky.
    bump I am going ot have to try this for my picky eater
  • tmiqueen
    tmiqueen Posts: 254 Member
    I used to tell my son that broccoli was chopped green beans. He loved green beans but refused broccoli. He never knew the difference.

    For older kids, my mom used this one on me (I was SUPER finicky as a kid): The Three Bite Rule.
    The three bite rule is that you have to take three bites of a particular vegetable before you're allowed to refuse more.
    I used to HATE beets with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. Now I love them!

    If your kids need flavor, experiment with herbs and spices that will make bland veggies more palatable.
  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
    Well for example I blend carrots and bell peppers and add in spaghetti, no one knows it's there!! Mushrooms can be chopped and added as well..
    Also this might sound crazy but my whole family drinks this like candy:
    One pineapple
    2 banana's and a handful of spinach blended, no one can tell the sinach is there and also makes a good popcicle..

    I am good at being sneaky as my daughter and husband are picky.
    bump I am going ot have to try this for my picky eater

    Yes it works, and most kids love spaghetti!
    You add fruit to oatmeal, you can add banana's to cereal...
    My daughter loves to dip things in ranch, cold cooked chicken, carrots, snap peas, tomatoes..Celery with peanut butter and raisins...
  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
    One last thing call broccoli, broccli trees it's more appealing to kids!
  • Autumn15
    Autumn15 Posts: 213
    I have 2 but one is worse than the other. I make them try different things even ifit's only a spoon full because you never know when their taste might change and they will start liking new things. They both have actually learned to eat things they thought they would hate and tolerate others they never would ahve tried. However, I also let them spit something out in the trash if it really grosses them out because my son has a sensitive gag reflex that I know not to test. lol
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
    My brothers and I were major picky eaters. My brothers still are at 22. A big part of the problem was steamed/boiled veggies: they had no flavor. Try "Theme" nights maybe to introduce new foods. Healthy mexican, japanese, french meals while playing some cultural music and dressing up is hokey, but it can work. I hated alot of foods my parents cooked for us, but you know what? It was either eat it or don't eat anything at all, so we ate what we were served. You are the one cooking, you get to pick what gets eaten.
  • PlanetVelma
    PlanetVelma Posts: 1,223 Member
    Well for example I blend carrots and bell peppers and add in spaghetti, no one knows it's there!! Mushrooms can be chopped and added as well..
    Also this might sound crazy but my whole family drinks this like candy:
    One pineapple
    2 banana's and a handful of spinach blended, no one can tell the sinach is there and also makes a good popcicle..

    I am good at being sneaky as my daughter and husband are picky.
    bump I am going ot have to try this for my picky eater

    Yes it works, and most kids love spaghetti!
    You add fruit to oatmeal, you can add banana's to cereal...
    My daughter loves to dip things in ranch, cold cooked chicken, carrots, snap peas, tomatoes..Celery with peanut butter and raisins...

    I've done this...lol grinded up veggies and put them in spaghetti sauce (you can do this with lasagna too!). Also you can make homemade meatballs and grind up spinach, carrots, etc.... and add them to your meatball mix.

    When I make oatmeal for my son I cook a banana in it, it makes it really creamy and adds a bit of sweet flavor. I then add a tablespoon of peanut butter (yum!).

    We also have a rule at dinner - basically they have to try new stuff. They don't have to like it but they have to try it if we're having it for dinner. My son had a real sensitive gag reflex, but eventually he outgrew it, now he will try just about anything!

    Also you could try grilling veggies, my kids like veggies better if they're grilled...well except asparagus. LOL
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Is there another kind of kid?

    We do the carnation instant breakfast thing too. Yogurts for healthy snacks. Baked beans for fiber and a little protein. Dole makes a "freeze pop" that is all/mostly natural fruit... better than an artificial/sugary popsicle. We also have tacos a lot... I control what they put in them and they end up being pretty healhy - lean ground beef, low fat cheese, fat free refried beans, salsa, whole wheat soft shells.

    My kids could probably live on fruit so I don't worry too much about it.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    Don't offer them alternatives to healthy food. If they don't eat what you cook, take it away and offer it to them again if they complain that they're hungry. They'll soon get used to it.

    No child who has access to nutritious food has ever starved to death. Ever.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Is there another kind of kid?

    Yes.
    Don't offer them alternatives to healthy food. If they don't eat what you cook, take it away and offer it to them again if they complain that they're hungry. They'll soon get used to it.

    No child who has access to nutritious food has ever starved to death. Ever.

    Quoting for emphasis.
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    Is there another kind of kid?

    Yes.
    Don't offer them alternatives to healthy food. If they don't eat what you cook, take it away and offer it to them again if they complain that they're hungry. They'll soon get used to it.

    No child who has access to nutritious food has ever starved to death. Ever.

    Quoting for emphasis.

    Exactly. It's a battle of wills and it's almost always the parent who fails. There should never be an alternative to healthy food given. Kids can't hold hunger strikes longer than a few meals and in the end they'll be eating something healthy.

    And yes, I am a parent. Last night my daughter and I split and entire stalk of brussels sprouts because she has only known life where she eats what I eat. Funny how she loves it.
  • dayzeerock
    dayzeerock Posts: 918 Member
    My brother and I were picky eaters, and my parents were health nuts. They would not give into us, and guess what? We're still alive and well. If we didn't want what the adults were having, we could go hungry. Our choice. I promise if the unhealthy option disappears for good out of the pantry/freezer, your child will start eating better.
  • tammykoon
    tammykoon Posts: 298 Member
    My oldest son will be 13 next month. So, I will have a starving picky eater on my hands, yay me! We have tried everything, even counseling. He kept having bowel blockages from lack of fiber. So, our new eating habits have been quite a shock for him. The rule her for dinner now is... Eat or don't eat but this is ALL there is for dinner. Now extra meals for pickiness.

    We have found an odd but useful way to expand his "acceptable" food list. We hit the local Sam's Club for samples. I have no idea why but he has been more willing to try sample sized bites of the oddest foods. It has actually helped him be more adventurous.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    My kids are picky. They still have to try one bite of everything on the table. It's not asking too much. They've found all kinds of yummy new favorites this way, like raw baby spinach, and lima beans.
  • Quiltmania
    Quiltmania Posts: 59
    What kinds of nutritious foods can you sneak onto their plates?

    Lately, mine have been going for Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks if I call it "Chocolate Milk."

    Have a wonderful day, fitness peeps! :happy:

    My kids have always had 2 options -- eat what is served or go hungry. They may have chosen to go hungry a few times but they did not starve. With any new food, they had to at least try a bite. They are now pretty adventurous eaters and like all kinds of things.
  • kennethmgreen
    kennethmgreen Posts: 1,759 Member
    Don't offer them alternatives to healthy food. If they don't eat what you cook, take it away and offer it to them again if they complain that they're hungry. They'll soon get used to it.

    No child who has access to nutritious food has ever starved to death. Ever.
    Yaaaaaaa!!!! Yes. This ^^^^^^

    With a few exceptions (health problems like severe allergies), "picky eater" is a LEARNED behavior.

    Provide healthy food choices. Period. Stop thinking of sneaking food onto plates and talk to you kids about healthy food choices. If you are reading this, and on MFP, you already have a good resource for healthy eating choices.

    Sure, it's much harder to start after years of learning to be a picky eater. But it can be done. I worked at a children's emergency shelter for two years (kids brought in by CPS). It was 24hr care, all meals, etc., age range: infant to teenagers. Food habits ranging from digging through trash cans to nothing but chips, soda and Snickers all day. They were offered healthy food choices. It was shocking at first. Eventually, they come around. You just have to be patient.

    For all you single parents and/or parents that share custody - you have my respect. It can harder, especially if the kids get whatever they want when with the other parent. But it can be done.

    Sorry to be preachy. This is one that hits home for me.

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