BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Eating For Toddlers => Topic started by: Aishi on January 13, 2015, 12:36:10 pm
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Hello
Dd will be three on sat and still hardly eats any fruit and veg despite being exposed to it daily and seeing me and ds eats tons of it!
She will just about eat sweet corn and likes dried fruit like raisins, dates and very recently figs. Will not touch any other fruit- actually gags at the smell of bananas ::) any tips to encourage fresh fruit and veg?
I managed to sneak some courgette into her today :D by peeling skin and grating it into scrambled eggs topped with cheese (so it just looked like melted cheese). She had no idea lol. So what other mild tasting veg can I trick her into thinking is cheese? I was thinking grated carrots mixed with orange cheddar in scrambled eggs or on top of beans....anything else?
She won't eat veg in curries which is our staple diet and the last time I pureed stuff for pasta sauce she wouldn't touch the pasta either ::)
Thanks for any tips, advice and ideas! xx
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Pureed carrots and yams (pumpkin works too), sweetened just a little bit (and add some cinnamon!) are super-yummy in yogurt; you can also do a savory version with curry and add to yogurt - both my girls loved that when they were younger. Can you get cottage cheese? Pureed broccoli, kale, chard, and spinach go well with the saltiness of the cottage cheese. You can also use things like this to make a "theme meal," where all the food in a meal is green or yellow/orange, for instance?
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Just keep presenting in as many things as possible. Muffins might be good, as she can make them with you.
I really wouldn't go down the route of tricking her, you need to trust her to try new things at her own pace. At her age she is much better at listening to her body than adults, and has none of the hangups about food that we do.
Have you read any of Ellyn Satter's books yet? I'd recommend it!
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She won't eat pureed food even in yoghurt although I haven't tried for a while :-/
Helen so it's ok if she's not eating as much fruit and veg? If she knows it's fruit she won't eat it- it's like she does have a hang up about it! I made carrot muffins with her and she wouldn't even try them....
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I think so. Every body is different, yk? And children do tend to balance themselves out.
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Will she eat broccoli/cauliflower in cheese sauce? One of Js favourites :). What about salad sticks and something to dip in? Making a veg/salad look like a smiley face to make it more 'fun'? Home-made soup?
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Ugh I feel like I'm being awkward but the answer is no to all of those Katherine :( she doesn't care if it's fun to look at or eat :-/
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OK different idea - what DOES she like to eat? Might be some options there you haven't thought about for adding in fruit or veggies :). I agree that kids are often pretty in tune with what their bodies need, but equally if my LOs were refusing fruit and veg I'd be looking for ways to get it into them too x
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I feel like I'm being awkward but the answer is no
I don't think you're being awkward, many of the things mentioned my DS would not want either and he has a hugely varied diet and good appetite, it does depend on what they go for, what they are fussy with and what they have a true dislike of.
The items you mention she will eat, corn, raisins, figs, they are all quite 'dry' on the outside. Perhaps she likes to try things which are not puree/mush/covered in sauce/gravy??
Although dried fruits are even worse for teeth they are a good source of nutrition, especially if she isn't getting fruit/veg elsewhere in her diet often so I'd continue with those which she wil eat and also add to them with new ones. Getting accustomed to trying new foods may lead to trying more new foods.
I would try dried apricot, prunes, dried apple, possibly even the dried banana chips (banana might make her gag but it could be texture?).
Along the lines of the corn, maybe try some garden peas, beans (plain and 'dry')
Will she eat 'chips'? I make a variety of oven baked root veg served as 'chips' DS knows they are not all potato. Carrot, parsnip, turnip, sweet potato, swede etc My thought is that they too can be 'dry' food.
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my kids LOVE cauliflower cheese 'bread', you could try that...http://www.jocooks.com/healthy-eating/cheesy-cauliflower-breadsticks/
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My DS has a serious dislike to cauliflower but I am oddly drawn to try that recipe. Do you know how you'd cook the riced cauli without a microwave?
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My DS has a serious dislike to cauliflower but I am oddly drawn to try that recipe. Do you know how you'd cook the riced cauli without a microwave?
I wonder, you could steam it maybe, if you have a steamer basket with small enough holes to contain the riced cauli.
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We add fruit (pureed or mashed) and veg such as sweet potato, butternut squash or cauliflower to pancake batter and you can hardly taste it, especially if you flavour it with cinnamon or nutmeg.
Grated carrot or pureed pepper can be hidden well in saucy dishes like curry or bolognaise.
Will she eat hummus?
It might be an idea to make different sauces from the veg and then let her dip in it with pasta or potato or even bread.
and what about on pizza? Either in the sauce or grated under the cheese.
Or if you have a steamer Creations you could steam it in a metal or plastic bowl like you can rice.
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I often mix creamed spinach in with curry, pureed cauliflower is a good base for curry too. We also put mashed veg in pancake mix. Banana is nice in there too if she didn't mind the taste as it takes out the texture which is often the gag issue. Chick peas make nice flour alternative in cake. Lentils are yummy in curries and stews too, not too many and it won't affect the texture. What about pickled gerkins, pepper, beetroot?
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If it's a texture thing, would she like raw stuff better? Crunchy apples, carrots etc?
Does she like soup? LO1 loves soups but they need to be 'not blended' as he says. He loves all the small pieces of potato, carrot, to pick up with his spoon. On the not blended point, do you think she'd cope better with things individually rather than mixed up together? So she could clearly see what she was eating?
If she likes pesto, you can make add spinach to the pesto and blend it together. If you get the proportions right, it just tastes like pesto but obviously with an extra nutritional punch. I'm not generally in favour of hiding foods though, I have to say.
Lastly, don't fret. Honestly, as long as you keep modelling the behaviour, I'd say she'll get there in the end.
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if you have a steamer basket with small enough holes to contain the riced cauli.
I've never riced cauli but I imagine it falling through the holes of my steamer. I could use a sieve though and pop a lid over it. Thanks.
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I tell my kids the fruit and veg is in dishes or they see it go in if they are helping me prepare. It is just if they/we don't like the flavour/texture on its own we are happy to eat it for the nutritional benefit if we can serve it in a more palatable way. I don't see it as tricking them.
I couldn't just let my kids not eat any fruit or veg. My older sister has three kids (plus a husband) who don't eat veg at 5, 10 and 14 (and 36) so that would put me off waiting for kids to balance their own diet if left to it. :-\
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Well for starters, I don't really believe in 5 a-day and if you look into it you will find that it was actually started by a load of fruit and veg companies - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1349960/5-day-fruit-vegetables-myth-claims-nutrition-expert.html Not really wanting to debate this - just worth having a look at it.
All that aside though (even before I changed by belief in this!), I agree with MJ&N and don't feel we should be hiding veg in meals and 'tricking' our little ones. I really do just go down the route of preparing food (including veg of course) and letting LJ decide if she wants to eat it or not. Never encouraged her to eat anything and she will try new foods when in the mood, even if she often might spit it out and say it's not nice lol! I really believe in modelling and letting them get on with it. Their body knows what it needs!
I've heard of lots of cauliflower recipes which people love, but taste nothing like it. Very versatile! E.g. http://www.theharcombedietclub.com/forum/showthread.php?16357-OMG-Cauliflower-Mash
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I've never riced cauli but I imagine it falling through the holes of my steamer.
I'm not sure, I don't actually follow a recipe, but the one I posted looked pretty close to what I do. I steam the cauli, but not so it's soggy. You don't want it too wet. Then I just mash it with a potato masher and throw in an egg, oregano, grated cheddar and Parmesan. I spread thinly (1/4 inch) on a parchment lined cookie sheet and back at 475F until crispy. I do a bunch of small breads, almost like square cookies, because the kids like the edges. When it's done I brush with garlic butter, sprinkle more cheese and pop it back in until the cheese is toasted. Voila! We've been cutting back on the cheese gradually, and DH even grated in some broccoli stem the other night. They gobbled it up.
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Sounds good - am going to try it here! xxx
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Sounds great. I have to get up the courage to try it, for DS cauli is one of his very rare true dislikes, I'm not even sure I ought to be trying this as perhaps his body knows it isn't going to suit him. It's such an interesting idea though, I'm intrigued to find out how it tastes.
Whilst I basically don't agree with conning kids into eating food or hiding all the fruit and veg I also (as Ali said) couldn't just not let my DS not eat any fruit or veg. I know full well regardless of my basic beliefs on openly showing him and naming the food he eats if I found myself in that situation I'd be trying to find creative ways to get him to eat some. I did when he wouldn't eat protein, just kept trying everything until he ate some and I'd be the same with any food group.
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That's a lot of ideas! Thanks ladies! I will def try some of those. Whereas I agree with the theory of letting Los regulate there food intake and not hiding stuff I know my dd. she's a stubborn lil thing and i think she's just decided she doesn't like fruit and veg cos I used to insist that she at least try :-/ so now I just offer and she ignores lol
I will keep offering it to her but like pps have said i couldn't just let her not eat any yk? Interesting topic tho :)
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I never used to be much of a "hider" until Natalie wouldn't eat anything BUT grains and the odd meat (and not much of that). Ended up doing a "breakfast smoothie" for her which was rice milk (dairy intolerant) with a rice protein powder added to it. This stuff has greens in it and you'd never ever know it: http://shop.rainbowlight.com/Protein-Energizer-Creamy-Vanilla/p/RBLT-410019&c=RainbowLight@ByName . From the website: "1,225 mg of nourishing green foods, such as kale and spinach, provide whole-food nutrition and fuel for natural energy.* 200 mg of nutrient dense organic spirulina delivers antioxidants, B vitamins, vegetable proteins and is also sustainably harvested." Natalie does eat a pretty varied diet now, but this helped get us thru a period of about a year or more where, to her, veggies just were for plate decoration. ::)
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Very interesting topic!
My DS eats almost everything but one of his real dislikes were peppers and eggplants. I keep him exposed to them as we eat them (even if not often, because as I know he doesn't like I tend not to buy often). Eggplants, he actually started to eat a little, even if he is not a fan of them, when he was 3 or so. But peppers, I thought it was a real dislike, as he could not eat anything where they were included, even if hidden. Since one months a go, when he tried them again and he actually ate few pieces, saying he likes. So, definitely, keep offering, as tastes change a lot over time.
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Just FYI Aishi, in the UK rice milk isn't recommended for LOs under 5yo due to the levels of inorganic arsenic.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/drinks-and-cups-children.aspx#close
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Just FYI Aishi, in the UK rice milk isn't recommended for LOs under 5yo due to the levels of inorganic arsenic.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/drinks-and-cups-children.aspx#close
That's a good point - that research wasn't widely known yet when we started our journey. In retrospect I'd probably use almond milk (I'm allergic to it myself, though.), or you can use regular cows' milk and add a mixer. Thanks for reminding me about that!
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So she wanted mash potatoes with cheese and beans for lunch...I decided to be creative and grated some carrot which she saw me do. I told her it was carrot and she out right refused to try it. So I just added it to the beans as cheese and some mashed cauliflower to the potato.
I know a lot of you feel it's not right to hide food but I wanted to see if she would eat it or whether it really is sensory issue wrt some foods. Anyway she had a hissy fit about the grated carrot cos she thought it was orange cheese (she has white cheddar ::).) I had to pull out the carrots but she ate some wo noticing and honestly she had no idea there were carrots or cauliflower in there. I did tell her that it had carrots in and she was smiling and saying ugh I don't like carrots. And she's taking bites out of my omelette as I type which has the same veg in ::) ::). If I tell her it has veg in she will refuse to eat it. It just seems like a control thing doesn't it?
Eta she just asked for rest of my omelette to eat herself and noticed the carrots. She asked if it was carrots and I said yes you've been eating it with me just now and she just said ok and finished it ! :o :o
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I would put the stress out of it if it is a control thing. Just keep telling her (or with your DS when she can hear) that vegetable and fruit are good for our body, that vitamins help us to see better, and give us strength and attention to play and have fun... And let these concepts settle down in her. Keeping offering but not forcing. If it is a control thing, it will pass when you give back the control.
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Yes, keep offering (just present a range of food and enjoy it!) and nothing else. Hard to do!!!
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One tip about introducing new foods is to introduce it with a favorite taste. if cheese sauce is a favorite, then add the new food to it to help make positive association.
Aishi, sounds like you did well today. :)
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Wow Aishi sounds like you made a real step forward there. Well done! (())
I know there are differing opinions on this thread, and totally respect that (you all know me, right?). I feel if it's a control thing then the best policy has to be complete openess and honesty.
A slightly different approach - have you seen one of these?
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90152999/
LOs seem to go loopy for slices from this magic 'machine'! I use it with apples and pears and for some reason it's so much better than just an apple!
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Thanks Anne. Honestly don't think presenting food in a diff way would entice her. She seems to have got it in her head that fruit and veg are 'sgusting' (disgusting) so refuses to try. Having said that she tried peas at dinner time after I explained they were the ones we grew during summer and she helped pick them so progress!! Maybe I need to engage her more with the where and why's of what she's having...
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The only way J used to eat broccoli was raw from the plants in the garden....gardening might be your "way in."
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Yes, don't you have an allotment? You can get her involved now in choosing what to grow for the year! My DS is going to cover the garden in pumpkins.....
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Hi ladies
Know this is an old thread but issues are the same so thought I'd update here...
Still no progress on eating fresh/ raw/ whole cooked veg or fruit but she will now have pureed veg (tried mushroom, broadband and spinach) in her curry sauce- I just add an ice cube or two to her portion of curry and she has it with whatever meat we're having...
Downside she now doesn't like eating dried fruit ::) ::)
Another positive (kind of) I was having tinned veg soup 😳 and she wanted to try it even after I told her it had veg in and she asked for some for lunch today! I know it has salt and sugars in but once a week is worth it to get extra veg?
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Could you be a bit sneaky and finely chop some extra fresh stuff into it? Or make your own low salt version?
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I could...I'm not much of a cook so I don't hold out much hope she'll like it tho but I can try! I actually had some lamb bones and meat so I'm making a broth out if it (never made it before). Can I use that as stock for veg soup?
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I do that all the time with chicken & turkey and sometimes beef - go for it!
You may want to start by sauteeing or steaming some carrots or green beans or whatever veg and adding to commercially-made soup if she's really hooked on it, though, because the mouthfeel and sodium (and even sugar! :o) in there make it hard to sub in homemade once one is used to it.
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Sure it would be ok....but soup is dead easy to make. Why don't you learn together? It could get her through her student days.
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Lol that's thinking ahead MJN! I may try that.
Shes not used to it Debbie- she's only had it twice! Lol
I gave her some if the broth to try and she spat it out ::) ::)
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Aishi, if I were you, I would just let her have some tinned soup when you have it to get her used to it. There are low sodium version perhaps. There were a few times I made Chinese broth (boiling very long time with meat and veg) and DS finished the whole pan and after a few times, he just didn't want more than a small cup, because I tried to change things up and adding more veg, etc. counterproductive here really.
It reminds me to make the exact same soup as the first time and see if he still likes it.
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You can make really easy soup by just chopping veg quite small and boiling it in water. Not as fancy as making your own broth out of bones but fast and very easy. After all the veg is soft put half in a whizzer if you want a chunkier soup or all if you want it smooth, add a bit of milk if you want it creamer. Add some tom puree to make the whole thing redder.
For flavour (and because she liked the canned soup) I would go heavy on seasoning just not heavy on salt.
Easy and convenient seasoning which adds loads of flavour and makes home made a bit more can-like:
celery powder (or celery seeds which you grind)
onion powder
garlic powder
ground coriander
paprika
and any other herbs plus black/white pepper if she likes it. You can even go salt free or just add a pinch.
With things like celery powder make sure not to get celery salt or if you do get celery salt be aware it's mostly salt so only add a small amount, same with garlic powder/granules not garlic salt.
Like I said, not a fancy recipe at all, but it's soup and easy and flavour full.
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Thanks creations I might try that next time she asks for soup. Do I just boil the veg in few cups of water and add all the spices at the end or at the same time as boiling?
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Those spices you can cook the veg in; they'll absorb the flavor. Adding them at the end would give you a different flavor profile - not necessarily bad, but the veg would absorb the flavors better if cooked in the seasonings.
Exception: I've read to NOT add salt to beans/pulses while cooking because it can toughen them?
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Fry veg until tender, add stock and seasonings and boil. Blend to your preferred consistency. Done!
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Do I just boil the veg in few cups of water and add all the spices at the end or at the same time as boiling?
Throw everything in with some water and cook until the veg are soft. This is not a "recipe" it is "cooking", the absolute easiest of easy.
You can saute onions, you can use fresh garlic, you can boil bones...but you don't *have to*.
I made a sort of cream of tomato soup just by using a can of plum toms or a carton of pasata (it's like 35p, nothing added) some seasoning/flavours (dried garlic etc) and then a dollop of cream cheese. It is not posh in the slightest. But DS never liked soup until fairly recently and that was canned tom soup which has salt and sugar etc, I don't mind it once in a blue moon but would prefer he didn't have that. When he asked for tom soup I made this with what I had in and he was just as happy, and it only took about 5 mins, same length of time to heat a can of soup really.
Fresh veg will take a bit longer, you might need to boil for 10-20 mins depending how big you chop the veg (or you can leave it simmering on low for an hour if you are busy doing something else and a longer cook time fits with your time better). And after pureeing all/half/some you might want to add more water/milk to thin it.
If you don't have a whizzer you can just use a fork or potato masher to mash some of the veg down which is what turns the water thick and soup like. Even vigorous stirring will do it if the veg are long cooked.
And as deb mentioned beans - you can add a can of pre-cooked beans to veg soup (I can canned in water beans/lentils), yummy, or even a can of baked beans (of course you are back to there being some processed stuff in there if it's canned baked beans).
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Just FYI Aishi, in the UK rice milk isn't recommended for LOs under 5yo due to the levels of inorganic arsenic.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/drinks-and-cups-children.aspx#close
:o I was looking at this because we have the same issue as Aishi with food and was very surprised with this.
We`ve been using rice milk for two years now. She like`s that the most of all alternatives. I did some research and some says that if it`s organic it`s ok to drink everyday. What do you think about that?
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I don't think that organic or not makes any difference. From what I understand, the reasons for the presence of arsenic in rice are not known yet (it is not clear where it comes from, as far as I understand), so it is unlikely that the use of a product or of another in the field really makes a difference.
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Re: rice: https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/we-first-heard-the-bad-news-in-2012-rice-contains-103047447432.html
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::) I`m a bit upset with myself about not reading more about rice milk before we started giving it to her. I could try giving cows milk but I dont trust the quality of milk we can get, even if I buy directly from farmers. We`ll have to work with the other alternatives than.
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Why don't you trust cow milk? I mean, it is the same with all industrial products, also soy or almond... except that they are not real milk and don't have animal proteins (which could be kind of good, but all depends of the dose), of course. I mean, at that age you can even stop giving milk if she eats different calcium sources.