Hiding fruit and veg

[Aishi]

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 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

[deb]

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?

[michaeljacknnugg]

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!

[Aishi]

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....

[michaeljacknnugg]

I think so. Every body is different, yk? And children do tend to balance themselves out.

[jessmum46]

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? 

[Aishi]

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 :-/

[jessmum46]

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

[creations]

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.

[zeri]

my kids LOVE cauliflower cheese 'bread', you could try that...http://www.jocooks.com/healthy-eating/cheesy-cauliflower-breadsticks/

[creations]

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?

[deb]

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.

[*Ali*]

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.

[Khalam's Mama]

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?

[weaver]

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.