I have heard stories of children who only eat "white foods" -- white bread, white cheese (mozzarella, etc), milk, ice cream. I've heard about kids who don't eat meat. These so-called picky eaters...I was always convinced that these kids had parents who were falling down on the job. I mean, seriously. What kind of kid only eats white food?
Then, I had my own children.
Hello. My name is Beth and my daughter is a picky eater. The list of foods this child will eat is ridiculous. Mac and cheese, pb&j, McDonald's hamburgers, bagel (untoasted only), toaster waffles, bananas, the occasional apple, pancakes....we're getting close to the end of the list. It would be much longer if I started including things like cookies, ice cream, etc. I think we are at a crisis point -- she won't eat any vegetables. Not one. She won't eat any meat, save the occasional McD's hamburger. I've read books, articles and blogs. We've tried the "offer it a million times, surely she'll eat it eventually approach." Doesn't work. We've tried the "bribe with treats" approach. Doesn't work. We've tried the "go to bed hungry if you don't like what we're eating" approach. Doesn't work. I think if you closely examined this child's blood, you find she is largely made up of sugar and carbohydrates. You will also find that she has a very strong will and she knows when I'm trying some kind of fancy reverse psychology on her. I have no idea where she picked up that quality.
When Cate was born, I resolved that she wouldn't be a picky eater. I've always been adventurous when it comes to food. I like to try new things. I love cooking. I was looking forward to sharing that with her. I abandoned that dream. Now, I just want to get the child some proper nutrition. She needs protein, veggies, fruit.
Last night, Stephen suggested maybe we should consult a nutritionist. Are we crazy? Are a lot of kids like this? For now, I'm going to figure out how to hide vegetable puree in toaster waffles.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Picky Eater
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2 comments:
Beth, hopefully you are still ecstatic about getting comments on your blog. I was absolutely going to suggest going to see a nutritionist, but I personally have only dealt two types. The first nutritionist we met was at the hospital/doctor setting - she was a great person, but her only concern was that Quentin was getting enough CALORIES and fluids, not necessarily in the correct balance because we couldn't be particular in a critical situation. "Thriving" and weight gain are not the only nutritional concerns a parent should have about their child. The second nutritionist we saw specializes in childhood epidemics, like asthma, allergies, autism and ADHD. He really knows about food quality, nutritional deficiencies, and why a child would crave sugars (usually a yeast overgrowth thing). I would just recommend someone closer to the second type, and wish you the best of luck.
One more comment...you probably have already heard about Jessica Seinfeld's book "Deceptively Delicious" (http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/0061251348) that should help you hide that veggie puree in waffles! I think in the book she makes suggestions like pureeing cauliflower to put in mac and cheese ;)
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