Re: Anyone here with picky-eater kids?

[Guest guest]

My grandfather told me lima beans taste like ice cream. Suffice it to say,

that only worked once.

My mom just told me I couldn't leave the table if I didn't finish my

broccoli. If that didn't work, I had to finish it by such and such a time and

the fam

would just sit around the kitchen watching me watch the clock and if I didn't

eat it I was sequestered in a given room with no tv or desert or anything for

a while.

*shrug* they don't have to eat if they don't want to.

chris

[Guest guest]

Maybe it would help to give them a CHOICE of food, but it has to be out of a

few good things.

For example, they get to choose their own vegetable, or what have you. But

if they pick it they have to eat it, period. That way they think they picked

it instead of you! Dunno if it would work, but it's an idea.

Chris

[Guest guest]

This may not be what you were looking for but simply ignoring them

is quite effective. Serve what you serve and let them complain.

Don't attempt to debate or negate their complaining. Many times its

just complaining for its own sake. Their complaining does no harm

(its horribly annoying) but still no harm. So at least some of the

time let 'em whine. Its an excellent opportunity to learn for them

on all kinds of levels. I think you're doing great!

Also you might try some NT style recipies that they may find awesome.

Chocolate Egg Nog, Ice creams, home made soaked flour pizzas with

all the toppings, frozen fruit smoothies, pancakes, etc... while it

may not be perfect its likely if they're into junk, they're into

sweet, so make 'em something that they'll love. Don't tell them

what's in it, don't tell them its good for them, just make them

something they'll love for no good reason. This will A. demonstrate

to them that it can in fact be awesome for you and awesome tasting

at the same time and B. that you're goal in life is NOT to make them

eat gross food that tastes bad.

Think of it like a drug dealer start surprizing them out of the blue

with some of these remarkable things that will be good for them yet

they'll be begging for more when its gone. If you need to really

sweeten them up, don't skimp on the natural sweeteners. Once you

get them hooked (and you will) they'll be coming back for more and

from there you can begin cutting some of the sweetener if necessary.

DMM

Ps- Sally and I are in disagreement on Chocolate. I'd recommend

using cocoa in the recipies that call for carob. I think carob

tastes like s^(%. Sally's carob chip recipie without the chocolate

extract and cocoa in place of carob makes an AWESOME crunchy magic

shell on ice cream. If your kids don't like this then you must have

severely damaged them with too much yoplait. ;-)))))

> Any ideas for what to make for kids who complain (and I mean

> HORRIBLY complain - like constant, all through the meal, until I

> lose my mind & send them to bed complaining!) about anything that

> tastes either bitter or sour or pungent? It took a couple weeks

of

> my INSISTING that my daughter drink the unhomogenized milk whether

> she liked or not before she figured out that it tastes okay - I

> TOLD her that it takes a while to get used to new things, but that

> still didn't quell the crying, or insisting that it was gross and

> that she will never like it! I'm exasperated! Soaked oatmeal is

> too sour. A nice rich beef or chicken stock " tastes yucky " or

isn't

> salty enough, or is too salty, when in reality its' only fault i

> that it doesn't taste canned. Yogurt is " yucky " if it isn't

> yoplait, and heaven forbid if there's a layer of CREAM on top!

>

> Anyway, any good suggestions for easing my hoarde of picky eaters

> into eating a good natural diet?

>

> I AM making baby steps - we aren't using any hydrogenated

anything,

> I only buy sprouted bread, I've been using natural sweeteners for

a

> good long while now....but it's just so difficult to convince kids

> who have been growing up on CRAP (yes, I admit it - I fed them

> crappy junk for a good long while, because it was " easier " ) that

> REAL food is BETTER! HELP!

>

> Stell

> Crunchy mama to 4 ya-hoos ranging in age from 11-1

[Guest guest]

<Anyway, any good suggestions for easing my hoarde of picky eaters

into eating a good natural diet?>

Would maybe a reward system help at all? Sounds like just getting them to

try anything is difficult, so it probably isn't so much the taste but just

the act of changing. And at this point, even if it tastes good kids are

stubborn enough they will still throw fits if they think it will work.

Maybe like reward points for eating a meal completely without any

complaining.......like TV time, computer time, reprive from certain chores,

things like that. If you can just get them in the habit for a short period

they will probably get over their aversion to the new tastes. Positive

reinforcement

Course...I have no kids....just furkids, and we still have arguments about

food.....hehe...so I am probably not a great one to give advice. My min pin

still refuses to eat his liver unless it is blended into his meat patties.

<g>

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[Guest guest]

Point being that anything perceived as " healthy " (my parents were

hippies and even made their own granola) was immediately dismissed

and disliked.

See, that's what has me baffled! I grew up in a home where we did

eat REAL FOOD all the time - my folks were hippies, too, and I

remember going up the road to get the day's milk, and going out to

collect the eggs.....and we never had a choice of foods at meals,

either. I only had 3 foods I didn't like as a child - Spanish rice,

green beans, and cooked carrots. My kids' lists are a mile long,

though! (as was their father's - maybe I should blame HIM! LOL!)

I do think there is something to the " being resistant just because

it's new " speculation - my kids will decide they don't like

something just because the NAME sounds funny! I tell them we're

having enchiladas for dinner, the immediate reaction is " I hate

enchiladas " , even though they have never once in their life tasted

an enchilada. Maybe they just hate my cooking? Or maybe I should

invent new names for everything? I got the kids to eat ravioli

(yeah, I know, bad stuff - but that's what we were having that day)

once after they proclaimed a hatred for ravioli by calling

it " pillow spaghetti " . They hate ravioli, but adore pillow

spaghetti!

I WISH I could remember being so unreasonable - it would be so much

easier!

-Stell

[Guest guest]

I'm having a hardd time with my two younger ones eating green leafy veggies.

The youngest one (3 1/2) doesn't eat kale or collards and I feel bad that they

don't eat it. I typically braise it in broth.

The youngest eats lots of broccoli though (daily) and both eat lots of

fermented veggies.

The past two nights that's what they ate for vegetables (kimchi) and here I

am feeling bad that they don't eat my braised greens.

Elainie

[Guest guest]

Stell,

Can't say that my kids are really picky eaters, although one a little pickier

than

the other, but thought you might find this interesting. I almost managed to turn

my youngest, who has always LOVED oatmeal, completely off of it by soaking

it. She also complained that it was sour. Funny, this is from a kid that

practically lives on yogurt or kefir. I guess that although she doesn't mind the

sour taste in general, that she doesn't think her oatmeal should taste like

that.

(Can't say I'm crazy about it myself, but if you tell me it's good for me I'll

eat it!)

I have had to resort to cooking oatmeal the " regular " way, soaking it only in

water overnight. I do still make oatmeal pancakes that are soaked overnight in

buttermilk and they are a big hit. My oldest is not crazy about dairy products

but will eat yogurt or kefir if it is topped with raw honey (I also add freshly

ground flaxseed for " sprinkles " .

Keep trying! When they get hungry enough they'll eat!

Kathy

> Any ideas for what to make for kids who complain (and I mean

> HORRIBLY complain - like constant, all through the meal, until I

> lose my mind & send them to bed complaining!) about anything that

> tastes either bitter or sour or pungent? It took a couple weeks of

> my INSISTING that my daughter drink the unhomogenized milk whether

> she liked or not before she figured out that it tastes okay - I

> TOLD her that it takes a while to get used to new things, but that

> still didn't quell the crying, or insisting that it was gross and

> that she will never like it! I'm exasperated! Soaked oatmeal is

> too sour. A nice rich beef or chicken stock " tastes yucky " or isn't

> salty enough, or is too salty, when in reality its' only fault i

> that it doesn't taste canned. Yogurt is " yucky " if it isn't

> yoplait, and heaven forbid if there's a layer of CREAM on top!

>

> Anyway, any good suggestions for easing my hoarde of picky eaters

> into eating a good natural diet?

>

> I AM making baby steps - we aren't using any hydrogenated anything,

> I only buy sprouted bread, I've been using natural sweeteners for a

> good long while now....but it's just so difficult to convince kids

> who have been growing up on CRAP (yes, I admit it - I fed them

> crappy junk for a good long while, because it was " easier " ) that

> REAL food is BETTER! HELP!

>

> Stell

> Crunchy mama to 4 ya-hoos ranging in age from 11-1

[Guest guest]

It takes a long time to change kids eating habits also. I have been changing

things for many years and they are just now starting to like real maple syrup.

Of course I just had to stop buying the other stuff. My kids have loved most of

the cookie and brownie recipes in NT. I made the brownies with carob and I

thought they were gross, but the kids ate it. I am more with Dr Mike, carob is

gross, but using it half and half with cocoa you can't taste a different. You

would only need to do that if you have a huge bag of it like I do. I think

their taste buds start to change if they are constantly getting candy and stuff

from other places.

Michele

<Anyway, any good suggestions for easing my hoarde of picky eaters

into eating a good natural diet?>

Would maybe a reward system help at all? Sounds like just getting them to

try anything is difficult, so it probably isn't so much the taste but just

the act of changing. And at this point, even if it tastes good kids are

stubborn enough they will still throw fits if they think it will work.

Maybe like reward points for eating a meal completely without any

complaining.......like TV time, computer time, reprive from certain chores,

things like that. If you can just get them in the habit for a short period

they will probably get over their aversion to the new tastes. Positive

reinforcement

Course...I have no kids....just furkids, and we still have arguments about

food.....hehe...so I am probably not a great one to give advice. My min pin

still refuses to eat his liver unless it is blended into his meat patties.

<g>

_________________________________________________________________

Frustrated with dial-up? Get high-speed for as low as $26.95.

https://broadband.msn.com (Prices may vary by service area.)

[Guest guest]

Here is an absolute kid feeding sin;

NEVER give them a substitute for a food they like and try to pass it

off as " just as good " . You're obviously not doing the following

example but its the best I could come up with. Meat substitutes in

vegetarian land. Gimme a break, most of them neither taste good nor

taste anything remotely like meat. Its just another food. An NT

example would be yoplait vs. real yogurt or Quaker instant oatmeal

vs. real oat meal. On these comparisons you got NO SHOT! Instead

just introduce them as different or new foods. It may not make them

want it any more but it will maintain what little credibility you

have left and at least won't set off all their red flags.

DMM

[Guest guest]

> <Anyway, any good suggestions for easing my hoarde of picky eaters

> into eating a good natural diet?>

I'm with the good dr, serve what you serve and damn the torpedoes,

pretty much. Josie, my oldest, fusses now and again but I tell her

until she's old enough to fix her own dinners she gets what she gets. I

second the suggestion for things like choco-nog, as we call it. As

someone who has struggled with eating disorders I strongly discourage

the idea of using a punishment/reward system; the closest we come is

" no dessert without at least a little dinner. " Food and eating should

be what they are and no more.

And may I also suggest the approach given in the book " Feeding the

Whole Family. " Its approach is unfortunately vegan (though quite

adaptable I'm finding), but its advice is sensible: As you cook, save

out bits that younger/fussy children can eat without objection. If

you're making, say, shrimp in a sauce to be served over brown rice as

we did the other night, save out some plain brown rice and some plain

shrimp and veg with no sauce. (Sauce is a big issue with Josie.)

Remember that children have more sensitive taste buds than we do; what

tastes unbearably bland to us will actually be full of flavor to a

child.

If the junk isn't in the house, eventually they'll run out of options

and find things among the " new regime " that they can stand. Or if

they're old enough, they'll learn to cook, get a job and start buying

their own junk; when they leave home you can't stop them from eating

that way if they want, anyway. But you don't have to pay for it or cook

it while they're under your roof.

Either way I promise you they won't starve to death.

Lynn

-----

Lynn Siprelle * Writer, Mother, Programmer, Fiber Artisan

The New Homemaker: http://www.newhomemaker.com/

Siprelle & Associates: http://www.siprelle.com/

People-Powered ! http://www.deanforamerica.com/

[Guest guest]

> And may I also suggest the approach given in the book " Feeding the

> Whole Family. " Its approach is unfortunately vegan (though quite

> adaptable I'm finding), but its advice is sensible:

=============Lyn what a great recommendation I want to second your

recommendation of this book. It is all about real food and she does

a great job in spite of the vegan theme it is in fact very easily

adapted.

[Guest guest]

Greetings Stell,

I've got three, from 9 down to 2. My nine year old is a dream, loves most

everything. : ) As for my 7 year old, well...

We don't reward or punish, and I don't think it's fair to have the only food

before a child be something they don't like (something I experienced as a

child so I guess I'm sensitive to it). So while my son is not allowed to

complain during dinner, and must try at least one bite of every thing that

is on the table, I do my best to have at least one thing at the meal that I

know he will like. Sometimes that might be just the brown rice. (I found

that making something else for him was making the problem worse.)

I second the recommendation of pulling some food aside as you cook or

something. My husband and I like some dishes much spicier than the two

youngest. So if it involves rice, I cook extra rice and one bowl of the

rice dish on the table has extra rice stirred into it. That does a lot for

lessoning the impact of the spices and gets my 7 year old's approval. He

does not like marinara sauces in any form, so I'll pull meat and veggies out

before the tomatoes (in any form) are added. But that doesn't mean I do it

every time. If there is something else on the table that he does like, I

don't treat the other dishes differently. I think exposure to the food is

important, even if it's just one bite. (Somewhere I read that it only takes

10 exposures to a food, but my son has proven that wrong on most vegetables.

; )

About the complaining - I use that as a lesson in manners. They are free to

not like a food, but they are not free to complain at the meal. When dishes

are passed they are expected to put at least one bite of each food on their

plate. If they don't like it they keep quiet. (That's the ideal, my 7 year

old does get reminders.) When asked if they would like more of something,

he has been taught to say, " No thank you " and not " It's disgusting! " ; )

On the oatmeal - have you tried it with whey from yogurt? With lemon juice?

Ours doesn't come out all that sour. It's there, but not very strong, and

we top it with maple syrup and butter, or I stir Rapadura into it and top

with butter or cream, etc. All my kids love the oatmeal, but they expect

oatmeal to be sweet and I really don't like serving sugar in any form at the

first meal of the day. So we've been eating eggs, eggs, and more eggs. And

that's a breakfast that my older two can cook for themselves and for others.

We do them scrambled a la NT, over easy on top of toast, or scrambled and

cheesy with parmesan thrown on when they are almost done, or with spinach

and baked in the oven. My kids love eggs so that works well for us.

Which makes me wonder if you might not want to reduce the variety of foods.

Eggs, eggs, eggs, for 2 weeks and the oatmeal might just taste really great!

: ) Also, if it were me, I think I'd cut out all sweets in any form for

several weeks. Let their taste buds have a break from any sweet, and sour

might not seem so sour. Just an idea. Maybe you could think of what dishes

your kids do like (Salmon cooked in butter? Pot roast? Hamburgers?) and

keep a list and try for a balance - serving something they like every other

night.

I hope something here helped.

Wishing you the best,

Rhea

[Guest guest]

> I'm with the good dr, serve what you serve and damn the torpedoes,

> pretty much. Josie, my oldest, fusses now and again but I tell her

> until she's old enough to fix her own dinners she gets what she gets.

I have to add that Josie's list of what's acceptable and what's not

literally changes from meal to meal; it's less that she doesn't like

certain foods than that she likes to say " no. " I agree with whoever

said you should not consistently confront a child with food he hates.

That's just cruel. But Josie will do things like one day say " I hate

salad " and not only refuse to touch it but refuse to touch anything

else on her plate because there's salad there, and the next, confronted

with more or less the same salad, will eat all on her plate and then

help you finish off the bowl in front of the tv--and then LICK THE

BOWL. So with her it's just cussedness. I have no idea where she gets

it.

Lynn S.

-----

Lynn Siprelle * Writer, Mother, Programmer, Fiber Artisan

The New Homemaker: http://www.newhomemaker.com/

Siprelle & Associates: http://www.siprelle.com/

People-Powered ! http://www.deanforamerica.com/

[Guest guest]

>Anyway, any good suggestions for easing my hoarde of picky eaters

>into eating a good natural diet?

After reading that kids " know " what is best for

them, I experimented with my daughter and

let her eat whatever she wants (except it can't

have wheat, which in my theory skews the

appestat: you can read the arguments in

the archives ...). Yeah, even junk food and candy,

if that's what she wanted.

She went through every food

imaginable. First it was ONLY milk. Then she

hated milk and would only drink cream.

Then she hated cream and went to toast with

butter and jam. Then peanut butter. She's

pretty much stabilized now on jerky, nuts,

hamburger, chili, tacos, Thai rice noodles,

ice cream, and apples.

Through it all she has slimmed down,

sprouted up, and looks wonderful. She

has piles of candy she hordes, but rarely

eats it (and usually doesn't finish a piece

if she opens it). She is ravenous one day,

and barely eats the next. It drives everyone

else crazy, but the kid is NOT malnourished

so I just tell her to bring a snack in case

she does get hungry.

So my answer, for what it is worth -- is to let

them pick. If they end up going hungry, then

they will want to eat something, sooner or

later. Have good food around for dinner that

isn't too spicy, if they don't eat it, ask them

to come up with an alternative that is easy

to make. I don't know if it will work with all

kids, though the research seems to be pointing

that way.

-- Heidi

[Guest guest]

As for my 7 year old, well...

Rhea, our 7yo's must be twins! You described Amber right on the

nose - complete with " hating " something one day, and not being able

to get enough of it the next!

Thank you to everyone who offered suggestions - it does look like

I'm on the right track with what I am doing, and I'm just going to

have to suck it up & deal with the whining in the best way I know

how.

Now to figure out how to best go about this from a WAHM-of-4-who-

doesn't-care-for-cooking perspective.....If only I were one of those

born organized people.....*sigh*

-Stell

[Guest guest]

> I found that soaking the oatmeal with kefilli instead of

buttermilk helped with the sour distaste they had for the oatmeal.

What about using whey instead of buttermilk? That might be less

noticeable.

I was using yogurt to soak my oatmeal - 2T yogurt for 4c water & 2

c. oatmeal. They ate it for a while, then decided it was too sour

out of the blue one day. Coincidentally, it was also the first day

that DADDY decided to eat oatmeal with us, and commented on the

funny taste.

Hmmmm......maybe this is becomeing more of a husband-wife

communication issue than anything else, eh?

-Stell

[Guest guest]

Hey guys, have a heart! I LOVE kefir, but I really cannot stand oatmeal after

the oats have been soaked in kefir or whey. Couldn't you just soak the oats

overnight in plain water?

and the K9's

[Guest guest]

picky eaters -- what a good subject! :-)

I want to second the idea that whatever food a kid refuses one day

may, unexpectedly, be just fine with them on another day. That new

day may come much sooner than you expect it to. I have learned to

just keep trying to get the good foods into them. I can then be

happily surprised when my son announces, for example that " he loves

chicken soup " (homemade broth). Previously, getting him to touch

soup in any form was next to impossible. I never fully comprehended

the meanings of " fickle " , " mercurial " or " ephemeral " until I started

trying to feed kids...

I also suggest that you not skimp on the " reasons why " info. My kids

will now ask me about " what my protein options are " when we're trying

to decide what to eat, because I've made a point of explaining that

every day they have to have a balance of all three types: carbs,

protein and fats. (We home school, so we tend to try to turn

*everything* into " lessons " ... :-). They also understand why we

don't choose certain foods (they have hydrogenated fats in them, for

example), even though they would love to eat them (mac and cheese at

a fast food place, for example). My son today turned down his

favorite breakfast choice, toast, because he wanted to " spend "

his " wheat allowance " today on a spouted wheat pizza for dinner

instead. I find that making it not just another " mystery edict from

Parent " helps when I'm trying to steer them away from bad and toward

good choices. Giving them the basic rules behind good choices helps

them make their own informed choices about what to eat -- another

idea I strongly support.

Another idea that seems to help get kids excited about eating the

good stuff is letting them help you prepare it. Mine are not really

old enough to do much more than dump the measuring spoons of

ingredients into the bowl and " help " me stir it up when we bake, but

that they were involved helps raise their enthusiasm for a given food

quite bit. Even letting them choose the various flavors helps, so we

get odd (but good) things like cocoa-coconut-orange waffles, which

they pounce on.

Be gently persistent about what you want them to eat. Don't tolerate

being " backed into a corner " by their refusals. You are the

knowledgeable parent, and whether they want to acknowledge it now or

not, you are trying to do your job as well as you can by giving them

healthy foods. When they grow up, they won't be able to whine on

bboards like this about how poorly they were fed as kids... :-)

[Guest guest]

Why not drown the greens in butter? If they don't like that they probably won't

like them for awhile. I can't convince my 3yo that spinach is good. We sang

the Popeye song to him and he said " that's a stupid song " when we were done. I

figure with some things it's not worth wasting the food on them if they don't

like it. For example Lo Mein with chicken, broccoli, carrots and hot sauce.

They really don't like the hot sauce and I love it so I make them something else

that night and I and my husband keep all the lo mein for ourselves. I don't

mind making a little steamed spinach with butter and not sharing. More for me,

besides I think kids will come around someday if they see mom and dad eating it

all the time and liking it. Although I still hate mushrooms and shrimp, clams,

etc, even though my mom ate it constantly while I was growing up.

Michele

Re: Anyone here with picky-eater kids?

I'm having a hardd time with my two younger ones eating green leafy veggies.

The youngest one (3 1/2) doesn't eat kale or collards and I feel bad that they

don't eat it. I typically braise it in broth.

The youngest eats lots of broccoli though (daily) and both eat lots of

fermented veggies.

The past two nights that's what they ate for vegetables (kimchi) and here I

am feeling bad that they don't eat my braised greens.

Elainie

[Guest guest]

Chris-

>If that didn't work, I had to finish it by such and such a time and the fam

>would just sit around the kitchen watching me watch the clock and if I didn't

>eat it I was sequestered in a given room with no tv or desert or anything for

>a while.

I got somewhat more drastic treatment. When I was around two, I refused to

eat some peas and hamburger. She put it away, but thereafter it was the

only thing she'd put out for me to eat. At one point I vomited some of it

up (supposedly out of pure cussed stubbornness), but she just cleaned up

the barf and put the peas and hamburger back in front of me, only to see me

refuse to eat. This went on for just about two days, at which point I

caved in and ate the remaining peas and hamburger. Before that, I'm told,

I'd been a very picky eater, refusing most foods. Afterwards I was willing

to try just about anything.

I suppose that tactic only works on a very young kid, though. <g>

-

[Guest guest]

,

>When I was around two, I refused to eat some peas and hamburger.

You're lucky it wasn't the tofu burger phase at that time ;-)

My nephew pretty much lived on Cheerios and pizza as a kid, as I recall.

Now he cooks Japanese food and is living in Japan for a year or maybe two.

Aparently they not only have octopus dumplings, but octopus

dumpling-flavored snack puffs. Imagine being able to use the phrase

" octopus dumpling-flavored " at all!

If only you'd had that to choose over peas and hamburger!

-

[Guest guest]

> My nephew pretty much lived on Cheerios and pizza as a kid, as I

> recall.

> Now he cooks Japanese food and is living in Japan for a year or maybe

> two.

My sister ate bacon and applesauce for about two years. She's in better

shape physically than I am, and cooks a wide range of foods. Bottom

line: they grow out of it.

Lynn S.

-----

Lynn Siprelle * Writer, Mother, Programmer, Fiber Artisan

The New Homemaker: http://www.newhomemaker.com/

Siprelle & Associates: http://www.siprelle.com/

People-Powered ! http://www.deanforamerica.com/

[Guest guest]

-

They not only have octopus dumplings and octopus dumpling-flavored snack

puffs, they have octopus-flavored ice cream!

>Aparently they not only have octopus dumplings, but octopus

>dumpling-flavored snack puffs. Imagine being able to use the phrase

> " octopus dumpling-flavored " at all!

-

[Guest guest]

Quoting Idol <Idol@...>:

> They not only have octopus dumplings and octopus dumpling-flavored snack

> puffs, they have octopus-flavored ice cream!

Octopus has flavor?

--

Berg

bberg@...

[Guest guest]

Stell, I grew up in a family of 6 kids so meals were prepared for eight.

There was no way my father would put up with picky eating, gripping,

complaining about food, cooking to accommodate or any of us just " not

eating " and food going to waste. If you said you didn't like something, he'd

tell you to eat it anyway and develop a taste for it. So we all did. Push

it and you would be sent from the table and he'd make sure you didn't raid

the ice box later. Come next meal, you ate because you were hungary. You

also better not eat snacks before a meal - that ruins appetite. But most of

the food on the table was simple, basic and good - he had grown up on a farm

and demanded fresh vegatables, fresh fruit and meat and only one starchy

food. You ate some of each food group. There was liver once a week, tongue

on occassion. He liked things like pickled pigs feet, pate, etc but he

didn't force those on us kids.

Well when I had my kids, I was not going to be so mean like my father. Let

me tell you what I learned the hard way about why kids now are being

diagnosed diabetic. I put good stuff out but I caved in to the whining,

crying that you are getting. I ended up with a hypoglycemic child. If you

allow your kids a choice, they will make it and they most likely will not

make the one best for them. They are not old enough, mature enough, or

educated enough. This is why they still need their mother. Kids should be

learning to eat three nutritious meals a day on routine. There are health

reasons for this, nutrients, metabolism etc. We eat to fuel our bodies - not

to flatter taste buds. These habits and concepts are set when young. If you

let them pick at a meal, chances are the healthiest stuff will be last

choice and likely not eaten. They may eat one healthy thing but leave

another - porportion is messed up. They will then leave the table and be

munching later on. If you have yoplait or any junk in the house or bread,

that will satiate their appetite or they'll run next door which very likely

will have cookies, candy, chips out on the counter for dinner. Those bad

eating habits can lead into all kinds of problems in time as there is no way

you can insure they get the daily nutrients in proper porportion that they

need.

If they are accustomed to junk they are use to sugar. Yoplait has a ton of

sugar in it which I bet is why they want it. I bet that underlies a lot of

their complaining Carbohydrates become addictive (way insulin works) When

reality hit me and I understood about insulin and the value of limiting your

carb intake, I cleaned out the kitchen of all junk, all sugar, all high carb

foods which included the oatmeal, bread, and rice. Only things left were

meat/eggs, fruit, vegatables, cheeses, butter. You would have thought

withdrawal was from drugs. But it was short and quick. They started eating

the good stuff from lack of choice, taste buds changed, they started feeling

better. They associated that to the change in food and now they grip when

there is not the healthy food in the house. Now when they eat the junk,

they feel like crud. What I did back then was to have nuts, fruit, jerky,

deviled eggs, cheeses available for snacks. They had no choice. Breakfast

changed to high protein/fat - bacon, eggs, cheese, guacamole. Kids have

school work to do - their brains need to be churning full speed and they

have to make it to lunch. They need protein and fats to go the distance. I

bought bread back in and some of the higher carb foods but they are limited.

Oatmeal is a low on my list and I haven't bought it back in yet. (That is

what I use to serve for breakfast) I also found a lot of new recipes made

with healthy stuff that are high fat that are really good because they are

so rich. Try taking that yogurt, mix it with cut up fruit, (like fresh

berries) and add unsweetened coconut.

[] Anyone here with picky-eater kids?

Any ideas for what to make for kids who complain (and I mean

HORRIBLY complain - like constant, all through the meal, until I

lose my mind & send them to bed complaining!) about anything that

tastes either bitter or sour or pungent? It took a couple weeks of

my INSISTING that my daughter drink the unhomogenized milk whether

she liked or not before she figured out that it tastes okay - I

TOLD her that it takes a while to get used to new things, but that

still didn't quell the crying, or insisting that it was gross and

that she will never like it! I'm exasperated! Soaked oatmeal is

too sour. A nice rich beef or chicken stock " tastes yucky " or isn't

salty enough, or is too salty, when in reality its' only fault i

that it doesn't taste canned. Yogurt is " yucky " if it isn't

yoplait, and heaven forbid if there's a layer of CREAM on top!

Anyway, any good suggestions for easing my hoarde of picky eaters

into eating a good natural diet?

I AM making baby steps - we aren't using any hydrogenated anything,

I only buy sprouted bread, I've been using natural sweeteners for a

good long while now....but it's just so difficult to convince kids

who have been growing up on CRAP (yes, I admit it - I fed them

crappy junk for a good long while, because it was " easier " ) that

REAL food is BETTER! HELP!

Stell

Crunchy mama to 4 ya-hoos ranging in age from 11-1

[]