Nutrition is a hard topic for my family because I have children with busy schedules. Peanut and Bullfrog have no problem eating healthy. They are those sick children that will order broccoli instead of French Fries! As they have aged, they have begun to like more of the "junk" food, but they still turn to healthy food when given the chance.
Turtle is a garbage disposal. When she is not eating everything in sight, we know she is sick. She will devour her meal, come and snitch off of your meal, and then go in and take care of Monkey's meal if she doesn't get to it!
Monkey is my problem child. She has sensory issues that I haven't yet figured out. She took longer to get started on crawling, walking, and talking. She walks on her tip toes and has oral sensory issues. We have her off the binkie, but now she licks her shirt until it is soaking wet (and then wants a new one because her shirt is wet). *sigh* If she had her way ... her diet would be fruit, vegetables, nuts, beans, egg whites, juice, milk, chicken, hot dogs, and sweets. She is NOT a fan of meat and sometimes chicken can be a pain. She is NOT a fan of grain. We can get her to eat it in bits, but she would prefer peanut butter on the spoon instead of bread.
So, today, for nutrition ... I am going to talk about how I survive. I simply look at what the children need and make sure they get it.
Dairy - does not HAVE to be milk. You can find dairy in cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream
Protein - does not HAVE to be meat. You can find it in fish, eggs, tofu (another one of Monkey's faves), yogurt, nuts, beans
Vegetables - VARY the color!!
Fruits - Seeds on the inside (tomatoes are a fruit, people)
Carbs - does not HAVE to be bread/grains! You can find carbs in your fruits AND vegetables!
If your child is not eating the way the food pyramid suggests ...
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Then make sure you get the proper amount of carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and protein.
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How do you handle "picky" eaters? I put that in quotations because Monkey isn't really picky, she just doesn't eat the same way we do!
I made sure we did not have junk food or drinks in the house. These were always reserved for special treats. I did not like trying to make them eat things the did not like. Vegetable wise I would cook a variety and they each ate what they would tolerate or mix them in stir fries or vegie rissoles. One son went through a stage of preferring them raw so I set some aside before cooking.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest, also with sensory issues, would eat everything apart from creamy substances and pasta. He was not keen on sweet. Unfortunately he had a lot of food allergies/intolerances when young which took an arduous elimination diet to pin down. He did not lick his clothes but chewed on them - he ate his way through a couple of wardrobes worth each season until I worked out which clothes worked best:-)
They have all grown up to be very sensible about their diets even my youngest with a disability. He still has an issue with overeating but as he loves salads and vegetables that is manageable.
My 4 yr old granddaughter was a picky eater, would've eaten strawberries and cucumber all day, but didn't like milk or dairy foods much. Her Mum was a chef before she had her children, so she cooks such yummy meals and the children don't realise how lucky they are!
ReplyDeleteHowever, Mum told me yesterday that she's eating well now, so I'm pleased because she's so thin! Yesterday, they (my 2 grandchildren) were talking on the phone about chocolate, and the 4 yr old said "it's healthy" and the other one said "no it's not". Funny!!