Picky Eater - what to try and how? any tricks?

[smalltownslackermom]

So my son has been GF for a couple of months now. I can tell his system is changing a little. He will try a super tiny bite of a new food sometimes which is better than never.
What other things can I try besides just out and out bribing him to try new foods?
I do a couple of "sneaky chef" things - oh the hoops I go through sometimes! A little flax and walnut oil in pancakes for omega-3s. A little cauliflower and chicken puree in mac n cheese (GF) for more nutrition.
He will nibble his way through about an ounce of hamburger - takes him an hour! I tried the recipe for meatballs from ADHD and Autism GF cookbook. no go, he didn't like at all. too many flavors but hamburger alone is also no good.

Any ideas on any of this?
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son - high ttg - 4/09, pos. biopsy 5/09
self - negative bloodwork 5/09, pos. biopsy 11/09
sister - gf for ~3 years and is a new person
niece - positive ttg 2/10, foregoing biopsy

[cultureslayer]

How old is your son?

If he's old enough to care, inviting his friends over for a meal and them downing the food without a problem might help.
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Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

[smalltownslackermom]

When his cousin and then uncle were around, that increased his bravado in this area a bit. But generally around friends, that doesn't work. In a way I think that's ok because perhaps then he won't be as susceptible to peer pressure later on in bad ways, kwim?

I added a green baby food (peas/spinach mix) AND some white meat chicken puree to his pancakes this AM. they were quite good actually! I add a bit of extra baking powder (about a quarter tsp) when I do this sort of thing to the Pamela's mix so they don't get weighed down. At some level it seems like he notices because he requests the foods I add things into more and more, so maybe he feels it. I poured the oil out of his Smucker's Natural p-nut bttr and added in walnut oil. I also make his PB crackers with both pnut butter AND cashew or almond butter. Cashews have more iron, vit K and complements the PB and the butter isn't that expensive. Almond is pricey tho so I do that a little less. I'd probably use the Trader Joe's Cashew and Mac butter if I had TJs near me.

with the dry GF mac n cheese mix I also poured out part of the mac and subbed in some brown rice elbows and some quinoa/corn elbows. That's a bit tedious as first I start cooking the browns in the boiling water, then add the regular rice, then the quinoa so they all cook out about the same. he LOVED it. If he was a better eater I wouldn't jump through all the hoops but it shows so much in his whole being if he gets more nutrition so that helps motivate me. Though it is exhausting sometimes and like today, I pulled a back muscle so I am not doing much besides research on the computer...
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son - high ttg - 4/09, pos. biopsy 5/09
self - negative bloodwork 5/09, pos. biopsy 11/09
sister - gf for ~3 years and is a new person
niece - positive ttg 2/10, foregoing biopsy

[mrsppmrxky]

I have seen Flax noodles at the health food store. I haven't tried them because they also contain corn and we can't have that for my husband.

What types of food does your son like. If you can give us some hints in that direction, we could maybe help with the nutrition subs.

Does he like lasagna? If so, you can puree squash or add spinach to that and it doesn't change the flavor.

Does you son like raw veggies? If so, some with dip would be great.

Would the bento foods help? There are some links that my daughter has that shows you how to create eye candy appeal to foods so that little ones will want to eat them.

How old is your son? Would he be able to help with the cooking some? Many children will eat something just because they helped to make it even if they do nothing more than do the stirring or pouring into the bowl.
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[smalltownslackermom]

[mrsppmrxky]

He likes pancakes, waffles, cheetos, corn chips, baby carrots, GF chicken nuggets, bananas and apples. That is about what he lives on and this is an improvement from when he was still eating gluten!

He is a good kid but has serious sensory issues with food

Well, that is a short list of likes. Sensory issues are difficult to get around.

I see that he likes 2 bread items. Pancakes can have flax slipped into them. Could you put some buckwheat flour into either the pancakes or waffles to up the vitamins? Or possibly add just a little oatmeal flour. I recently found hemp seed/flour and I found that if I add about 1tsp of the flour it doesn't really change the flavor of the item I am baking. The hemp is supposed to have lots of fiber.

Maybe he would like a corn fritter..........basically what we called them in my family was fried cornbread that came out looking like pancakes.

You might be able to add some pumpkin or sweet potato into the bread mixture for the pancakes or the waffles.

He might like the bread wrap recipe that is posted over in the bread area. This can be made into bread slices, squares for dipping or sprinkled with cheese for a type of dipping bread.

Since he only likes chicken, maybe he would like you to make schnitzel. In the bread crumbs that you have for breading, put in a little Parmesan cheese or possibly mozzarella cheese and then lightly fry it or possibly oven fry. I would do this with a very thin slice of chicken breast or a beaten chicken breast that is very thin.

You might be able to slip turkey breast in there instead of chicken.


I see that he likes CRUNCH with the chips and cheetos.

Maybe some corn tortilla's sliced and baked.
Pie crust made into chips. (the recipe that Tec posted has cream cheese in it, so that would up some nutrients from the milk group.) Possibly add some sesame seeds into the bread to add to it. Not on top where they would be felt on his tongue.

Since he likes the taste of apple and texture, do you think that he would like Jicama?



Do you think that it could possibly be that some foods cause him distress or a possible allergy?

Some children just like to be in 'control'. Drives us mothers crazy, but that is one thing they can control what goes in.

If for now this is the only diet he will eat, I would just make sure he has extra vitamins.


Hopefully some of the other mothers will have better ideas.
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[ostrich]

This might be a stupid question, but what happens when you confront him about this? If he's old enough to help you cook (and give all the food away), wouldn't he be old enough to try new things, and understand that the food in front of him is what's for dinner?

If it makes you feel any better my brother used to be the same way with ground hamburger (or any other meat). He'd spend 10 minutes chewing one bite, then spit it back out because it got too "yucky". My parents started cutting up his food into tiny, tiny bites. Eventually he learned that chewing your food forever made it gross. Now he's a serious meat-and-potatoes guy.
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Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[teacherpat]

When I was sickest,pre dx, most meat tasted and smelled like road kill. My sense of taste/smell was altered by my vitamin deficencies. To this day I still can't eat perfectly nice gluten free lunch meat because of the way I remember it smelling.
Chemo patients have the same problem, apparently. Chicken is one of the few meats that does not have a strong odor.
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Pat

[jeant]

Have you talked to his pediatrician? They can be good resources for how to handle picky eating, as well as helping you determine how much you have to worry. My friend's daughter was a very picky eater, and her pediatrician said that kids are physically incapable of letting themselves starve and that as long as she was healthy (which he kept an eye on), it was okay to let her eat or not eat what was made for dinner without worrying. Things got better once she learned that if she didn't like all or parts of dinner, there would be no cereal or Spaghetti-Os served in its place.

I think for your son, the gluten issues could be a big part of it. After years of food making him sick, he just may be skittish. I think with normal kids they say that a new food sometimes has to be offered as many as 10 times before they accept it, and I could imagine it taking longer with a kid who is recovering from food-related problems (plus the sensory problems on top of that). He may just need you to continue offering new things and to be patient as he learns whether or not he will eventually grow to eat them.

You said he will help you make food, but not eat it. At those times, are you involving him in the meal planning? Maybe if he got to pick what you made together (and even do the shopping together if possible), he would like it more. Or maybe you could try (if you haven't already) working with him to turn his favorites into something new. You could try making GF chicken nuggets into chicken parmesan, making salsa or bean dip to dip the corn chips in, making a yogurt dip for the carrots, or making banana bread.

[smalltownslackermom]

[Home-Based-Mom]

[i-geek]

[smalltownslackermom]

[momoffour]

my kiddos are really picky too. it makes it really hard to feed them. i bought the three sneaky chef books and addapted them for my own recipes. i made gf betty crocker brownie and spiked them with flax, blue berry and fresh baby spinach ran through the blender. till it was really good and blended. they were so good. i ate them as much as all four kids. i also do the same in spagetti sauce. cauliflower, steamed carrots and spinach work good. i use all three at the same time. my hubby who is totally against any veggies going into his system didn't know. i never told either. its the best sauce i have ever had. we have a strict don't ask don't tell policy at my house. the only one who knows is me and my mom. i am a really picky eater although i love lots of veggies. sauted or grilled. i am trying new things to and have discoverd i like more and more. i am not a big fruit eater. i guess we weren't offerd it enough as kids. even though i use the spiked method i always put veggies on their plates too. they at least have the chance to try them. i figure if they watch me eat it they will want it at some point. i'm trying making our own fish sticks this week. i hope they turn out good.
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lots to do and not enogh time!!!!!