Food, should we or shouldn't we!?

[lovelyboy]

Thanx all....Yes I must be honest...I said once a week...but in practice.....I would most propably not apply it!
He tried a smoothie today and totally loved it!

 

[InsaneCdn]

Great news on the smoothie... it's a great healthy addition to his diet... AND he's learned that some new stuff is actually "good stuff"!

 

[allhaileris]

Step? Those are the techniques my parents tried to use on me. It only made things worse. I dug in and refused to eat, no matter how hungry I got. When I started losing weight, Mom took me to the doctor so the doctor could talk sense into me. We came out with some sense alright... the doctor talked sense into Mom. Literally. If I was going to survive childhood, I was going to have to be accommodated.

Looking back? I had serious sensory issues that were never acknowledged, considered, or accommodated. Not ONE of them. Food only being one. I was so overloaded and overwhelmed 24/7 that... there was no way I could handle that kind of sensory challenge. Suicide looked better than that - and I was serious, but I never told anyone, and never acted on my plan.

I am similar. I have sensory issues with food that I have only realized they're sensory issues because of dealing with my child. I can't eat anything super soft, like squash (ugh, gross). I finally had zucchini bread because my daughter loves it and it wasn't too bad, I couldn't taste the zucchini. The items you're serving him, I wouldn't really touch. Fish, gross, sausage, gross because of the fat pieces. My meat needs to be cooked REALLY well (which is why he might like the bbq'ed meat). Yogurt has to have granola in it so I can chew it. I had weight issues in high school that could have been fixed if my parents actually helped me find things I liked other than the generic fat American food they were serving. I'm also a supertaster, I have more taste buds, so things like broccoli taste gross to me. But there are plenty of veggies I do like. And don't try sneaking things into my food. For one, I'll taste it, I'll FEEL it, and for two, I won't eat anything that I don't know what's totally in it, and I know if I'm lied to about food. I'd rather starve than eat something that I don't know what's in it (like a smoothie that is so blended I can't see what the ingredients are).

I was super picky as a kid, because my parents never listened to what I was saying. Now as an adult, my diet is vastly different that my parents. I have found a ton of things I DO like, but I live in an area that has a lot of great food. I have been able to introduce new foods to friend's kids when I've been told they won't eat veggies. I made it, didn't force them, and they eventually tried and liked it. My friend just didn't have enough of a variety of foods she served (as well as being a so-so cook, the type that thinks corn is a veggie and makes pasta, rice and corn for dinner).

A friend of mine has a child with Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) and her eating habits were horrible until her mom figured out it was all sensory.

Try something new, as somebody else suggested, things on pizza. Pesto, super fine veggies so they're easier to chew and they're more cooked. Let your child come up with a menu for the week. Find an ingredient that you know he does like, and find recipes that include that.

 

[allhaileris]

thank you LOVES the vanilla soymilk. he can have milk now, but couldn't for years because he was allergic but he outgrew it. .

More and more reports are saying too much soy is bad, especially for boys. We've been buying almond or coconut milk (not in the cans, but the ones in the dairy case). Coconut milk can be found here, but I'm not sure if it's carried everywhere.

 

[AnnieO]

Stuff like squash, and a lot of different veggies, are supernasty when overcooked. Squash shouldn't, well, squash - it should be steamed lightly so it's a bit crunchy. Same for broccoli, cauliflower, peas... Many people just don't ever learn how to steam veggies properly (for me, mind - some people DO like them squishy - BLECH!). It's an art. I'm working on teaching this to Onyxx right now, and her tastes expanded exponentially when she found out that cooked veggies could have a non-slimy texture.

Yogurt is good for smoothies - I put ice in mine, so I have some texture there. Plain yogurt is slimy to me. I always have Rice Chex or something like to put in it like you do with granola, allhaileris! And... I also am a supertaster - I can tell when carrot puree is in my spaghetti sauce, it makes it sweeter - but most people can't. I don't mind it, but then, I have been known to put mixed veggies in my spaghetti sauce, too.

Cooked carrots are the bane of my existence. BLECH!

...Have you tried NON-cooked zucchini sticks with dip or seasoned salt? No squish factor and they're tasty!

 

[lovelyboy]

Regarding the soy...we buy ricemilk here....Nice ones...even with vanilla flavour and in longlife boxes! We used to get ricemilk icecream, pitty they dont stock that anymore.....

 

[InsaneCdn]

Buy an ice cream maker and make your own. I've done it with goat milk (works very well!)... also makes great sorbets, which can expand his taste in fruit. Sure, it's sweet, but... for a sweet treat, it's not THAT unhealthy!