Kids who are picky eaters

[Evil D]

At my house I do 90% of the cooking because momma works 2nd shift. That means dinner is on me everyday. What frustrates me the most with my daughter is that she won't try it if it doesn't look like she expects it to. She loves pizza but doesn't want sauce on her spaghetti....HELLO spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, pretty much the same thing. She doesn't (didnt) wanna eat any kind of chicken I made, any way I'd try to make it, but will eat McDonalds chicken nuggets all day long. Most frustrating is that I don't cook veggie packed health nut food, I make a lot of old school country dishes that don't get too crazy. I could understand if I were making really elaborately seasoned foods, or serving up plates full of asparagus and brussel sprouts and lima beans but I rarely make that stuff.

[jackknifeh]

At my house I do 90% of the cooking because momma works 2nd shift. That means dinner is on me everyday. What frustrates me the most with my daughter is that she won't try it if it doesn't look like she expects it to. She loves pizza but doesn't want sauce on her spaghetti....HELLO spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, pretty much the same thing. She doesn't (didnt) wanna eat any kind of chicken I made, any way I'd try to make it, but will eat McDonalds chicken nuggets all day long. Most frustrating is that I don't cook veggie packed health nut food, I make a lot of old school country dishes that don't get too crazy. I could understand if I were making really elaborately seasoned foods, or serving up plates full of asparagus and brussel sprouts and lima beans but I rarely make that stuff.

Me too about the spagetti sauce. Don't know when that changed but I'm sure glad it did. Also like a little meat thrown in these days. :) I can still remember the faces on lots of waitresses when told I didn't want sauce on my spagetti. :D

Jack

[Evil D]

Me too about the spagetti sauce. Don't know when that changed but I'm sure glad it did. Also like a little meat thrown in these days. :) I can still remember the faces on lots of waitresses when told I didn't want sauce on my spagetti. :D

Jack

She'll eat it now but she likes it with butter salt and pepper, which is actually pretty dang good so I don't blame her.


The thing with kids is you have to ease into this stuff. A lot of foods are very complex and overwhelming in taste. You can't just throw all sorts of crap at them and expect them to like it all. She likes steak now because everyone else in the family loves it and she sees how much they like it. I think some innocent peer pressure helps too.

[Nate]

My twins are 7, boy and girl. They eat everything. We are lucky in that my wife and I have similar schedules and she is a fantastic cook.

As soon as they were big enough to try solids they started eating what we ate. Believe it or not, roasted brussel sprouts and steamed asparagus are favorites and staples around here :) When we go out, we never have to worry. Indian, Korean, Sushi are all good to go. Not to boast, but as a sort of picky kid myself, I am very proud of them. Our one year old is following in their footsteps already, this evening she munched on tomatoes, carrots, polenta, and a scrambled egg.

Ok..., she did have some Cheerios too :D

[dsvirsky]

I was lucky as a child because my Mom provided 2 menu choices each meal...take it or leave it.

Yeah, I had the same two choices growing up, so I tried a lot of things I would not have otherwise eaten. On the other hand, I also remember brussel sprouts on my plate and a timer in front of me; all that resulted in was tears and to this day I will not eat brussel sprouts.

I must admit that I allow my 6 year old son to choose his meals (from the "approved list"), for the most part. I'm a single Dad and my schedule means that Monday through Friday I'm cooking for one (him), anyway. So, yeah, he eats a lot of chicken nuggets and mac & cheese. But, he's generally willing to give new things a try and the boy who absolutely would not eat meat now enjoys rare steak and wants pepperoni on his pizza. Most importantly, he's healthy and happy.

[WireEdge Roger]

I ate everything as a kid... Except Brussel Sprouts!

My two step daughters are very picky unfortunately. I think I have their grandmas to blame for that. I'm the cook and there are a lot of things I'd love to make, but if only 50% of the family will eat it! it seems like a waste. Our rule is, twice a week they can make their own dinner if what I make is not to their liking. PB&J's, cereal, carrots and ranch, boiled eggs, and the occasional Ramen Noodles are things they can make on their own.

I think they'd happily eat chips and dip, ice cream, and brownies daily if they could! That's why we don't keep sweets in the house!

[ManixFan]

When you are hungry enough.........a lot of things taste better than they would normally otherwise. I was a little picky an eater as a child and it wasn't until my twenties that I became more adventuresome. Sushi in my late twenties was a pleasant surprise for me and although some things taste good I try to avoid picturing what it is I'm eating. Eel looks basically like a water snake yet BBQ'd Unagi is very tasty. The tiny whole calimari is not appetizing to look at and the almost whole versions that squirm on contact with certain dips I imagine would gross me out as well no matter how nice it tasted. I also draw the line at insects too. But if I was starving I'm sure that I'd eat what I had to - to survive. The problem with the modern first world generation is an all to willingness to eat meat without thinking where it comes from. A person at sometime through their trip to adulthood should witness an animal slaughter and eat the butchered meat to realize that eating meat truly is a sacrifice of a life. A pig is said to be just as intelligent or more intelligent than a dog yet people cheerfully chow down on bacon without thinking of how it got there. I am a meat eater but I believe that meat is something that shouldn't be taken for granted as an intelligent creature has died to provide it to humans. And in my books, a lot of animals are worth far more than some of the human filth that walks this planet.

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

When you are hungry enough.........a lot of things taste better than they would normally otherwise. I was a little picky an eater as a child and it wasn't until my twenties that I became more adventuresome. Sushi in my late twenties was a pleasant surprise for me and although some things taste good I try to avoid picturing what it is I'm eating. Eel looks basically like a water snake yet BBQ'd Unagi is very tasty. The tiny whole calimari is not appetizing to look at and the almost whole versions that squirm on contact with certain dips I imagine would gross me out as well no matter how nice it tasted. I also draw the line at insects too. But if I was starving I'm sure that I'd eat what I had to - to survive. The problem with the modern first world generation is an all to willingness to eat meat without thinking where it comes from. A person at sometime through their trip to adulthood should witness an animal slaughter and eat the butchered meat to realize that eating meat truly is a sacrifice of a life. A pig is said to be just as intelligent or more intelligent than a dog yet people cheerfully chow down on bacon without thinking of how it got there. I am a meat eater but I believe that meat is something that shouldn't be taken for granted as an intelligent creature has died to provide it to humans. And in my books, a lot of animals are worth far more than some of the human filth that walks this planet.

I agree that more people should experience the entire process of killing to eating...I think that it is good to experience that, and it does make you appreciate thigns more.

Also....there are vegetables that are worth more than some people....

[jackknifeh]

When you are hungry enough.........a lot of things taste better than they would normally otherwise. I was a little picky an eater as a child and it wasn't until my twenties that I became more adventuresome. Sushi in my late twenties was a pleasant surprise for me and although some things taste good I try to avoid picturing what it is I'm eating. Eel looks basically like a water snake yet BBQ'd Unagi is very tasty. The tiny whole calimari is not appetizing to look at and the almost whole versions that squirm on contact with certain dips I imagine would gross me out as well no matter how nice it tasted. I also draw the line at insects too. But if I was starving I'm sure that I'd eat what I had to - to survive. The problem with the modern first world generation is an all to willingness to eat meat without thinking where it comes from. A person at sometime through their trip to adulthood should witness an animal slaughter and eat the butchered meat to realize that eating meat truly is a sacrifice of a life. A pig is said to be just as intelligent or more intelligent than a dog yet people cheerfully chow down on bacon without thinking of how it got there. I am a meat eater but I believe that meat is something that shouldn't be taken for granted as an intelligent creature has died to provide it to humans. And in my books, a lot of animals are worth far more than some of the human filth that walks this planet.

`I ate a meal on an airplane once. :eek: :)

If intellegence were the determining factor of what to eat we would have been canibles a long time ago. Lots of people dumber than pigs. :) Based on intelligence though what worries me is would I be the eater or the eatee??? :confused: :)

Jack

[Nate]

BBQ Unagi is awesome :)

Kind of funny in light of the spaghetti references above, tonight we're having spaghetti squash "pasta" with turkey and spinach meatballs. Homemade pickled beets as a side. I guess we're kind-of freaks, lol :p

[jackknifeh]

BBQ Unagi is awesome :)

Kind of funny in light of the spaghetti references above, tonight we're having spaghetti squash "pasta" with turkey and spinach meatballs. Homemade pickled beets as a side. I guess we're kind-of freaks, lol :p

Keep in mind I'm the picky eater when I say that meal sounds like YUK! :)

Another subject is when you change locations where the food is different. I thought I knew what country cooking was like until I moved to Mississippi. :) Catfish buffet with the heads on! They also have catfish big enough to eat us! Those buffet's were great even though I had to read the signs to know what some of the food was. :D

Jack

[gph]

Keep in mind I'm the picky eater when I say that meal sounds like YUK! :)

Another subject is when you change locations where the food is different. I thought I knew what country cooking was like until I moved to Mississippi. :) Catfish buffet with the heads on! They also have catfish big enough to eat us! Those buffet's were great even though I had to read the signs to know what some of the food was. :D

Jack

Always read the fine print!!

Having said that Japanese prepared crickets are quite good :)

[Nate]

Keep in mind I'm the picky eater when I say that meal sounds like YUK! :)

Jack

More for me!

[Nate]

Kid who isn't a picky eater:

[video=youtube_share;KA6HJNJW7jg]http://youtu.be/KA6HJNJW7jg[/video]

[ManixFan]

Waaay toooo funnny! :D

[Evil D]

This made me think of another example of how tastes change. I was once hospitalized for 6 days, during which they thought I had suffered a stroke, so I was put on a cardiac diet. That means NO sodium, which means you eat plain unseasoned baked chicken, and steamed veggies. That's it. You can have Mrs. Dash if you think that garbage tastes edible. The first few days were torture, but by the 4-5 day I was scarfing down my food. I didn't have access to ANY junk food and it was the only option I was going to get, and in less than a week my taste had evolved from not wanting to eat it at all to looking forward to eating it.

Of course, on the 6th day they decided that my issue had nothing to do with my heart so I was released to eat normal food, and so I had my girlfriend bring me a double quarter pounder combo from McD's, and it was EPIC. Still, that incident stuck with me and showed me that you can like anything if you eat it enough and don't have any other options, and kids are no different. Heck I grew up pretty poor and there were times when soup beans were dinner for days at a time. You get really creative with beans...and believe it or not you can make a bowl of nothing but beans taste pretty dang good if you know what you're doing. Now ham and soup beans are one of my favorite meals.

And Jack I'm with ya on the bologna sandwiches. One of my favorite things is 2 slices of bologna between 2 slices of white bread and nothing else. If you wanna get crazy throw in some Ruffles and you've got yourself a party lol.

[anagarika]

I am thankful for the thoughts, opinion and jokes shared! Thanks to all :)

Am not picky eater, but I understand being picky might be in the gene (or soul?) and each of us is unique . As parents we both failed to direct our son to eat what we like. And yet he's as healthy as it can be :D

[Donut]

My opinion is that part of your usefulness and versatility as a human is your ability to eat or enjoy things that others won't.

If me and Jack get stuck out in the woods, he will die of starvation first by picking and choosing what he eats.

If me and my family are eating from a community pot, no one will eat less because I took something they wanted. I am flexible, I can eat things I don't enjoy. Plus, I do eat many things that the rest of my family will choose to stay away from, for whatever reason.

I don't think I've ever seen a vegetable I didn't like. They are "all good, just different". I've eaten and enjoyed snails, every odd type of sushi I could find, squid, eel, octopus. I've eaten the spiciest foods I've been able to find. I would google for "crazy restaurant" and wouldn't hesitate to eat there.


Maybe I'm scared of being told that I'm afraid. I will be ready for any reasonable challenge.

I have no problem from learning from the experience of others, but I learn best from my own experience.

It hurts me to see that my nephews can't, in intelligent words, describe the difference in taste between salt and pepper. (I need to test them on this.)

[jackknifeh]

My opinion is that part of your usefulness and versatility as a human is your ability to eat or enjoy things that others won't.

If me and Jack get stuck out in the woods, he will die of starvation first by picking and choosing what he eats.

If me and my family are eating from a community pot, no one will eat less because I took something they wanted. I am flexible, I can eat things I don't enjoy. Plus, I do eat many things that the rest of my family will choose to stay away from, for whatever reason.

I don't think I've ever seen a vegetable I didn't like. They are "all good, just different". I've eaten and enjoyed snails, every odd type of sushi I could find, squid, eel, octopus. I've eaten the spiciest foods I've been able to find. I would google for "crazy restaurant" and wouldn't hesitate to eat there.


Maybe I'm scared of being told that I'm afraid. I will be ready for any reasonable challenge.

I have no problem from learning from the experience of others, but I learn best from my own experience.

It hurts me to see that my nephews can't, in intelligent words, describe the difference in taste between salt and pepper. (I need to test them on this.)

The issue of kids being picky eaters and adults is completely different IMO. Just like everything probably. Being a picky eater as a child I understand (I think) what a kid is feeling when the sincerely appear to be afraid to let something new into their mouth. Especially when they are more than willing to stick anything in there that isn't food. :) Marbles, toys, sticks on the ground, etc. For me it was the horror of a taste I didn't like. As an adult of course we are required to "grow up". I envy people who just seem to like all foods because I know how much I enjoy the foods I do like. One thing I've learned about liking the taste of foods is how hungry I am makes a huge difference. I was in the hospital once and on a pretty strict diet. When they brought the food I thought it tasted great because I hadn't been allowed snacks all day. So if I were stranded in the woods a pine tree may taste pretty good. :) Hope I get stranded on an island with bananas and coconuts. :)

I have wondered how different eating is for kids who grow up with plenty of food and kids who grow up when food may be scarce. Kids growing up during the depression I mean. I've heard words like recession that the economy is not doing good but never has any time I've seen been BAD. Never been rich either but having enough food was never a concern. But when everyone only had half, and sometimes less than half of what we normally consider an adequate amount of food per meal. I bet whatever is on the plate tastes better than it would if they had gotten full at every meal and had choices fo pick from. I'd bet picky eater kids are few and far between in those situations. Adults too for that matter. This theory definately backs up the practice of letting the kid go hungry instead of cooking chicken after they rejected the pork chop. With my grandson I know he will eat more when he hasn't been snacking or having lots of drinks. I just realized this is when he has something he likes in front of him. I may deprive him of snacking for a few hours before a meal and then try to get him to try something new. If he is really hungry (for his lifestyle) he may be more willing to try a new food. I'm going to try this.

Jack

[Donut]

From what I've seen, richer people eat a wide variety of food. People who grow up on an extreme budget only like a few things. I do some work in low income areas and it's rare to see healthy food. Deep fried, cereals, and junk food are 90% of what I see.

I don't think it's much different, picky adult eaters come from thinking it's okay to be a picky eater as a child. I hated a lot of food as a child, but I ate variety anyways. I've heard my friends tell me how stupid someone else is because they don't know anything about food.

It seems like you are alright with the idea of not teaching a child to overcome fear. Food is probably the easiest way to teach this.