Getting children to eat healthfully

[Glendora]

Hey, all.

My children's weight is just fine, and I've let them intuitively eat since they were weaned from the breast/bottle. And they really don't overeat.

But just lately I've been worrying about the foods they've been eating. The littlest, two years old, has always been VERY healthy with food. He loves veggies, fruit, chicken. But the middle one, five, is autistic and is weird about food and only wants refined carb foods, basically. The one "healthy" thing I seem to be able to get him to eat is tomato soup. He will also eat peanut butter off a spoon occasionally (never on bread, which is fine with me). He will eat cheese; he loves cheese.

Anybody have any ideas on how to get healthy foods into a food-taste-sensitive child? I hate to refuse him food until he eats the "good stuff" because I well know what that leads to...hording, sneaking. An eventual weight problem. An eventual weight problem. But I also want him to be healthy right now for the quality of food, and I don't like a sudden trend I'm seeing where the youngest is starting to leave the applesauce on his plate and go for the crackers or whatever.

Any ideas would be great. Please be sensitive as my child is autistic and many of these issues stem from his obsessions and very very tight way of wanting things to stay the same (not just in food, but literally everything). Thanks so much.

[Wifezilla]

the middle one, five, is autistic and is weird about food and only wants refined carb foods, basically

The only way I can get my autistic (PDD) 18 year old to eat healthy is to never have anything unhealthy in the house. When he asks for unhealthy things, I give him a couple choices of low carb alternatives. His latest favorite snack is pork rinds dipped in hot salsa.

[Dodger]

Don't buy the food items that you think are unhealthy. When the kids didn't like what I fixed, I gave them the option of fixing their own meal. They usually decided to eat what I had fixed.

Canned tomato soup is fairly carb loaded. When I started low-carbing, I threw away my canned tomato soups.

[Glendora]

Thanks to both of you!

To Mike: I'm not actually trying to get my kids to eat low-carb; just more proportion of vegetables, fruits and meats as opposed to flour. I do know tomato soup contains carbs but that in and of itself doesn't bother me.

I also buy the no-sugar added peanut butter (ingredients: peanuts or ingredients: peanuts and salt). My son will eat this, and he'll eat cheese. I think it's the veggies I'm most worried about. And meat/chicken.

I eat a dessert myself once a day. So I do have some junk in the house, but most of the "junk" that's there I don't actually eat...like the chips and crackers. You're right...I'm going to stop buying them. My husband likes them; maybe I can ask him to only eat them in his "office" and maybe keep them in there hidden somewhere.

I appreciate the advice.

[at99]

But the middle one, five, is autistic and is weird about food and only wants refined carb foods, basically. The one "healthy" thing I seem to be able to get him to eat is tomato soup. He will also eat peanut butter off a spoon occasionally (never on bread, which is fine with me). He will eat cheese; he loves cheese.

Anybody have any ideas on how to get healthy foods into a food-taste-sensitive child? I hate to refuse him food until he eats the "good stuff" because I well know what that leads to...hording, sneaking. An eventual weight problem. An eventual weight problem. But I also want him to be healthy right now for the quality of food, and I don't like a sudden trend I'm seeing where the youngest is starting to leave the applesauce on his plate and go for the crackers or whatever.

Any ideas would be great. Please be sensitive as my child is autistic and many of these issues stem from his obsessions and very very tight way of wanting things to stay the same (not just in food, but literally everything). Thanks so much.

Hi Glendora,

I'm a speech-language pathologist and understand children with autism. I understand that reason he may like certain foods may be the texture and flavors, as well as need for structure and routine.

I cant make any recommendations, but I would suggest a feeding evaluation. It can include Occupational and speech therapists as well as a dietician. They would be able to give you the tools you need to help increase the types of food he will eat.

Teaching him to learn to like different (or "good") foods is probably a better plan that just taking away the "bad" foods,

-Nikki

[Glendora]

Thank you, att! We have an assisted language assessment coming up. I'll ask then. I didn't even know there was such a thing!

I have just discussed all this with my husband, and he suggested we try GF/CF again. That all by itself would eliminate a lot of processed foods, and would obviously eliminate white flour entirely. I'm looking up some almond flour recipes right now for "snacky" times. We're going to ease ourselves back into it.

Thanks so much for the answers and help.