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I have a 2 year old whose diet consists of the following,
and only in small quantities...my concern is of course that
he's not eating any vegetables, and hasnt for the last year.
He is active, growing well and never gets sick even when
the rest of the family does (2 other school age boys bring
lots of colds home!) He doesn't take a vitamin, and yes I
have tried "hiding" vegetables in other foods he does eat,
but he spits it out, or if he happens to consume a litte
carrot, he gets diahreah(sp?). I find it so odd that
although he eats so little, and NO vegetables at all, that
he is the one who doesnt get sick. How can he survive on
only the following? Any insights?
He will eat the follwoing foods in small quantities:
2% milk-12 oz a day
juice(apple/cranberry) 8 oz/day
chicken nuggets
fish sticks
french fries (maybe 2 at a meal)
kethcup
bananas
steak (well done)
beef hotdogs
cheerios (dry)
As you can see, his diet is mainly MEAT. He wont even eat
ice cream or chocolate or candies...NO sweets. I offer him
a small variety of foods at every meal, but he only eats
his meat.
Is this okay long term? Anything I can give him to make sure
he doesnt get a deficiency?
Thank you for your time
Tammy
In Reply to: Toddler diet...meat only? posted by Tammy on May 17, 2001 at 10:33:14:
Your childs diet is NOT okay and you have created the problem by offering him processed foods in the first place! This can be changed with time and persistance! Instead of offering him things like chicken nuggets, hot dogs and fish sticks how about just unprocessed meat like chicken, fish and lean beef??? It is recommended to limit fruit juice in children to 4 oz. a day... try diluting his juice a little bit at a time with water and then make sure you use 100% fruit juice with no added sugars (high fructose corn syrup is usually used in juices so look for that on the ingrediants label) I'm sure at first he will bulk at eating the unprocessed foods but let him get hungry... he will have no other choice but to eat what he's offered. Its not going to hurt him if he skips a meal... just make sure he's getting enough fluids. I've also heard that children will eat what their body calls for... so maybe he will eventually eat more fruits and vegatables if you continue to offer them to him. Just keep offering him to him. I would stay with simple veggies at first that don't assault his taste buds like potatoes, sweet and white (try white potatoes mashed with the skins on) green beans, carrots etc. Offer them cooked and raw and see if he'll eat them one way or the other. Just stay away from the processed foods! Processed foods dull your taste for natural foods but eventually if you don't give in and are persistant he will develope a taste for foods that are good for him. Get him off those processed foods!!! You are setting him up for all kinds of problems if he continues to eat this way! Good luck and let us know whow it goes!
In Reply to: Re: Toddler diet...meat only? posted by Mom on May 17, 2001 at 11:57:51:
He doesnt eat ONLy processed foods. The majority of the
meat he does eat is plain steak, chicken cut up, roast beef,
turkey, ect.. I DO offer veggies cut up, cooked and
raw..ect...my conern is not the processed foods...that is of
course limited, my concern is the MEAT only diet...and if
there are any health risks I should be concerned about with
this type of eating.
Tammy V.
In Reply to: Re: Toddler diet...meat only? posted by Tammy on May 17, 2001 at 12:11:31:
Oh I see... Well, obviously he is missing fiber and other important nutrients with a meat only diet. Maybe you should offer say just potatoes mashed with the skins on. They are pretty nutritious plus the skins help with the fiber needs! And it seems a lot of babies/toddlers like sweet potatoes. See if you can get him to eat those. Don't offer him any meat at say one meal and offer the potato. If he doesn't eat the potato at that meal, don't offer him any meat and offer him the potato again at the next meal. Its going to take some persistance to get him to change what he eats but as long as you keep offering him the food he prefers he's going to eat that. Also if he see's you eating hotdogs he's going to want them so you will have to eliminate them from your diet as well. Just as well as they aren't good for anybody. If his prefered foods aren't offered to him, then he has no choice but to eat what he's offered. I would also consider putting him on a high quality vitamin supplement and not those sugary fruit chewables from the grocery store but from the health food store or Shaklee or something like that. You can change your childs diet by example and not offering him foods that aren't good for him. It won't be easy but for your childs sake stick to it and I am sure in time you will see him accepting better food choices! PS... I'm not an expert but I have raised 4 children who ate basically whatever we fed them from liver to spinich and I think the problem lies with the parent giving in to the childs demands too soon. It is okay to say no to your child and if you can't say no now, you will continue to have problems beyond the dinner table! I want to encourage you to take these steps for the well being of your child. You can do it! (o:
In Reply to: Re: Toddler diet...meat only? posted by Mom on May 17, 2001 at 14:26:56:
Sugary things even fruit or fruit juice will curb the appetite so only offer him fruit juice AFTER, NOT BEFORE meals and while going through this transistion it might be wise to limit his snacking so he's good and hungry before his main meals. Offer him protein or complex carb snacks instead if sweet snacks but not close to meal time. Try mid-way between meals instead. Search online maybe for ideas on healthy foods/snacks for toddlers. Hope this helps!
In Reply to: Toddler diet...meat only? posted by Tammy on May 17, 2001 at 10:33:14:
Hi, Tammy.
Kids are really different aren't they?
I tend to agree with everything Mom is saying. Since when is a 2 year old capable of deciding what is good for him?
You just have to bite the bullet and refuse to offer him ANYTHING but vegetables, suitably spiced to YOUR taste. Anything he does not eat in a reasonable period of time is removed and nothing is offered until the next meal. There is no possible damage that can happen during the time that his stubborness finally is overcome by his hunger and he begins to eat normally--UNLESS you give in just once. Even then, I would only give him tiny portions of his previous diet for the coming year or so. His appetite has to demand that he eat what you offer.
IF you stick to your guns, this problem will be over in a week or so. You have to harden your heart and only offer him vegetables when he cries with hunger. Do not limit water!
There is a famous study that perfectly describes this: Teach chickens to peck a lever to get a grain of corn. Pretty easy. Then stop giving them the corn. The average chicken will peck 10 times without reward until they are totally untrained and have to be trained all over again. HOWEVER, if on the 9th time, they are again rewarded with a grain of corn, they will peck forever (till they die of a bloody beak) because their little chicken brains cannot tell the difference between 10 times and infinity. The exact same thing is true of a 2 year old. If you ever (even once) deviate from the program, the time it takes to resolve this will be infinitely prolonged.
The damage he will have if you do not resolve this problem at this age (the ideal time to do it) will infinitely surpass any discomfort on your part during this time.
Let us know how you do. I have successfully resolved this kind of problem in many families over the years. In those who could not bring themselves to do so, the child had not only physical problems due to his diet but behavioral problems caused by his being allowed to run the family as he got older.
Resolve it now or you both will pay later.
Walt
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