Picky Eater. - Houston,TX

We have smoothies with hidden veggies. You can throw spinach, broccoli, kale, just about anything in it. Just toss in a decent amount of fresh or frozen fruit to mask the flavor. Hope that helps!

One of my daughters is 8 and it's still a struggle. She likes V8 Fusion, so this helps (great fruit juices - not tomato). Don't get V8 splash though - it's all sugar! I puree peas and put them in pasta sauce and also add baby food squash to mac and cheese and casseroles. It doesn't change the flavor much and adds a boost. She only likes bananas and green beans, but won't eat them if I give them too often. I make her eat a couple bites of whatever I serve, hoping someday she will come around. Good luck!

My boy (3 years) loves fruit, so it is pretty easy for us. But here are some of the ways he likes it. We put strawberries and blue berries on top of waffles and pancakes, and mixed into plain yogurt that I sweeten with mashed banana. You can make fruit smoothies, also. When grapes and watermelon are in season, try popping them into the freezer. Slice the watermelon and put it on a cookie sheet to freeze. Grapes should be pulled from stems and washed before freezing.

As for veggies, my boy likes only mushrooms, which happen to be a perfect protein which is good because he has an aversion to meat. But, I sneak zucchini, eggplant, spinach and carrots into my spaghetti sauce. Try it next time. Grate up all these ingredients and toss into the slow cooker with your bottled or home made sauce. Let it cook for a whole day and the veggies break down and he'll never know they are there. Quiche is another place you can put veggies and he won't really know. Cooked, pureed cauliflower can go into any pasta dish you make, especially if it has cheese. Does he like guacamole? Avocados are a wonderful vegetable (fruit, really) with lots of good fats. You can easily let him eat 1/4 to 1/2 of an avocado per day without concerns.

That said, the experts say to keep offering the fruits and veggies, and eat them yourself to set a good example. We do that along with the sneaky stuff. If you figure out how to get the veggies down straight, let me know! LOL.

Good luck.

Start by eliminating any sweets, juice, crackers, fast food etc. Tell him those things are treats that he can have if he eats his healthy foods first. Then experiment with different types of foods and different ways of preparing them to see what he prefers. For example, when I was a kid I hated cabbage cooked but would eat it raw. Don't be afraid that he's going to starve, if he's hungry he can eat what you are offering him. He can hydrate with water between meals and snacks so when he's eating don't necessarily give him the drink so he can fill up on liquids. Kids have a lot of tricks, don't they? Just try to keep it positive, give him healthy choices and explore what works for him. Hope some of these tips work for you. Oh another thing that helps with my own 4YO daughter, the movie Ratatoiulle, I point out how little chef tastes all the foods. Works for her.

Here's a good article on children who are picky eaters.
http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2009/12/26/...

Japanese restaurants make vegetable tempura. It is really not that hard to make at home, and my boys gobble it up. Also, we puree carrots and peas and add it to spaghetti sauce. They love it. Smoothies (you can add spinach and they won't taste it). If you want your son to know that he's eating them and like it, have him help you in the kitchen. He can help you cut bananas, peel oranges (the cuties are a great idea), or add things to a blender to make smoothies. Also, cheese is a great help. Cauliflower and cheese, peas and cheese, those are always big hits. There are also some great salads I've seen that are essentially pasta salad with veggies in them, or the ramen salad with veggies. And they are delicious. Check out allrecipes.com for some great ideas.

There are different reasons kids don't like veges/fruits. It's best to start veges first with an infant and then introduce the others. They naturally like sweet things so try "candy" carrots. ( a little honey and cinnamon). Do fresh when you can and finger food the veges/fruit as much as possible.
Other suggestions... if he likes catsup then put it on the veges. It sounds gross but you would be surprised what they will eat. Mix cold corn, peas and fruit together and let him eat them like m&m's. Try peanut butter if he can eat it with bananas and celery, etc. Pureed veges can be hidden in most any dish you cook. ie hamburger patties, meatloaf, casseroles.
Watch your child for texture issues with foods. If it's that, just wait on those. My grown son is only now starting to eat salad as this was a major texture problem for him early on. Children's tastebuds change about every 7 years, so don't give up. Just keep introducing the foods and bring them back around. What they like today, they won't like tomorrow.!LOL It does get better as long as you keep them on the table. My kids had to try 3 brownie/boy scout bites of whatever was put before them. They often decided they liked a dish even though they fussed until they tried it.

my 22 month old loves the small mandarin oranges in the produce section. They hve them at HEB and Target and probably Walmart. They say "CUTIES" on them. They're seedless and VERY easy to peel. My son was mad last night when we only ate two of them. He also loves it when I get the frozen mixed berries from Costco and defrost those and sprinkle a litle sugar on top. Will stain a shirt though! Made into a smoothie I bet your son would love it.

And under MY quesions, I asked a similar one about getting veggies in his diet and had some good suggestions. Click to see my profile and then look at my questions. Some suggestions were to cook with bacon, who can resist that? Other suggestions were to give edamame peas. I do NOT suggest that, as there is controversy over whether the soy contains too much estrogen for the boys/men. I figure, if there's controversy, then there's probably some truth to it.

Good luck. I may update my answer later if I think of more.

I would put them on the table and not discuss it. When your husband notices that there is only one broccoli "tree" left, let him ask your son if he would like it (teaches manners) when son says, "no" dad pops it in his mouth and says,
"great". No more discussion. They do what we do, not what we say. And making a big deal out of what a kid eats ruins dining as a family. Buy a jar of vitamins and stop worrying.
I can't be the only one whose kids LOVED artichokes.
Allowing him to cook in the kitchen is another sure fire winner for eating what he made.

What about the apple dippers at McDonald's as a start, then if he eats those try making apple slices at home sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Or turn apples or carrots into "noodles" by slicing them really thin with a peeler. Sometimes visiting a garden, farm, or pick-your-own fruit place can help.

As a mom of a picky eater who is now almost 8 and still doesnt eat most meats or veghies thought loves friuts I have found it to be a loosing battle we have tried everything even make him skip meals and snaks so he would be hungrier not starved (it did not work) my suggestion is a vitamin that has his fruit and veggie servings in them until they are willing it more then likely wont happen I wish you the best...

There are several options.

1. We have a one bite rule in our house. You have to take one bite of everything on your plate. If you don't like it, fine. Often after several one bite sessions, we have a new food in our diet.

2. Cheese and dip. My kids will eat just about anything covered in cheese or dipped in ranch! No, they are not allowed to have it at every meal, but once a week or so, I let them get out the ranch or cheese for their broccoli.

3. Hide it with purees. NOT a fan of this one. I think it is lying to your kids and doesn't effectively teach them how to eat healthy. But there are lots of recipe books out about hiding veggie purees in everything. I do mix cakes with applesauce, because I think it makes a better cake, not because I am trying to sneak fruits into my kids diets.

Last- give them fruits and veggies at EVERY meal.

Good Luck

The best way I get veggies in my two are through homemade smoothies. I keep bags of frozen fruit and veggies in my fridge. I'll use mostly berries and peaches but toss in whatever veggies I have (carrots, avocado, red bell pepper, fresh spinach, frozen broccoli, sweet potato, etc.). I use whatever fruit juice I have to sweeten and thin it out while blending. The fruits over power the veggies and they can't taste it (just don't let him see you putting the veggies in!!). :) It's usually a 3:1 ratio (fruits to veggies). Just play with it and see what works for you/him.

I've also started telling my 5 year old that he's not a baby anymore and has to give new foods a try. He doesn't have to like them but has to try one bite. If he needs to spit it out, that's okay. I don't make a big deal about it.. If he sees a "told you so" attitude from me, he's sure to rebel. If he spits it out, I just say, "thanks for trying." If he eats it and says "yum," I say nothing and just ask if he'd like some more. It is slow going but we are actually making progress. If he doesn't like something, try again in several months or so. Maybe even a year, if you have to wait that long. In the mean time, sneak the veggies in any way you can. I also give my kids roasted garlic and red pepper hummus and just call it "hummus." They eat it with crackers. They have no idea there are veggies in there. Carrot chips from Central Market (I call them TX Longhorn Chips).

If he likes spaghetti sauce, that's a GREAT way to sneak in veggies. Just puree some of the veggies you make for yourself and mix it into the sauce. I will freeze the sauce in ice cube trays, then pop them out and store them in baggies. Just defrost a couple of cubes for one meal. Use it to make pita pizzas and serve over any fun pasta. Sweet potato puree does pretty well in mac and cheese (don't use too much or he might figure it out). My son won't eat the mac if I go overboard.

I'm not one of those lucky ones who will eat anything as long as they can dip it in ranch. If it even looks like a veggie, they won't eat it. I did everything right when they were little. They ate veggies left and right until 18 months of age and the developed their little strong willed personalities. :) Good luck.

Find recipes that hide fruit and veggies in food. i think Rachel Ray has lots of fake out recipes.

Mashed potatoes using cauliflower.

cook yourself thin has recipes for cupcakes that add shredded and pureed veggies.

Sneaky chef - http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_sneaky_chef_recipes.php

Here is a choco fondue that uses avocado and carrots and they can dip fruit.
http://www.jollymom.com/2010/03/healthy-chocolate-fondue-...