V-8 Splash

Giving into his pickyness is not the answer. You are only encouraging it. Offer a variety of foods at meals (both likes and dislikes). If he is hungry enough he will eat what you give him. Your job as a parent is to offer healthy foods on a schedule. His job is to choose which foods to eat and how much of each food. You may find Ellyn Satter is a good resource. She has written many books.

To answer your question about V-8 splash. I think the Splash is NOT 100% juice. Which means it has added sugar. The fusion I think is 100% juice. I've tried the Juicy Juice Harvest and it is disgusting. I can't emagin any child liking the combination of carrot juice with fruit juice.

In general offering liquid supplements aren't the best solution. Liquids fill kids quickly and often lowers their appetite. 100% juice still has a lot of natural sugar; often the same as or more than soda. They also aren't learning to explore new foods. If you do choose to go this route I would limit the juice to no more than 6oz a day and I would serve it with meals.

I saw some people suggest pediasure. This is a complete nutrition supplement/replacement. It is really meant for children that are have issues gaining wt. It's not really supposed to be used to combat pickyness. Talk to your doctor before using this type of product.

I will admit, I haven't looked at the nutrition facts panel of V8 Splash recently, so I'm unable to provide a direct answer.

I would keep providing the fruits and veggies even if he rejects them. There's a chance that all the food will go to waste, but there is also a chance he will come around and start eating them again. I don't think a V8 or anything related will increase his chances of coming around on eating fruits/veggies.

In the mean time, we occasionally offer our kids two rounds at meal time. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. Round 1 consists of the food our child hasn't been consuming a lot of - for us sometimes it's veggies, meat, or starch. If they are really hungry they will break down and eat it. Then round 2 consists of the rest of the balanced meal, and more of whatever was in round 1. On the really bad days I've been known to give a plate of steamed veggies for breakfast because none were eaten the day before, and that seems to have a good amount of success. It's not like they know what the "standard" breakfast/lunch/dinner is anyway. For my kids, it seems they are most hungry in the morning.

If I did try V8 I would give it at snack and separately. I would also make sure that every food he has provides some kind of vitamin or mineral in a worthwhile quantity. When kids stop eating nutritious food, they lose room in their hunger cycle (diet) for empty calories.

And I wouldn't trust some of the responses you got here. One in perticular seems off in judgement regarding nutrition. Just my thoughts. :)

Good luck!

K.

Hey J.,
I used to give my son V-8 Splash until I found out V-8 Fusion has even more good stuff in it! One serving of juice has a full serving of each fruit and veggies in it! My son LOVES it and like yours has a very selective diet. He prefers cheese, cereal and crackers. It is a bit more expensive than the V-8 Splash but has better nutrition value.
Good luck!

My son is getting very picky also (not eating foods he once did) and found out about a book I may get myself. I went online to check it out and I think you may be interested too. It is called the sneaky chef... this lady hides veggies in foods and you don't even taste it! I think these recipes would be good for my husband too - lol :} Here is the site: www.thesneakychef.com
I hope this helps you out.

Good Luck,
~SR

Hey J.,

Luckily my son still eats a variety but I have worked with many kids who have been so picky they end up in the eating clinics the university offers. The sneaky chef suggested by someone else is a good route to try. Also a good vitamin that doesn't have any of the extras in it. I've heard of some at GNC but my favorite is Nutrilite, its been a top vitamin for over 50 years. To find some you can go to www.mhootman.qhealthzone.com. They also have natural foods like a fruit/veggie bar thats equal to 5 servings, its my sons favorite snack and my super picky husband even likes it. Good luck and dont stress, although the nutrients are important, as long as he isn't losing weight from not eating your doctor wont be really concerned for awhile, dont lose heart, could just be a phase.

Hi J.! If you really want to give your child a quality supplement then check out Juice Plus chewables or gummies. They are NOT a vitamin, they are a whole food supplement. They don't enrich their product with any "nutrients". I used them for my son and his health, eating habits and sleeping habits improved dramatically. He started craving healthy food!
The V-8 products are not a supplement! They should never be used in place of fruits and veggies. They contain massive amounts of sugar and are very low in actual nutrition content. All the "nutrients" are added which means the body doesn't absorb them.
I do NOT sell Juice Plus! I am not a fan of people trying to sell me "the only product that works". That's my disclaimer:) I have nothing to gain by telling you about this product. Just passionate about kids health!

How about Pediasure. I agree about the V-8 Splash though that it contains a lot of sugars. Make sure whatever you give has little sugar and it's 100% juice. Keep trying the fruits and veggies and maybe he'll eventually eat them.