Att: Nutritionists, picky eater question

amother

Bronze

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 10:23 pm

Attention nutritionists!
Is it true that if my child never eats fruits or vegetables they will be fine?
My doctor told me not to worry about my child who is growing nicely and looks healthy even though she is an extremely picky eater and gets zero fruits or vegetables. I give her a multivitamin.
He told me I could take her to a nutritionist if I wanted reassurance.
He said in a first world country like the USA there are virtually no cases of problems due to malnutrition in a normal healthy middle class family. So as long as she eats meat chicken eggs etc she’s fine.

Is this true? What is the purpose of fruits and vegetables then if a multivitamin can give her the nutrients she is missing?

amother

Goldenrod

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 11:08 pm

I eat fruit, but not vegetables.
Turned out fine B"H.

Most of the vitamins in a multivitamin are not absorbed, it's sort of an insurance policy, in case someone is MAJORLY deficient their body will get at least some.

Most foods contain trace amounts of many vitamins and minerals. Fruits and vegetables are just the most concentrated source.

So your DD might be mildly deficient, but unlikely to be seriously deficient if she has a varied diet otherwise.

ALSO, when you say "none" do you mean
No tomatoes? (ketchup, tomato sauce)
No apples? Oranges? Grapes (juice)
No chicken soup? (many vitamins from veggies go into the broth)
No applesauce, canned peaches, french fries (potatoes), etc.?

It's unlikely she gets NO fruits and vegetables. But yes a person can live just fine without leafy greens and fresh fruit.

amother

Bronze

Thu, Jan 17 2019, 11:16 am

amother wrote:

Is she so picky that she wouldn't even eat fruits or vegetables that she can't see or feel? Very well blended into other foods? There are definitely many ways of disguising them if your goal is just to get them into her.

See that’s exactly it. Is there a point to making myself crazy to hide vegetables in her food if I don’t need to?

To respond to the other poster: She eats ketchup and potatoes from your list but I don’t consider those vegetables. No applesauce or jelly, fruity yogurt, no tomato sauce. Juice is barely tolerated but not often.

cozyblanket

Thu, Jan 17 2019, 11:41 am

amother wrote:

She won't eat pizza (there is tomatoe sauce)?

If she does, you can make home made pizza and mix some vegi baby jars of similar color into the tomatoes sauce (carrot, butternut squash etc). I had some extra baby food that we weren't using one time and I use some of it for muffins and some of it hide in the pizza. Oh, speaking if which- What about baking vegis in muffins etc?

I'm not suggesting that thus is the ideal way to eat vegis, but you,may want to.

What about blended fruit smoothie? Milk, bannana and frozen mango is delicious.

amother

Ginger

Thu, Jan 17 2019, 12:34 pm

amother wrote:

Personally, I would, and I do. The easiest is anything already blended like soups, smoothies and milkshakes. I don't think kids would suffer extreme consequences without it but I'd like to do whatever I can to keep up physical health and brain function. I'm pretty skeptical about vitamins filling that role on their own.

amother

Green

Thu, Jan 17 2019, 1:18 pm

amother wrote:

This doctor’s attitude is laughable. First, before I say anything, I’m not trying to worry you about your child - lack of fruit and vegetables is not good but usually won’t cause any immediate emergency (unless the constipation gets very bad).. it will cause more chronic issues that can pop up over the years.

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is actually the cause of many major health issues that do not exist in developing countries who have not yet been influenced by this diet!! Doctors are trained in sickness and diseases - not health wellness. When they think of vitamin deficiencies, they’re considering the most severe vitamin deficiencies that cause serious repercussions. They don’t consider low level vitamin deficiencies that affect mood, behavior, sleep, general immune health. Same with malnutrition - sure, we don’t have malnutrition from starvation in this country- BH! But we certainly have malnutrition of a lower level, causing many chronic and autoimmune diseases, or diseases that slowly form over the years.

Like I said, doctors are trained in sickness, not in wellness. When the problem gets bad enough that it causes a serious sickness, then they’ll address it. If “things look ok” they don’t know how to advise.

Definitely find a good nutritionist. Oftentimes if a child is “picky” it’s because the bad bacteria in their body is telling them which foods to eat so it can stay alive and grow. Children are MUCH less picky eaters when their gut bacteria is in check.

Does your child ever get constipated (taking more than a minute or so to pass stool, less than one bowel movement per day)? I’m assuming yes because fruit and vegetables are a main source of fiber.

amother

Bronze

Thu, Jan 17 2019, 3:42 pm

She does get very constipated. Ever since she first started eating solids as an infant she was my most constipated baby. Even before she became old enough to be picky. And it’s never changed.
I’m looking for a fiber supplement that she’ll tolerate.
Btw she won’t eat tomato sauce on pizza. Nor on meat balls. She won’t eat fruit smoothies.
The only veggies I can get away with hiding are tasteless colorless ones like zucchini or cauliflower. Or if it’s baked in a cupcake.
Fruits are impossible. Maybe applesauce in a cake.
How much nutrition can she actually get from a tablespoon of zucchini or squash in a cupcake?
Is it worth it?
Is there a fiber powder I can bake with? That would be so convenient.

mha3484

Thu, Jan 17 2019, 3:47 pm

Are these sensory aversions? Is it a control thing? I was a horribly picky eater until part of the way through high school and now 20 years later I will eat almost anything so there is hope.

I ask because some kids can learn to expand their palates with OT if its a sensory issue. Also I find that some kids who get a lot of services due to special needs can feel very micromanaged during the day so the one thing that they can control about their daily lives is eating. Looking into the reasons behind the pickyness may help you in the long run.

Feel free to disregard just my opinion.

amother

Bronze

Thu, Jan 17 2019, 4:02 pm

Honestly I myself am picky too so I understand her. It’s not a control thing. Most things she genuinely doesn’t like the taste, which is how she tastes it even when it’s hidden in something else. Some things she tried and doesn’t like. Some things she is scared to taste because she thinks she’ll hate it. We’re working on it. Smile

She has a positive attitude towards eating. She’s happy to try new things if they look normal to her and smell good. For example she once tasted a cake that had jelly in it because it looked so good. She normally wouldn’t touch jelly. Jelly isn’t exactly nutritious but it was a milestone for her. So I’m not worried about the emotional aspects.
I’m worried about living the rest of her life with a nutritional deficiency.
My biggest challenge is hiding new foods while also maintaining her trust in me. She trusts me not to trick her or force her. And when I do trick her I need to make sure it’s impossible to taste. Because if she realizes she won’t trust me anymore when I tell her to try something new. It’s hard.

amother

Pewter

Thu, Jan 17 2019, 5:14 pm

Well I have an 18 yr old who is probably a lot pickier.
This is the list of food she eats: potatoes in various forms, white rice, white pasta, couscous, white bread/challa/pizza dough, cucumbers and apples, scrambled eggs. Chocolate and chocolate cake.

That's it. No tomato sauce on anything, no other veggies or fruits. She used to eat plain chicken but became a vegetarian this year. Other than the chicken, this has been her menu since the age of 5 or 6.

I worry a lot but I cant force feed her. It didnt stop her growth (175 cm) or her brain (top of the class), but she did have a lot of acne issues (though so did her siblings who ate everything).

amother

Green

Thu, Jan 17 2019, 5:59 pm

You seem to have a great attitude, which in the long run, will help the most!! Do not lose her trust by trying to push foods! I also agree with you that I don’t think it’s worth it to hide a little bit of vegetable in some of her foods. That’s not going to make or break anything.

If she’s been constipated almost her whole life, I can say pretty confidently she’s got some type of imbalance in her gut bacteria. There are many reasons why this could have happened- if you’re interested I’ll explain more. But I would start her on a good quality probiotic. How old is she?

For fiber - look for psyllium husk - it’s a great fiber source, and it’s very gentle. Its also a prebiotic (which means it feeds the probiotics/good bacteria). (Edited to add: go slow with the fiber - too much too quick will be more harmful than good)

Another thing - some picky eaters actually have a zinc deficiency. Children with a zinc deficiency will often say that the food “smells bad” or “tastes bad” even if there is nothing off about it. Their sense of taste and smell is out of sync. Something to look into. Zinc levels are not part of a regular blood panel, so it probably hasn’t been checked yet.

If you’re interested, there’s a good book By Kelly Dorfman- Cure Your Child With Food: the hidden connection between nutrition and childhood ailments. It has a chapter on picky eaters with good info and tips. There’s also a chapter on constipation. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761.....HBV33