Pre-teen dd (adhd) always wants exciting (unhealthy) foods

amother

Mon, May 02 2022, 9:49 am

Amarante wrote:

ETA You write that food should fill you and not entertain you. I don’t know how you interpret thst in terms of what you serve but most people think of food as more than something to fill them up. They get enjoyment from eating delicious dare I say interesting food. It is one of the pleasures of life and so it not abnormal to want to eat food that is interesting. Why else do people try out recipes and go to restaurants that serve well prepared food. The issue might be that you are in fact serving not particularly palatable food. Are you just serving some boiled vegetables with no seasoning because it is healthy and food doesn’t hav3 to be “interesting” 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Maybe try some recipes that are the kinds of foods she finds interesting. Most teen favorites can be made at home in a very healthy version.

Lol, we are a very creative family and our meals are in no way boring!!! I love cooking and so do my kids, and we cook very colorfully and with plenty of yummy spices and options. That is definitely not the issue here.

As I wrote, she loves the meals I make. It's the adhd/dopamine need that is fueling the "bigger and more exciting". If you have personal experience with children with this type of adhd, you would get it.

amother

Lightblue

Mon, May 02 2022, 10:17 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Lol, we are a very creative family and our meals are in no way boring!!! I love cooking and so do my kids, and we cook very colorfully and with plenty of yummy spices and options. That is definitely not the issue here.

As I wrote, she loves the meals I make. It's the adhd/dopamine need that is fueling the "bigger and more exciting". If you have experience with children with this type of adhd, you would get it.

If she’s not already on meds you can try l tyrosine to boost dopamine production.

knish

Wed, May 11 2022, 7:23 am

As ADHD is an interest based brain, it makes sense that the things that she is interested in are going to be what she wants. The eating out is exciting, so is Shabbos cereal to her! It may be helpful to sit down with her and try (will not work if she doesn’t want) to see if you can get her to help you plan menus and meals. By her being involved it may create interest on her part.
You can put your all in to every meal and it won’t be what she needs to be interested. As a mother, it can be really frustrating to create exciting, alternative meals that took time and energy and then labeled not exciting by a preteen. Involving her can help relieve some of the tension.
The joys of ADHD mean that one fix may only last a short time and switching things up frequently may be necessary!
Feel free to PM me for more! Hatzlacha

amother

Snapdragon

Thu, May 26 2022, 1:05 pm

I find my kids eat more when they pick it out. We have apples, peppers, cucumbers and grapes in the house. We encourage my daughter to eat them by eating them with her. Then she is a part of an activity. She earned how to use a peeler and knife (11 year old) and prepares it herself. She also loves bananas. Because we eat it and make it fun. I do buy popcorn and pretzels which are also healthy (low salt and healthy fat) for when she is home a lot. We do not buy candy. She gets it from her therapists though. I think if we were strict about it she would want it more. Shabbos party I try to stick to healthier fun like ice cream (milchig) and just a few cookies. When it is a good activity its more fun. We talk while eating.