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I'm concerned about her. This is so not healthy.
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imorethanamother




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 5:29 pm
So many people commenting have clearly never had a child like this. I do, more than one!

I could have written this whole post! Bagels, cereal, pasta, and cheese. That’s it. A couple veggies here and there.

Feel free to PM me. My child has been diagnosed with something called food aversion and it’s an eating disorder. I have an HMO, so my primary finally referred me to a pediatrician with a background in food aversion, a dietician, and I’m going to get some bone scans and labs for his nutrient index. Guaranteed this kid has no iron.

Someone who has food aversion is not going to start eating lentil pasta, and most gluten free foods are not fortified with vitamins like we do with our flour. In fact, they have higher sugar and fat content.

I’ve called a lot of feeding therapists, and most aren’t well trained. I’ve deployed charts and I picked four foods in each food group, and this is my goal.
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amother
NeonPurple


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 5:33 pm
My 8 year old has started doing this. Food he use to like he says I don't like yuck. He is a good eater and will eat big portions. Not overweight or underweight. I have started saying to him I know this is not your preferred food but this is what we are having this time. It is not repulsive to you it is just not your most favorite. Another time we will have ____. I don't make it into a power struggle. It's a very matter of fact this is what is for this meal. I make sure never to force things he truly doesn't like. None of my kids like mushrooms or tomatoes. I wouldn't force them to eat those. Other times we do have his more favorite options. Look at what she eats over a typical day. Post that and let's see how it compares to others her age. Also is she energetic and happy? Or hangry? Does she drink enough water? I wouldn't ban any foods from the house. She will eat them elsewhere and it breeds resentment toward eating and food and home.
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gibberish




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 5:33 pm
OP, I would give her a daily multivitamin and leave her be. I have a child who eats mostly carbs and not much else and is my healthiest child and almost never gets sick. I've discussed this topic at length with multiple doctors and its really fine. Continue to offer a variety of foods and don't worry too much about it.
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amother
Cappuccino


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 5:34 pm
amother [ Tuberose ] wrote:
I use to believe this too until reality proved otherwise. At least for my kids. It seems to work well for some kids. It went against my own good sense, but I needed to start having a very different approach about eating. I still don’t force, and try to incorporate as much of ellyn satter/intuitive eating as I can, but like I said upthread, once kids are exposed to certain option, kids with certain wiring will restrict themselves to foods that give them a fix, and it’s not something that I can just accept. Especially because it’s a vicious cycle.

As a professional trained in eating disorders, here’s my opinion.
Ellyn Satter’s division of responsibility can work for children with normal development. However, when it comes to an eating disorder, her method will no longer work because an eating disorder is an illness that needs proper treatment.
I can’t diagnose your daughter obviously, because I haven’t met her, but there is an eating disorder called ARFID which is essentially extreme picky eating that leads to malnutrition.
If your daughter does have ARFID, DOR or intuitive eating won’t be helpful.
If you need referrals, I’d be happy to give you some.
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amother
Raspberry


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 5:41 pm
I was like that. For two years straight I only ate pasta and cheese. Then, I only ate pizza for a few years. Then, I ate pancakes for about a year.... I go through my phases with foods. I'm pretty ok now... however, I go back into these "phases" when I'm pregnant. Such as during one pregnancy, I couldn't eat supper, I only ate dried fruit. During another pregnancy, I only ate yogurt.....

My DD is going through the same thing now. IDK what tdo. following....
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gootlfriends




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 5:54 pm
I didn't each much as a teenager. Mostly salads. I liked how it felt in my mouth. It wasn't until I had low blood pressure from being under weight that my parents noticed. I would take her food shopping and let her pick out a new food every week. Bribe if necessary but also talk about what's yummy about the food. Do not force her to eat, make it fun. Colorful.
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Zehava




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 5:54 pm
I have a sister who’s been living on a dairy/carb only diet from when she was two til 12-13. She literally did not get fleishig in all that time. She’s fine and healthy and recently started exploring more foods on her own.
My son lives on leben and cheese during the week and only likes shabbos food.
Leave well enough alone. She’ll figure things out. She is getting her protein and fat so she’s likely fine.
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amother
Carnation


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:24 pm
Wow, do I have a shidduch for your daughter! My DS, same age, is exactly the same in almost every detail. He used to eat a wide variety and over the years it has dwindled down to… cereal, waffles, mac’n’cheese, white potatoes, snacks, etc… that’s about it. I gave up trying to please him a while ago and he ends up making his own “supper” about 75% of the time. For lunches, I cook a huge pot of mac’n’cheese on Sunday and he takes that for lunch every day. Is your daughter also very picky about texture? Is she picky or rigid about other areas in life, such as clothing? We definitely see it with clothing as well.
My son also presents with some anxiety and we often worry that his diet contributes to the “brain inflammation”. However, I feel it’s just not worth the struggle. Instead, I fortify him with vitamins on a daily basis. And we just started seeking therapy help for the anxiety, so we’ll see if that helps.
Hatzlacha and hang in there!
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amother
Latte


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:25 pm
You can give her vitamins if you're concerned she isn't getting them from her diet, but I don't think you need to worry about her just liking potatoes and cheese. It's ok.
She'll get married to a husband who will probably need normal suppers one day and she'll adjust then.
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amother
Geranium


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:28 pm
I have a dc like this, and I believe it's an OT sensory issue in his case. It's all about texture.

He only wants food that is completely uniform in texture and flavor. Unfortunately, this happens to be all processed foods and carbs. I tried approaching like exposure therapy. For instance, every shabbos for a few weeks he had to put a piece of avocado in his mouth, not swallow, just hold in his mouth. Then graduate to swallowing a small bite. I can't say I had major success but we got him to add a few items, like chicken soup that he now regularly eats.
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jd1212




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:30 pm
Barilla makes protein+ pasta in yellow boxes that looks and tastes virtually identical to regular (unlike chickpea, lentil, etc). Go for that for now at least! Has fiber and protein from pea protein and other natural vegetable sources.
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amother
Geranium


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:32 pm
jd1212 wrote:
Barilla makes protein+ pasta in yellow boxes that looks and tastes virtually identical to regular (unlike chickpea, lentil, etc). Go for that for now at least! Has fiber and protein from pea protein and other natural vegetable sources.


My ds noticed the difference right away. Even though I actually mixed it with a pot of regular pasta, he picked out the protein pasta pieces. Can't Believe It
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amother
SandyBrown


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:36 pm
amother [ Geranium ] wrote:
My ds noticed the difference right away. Even though I actually mixed it with a pot of regular pasta, he picked out the protein pasta pieces. Can't Believe It


Same. My daughter noticed even though I didn't say anything was different. I think there are just some people that are super picky eaters and that's it. You can't force them to eat foods they don't like. Do the best you can to make sure they eat as balances as possible and then that's it you can do, along with giving a vitamin as a supplement.
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BrisketBoss




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:40 pm
Don't try to trick your family. Even my babies I warned them that it was something new when I served a new pasta.
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rachelli66




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:52 pm
Maybe let this pass for a while without too much pressure. On the side though try to have cut vegies, and chummos on plate. If she has Pasta and vegies at least she has something healthy. This might just be a stage that will pass. Maybe its attention. Maybe she read about being a vegetarian and thought it sounds cool. Give it a couple months and you'll see if you need medical attention.
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amother
cornflower


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:55 pm
OP, I think she’s picking up on your anxiety about this.
Kids are *very* sensitive to that.
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amother
Tuberose


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 6:59 pm
amother [ cornflower ] wrote:
OP, I think she’s picking up on your anxiety about this.
Kids are *very* sensitive to that.
OPs gut is telling her there is something abnormal with her kid restricting her food intake to so few foods. OP should listen to her gut, not be made to feel guilty for having gut feelings.
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amother
Daisy


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 7:05 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
We do Intuitive Eating in this house. Every meal has a bunch of options. She wasn't always picky. She used to eat all kinds of food. It's only lately (last 2 years let's say) that she will only eat the white starch with or without cheese. On shabbos night she eats a piece of chicken and only mostly eats the skin. She eats vegetables maybe 2 times a week. For breakfast she eats cereal and milk. School lunch is the same thing a pasta dish or the white carb option.
She used to eat hamburgers, meatballs, meat sauce, shnitzel, chicken, steak, Chinese chicken, eggs, yogurt, cheese. She never ate fish. Which I understand. Now she eats, bread, pasta w cheese, pizza, potatoes, farfel, white rice, cereal, milk, once a week skin and some bit of chicken.
I always believed that children who are not forced will eat intuitively, but this experience is making me doubt my whole approach.

Whoever asked about her table manners, she's got no issues in that area. Very polite.

Is she trying to be vegetarian? Not sure about the cheese or chicken though, maybe she decided not to eat meats. Either way, there are ways to hide healthy food in the pasta and cheese that she eats, you can puree carrots, cauliflower, zucchini (if you keep peel on it will look like pesto), butternut squash, etc. The orange puree (carrot, butternut squash, pumpkin, etc) can be covered with cheddar cheese while the white puree (cauliflower, peeled zucchini, etc) can be covered with white cheese so it will just look like mac and cheese. There are tons of recipes online if you google it, you can find instructions on how to do it and more ideas.
And if you are concerned about the protein then you can buy an unflavored protein powder and add it to her mac and cheese as well. Adding the pureed veggies and protein powder to her pasta and cheese will give her the nutrients she may be missing.
I would also say that a multivitamin is important but do a bloodtest first to see what she needs and take it from there.

ETA: If she is trying to be vegetarian then you can always see if she would eat impossible meat.
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amother
Blush


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 7:08 pm
amother [ Tuberose ] wrote:
OPs gut is telling her there is something abnormal with her kid restricting her food intake to so few foods. OP should listen to her gut, not be made to feel guilty for having gut feelings.


I don't think it's about feeling guilty, rather that kids can feel pressured when they pick up on our anxieties around food & that leads to them restricting even more.
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Jan 10 2022, 7:22 pm
amother [ Blush ] wrote:
I don't think it's about feeling guilty, rather that kids can feel pressured when they pick up on our anxieties around food & that leads to them restricting even more.


I'm only now starting to worry. She had almost 2 years of free for all. She is not doing this as a response to my anxiety.

Btw I am a super taster, I taste flavors very intensely and I also prefer bland tasting food. I enjoy the flavor burst of exciting recipes but it is a sensory overload for me and I tend to need to blanche it out with an unsalted cracker. I am sure some of my sensory stuff is passed down to my kids. I mean I eat all kinds of healthy food so I can't imagine she picked this up. Either way it's concerning that she lost her taste for all these foods and is now only wanting one flavor profile.
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