What would be the long-term effects of an extremely limited diet?

Question

I'm thinking of this with reference to, say, a five-year old. All the doctors, magazines, books, etc, say if your child goes through a phase of eating only one food, you shouldn't force him. They say he'll get out of it in a matter of days. What if, however, a child has a list of about 4 or 5 foods he'll eat- and the mother allows it? And what if it goes not for days but years? What problems could it cause?

If it matters the foods in question are:
1. Spaghetti (noodles and sauce, no meat or veggies)
2. pizza (meat, cheese, and sauce, still no veggies)
3. peanut butter and jelly sandwich (occasionally)
4. grits
5. pepperoni and cheese on crackers

I see that this does cover many food groups but what vitamins might a kid miss by refusing a fuller diet? (He does drink juice incidentally, about a full 48 ounce bottle a day.) Is he in any nutritional danger? Is something he's missing the reason that he cannot get over a cold he's had for 3 months? Any thoughts, please.

For the record, I am in an awkward position as the father's girlfriend and have no influence whatsoever. I have known this child since before he ate solids and this is what he has eaten all his life. If you make him try something new, he does not swallow it- he holds it in his mouth, gags, and eventually if you don't let him spit it out he'll vomit.

Answer 1

Wow. Childhood obesity. Vitamin deficiencies. High cholesterol and possible type 2 diabetes which unfortunately is becoming more prevalent in children. The best way to get a kid to eat a better variety is to try and introduce new things. Make them look appealing and don't make a big deal about it if he doesn't take to them right away. After raising three picky eaters I have learned by trial and error and now thankfully have a teenage daughter hopelessy addicted (in a good way) to fresh green salads and milk. My 11 year old son has also developed a love for salads, as long as there is fresh homemade buttermilk dressing available. Has she tried cutting veges in a variety of shapes and providing different types of things to dip them in. My five year old is picky but I get him to eat sandwiches made from whole wheat bread and lean deli meats and cheeses by cutting the sandwiches with a cookie cutter. And he simply loves carrot curls made by continually running a vegetable peeler over the carrot until it falls apart.

Answer 2

You say "the mother allows it". Does this mean you don't have any influence? If you have some influence, then the best solution would be to let the child go hungry.

If you present a healthy food to the child and he refuses, don't try to coax him with unhealthy food that he likes. That will satisfy his hunger, but it won't satisfy his nutritional needs. He will develop malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies, which will affect his health not just now, but when he grows up.

If you take the healthy food away and don't offer him an alternative, he will eventually get hungry enough that he will accept the healthy food. This child is testing its mother, working out just how much he can get his own way. All children do this to some extent.

Answer 3

Yes it covers the food groups- but it also covers fatty/ oily foods as well. He needs to be eating more fruits and veggies.juices are good- hopefully not a lot of soda.
You are depriving him of essential minerals and vitamins in his diet. And be careful because it is considered to be endangering his life if a ped. says that diet habits need to change and say a year later they aren't. Make him have a bowl of fruit or something before getting a piece of pizza, or something. It's not being mean- it's being a good parent. You can't let your children run their own lifes. That's what's wrong with a lot of the parents today- is they don't care.

Answer 4

This sounds like your typical SAD diet, doesn't it?? Very sad. Very high in transfats would be my guess. Setting the little guy up for diabetes and heart disease and all sorts of colon distress. It might have worked to eat like this in 1912 when the foods were made from scratch (she/he would have lived in Italy where they made a delicious and nutritious tomato sauce), but in the US today there aren't going to be too many nutrients in any of these items...

And drinking 48 ounces of juice a day when you are 5 years old is not creating a precurser to diabetes, but will wreak havoc on the child's teeth. Yikes!

just my non-medical opinion.

HealthiaCynthia
Certified Comprehensive Coach
Moderator for My Miracle Moments
http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/My_Monday_Miracles/

Answer 5

i think a major consideration is if he takes a mutivitamin each day, if so,, with what he is eating, he should be getting enough of each thing, if not, then no his diet isnt balanced,,,, alot of foods do have similar vitamins/minerals as vegetables, so you really would have to make a list of whats in each item,,,
i would think the mother should introduce him to a new food, perhaps each week, have him atleast take a bite of it,
it does sound like an extreme diet, only a dietician could really say if its balanced
a cold for 3 months sounds like something is wrong, going on, unless he is in school and they are passing it back and forth,,,, my child a 7 had strep throat 4 times, almost constant for months,,, i would keep her home till she was well, but other parents didnt , so each time she was over it, went back to school, she got it again,,,,,

Answer 6

If the child has been ill for 3 months he needs to be seen by the doctor. As for the diet it is not a real good balance of foods the child is eating but so long as the child gets a multivitamin daily things should be ok.

Answer 7

kids grow so fast it is hard for their bodies to keep up and nutrition is very important. vitamin supplements should be given in this case and you could try introducing some veggies that are hidden.
for example use spinach noodles instead of regular spagetti noodles. these habits that he/she has developed can become a lifelong struggle with your child to get he/she to eat right if something isn't done right away. vegetable soups are a good way to start. and don't forget to make the meals fun and relaxed if you start trying to force the veggies it won't work....try making a game out of it.

Answer 8

He needs more fiber in the form of veggies and fresh fruit or he may have permanent digestive and intestinal problems later in life. Sometimes kids do not know best and need strong guidance from their parents

Answer 9

The eating of one food group is not healthy!

We need to take in a variety of foods!

It is the parents duty to see that their child(ren) eat properly!

IMHO,

The Ol' Sasquatch Ü

Answer 10

I see no vitamin C and no fiber whatsoever. Does this kid ever poop? With all that cheese and bread it has got to be an issue.