my daughter is seven years old and she has the appetite of a bird. she only eats vegetables and sometimes chicken. but very little. i could put a plate of spaghetti in front of her and she would eat it all the time. but the spaghetti has to be covered in sauce. i am having a proble teaching her how to eat healthy. she had to get glasses and her teeth are terrible and i think that it has to do with her eating habits. the dentist said that she has the teeth of and adult. i am running out of ideas on how to get her to eat we fight all the time when supper comes. help.
2007-02-21 15:23:17 · 21 answers · asked by fazugosgirl 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
Okay, not trying to be rude, but the problem is you're giving into her. If you want her to eat other things, you cook what you want her to eat. Then, you give it to her. She has the choice to eat it, or go to bed hungry. Trust me. She's not going to starve if she goes to bed hungry for a night.
That's what happened to me. Of course I didn't eat dinner for a couple of nights, but when I got hungry - I did eat. When your daughter gets hungry - she WILL eat.
Don't cook something, then end up cooking something she wants just because she doesn't want the other. While doing that, you're spoiling her. It's going to get worse if you continue to do that.
2007-02-21 15:39:07 · answer #1 · answered by Annamarie 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Vegetables and chicken are more nutrient rich than spaghetti. Why are her teeth bad? Did she fall asleep with bottles? I started to get grossed out by meat when I was 6 or so. Will she eat soup? You can flavor a soup with her favorite flavors
sandwiches? Small portions of each food?
An old fashioned healthy food was custard made of milk and eggs. There are so any foods available now. What about smoothies
with supplements added?
2007-02-21 23:32:19 · answer #2 · answered by Susan M 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There's ways to sneak protein into her diet. She should be getting all the fiber and other nutrients she needs from the veggies. If not allergic, have her snack on peanuts, cashews, etc - These are full of the healthy fats that her body and brain needs for development, and are chock full of protein. Have her try tofu, cooked a variety of ways. Mix up the veggies, maybe a spinach salad one night, corn and green beans another night, mixed greens another night, mashed sweet potatoes or russets another, etc. The inclination towards vegetarianism isn't unhealthy in and of itself, but there are nutrients that are easier to get from meat that you have to find a way to substitute. Get her to start taking a child's multivitamin to be on the safe side.
On the other hand, don't go particularly out of your way to cater to her picky habits unless you're up for shifting the rest of the family's diet as well. Offer vegetables with the nightly meal. But offer things everyone else wants, too. She has the choice to eat only the vegetables or eat what everyone else is eating.
I would probably pick up a couple of vegetarian cookbooks for some ideas on what to serve her and the rest of the family to keep it interesting.
2007-02-22 08:38:58 · answer #3 · answered by sovereign_carrie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The more you make an issue of food, the worse off you will be. Let her eat her veggies, a little chicken. Spaghetti is not so bad,and a little red sauce never hurt anyone. Introduce fruit, cut up apples, pineapple, pears, grapes, oranges. As she grows, she will want to try new foods..like lamb chops, turkey, fish on her own. The more you force food on her, the more you could be setting her up to have weight issues as an adult. Just don't bring her to fast food places; that is junk and should be banned in my opinion. Also don't give candy or sweet cookies...they cause bad teeth. I as a mother never forced my children to eat everything on their plate. Nature tells them when they are full..and today my sons do not have weight issues at all. They all eat healthy. My brother when he was a little boy lived on milk and yankee doodles and today he is a health nut...running, exercising, and he lives a life eating only healthy organic foods. So she will eat better and healthy as she grows older...Making an issue of food will not help you or her.
2007-02-22 00:11:16 · answer #4 · answered by cardgirl2 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's great that your daughter wants to eat so many vegetables! I don't see where the problem is with that. That IS eating healthy. Many kids that age don't want to eat anything but junk or things with very little nutritional value.
If you're concerned with her getting a decent amount of food from each food group, prepare meals with a healthy balance. If she doesn't eat it, she'll be hungry, and after a couple of nights of that, she'll realize that there are other foods than just spaghetti for dinner.
Her getting glasses and having bad teeth wouldn't be so much from her diet. She is only 7 years old. Even people who eat junk and consume alot of sugar still have the ability to have good teeth if they take care of them. Encourage her to brush and floss more.
At this age, it's common for kids to be picky. Take her grocery shopping with you and ask her what kind of foods she'd like you to buy.
good luck
2007-02-21 23:34:14 · answer #5 · answered by imcalledlisa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She eats vegetable? Many healthy people are vegetarians and in fact I ate only vegetables while I was pregnant and my child came out healthier and bigger than my friends babies and they ate meat. I also ate nothing but vegetable while nursing and I nursed her a year while my friends had to stop at 3 weeks and the other at 5 months. Vegetables are fine, work with that make stir fry and boiled and throw a little chicken in there if YOU want to but she can get tons of nutrients from veggies give her vitiaman supplitment and she will be fine. Does she drink milk, there is protien in that too.
2007-02-21 23:34:59 · answer #6 · answered by 'lil peanut 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think her just eating veggies and a little bit of meat is the cause of her tooth problems. How is her sugar intake and brushng/flossing habits? I am vegan and I do not consume EVER meat or animal products and my teeth are perfectly fine. If you feel the need to force her to consume animal products stop now you shouldn't make her eat something she doesn't want. If you worry about her protein intake feed her soy burgers or soy based products.Children go through phases in fact their taste buds change every 6 months or so, therefore what she likes today she may not be able to stand in 6 months
2007-02-21 23:32:46 · answer #7 · answered by texas_angel_wattitude 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well at least she eats the veggies thats usually the problem w/kids funny to see it the other way around. but of course she's missing the other food groups. u know she enjoys spaghetti with sause so, maybe u can play off of this by making some similar pastas (ziti) or using beef or whatever meat u cook ur spaghetti with assuming she eats the meat also and make a dish like that. maybe making it fun for her to help make then eat (tacos are usually good). of course the veggies are on the side of these meals since she eats them. maybe the chicken nuggets with shapes ive seen happy face baked potato french fry things in the freezer aisle they cook easily in the oven. maybe make it appealing to her visually with those type of things and she will be interested. hope that helps even a bit!
2007-02-21 23:33:16 · answer #8 · answered by charli_red1218 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well there are cook books out there that are really great for those ppl who don't like to eat healthy .It basically gives you recipes of meals you can cook that may not look healthy but they really are... I don't want to give you bad advice so im just suggesting that .. maybe you shouldn't force feed her or really make her eat when she doesn't want to ... I always say you should eat when your hungry and only eat enough to stop your hunger... OKay well heres a question for you does your daughter have low self asteem is she the weigh shes suppose to be at her age..only askin because maybe theres more to just her eating habits.. ..Well Ma I'm not saying to take my advice because this one is a hard one but talk to you daughter as a friend and she whats goin on .Try new healthy foods on her and the family .Things always work out better when everyones workin as a team ..It will be hard but what satisfaction do you get out of things being easy???
sincerely
Nina M
2007-02-21 23:41:17 · answer #9 · answered by NiNA M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most kids that age won't eat vegetables at all, be glad she likes them. Get creative and make veggie lasagne, try to get her to use cheese dip on raw veg sticks, put peanut butter in celery, make veggie and bean soups, put a jar of babyfood beef in her spaghetti sauce, she won't see it that way, there are lots of ways to get kids to eat healthy. If you think she's undernourished, take her to a nutritionist, or her pediatrician, find out what's wrong. She may be on a very early eating disorder, she may have heard from school she will get fat if she eats anything besides vegetables.
2007-02-21 23:32:24 · answer #10 · answered by Squirrley Temple 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What are you talking about she is HEALTHY if she is eating vegetables maybe she is a vegitarian. Good for her I am proud of her and you should be to, maybe I should set a play date with you and your daughter so I can get my 5-year old to eat some vegies lol.
Don't worry too much about it as long as she is eating something. She will either grow out of it or become a vegitarian.
2007-02-22 00:00:27 · answer #11 · answered by Pretty me :) 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋