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Really struggling to get DD to eat any carbohydrate - ideas needed!

13 replies

TabithaTwitchet · 07/09/2011 18:09

DD is 3 years old, generally a good eater, loves meat, fish, dairy, fruit and veg, but is really, really fussy about starchy foods.

She won't eat potato in any form, even chips, turns up her nose at pasta and rice, hardly eats bread, won't even touch cake.

I serve up a portion of potato/rice/bread on her plate every single mealtime, and she will usually just eat round it, only exception is she will eat cereal at breakfast time, and she will eat croissants (of all things), which she absolutely loves. I can sometimes get her to eat biscuits or crisps, but they're hardly healthy anyway, and she will eat cheese on toast, but I can't give her that every meal.

She is getting worse now, we used to be able to get some pasta or rice down her but she is just refusing now. I'm feeling worried that she won't eat such a major foodgroup.

Has anyone else had to deal with this? I find myself saying ridiculous things like you can't have any more salad until you've eaten one chip.

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InmaculadaConcepcion · 07/09/2011 20:34

Interesting and probably unusual problem!!

Does your DD eat beans/pulses? Because as well as being reasonably good sources of protein, those things also contain a fair amount of healthy carbohydrate. As do fruits like bananas and mangoes. And what about other root veg apart from potatoes - squash, sweet potato, swede, parsnip etc.? And what about nuts?

Would she go for things like pancakes? Or things made with oats, if she likes breakfast cereal and biscuits? You can make some relatively healthy oat bites using dried fruit instead of sugar....

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Nagoo · 07/09/2011 20:37

sweet potato or squash?

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TabithaTwitchet · 07/09/2011 21:16

She absolutely loves kidney beans and chickpeas - that is excellent news that they have carbohydrate in :) I on the other hand rather dislike them, but I guess I will have to eat them in a good cause. She likes bananas, I will have to start buying mangoes as well, she likes most fruit so that is a good idea.

I thought you weren't supposed to give nuts to under 5's? She has only had pine nuts before, do they count?

She will eat pancakes, that's true, had forgotten that, but only if they are plastered in honey.
I will try the oat bites too, at least it is something different.

She used to eat sweet potato, until we made the error of referring it to it by name, now she won't touch it Hmm. Last time I tried she wouldn't eat parsnips.

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titferbrains · 07/09/2011 21:20

have you tried cooking any of these things with her?

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RedBlanket · 07/09/2011 21:21

Wraps?

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TabithaTwitchet · 07/09/2011 21:26

Yes, she likes "helping" to cook...but not to eat it afterwards. She even picks out her favourite shape of pasta in the supermarket, but she will eat maybe one piece and then say she doesn't like it Confused.

HAdn't thought of wraps, will try them

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JiminyCricket · 07/09/2011 21:30

Bread wraps go down well with mine. Strips of pitta bread? Bread sticks. Actually, personally I wouldn't worry about it much. Lay off for a while, the more you stress the more she will be suspicious I reckon. And find something else peculiar to get your attention! But keep putting a tiny bit on her plate. Does she eat with other kids? This is often a help with fussiness. [Remember that my dd's always used to eat sandwich filling but not bread, except when with grandparetns when they would both eat bread but not filling...weird small child thing]

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MrsPellereau · 07/09/2011 21:42

If she likes chickpeas what about carrot sticks to dip in hommous, both are quite carby...

Or what about cous cous cooked with tinned tomatoes and chickpeas veg, chicken etc, if you make it quite saucy she'll hardly notice it...

good luck anyway!

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Nagoo · 08/09/2011 12:22

Buy 'Yams' :)

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InmaculadaConcepcion · 08/09/2011 13:31

Yes, whole nuts aren't ideal, given the choke hazard - I was thinking about nut butters (although spreading them on things might be tricky given your DD's aversion to bread!)
Is she into spicy flavours? Daal is a good one for being nice and carby. And you can make some curries with nut butters, yum!

Given that she eats pulses, bananas and the other things you mention, I think you can relax about it, provided you make sure her meals contain those sorts of things. It sounds like a very healthy diet, very low GI. Smile

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TabithaTwitchet · 08/09/2011 14:15

Minor success at lunch time with wraps! I made a filling with kidney beans and roasted carrots - she refused to actually make a "wrap" and ate all the filling first but then did eat about a third of the wrap afterwards :) Washed down with some exorbitantly expensive mango juice from the health food shop and followed by a banana!

I agree, it would be a v healthy diet for an adult, wish I could swap tastebuds with her!

Thanks for all the ideas, particularly like the idea of hiding couscous in a sauce. DH loves daal, so will suggest he makes some when it is his turn to cook.

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FauxFox · 08/09/2011 17:20

My DD won't eat mashed pots so I do a couple of Yorkshire puds for her when the rest of us have mash - she loves them with gravy.

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squishysquashy · 08/09/2011 17:29

I really don't think she is missing out. I don't think there is anything that great about the sort of carbs you are talking about. As others have said root veg and legumes are much better than just having wheat with everything.

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