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Am I the only parent who has given up trying to give the kids a varied and interesting diet??

10 replies

AphroditeRocks · 11/08/2009 13:26

Beleive me, I've tried everything trying to encourage my kids to have a balanced and varied diet. But they flummox me on every turn, it seems the longer time I spend preparing a meal, the quicker and more vehemently it is rejected.
Trying to get veg down them is a nightmare, I have to literally puree every tiny evidential piece of veg before they deign to eat it (and they're 7 and 3!)
Currently, all I can convince them to eat is pasta with pesto, tuna, spag bol, chilli, chicken curry and baked potatoes. Sandwiches are limited to tuna, marmite or jam - they won't eat cheese, so pizzas are out.
So I just stick to those options and rotate them as much as i can, but, holy crap, I'm getting fed up.
I would maske the effort- I really would- but it's not worth it.

Rant over!!

OP posts:
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frimblypoo · 11/08/2009 13:31

you can get loads of veg in spag bol if you whizz the sauce into puree before you add it to the meat.
I boil up a great big pan of veg sauce, whizz it down, freeze and use it for everything.
TBH the stuff you have listed sounds ok though. But they could probably use more calcium? What about letting them make fresh fruit milkshakes?
My ds is weird in that he likes tinned fruit but not that fussed about fresh.

Daily cooking has to be the most gawd awful chore in the world.

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OrmIrian · 11/08/2009 13:33

I have too aphrodite. Not entirely as I do try them on new things from time to time but I have accepted that on the whole there is a somewhat limited diet that they will all eat and enjoy. At least they do like a fairly healthy diet with lots of fruit and reasonable amts of veg. Don't know how you cope without cheese though!

I get a bit fed up too. I would love to be able to make something a bit different that DH and I would like that all the DC would happily eat too.

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IDreamOfJeannie · 11/08/2009 13:36

DD just has what we have.
Our diet is fairly varied - but we tend to stick to the same favourites week in week out.
I don't feel like I'm wasting my time and money though because we're eating it too

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expatinscotland · 11/08/2009 13:38

no, you are not.

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GreatGooglyMoogly · 11/08/2009 13:52

No, I gave up many months ago and DS1 (5.4) who is particularly fussy is actually asking to try new things now. I think it has mostly come from school where he has school dinners 3 days a week and there is a fruit or vegetable snack each afternoon as well. Peer pressure did what I never could!

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giveloveachance · 11/08/2009 14:04

Feel like giving up myself somedays!

You can still do pizza without the cheese - loads of veg in the tomato sauce and if they like tuna or chicken then thats the protein element. - could they help make it and maybe they might put on larger pieces of veg.

Often make this for my little one, as a quick lunch but with circles of bread.

Also started pureeing fruit and freezing it as ice lollies - goes down very well.

have you tried gradually increasing the lumpiness of the puree? - maybe it would work, so they get used to seeing pieces of veg in it.

Agree with peer pressure - my little one eats a lot more when we have company.

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bran · 11/08/2009 14:05

My DS (5.3) drives me mad too. He only has a few meals that he will eat and will turn down everything else without tasting it. He used to be fantastic and eat everything put in front of him so I suspect it's my fault somehow.

DD (18 months) eats everything with gusto except rice. It goes without saying that rice is one of the things that DS will eat.

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StirlingTheTired · 11/08/2009 14:55

My dc just have what we are having (except when we have very spicy food) and they know that is all that they get.

I refuse to not put something on their plates just because they may moan. I never hide anything or puree anything.

Dont get me wrong - My ds isn't keen on fruit but he loves smoothies, so that is ok. And sometimes they may not eat their veg but it still goes on their plates next time and then they forget about the fuss they made last time and end up eating it.

Good luck

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VoodooBetterGetPacking · 11/08/2009 15:03

I kind of leave dinner time a bit later to make them more hungry if we're having something not-so-popular

Im lucky, my two (1 & 3) eat like little Italians, any pasta, lasagne, pizza, garlic bread, they love roast dinners, home made soup, beans, dd just doesnt like potatoes so I work round that, ds eats anything. and dd's leftovers!! (ds is the 1yrold)

they eat grapes and blueberries and cut up apple/melon/ pineapple like sweets in the lounge after dinner, as a second pudding type thing., in their special bowls- and dh eats fruit that way too.

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saythatagain · 11/08/2009 15:11

No, you are not alone

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