DD eating habits - how to get her eating better

[cindylawless]

She will only eat

Sticky rice
Soya sauce
Quorn nuggets
Steak
Omelette (nothing in it, maybe a tiny bit of cheese)
Noodles, plain, soya sauce or with sweet/sour sauce
Fried chicken wings
Savaloy
Prawn crackers
Oranges (sliced)
Mango
Kiwi
Passion fruit
Brioche rolls
Avocado
Salmon

That's it. I can't think of a single thing else. Please help me make meals a bit healthier? She doesn't dislike the taste of veg but doesn't like the texture, so would it purée veg but nothing with a texture

Forgot to add, she will eat anything in a sushi bar and likes fried seaweed

Yet she won't eat a basic meal like pasta

How old is she? Does she like mashed potatoes? Sweet potato? Puréed peas? Soup?

She's 9

She likes sweet potatoes mash

She loves a roast dinner too, and will strangely eat all of that, parsnips etc

But only once a week as a 'special Sunday dinner'

Oh that's good. To be honest her diet doesn't seem too bad. I would just keep introducing new things on occasion and be very chilled about whether she goes for it or not.

She doesn't dislike the taste of veg but doesn't like the texture, so would it purée veg but nothing with a texture

Which veg? The texture of a raw carrot isn’t the same as a cooked one, or a cauliflower (boiled or roasted), or a cucumber - which texture doesn’t she like?

@Changingplace most of them. She just likes it puréed

The only exception being potatoes and parsnips

I was thinking the same,she likes all the food groups. Do u think if you got her involved in making a meal,that would help?

Ah ok, that’s fine then, I wouldn’t worry, just purée veg :)

That's not terrible. Out of your list my DD will only eat sticky rice, plain omelette and plain noodles. Occasionally kiwi.

What's wrong with doing the weekly roast dinner, and the rest of the week something off your list plus puree veg? I don't want to be one of THOSE parents but honestly some of us would be delighted if our children had such a range.

That doesnt sound bad at all. Quite healthy actually.

Strangely, if she sees you preparing or she is involved in the process, she won't eat!

This included making lemon cakes she loves. She helped me recently and was really upset because she said she genuinely just couldn't eat them since she'd made them and seen them being done

The problem is I have heard purée veg isn't good as it changes the compounds or something and doesn't offer the same nutritional value

Could you get a Japanese cookbook and make things together? Onigiri maybe? There’s lots of ways to make those.
Does she eat edamame?
If she eats raw salmon, would she eat it poached?

Cross-post, then maybe don’t make them together!
It sounds like a bit of a complicated aversion then if she can’t eat things she’s seen made

Rest assured this is total bollocks. Cooking changes veg but doesn't destroy it.

Tell anyone who argues that sanctimony dissolves vitamins.

This reads like an "over heard in Waitrose" post, she sounds very sophisticated in her food choices......I even had to google what savaloy is 🤣

I'm not sure what to suggest, but a lot of those foods are highly flavoured/salty, or can be made so with soy sauce. Maybe she just likes tasty food! It might be a case of trying to wean her off salt.....not easy (coming from a salt lover!)

Savaloy itself = not so sophisticated

Perhaps she enjoys the social element of eating a roast together. My daughters are the same, we need to start eating together more often but it's difficult during the week.

I'd be over the moon if my 9 year old was eating that well..

We are limited to baby sweetcorn or occasionally tenderstem brocolli. Absolutely no other vegetables at all, ever. Then a few meals on rotation. Living in hope it will be better when they are older!

It seems like a decent list to me, though I appreciate it has become repetitive for you.

If she's ok with veg puree would she go for soup? Mine eat any veg in soup form. You could maybe do something Japanese inspired to hook her in. I'm no dietician but surely a bowl of veg soup or puree is still a decent dose of vitamins and fibre.

Brilliant! Oh I love Mumsnet 🤣

Brilliant! I love Mumsnet 🤣

And the fried seaweed is cabbage isn't it? Might be worth trying her with kale crisps or baked crispy Savoy cabbage

Not sure why it's amusing. Point being, we were told 'fed is best' and just keep going with what they will eat.
Limited meals and foods is bloody exhausting. It's also expensive in food waste to continuously offer things you know will end up straight in the bin.
This is where we're at with DC aged 9.
OP's child eats from all the main food groups and whilst it might seem limited, from over here, it looks like they are doing very well!

It's not funny, it's really not. Getting my kids to eat meals is a challenge....good meals even harder so you really do have my sympathies. It's just her choice of vegetables, they are quite posh....