Ham sandwiches & kids

[Thrupo]

My DS has ASD and his diet is pretty limited, not as limited as some but quite hard work all the same. The only lunch he will eat is rolls/sandwiches and the only filling he will eat is ham, which I really don't like him having every day due to the fact processed meat is a carcinogen. He likes chicken so I've tried him with a chicken sandwich but no good. Cheese he won't eat.

DH says plain buttered rolls or bread would be better than ham but then I worry he doesn't get enough protein (won't drink milk, will eat a yoghurt here and there though).

Any bright ideas? How much processed meat do your kids have? I'm not a huge meat eater myself but probably have bacon or chorizo once a week, sometimes twice (which DS himself won't eat, he only eats ham).

I thought about trying veggie ham but I don't think he would eat it. And obviously it is also highly processed.

Give him bread and butter with chicken on the side? My daughter won't eat sandwiches but she'll eat them "deconstructed," as it were.

Soak and then bake your own gammon, sourced from a reputable good quality local supplier.

Soak over Saturday night, cook Sunday, good to use for three day.
That will minimise additives and you will know what your son is eating. Give him something other than sandwiches on Thurs & Friday. Why else will he eat? Pasta salad? Sausage rolls? Samosas?

Tried that and for some reason he won't have it, which I don't understand at all, but his eating habits frequently defy logic!

If he has a restricted diet and will eat ham sandwiches, I would give him ham sandwiches. When it comes to ASD and restricted diets I would throw the healthy eating rules out the window and concentrate on just getting him fed. How restricted is his diet?

Thank you, I'll try this.

He won't eat anything for lunch but bread. He won't eat pastry or pasta.

Cook a ham/gammon joint and thinly slice, still salted but probably better than most sliced ham. Can freeze in portions too so less wastage.

Just give him ham sandwiches.

In parenting you need to pick your battles and I promise you, that isn’t one to fight

Yep my DS is the same - I give him ham sandwiches. At the moment getting calories into him is more important, the rest of his diet is good so I just pick my battles.

My son is autistic and won't even eat ham. I wish for ham lol. Only sandwich he will eat is jam

I just worry because of the carcinogen factor in ham.

Oh I understand where you're coming from of course, but as others have said I think it's a case of pick your battles. My son is 8 and I tried for a few years to get him to eat other stuff but he just won't. He only eats apples when it comes to fruit or veg, and when it comes to "meals" it's a case of mini Kievs and some potato based beige product, or Birds Eye chicken fingers with more of the same. Doesn't drink milk, eat cheese etc. He won't have rice and pasta. We are going all inclusive on holiday this summer so I'm hoping to put so many things in front of him I might strike it lucky with things I've not thought of but I'm not holding out much hope. We can but try.

Just give him the ham sandwich.

The risk is low and you have enough to deal with.

My daughter has ARFID and her diet, on paper, is absolutely appalling. But it's that or she starves herself.

Let him have his ham sandwich.

Kindly OP...I think you are overthinking this! A slice of ham a day is hardly going to fill your child with carcinogens law 🤦‍♀️ I'm 58 (and have no food issues at all...I'm simply time poor and can't be arsed!) and I pretty much survive on a quick ham sandwich for my lunch every day! I'm still here and very healthy!! Just give your child a ham sandwich!

(No idea where 'law' came from 🤦‍♀️)

Honestly, just let him have the ham.
My eldest who's also diagnosed is now 20. As a child he went through a period of literally only eating baked beans.
He is still restricted in his eating and has rules around food but he eats far, far more now.
Keep offering him other foods with his sandwich and don't make a big fuss over it.

If he has ASD he (& you) have more than enough to cope with. Give him his ham sandwich. Every day. It's familiar & comforting to him. You could making your own ham? (I do, it's better quality). Try diff breads?. Offer veg sticks on side?. But, keep the ham sandwich.

Give him the ham and stop making work for yourself

My brother was NT-but had peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch every day for a year!
Don't worry about the ham- and I'm not sure about the suggestion to make your own. Delicious-but "not the same." Only do this if you have other people to eat it when it's rejected!

Could you say what other foods he eats? There maybe conversions you hadn't thought of that someone can suggest.

Stick with the ham sandwiches.

Offer a tiny taste of other stuff on the side just incase you discover something else that he will eat.

I think you're right that the protein is important but also understandably concerned.

If you can afford it as it's a bit more expensive you can get "naked ham" which is made without the nitrites, which is the main carcinogen in ham.

www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/308484871

You can get ham without the nitrates in, Naked is the brand.
DH likes ham so I buy a couple of packets of that every week, along with their bacon. If I can’t get any I do buy ordinary ham but it does cutdown the carcinogens

Thanks, not heard of this!

He will eat any bread products (pitta, flatbread, roll, bagel, anything bread including wholemeal), ham, chicken but only plain fillet or breaded with dinner, he will not have hot food at lunchtime, pizza plain cheese and tomato only, cucumber, carrots and broccoli under duress, most fruit except raspberries and blackberries, sausages, salmon only occasionally and not for lunch, fruit yoghurt, pasta plain with butter and parmesan, plain rice. That's pretty much your lot.