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.

Oh and he will eat potato in any form.

He needs protein so if it’s ham it’s ham.

Can you get ham without nitrates like you can bacon?

Other than that cab you start by adding in a bit of chicken and gradually moving over so eventually it’s more chicken than ham?

Would he eat a jam sandwich? Not brilliant but if you alternated jam sandwiches one day, ham the next then at least you'd be lowering the amount of nitrates he's eating.

Could you try a Spanish omelette for lunch then? You could put it in bread as a sandwich to start (great for hangovers actually)

@Thrupo I'm jealous of that list. The naked ham sounds good

That has a bunch of sugar and zero protein though, so he’ll be hungry 5 mins later.

He won't eat eggs.

I really wish he did eat eggs!!

Are you giving him multi vitamins op? And cut D in the winter? The gummy ones taste and feel like sweets.

Processed meats are not great. There will be very little actual protein in a ham sandwich.
Salmon sandwiches with cream cheese would better
toasted cheese or plain cheese with or without tomatoes?

Just give him the ham

Ham barely has any protein at all, it’s nutritionally deficient.

Would love any ideas on alternatives rather than just criticism!

Unfortunately I can't force feed him.

Yes, he has multi vits. But he actually doesn't like and won't eat sweets so we use the liquid.

He won't eat salmon, cream cheese, plain cheese or tomatoes. The food list I posted upthread is literally all he will eat, I'm not exaggerating.

OP some battles aren’t worth fighting and this is one of them.

The reality is that he will eat unhealthy foods all his life as he grows up, one slice of ham a day isn’t going to do him much harm.

And the rest of his diet really doesn’t sound that awful, it sounds bad in isolation, but if you kept a weekly diary of what he’s eaten you’ll be surprised at how much he actually is.

Friend’s dd eats nothing but Nutella on toast and pop chips. Literally. And it’s a case of give her that or she’ll starve.

His lunch today is his usual - two wholemeal ham rolls, cucumber, sliced apple.

It really sounds like ARFID

www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/about-eating-disorders/types/arfid/

More info above.

Your description sounds like my son at that age. Except mine would only eat potato waffles, peas and beans for veg and only fruit juice for fruit.

We gave a multi vitamin every day.

Fortunately now at age 14 he is beginning to expand his diet a little. Still very restrictive but much better than when he was younger.

I tried everything when he was younger but truly nothing worked so he had peas or beans every day and fruit juice every day.

I would give him the ham sandwich. Honestly. The risk is low. The stress to you is immense. You know your son and what he will eat - the most important thing is that he does eat something.

That's an excellent lunch.

There are quite a few children in DD’s class that have a ham sandwich everyday. Doesn’t help you but hopefully shows you’re in the same boat as lots of others.

That's a fairly well balanced lunch OP, I would just stick with what he will eat. As others have said some ham everyday will not be harmful to him (certainly not as harmful as the stress of trying to get him to eat something else).
My DS is equally fussy and at 19 remains so, over the years I've just come to terms with it and let him get on with it. He's fit healthy, 6'4 and plays loads of sport, so it's not done him any harm.

You can get this ham that has no nitrates and isn't carcinogenic. It's called Naked ham: www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/ham/finnebrogue-naked-deli-ham-slices-x5-100g
You can get it at Sainsburys, Waitrose and Tescos. Maybe others. Perfectly safe to eat.

I was told it didn't qualify as ARFID as his range is broader than most people with that condition, but merely a sensory/control thing related to ASD.

Would he eat a breaded chicken sandwich? Like a chicken burger ( not served hot necessarily) but chicken breast with breadcrumbs or even batter round it is perfectly alright and you can make your own and air fry it if you want to be healthy.

If you can stretch to a visit to a nutritionist it may ease your concerns.

Every child needs vitamins because it is hard to achieve all nutritional needs every single day without them, and harder still for ND children. I think the government should roll them out at school, but that’s another thread! Especially in the winter.

Nope, he will eat it separately from the bread, but he won't eat it cold and he won't eat hot food for lunch.