Worried about UPFs with DS's very restricted eating

[ablastfromthepast]

DS (12) has a very restricted diet (has ASD/ADHD, probably could be classified as ARFID or certainly close to this) and with the exception of the few items of fruit he will eat, I can't think of a single thing in his diet that isn't UPF.

Every day there seems to be another article about how bad UPFs are and causing all manner of damage to our physical and mental health.

I feel both worried and guilty that I can't do more for him. I have a pretty 'clean' diet myself while he's living on ham sandwiches and chicken nuggets.

Can anyone relate, suggest any ways to make his diet less UPF-heavy or convince me not to worry about it?

Don't read crap on the Internet. Don't cause stress and anxiety over food its not worth it. Lots of people have crap diets for allsorts of reason and still live a long full life. As long as he's eating id take that as a win

It’s better that he eats rather than he doesn’t. Just try and offer healthy version of his favourites and keep putting bowls of chopped fruit in front of him before dinner or while watching TV and don’t comment on it. Find a good quality multivitamins he will accept or get a tasteless power one to mix in his food. Try and reduce the other stresses, sensory overwhelm and lack of control in other parts for his life.

There isn’t anything else you can do. I’m in the same boat although how many different foods accepted widely vary in our household.

Get a bread maker to make the bread for the ham sandwiches?

His restrictions protect him from other health risks though, at a guess. So he’s less likely to be at risk of high cholesterol or obesity.

We are all limited and have health challenges. Don’t obsess over the ones that aren’t amenable to change.

We do have a bread maker so I should try to see if I can get him to switch but he does currently have his one favourite variety of supermarket bread that I don’t deviate from.

That’s a good way to look at it

I would try not to stress and just give him what he will eat. I’d just buy the best versions of those things that I can afford (and that he’ll eat). So maybe organic ham from the butcher’s? Home made chicken Kiev?

If he will eat some fruit then keep offering good portions of those.

Just make sure he eats. Dont worry about what it is.

No such thing as 'clean' eating, its a terrible concept and phrase.

Keep offering other options, all the time but keep all his foods that he will eat as well

Id look at it like a flow chart: Does this person eat most things? Yes - non UPF / mostly plants is better. No - don’t worry about it

Hi - I have a son with a quite restricted diet , currently doing GCSEs so at the moment he is the worst he’s been in years . The priority is that your son is fed . Ham sandwiches and chicken nuggets sound great to me .. lots of us will be thinking ‘if only ‘ .

I'm sure you know the drill, but be carful messing with a safe food. DS lost bread from the safe food list for months after MIL gave him a sandwich with her homemade bread. (In fairness to her, she didn't know it would be an issue, as to her bread is bread, and it's just what she had in)

@ablastfromthepastI highly recommend that you read the book on ARFID by Dr Gillian Harris. Any food is better than no food, and it's crucial to avoid food pressure. Kids with severe ARFID stay alive with almost 100% artificial meal replacements so I'd honestly put the UPF issue at the bottom of your list of concerns.

My dc have to have restricted diets for other reasons so I just try what I can. I find a lot of the UPF posts are quite hypocritical because they are fine eating cake and biscuits all day as long as it's like grandmother made. It's still cake!

Thanks for the messages, they are reassuring! I have had various health issues that have been improved by really sorting out my diet so I try really hard for myself to have a healthy nutrient-rich diet. And the contrast with what DS eats is so stark!

I took him out for a fast food meal the other day (I can guarantee he will eat a whole meal and pudding there so I see that as win!) I normally just have a coffee but I was hungry so ate burger and chips with him and it left me feeling really groggy and sick. By my standards it’s the least healthy thing I’ve eaten in weeks but for him it’s probably the most complete meal he has eaten in weeks!