to think nesquick whole grain cereal, fat free milk and no added sugar juice is relatively healthy for a fussy eater

[twistedsista]

Hi,

My 7 year old Ds is a very fussy eater, tried everything!

I would love it if he would eat kale with cottage cheese on rice cakes for breakfast but get real no child eats perfectly like that.

Today he had a normal sized bowl of whole grain nesquick cereal with skimmed milk.I know it has some sugar in it but its only about the same as a banana and to counter this he has a glass of sugar free orange squash. Both the cereal and juice have added vitamins. Does everyone else agree this is pretty healthy and realistic breakfast?

Thanks

Marie

Well, I buy the corn-based tortillas, but you are right. I don't think I said anywhere that our meals were much healthier.

The only advice I gave on health was " I would personally try to ditch the squash and move slowly toward a less sugary cereal " and perhaps adding a fruit or vegetable.

But the second component of what the OP asked was what was realistic, and so I posted what is realistic for us - a fairly dull and unchanging menu during the week (which includes honey on toast - so I am hardly the nutrition police), and more variety at the weekend.

I actually have one very fussy eater, and that weekend breakfast list is what she will eat, as it doesn't contain sandwiches (hence it being "quesadilla" - you and I may know it is a sandwich in disguise, she doesn't, please don't tell!) pear, melted cheese, pasta, omelette, anything with a milky sauce, etc. So I don't think we can assume what a fussy eater will or won't eat unless we know their particular "fussinesses".

I posted it to try to be helpful as having a fusspot I know that sometimes I see the strangest things listed and realise they would work for us. If my middle-classness offends, well, that is a shame.

Tried watered down juice, he refuses to drink if it isn't pretty sweet. Tried real fruit squash and didn't get on at all with it. He's only allowed skimmed milk but wont drink this from a glass, but in cerial is OK.

Its not like I'm feeding him crisps and chocolate bars for breakfast.

Hello OP,

I think if you are under medical advice, then maybe you need to seek further guidance?

Also, what you have the rest of the day (and week) is important. Do you feel overall your son gets a good variety of grains, protein, veggies, etc?

Well the reason I post isim beginning to doubt the benefit of cutting down on fats and upping the carbs to control his weight. It seams to have got worse in the 8 months we've been doing it.

Gets lots of grains, but could do with more of the other ones

I think the problem is that the advice you've been given is pretty outdated. You would be better off giving him controlled portions of normal, filling, nutritious food.

On a typical morning, my uber fussy 8yo has a slice of fruit bread (was 2 this morning because he sneaked into the kitchen and grabbed another after breakfast), a slice of wholemeal or seeded toast spread with peanut butter, a fruit yoghurt (usually full fat) and a fried egg, to round it all off and a couple of half beakers of water. He's a healthy weight.

My 10yo starts the day with a hot cross bun (fruit bread won't do) and sometimes an apple danish. He then has a small egg, bacon or sausage sandwich (has been fish fingers, in the past) and rounds it all off, most days, with a bowl of grapes and/or strawberries. He takes medication which seems to suppress his thirst, so we give him squash to drink. We look for squash sweetened with sucralose, where possible, but sometimes end up with Robinsons just for variety. It's a struggle to get a pint of fluids into him, some days, so we go with what works. His weight is on the skinny side of healthy.

Sadly OP, the general guidelines for becoming healthier are often wrong. I have no issue with cereal for breakfast. My kids eat cereal.

They are wrong about the milk. No one should be drinking skimmed milk. Milk isn't fattening. I wouldn't obsess about the juice either.

What else is he eating in a day?

I have a similar problem, although mine is younger. Weve just been advised to look at portion sizes, try to up the exercise, lay off processed foods (which we don't really have anyway) try to get him to eat from a range of different food groups each meal. Etc

Which weve been doing the last two months, its only been really small changes but hes lost nearly 4lb and is now pretty much fine for his height

Well done for coming back op, I hope you have managed to pick out some useful ideas from amongst the bunfighting. Breakfast doesn't have to be 'a type of cereal' + 'a type of milk' + 'a cold sweet drink'. Have a think about what savoury or low-sugar foods your DS will eat, can he have these or similar foods for breakfast in healthy quantities that will last him until lunch? If your DS won't eat healthy cereals like porridge/oatibix/shreddies etc then forget about cereals and try other stuff. Oatcakes are wholegrain, high fibre and much tastier than crackers with a breakfast cheeseboard

Hi OP. Advice for weight control in kids is pretty confusing I agree.
Could you give us a list of things your DS likes to eat? There are some pretty inventive MNers around who could probably devise something from that.

If hed like a cheese board and crackers I think id look at the portion size for his age and go for it! Or maybe the oat cakes like vind suggested instead of crackers if he will eat them.

Who is advising you? Dietitian, gp? And by worse do you mean hes gaining weight?

Weight loss/what to eat is hugely confusing. I can only say that I started to put on weight aged 9. Dropped fatty foods from my diet, upped my whole grain and carbs and just got bigger and bigger throughout my teen years. Unfortunately if you feed someone sugary cereal and sweet squash (doesn't matter if it isn't full of sugar, that it tastes of sugar increases cravings) you are just setting someone up to crave sugar. And their blood sugar crashes later on, making you want more carbs.

That is why protein and fat is good. If you have, say eggs with some whole grain toast and a bit of cheese, you are full. You have energy. You don't eat so much overall, it's very hard to Overeat protein. Obviously looking at my username you can see I'm into the whole low carb diet. I don't advocate anything extreme for children, but even if you don't want to look into it more, the best options are always going to be real, fresh, unprocessed food. Which is why eggs are so good. They aren't fattening. The current NHS dietary advice is utterly shit. Really. I wouldn't follow it. I did so for years and it only made me fat and unhealthy.

Thanks for the help, I'm really going to try this cheeseboard on Sunday. He loves black olives, but doubt I will get away with oatcakes,can but try! I need to be very careful on the salt, are there any cheeses particularly low salt? He does like soft French stuff like canburge and brie.

Tbh I'm far too scared to post up his daily food, I know its not ideal and don't want to deal with ransoms judging me.

I cant blame you, small changes are a good start ive found. Its difficult though if they are fussy. Im not sure what daily intake of salt shoukd be at his age.

Im going to try salmon in bread crumbs like someone suggested, I do fishfingers and we used to do chicken (he wont eat chicken now though)

We tried making our own pizzas this week, I put lots of pots out with things he doesnt usually eat in to tempt him. He tried sweetcorn, tuna, cheese and peppers, tinned toms. He ate it, havent looked at how much salt etc the base has yet though!

Ah well, it's food. It's got calories and nutrients.
Any changes you want to make have to be extremely gradual ime.

Btw, sugar is very likely the biggest dietary contributor to poor health status in the west.
Many sugar free products don't actually contain aspartame. It's certainly not the only artificial sweetener on the market,. And theres a feverish anxiety about artificial sweeteners (although their consumption should be limited- so drinking several diet sodas a day seems unwise) that is not really supported by empirical evidence of significant health problems with their use.

If a child's set is very limited I'd try ff or semi skimmed milk (unless there was a good reason not to) and give a multivitamin while regularly offering an additional food within a operated spectrum IYSWIM. So, if your dc likes ketchup on their chips, then try it on some peas or an omlette or whatever on a plate alongside their own plate (not on their actual plate) or offer a baby tomato.
I'd also look at ways of reducing (gradually) their sugar intake. Which can be hard because that what makes many foods palateble for fussy eaters (nesquick, ketchup, squash in water etc)

But dcs with very limited diets do seem to do ok despite all our anxieties.

Sorry. I see he can only have the skimmed milk.
Milk is no more nutritious drunk from a glass than spooned in with cereal f course. So you can just carry on. It's really hard to make changes to a sweet tooth. All you can do is make small steps.
As his tastes broaden to tolerating savory foods you might well find it becomes easier to reduce the sugar.

I wouldn't go mad on the cheese.It's very easy to consume a shed load of calories in a short space of time.I can Hoover cheese oatcakes too.

My dd has a Brie and grape petite pain(yes I know it's not whole grain) for lunch however it's a couple of slices in a day along with veg sticks and yog.She has Weetabix,whole milk or yog,eggs,toast and fruit for breakfast,couple of oat cakes and fruit at play then a tea with protein.

No idea if it's the current idea of healthy and couldn't care less as it's balanced.

Presenting a cheese board of unlimited cheese every day isn't a good idea imvho.

What exercise does he get?

My 7 &10 yo DC have had a mini cheeseboard with oatcakes, cornichons and olives for breakfast every day this week, they sort it out themselves and tidy up afterwards

I thought this was irony, but apparently not.

I remember a well known poster coining the 'cereal is shit in a box' phrase on here aaaaages ago.

Not read the thread but re: NAS squash....

CO-OP own brand value and standard squashes have not got Aspartame in, its the only brand I have found that doesnt.

Sainsburys squash doesn't either.

Someone was saying on a thread the other day that lidle (sp) do a high juice that has no added sweeteners

Rocks squash doesn't have aspartame (bit pricey). Sainsburys High Juice are our aspartame-free standbys in this house.

M&S doesn't have Aspartame, either.

But have you tasted Rocks- urgh. I'd rather go without.

I love rocks!

Pricey though, I've moved onto waitrose high juice.