to let 7 y/o follow a juice diet

[twistedsista]

As per the other thread I'm struggling with my ds and especially for breakfast.

Was following the advice to make sure he gets complex carbs (whole grain cerial), skimmed milk and sugar free squash. Now looking into it more this seams bad old advice, I've gone back to normal juice.

Myself and dh have been following a juice diet for the last few weeks, basically a fresh juice of 5 vegetables and 2 fruit for breakfast and we feel amazing for for it.

D's really doesn't like eating in the morning, would it be OK to just let him have juice only like us?

why? Doesn't he have any teeth?

smoothies are a ghastly waste of good food unless you are ill or toothless. At least it is not commercial smoothies, which are solid sugar.

and yes, teaching disordered eating. Not good.

I agree AnyFucker. Mine never got a choice, you eat something before we leave for school. If they didnt feel like it, I got mine to run round the garden for 5 minutes- that soon sorted them out

My 9 year old DS "refuses" breakfast as well...in that he simply cannot eat in the morning. We have tried every single thing possible for breakfast-some healthy and some not so healthy but he literally cannot eat it. He gags as he tries to eat (yes even chocolate biscuits on 1 occasion!). He normally has a smoothie now and then has snack at school mid morning when he will either have flapjack/cereal bar and an apple or toast from school tuck shop.

At weekends he is fine because he has "breakfast" at about 10am but he needs to be up about 2-3 hours before he can face food.

First off, ask his doctor. He/she is the one who is familiar with DS growth and any medical needs.

Secondly, DS1 was the same way when he was younger. The best I could do at breakfast was to get him to drink juice or milk or eat some yogurt. Definitely not enough to keep him going til lunch! His paediatrician gave me the name of a protein supplement to mix in with whatever I could get down him and suggested I try 'one bite' breakfasts of anything he may want (within reason, of course). Not for nourishment, per se, just to get him accustomed to having food at breakfast. A bite of PB on toast and a protein juice/milk. A bite of fruit in protein-yogurt. Even a bite of meat with protein juice/milk. Gradually he began to ask for more food on his own.

No, he needs something - complex carbs so his blood sugar levels won't crash and protein to keep him full and some fat because he's growing.

Scrambled eggs and wholemeal toast with butter?
Just skip the squash.

Can I have a link to the other thread please as I'm confused as to why you would want to project your own faddish diet onto a small child.

Is the "fresh juice" 5 veg and 2 fruit blitzed in a blender? Rather than just a glass of "multivitamin" juice from a carton, or some diet/ health drink supplied as part of a diet programme?

If its 5 vegetables and 2 pieces of fruit blitzed in a blender for breakfast, and then normal food the rest of the day (for him) I can't actually see anything bad about it at all.

My 8 year old has a very early start to the day (7am school bus to catch) and it has sometimes been hard to make her eat breakfast at 6.30am. Lots of adults (including DH) can't face food til a couple of hours after getting up. I was hung up on "making" DD eat breakfast for the first 6 months or so, then somebody pointed out the "most important meal of the day" thing might be a bit of a cereal company marketing ploy :o Now she sometimes just has a banana or just a glass of milk before leaving the house, but she takes a fairly substantial morning snack, which she eats at school at 9.30am, and she eats very well at lunch and dinner time. Her brother is the opposite and wolfs down a jaw droopingly gigantic quantity of porridge, plus banana and sometimes toast, for breakfast, but often leaves his evening meal untouched and seems to be done with eating by about 2pm. I think its just the way each of them are wired, and they both get enough of everything over the course of the day.

If its just about breakfast, not actually a "diet", I don't see the problem (and he can brush his teeth straight after).

I don't think smoothies are that bad in the morning...I make ours with fruit and plain Greek yogurt and chia or flaxseed. If someone said their DC had yogurt and a banana for breakfast I wouldn't think anything of it.

if he is such a fussy eater is he likely to consume a juice made of veg?

what mommy said!

Wow wasn't expecting that.

Its fresh juice in a slow juicer done myself, today we had celery, cucumber, beetroot, carrot, red cabbage, lemon, kiwi, ginger.

He loves it, mainly probably due to the red colour and it is so much easier than forcing cerial down him that he really doesn't want. It is more fresh stuff than most people have in days, me and dh are fine until a mid morning break

If he truly won't eat, surely fresh fruit and veg juice is better than nothing.

Yes it is just for breakfast!

It's a good alternative to the squash, he just needs something else with it, ideally.

But it's hard, I know, DS was - and still is a nightmare in the morning.

Jesus, that would make me gag, let alone first thing in the morning!
But anyway, the general consensus nowadays is that the fad for juicers gives you far too much sugar in one go.
He needs some carbs.
Will he not have toast/ crumpet/ pancakes / myriad other things??

Home made veggie juice is a fab breakfast for adult or child. It's fill to the brim with vitamins, minerals and enzymes. All you folk who say eating disorders need to know your child is more likely to go wrong eating cornflakes and milk. Some people and children HATE to eat early in the day . More likely to make an eating disorder by insisting a child who isn't an early eater eat food when it's not wanted. If that works for you , go for it. So many things can be healed by consuming fresh made juices. For children and adults. Ignore the people who don't understand the concept of it.

I think the only thing that is Unreasonable is the title of your post, as you are not letting a 7 yo "follow a juice diet", you are just letting him have freshly juiced fruit and veg for breakfast - which is not a diet. If you'd just titled the thread "AIBU for letting my 7 yo have a veg and fruit smoothie for breakfast?" you would have had a lot less controversy and far fewer replies :o Think the breakfast plan is perfectly reasonable as your DS is otherwise not wanting breakfast, esp. if he can take a carby snack for morning break.

My kids often have a delicious 'milkshake' when home from school - coconut milk, avacado, frozen banana, frozen berry and a teaspoon of cocoa nibs/ seeds or spirulina . I sometimes add soaked nuts too .
I give them this when my dd needs a top up ( allergy riddled and its important to get fat and calcium in) .
It tastes delicious , and is so much better than bought smoothies and juice which are far too sweet .

celery, cucumber, beetroot, carrot, red cabbage, lemon, kiwi, ginger

How does that ^^ not make you shit through the eye of a needle?

Your fresh veg juice is a lot lower GI than fruit juice. Better than skipping breakfast, but solid food would be better - protein and complex carbs would release energy more slowly until lunch.

Would he eat wholegrain toast with peanut butter / egg soldiers / cheese / marmite ? Or Shreddies / All-bran with sliced fruit and milk ?

Btw if he won't drink enough water during the day, then sugar-free squash is much better than dehydration.

Waltons .... Sounds so yummmmmm , my mouth is watering
Worral... Try it and see, it seriously won't ! Just make your tummy so happy it will smile all day long

Why does everyone thing a high gluten breakfast is good for children ..

sounds perfect if its just for breakfast. Loads of people dont like solids first thing. That sounds nutritious and tasty, and a hell of a lot better than frosties

Could you whack some protein powder and fat (eg coconut oil) into his juice?

Worral...Try it and see, it seriously won't ! Just make your tummy so happy it will smile all day long

Ok, now I have two reasons to throw up!