To give my dd Innocent smoothies?

[Dancergirl]

Dd2 is 12 and has dyspraxia and sensory issues which makes eating very difficult for her. She eats no fruit or veg other than a small piece of broccoli and/or apple or cucumber which I insist on but it's difficult for her.

She does like the individual Innocent smoothies so I buy those for her, she might have one or two a day certainly no more.

But then I start to worry about the sugar and how we are supposed to be cutting down on fruit juice etc.

So good or bad in these circumstances? I give her vitamin tablets too btw.

I suppose it depends on how much sugar she takes in via other foods, and how active she is.

They aren't great

Better to make your own with very little fruit but more green veg

They're better than no fruit or veg.

Ds1 goes through phases of barely drinking. We got through the last one thanks to stocking up on fruit shoots.

I wouldn't think twice about it, tbh.

The thing with the smoothies is that you don't get a lot of the fiber from the fruit, so she might not be getting enough nutrients from it to really be worth the sugar.

If you do give her smoothies, do so with a meal as the other foods will help prevent so much of the smoothie turning into the acid that rots teeth. I don't know much about this but heard a snippet on radio 4 yesterday recommended that sugar intake should always be at mealtimes for this reason.

Would she eat mashed fruit/veg? For example, mashed butternut squash with a little bit of butter tastes lovely.

I bet some people more helpful than me will be along shortly with some useful suggestions though...

how about making your own and putting them in the innocent bottles so she doesn't realise.

it's mind over matter

Nope, no mash, she won't eat potato of any kind.

I've tried to make my own but she doesn't like them. The individual cartons have a straw which I've heard isn't as bad for teeth as drinking from a glass.

Tried the bigger 1L cartons and decanting it but she doesn't like that either.

Unless you have a child with dyspraxia it's really hard to understand that it's not just fussiness.

I wouldn't bother. Too much sugar (a lot) as long as she's eating meat and fish I wouldn't be that concerned. Does she take a multi vit?

If she has them with meals, I wouldn't worry massively. Yes there is a lot of sugar. Yes they are missing the fibre, but they're better than no fruit and veg at all.

Their nutritional value is not great, despite the hype on the bottle.

High in sugar (which will be very quickly absorbed - not good) and no fibre.

Her veg intake is more important anyway. Have you tried hiding veg in pasta sauces/etc?

We are in much the same position.

I'm taking the 'it's better than nothing' approach'. It has to be true

Smoothies through a straw, or no fruit /veg at all.. it's a no brainer.

I'm hoping he'll grow into smoothies from a glass - then I'll chuck in vegetables!

I'd be more worried about her teeth, that combo of sugar and acid is the worst for decay.
Maybe check with your dentist.

Dancer, if you're worried about her teeth there are things that you can do to mitigate against (is that grammatically correct??) the amount of sugar in the smoothies (which is pretty high).

Can she brush her teeth? Some sensory aware children won't. Can she use mouthwash?

Using a mouth wash like fluorigard after a smoothy would be ideal. You can buy it OTC. Must be a nightmare for you!!

Plus the expense. They're a massive rip off.

If she's a healthy weight I wouldn't worry too much, but as a pp said you might want to think about fibre. Would she eat banana cake/apple cake?

I'm not worried about the expense, I just want the best for her in the circumstances.

She often has one after school.

What do your dc drink when they come in from school? I do encourage water but it does get a bit boring.

laurie she can't/won't eat pasta sauces. Although she will eat a bit of pesto pasta in recent years as long as not too 'pesto-y'.

Nope gin Although that's something I haven't tried for a few years. I could try apple cake but not too hopeful.

Would she drink fresh fruit juice with sparkling water? Does she like tea? The occasional cup of decaf might be a good way to hydrate her! Milk with a bit of Nesquick or a healthier equivalent?

She would drink chocolate milk or choc nesquick but that's full of sugar too isn't it?

Oh yuk, they are owned by coca cola as well!

Yes, it's full of sugar

New announcement due tomorrow about 'sugar' in our diets. Be interesting

Good news or bad news anyone?