Is DS’ diet really that bad?

[enuquer]

Please be kind.

DS is 2, will be 3 at the end of the year. His daily diet is usually

Breakfast: weetabix or rice krispies/corn flakes

Morning snack: an orange or a yoghurt

Lunch: Ham sandwich with an orange or yoghurt (whatever he doesn't have for snack) and some wotsits or quavers

Afternoon snack: 2 biscuits or a small packet of chocolate buttons

Dinner: pasta/pizza/ sausage and mash with carrots/fish fingers/chicken nuggets/ the occasional McDonald's happy meal (probably once or twice a month)

Dessert: ice cream or a small chocolate bar

Then he sometimes has chips if me and DP have had a takeaway, and he isn't asleep yet.

The only fruit and veg he'll eat are oranges and carrots. During the day he does drink water or apple juice and has a bottle of milk before bed.

We recently stayed at my mum's as my mum said that he shouldn't be eating those foods and his diet is awful.

Is it really that bad?

I think its a different issue if he doesnt eat other foods as opposed to if that's all you offer.

Do you all eat together? Are you making completely separate meals? Some children have sensory issues with food and like pasta /sauce separate /dont like things touching etc.

I looked after my 2 year old nephew yesterday and he ate -

Weetabix and blueberries for breakfast. A packed lunch (we were out and about) of grapes, some pieces of cooked sausage, cubes of cheese, cucumber, breadsticks and hummus. He had an afternoon snack of a banana and tea (at my friends house with her daughter of the same age) was red lentil pasta with cheese and peas and raspberries afterwards.

When my daughter was little I worked on the logic that what she didn't know existed wouldn't hurt her, so I just didn't give her ice cream/chocolate etc in the first 2 years and then after that it was kept to an 'out and about' thing. You lose most of your control when they start going to other people's houses and birthday parties anyway.

I did give her sparkling water as a special treat drink if we had family parties and she 100% thought it was lemonade until she was about 6, and now she's 11 she's more than happy to drink that over lemonade/coca cola etc.

The only thing that I'd say is to stop offering him chips from your takeaway after he's finished his meals. He's had tea and pudding, he doesn't need chips later that evening. If he's hungry, which happens from time to time when they're growing etc, then I'd be offering very different types of foods.

@icedcoffees

It's suspect it's pretty similar to what a lot 2-3 years old eat in reality, to be honest.

I know MN toddlers all eat quinoa, couscous, olives, 10 varieties of veg and baked salmon for dinner but in the real world, pasta, ham sandwiches, yoghurt, oranges etc. are pretty normal foods for toddlers.

I don't think he needs biscuits, chocolate bars and buttons every day, though, and I would get rid of the apple juice and just give water or milk.

100% agree with this

What do you eat though?

Are your evening meals really just pizza or pasta or sausages and mash or a take away?

It sounds like the whole family have a terrible diet. If you're consistently eating pizza and pasta or pre packaged stuff like crispy chicken and chips and sausage rolls or whatever then you need to maybe look into cooking lessons.

It's pretty poor.

Pretty much no nutrition/vitamins/fibre.

Mostly empty calories, processed meat and sugar

It's not surprising he prefers chocolate to veg. He has no incentive to try a wider variety of nutritional food when he can fill up on junk instead

@Fiddliestofsticks

What do you eat though?

Are your evening meals really just pizza or pasta or sausages and mash or a take away?

It sounds like the whole family have a terrible diet. If you're consistently eating pizza and pasta or pre packaged stuff like crispy chicken and chips and sausage rolls or whatever then you need to maybe look into cooking lessons.

Pizza and pasta aren't intrinsically unhealthy if homemade. Our pasta dishes often contain lots of vegetables

Yes, it is really bad. Empty high glycaemic carbs for breakfast (rice crispies and cornflakes). Fatty, sugary, over processed other foods. Cut the snacks. No one needs quavers etc. If you and your family ate a better diet, your DC would do so naturally as well. Widen your food choices, have fresh things and concentrate on nourishing him not just filling him up. Your diet seems low in decent quality protein too. All in all it is like a recipe for diabetes, frankly. Hope you can overhaul your family's food, as it is not healthy for any of you. Echoing another poster about fruit juice - its like a cup of sugar to the body. Water is fine.

@MattyGroves

Well since the OP said that the pasta is plain (no sauce because then he wont eat it) then it isnt great. She also said that if the kid doesn't eat what he has then her partner will give him a slice of his pizza, so it sounds as though the standard food is freezer food every night.

It isn’t great but it isn’t awful. I’d stop offering crisps/chocolates/biscuits etc and try and get some fruit or veg in his diet even if you have to hide it

I cook spag bol, cottage pie (with veg), lasagne, a chicken roast etc but DS refuses to eat it. DP does eat what I cook sometimes but other times he eats other things (that DS wants to eat aswell!).

Mine don't eat a wide variety of veg (peas, carrots, sweetcorn, avo etc), and I'm not massively worried about that, so long as there's always a portion or two on his plate.

I don't understand why you'd give chocolate twice a day though? Why not try cheese and crackers or apple and peanut butter for his snack, and yoghurt and fruit for pudding?

Mine wont eat "mixed' like lasagne/cottage pie etc

Can you try plain separate components of your meal. So try plain chicken breasts?

Ie we do fajitas but my child basically has a wrap and plain chicken. Then the salad bits are separate to pick . We end up with nice spicy fajitas and their version they eat with us at least has real chicken.

When you do a roast - try pick a few bits out so not overwhelming amount/variety on the plate. Ie carrots, roast potato, plain chicken .

Hang on your DP doesnt eat what you eat either? What does he eat??? (And is he diagnised with anything?)

Wish my ASD teens diet was that good op 😆😆 god knows how he got to be 6ft tall at 13 years old living off chicken nuggets and super noodles everyday of his life

Oh OP, the last place you should ask for a critique of your child's diet is AIBU.

Without fail all the responses will be YABU as MN has an obsession with children eating hummus, rice cakes and every other food type that no self respecting toddler would eat. And as for sugar, well you may as well give them poison.

DS1 is now 15 and has still never knowingly eaten fruit. He has always had specific likes and dislikes..

However we went with it, fed him what he would eat and he now has a very varied diet and seems to live on cheese, eggs and fish. He will eat pretty much anything - except for fruit - and I am very glad we let him develop his own tastes in his own time.

Do keep offering a variety, but don't get too hung up on it. He is only 3 and there is plenty of time for his tastes to develop.

The food you mention seems very usual for a toddler, despite what this thread seems to indicate.

He's never ate fruit or veg

Scrambled eggs might be worth a try too.

I think if you swap the afternoon biscuit then it’s fine.
Would he eat
Hummus and breadsticks
Peanut butter on rice cakes
Etc?
Just swap for things that are a bit better and have some nutritional value.

[quote Fiddliestofsticks]@MattyGroves

Well since the OP said that the pasta is plain (no sauce because then he wont eat it) then it isnt great. She also said that if the kid doesn't eat what he has then her partner will give him a slice of his pizza, so it sounds as though the standard food is freezer food every night.[/quote]
What a snob you sound.

How do you know its not a home made pizza?

I’m not sure why people give their kids “snacks” unless it’s fruit (once a day is enough) or veg. I would either cut out the unhealthy snacks or cut out pudding. Pudding here is usually yoghurt or a ice lolly. I don’t buy chocolate often as they get bought chocolate by grandparents once a week. We don’t buy sugary cereal either, weetabix is fine 😊.

I wouldn’t say it’s a awful diet but it could be tweaked a little to reduce the sugar.

I could be better.
What is your diet like?
I find smoothies a great way to kids to have more fruit.

too much sugar and processed foods.

try to give some fresh natural ffod each day but don't get stressed over every meal.

He does not need so much sugar though.

Does he only like ‘dry’ foods.
I would try using a plate with separate sections for everything.
One of mine on ate dry/plain foods so I would adapt meals. For example- Spaghetti meatballs he would have spaghetti, meatballs, cheese, tomatoes all in separate sections.

Midmorning and midafternoon snacks really are usual. Just fruit or veg wont be as filling as something like cheese on a cracker or breadsticks and hummous/peanut butter.

Crisps/choc/biscuits fine as part of a varied diet.

My dc are almost 2 and 4 so can be fussy! I do my bestto incorporate as much veg as possible into their meals.

Typical breakfasts
porridge with honey,
weetabix and fruit,
cheerios, toast&peanut butter & fruit/yoghurt,
Buttered toast & scrambled eggs
Buttered toast & poached eggs with beans/tomatoes
Homemade greek yoghurt pancakes with maple syrup & strawberries

Typical lunches
Cheese sandwiches
Nibble platter thing with crackers with cheese and cheese chunks, fruit & yoghurt
Beans and cheese on toast
Jacket pots with beans/cheese/non spicy chilli etc
Any leftovers like lasagne etc
Homemade pizza or pizza muffins (veg is hidden in the sauce)
Cheesy omelette and beans

Typical dinners (i pack loads of veg into the italian sauces and bakes i make and tend to batch cook)

Chicken kiev/crispy fish and homemade pot veg bake
Homemade Spag bol with brown/white spaghetti and cheese
Homemade chilli without the hot chillis with sweet pot chips or homemade wedges
Homemade italian Med chicken pasta penne
Sausages, Homemade wedges & Homemade broc cauli cheese and carrots.
Pasta carbonara
Spinach & ricotta ravioli with a Homemade italian sauce i have avail at time
Caramelised onion sausage casserole with Homemade yorkshires
Thai chicken yellow or red curry (only the little one will eat this as 4 yr old hates curry).

Desserts:
I bake alot so can be homemade cookie/cupcake/brownie/pudding and icecream/custard/cream
Or just a simple Greek yoghurt and fruit
Mini trifle
Meringue and fruit/ cream
Or no dessert at all depending on what they've had but they usally have at least fruit/yoghurt

Snacks as and when needed (usually 1-2 a day of the following):
Bananas
Berries
Yoghurt drinks
Yoghurts
Fruit smoothies
Mini biscuits/cookies
Malt loaf and butter
Scotch pancake and butter
Homemade banana bread
Date scone
Homemade oat choc chip cookie
Mini bag of choc buttons/little chocolate treat