To think just don’t offer them beige food?

[Ashlll]

Or am I spectacularly uneducated here? My sister has a 3 year old who apparently will only eat beige food and mostly crisps. She says it’s a sensory thing and we have to respect it when around him, for example when I took him and dd out last week I had to give him quavers rather than the snacks I had got for dd… which then made dd want quavers too! Same with water, he won’t drink it and it has to be juice.

I am not massively strict but did say to dsis just don’t buy these things then he won’t know he can ask for them… she says he just won’t eat or drink. I think this is ridiculous (I’ve not said this to her). AIBU?!?

No bread, no rice, no pasta, no potatoes? Yeah sure.

Still beige!!

That’s not junk it’s just beige in colour which is not the same! And if you RTFT the poster has already responded

For those interested this from Professor Williams

It's not remotely similar.

Bollocks.
I eat a colourful wholesome diet. My first child ate/eats a colourful wholesome diet.
My second child ate three bland beige foods and would literally starve if not given them.

You can sneer and judge at us until the cows come home, but the fact remains that it's not always simply the parents fault.

Ok. So deny that undeniable fact.

Saladleaves17 I found your post offensive. I have both my kids healthy foods when introducing foods. Fruits, veg, dairy etc. my kids were not allowed junk food or sugar at all. My son has slowly reduced his intake of variety and will starve himself if not given his preferred foods. He was close to having a feeding tube placed in.

I did everything correct. My actions didn’t cause my child to be fussy

not really, I grew up watching my mum eat a whole plethora of foods, 90% healthy, I didn’t like any of them as a kid.

As @BigHeadBertha has done.

Its ok to say at this age of 3 it’s very difficult to know why a kid is focusing on only certain food stuffs. As research shows, they could just as easily be a picky eater at this stage.
So it’s important to keep introducing many different food stuffs even if they are just put on another plate.

Arfid is surely a terrible survival strategy, what happened to all those children before modern processed food?

Which makes me wonder if there's something in our environment or modern lifestyles that is causing it. There seems to be some link to the gut microbiome, for example. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39542726/

This is something I have always wondered about, babies drink milk for the first six months, after that if they never see any beige, how can they prefer beige food?
Absolutely not judging, my oldest was raised on a diet of Sunny D and chocolate frogs, but if a child never see's a crisp or any other sort of beige how would they know to only be able to eat those things ?

Wow @LillyPJ that poster clearly hasn’t read the science.

The propensity of processed foods has led to eating disorders and continues to lead to an increase in numbers with health deficiencies, obesity etc.
These foods are packed with salts, sugars and umami flavours making them addictive.

I have twins..one loves all greens, salad etc... the other loves cheese crackers erything her sister doest like
I've made home cooked food from day dot
U can't force a child to eat something they don't like, offer it if they refuse leave it
Just offer a variety of things then u will know what they like x

God there is some real ignorance on this thread.

My kids were all weaned on a plethora of organic fruits and veg, next to no processed and mostly cooked from scratch, hardly any sugar. My son struggled hugely .Did the not offering substitutes, my son would just go hungry.

My son is autistic with adhd and has had a mostly beige dry diet since he has been in control of his food. It’s is safe and doesn’t have the textures he can’t tolerate.

You can do all you like but it will make zero difference.

I literally don't eat anything green - that includes lettuce. I also don't eat parsnips, onions or sweetcorn. I just can't! The only veg I actually like is carrots!

I never went to school dinners because there would have been so much I couldn't eat. My parents eventually accepted my food phobia and just worked around it. I wouldn't even have soup unless the veg were strained out of it!

And yes he is a twin too and was weaned from the same pot as his twin who eats anything.

Thanks. I expected to be shot down - but perhaps not such a vile insult! I understand that it's a really difficult topic and that people honestly want to do the best for their kids. Unfortunately, it's an unequal battle between the public and huge companies out to make money who can play on our vulnerabilities. But it's such a shame that some people don't seem to want to hear the truth.

It’s not ignorance. It’s my opinion and experience.

Have you ever met a 70-year-old who says “Oh yeah, I had to be fed through a tube as a child because I just wouldn’t eat anything” or “I would only eat XYZ as a child”? In fact, have you ever met adults over a certain age who are like this about food?

I know I haven’t. I’ve met a few people in their forties who were very fussy eaters as children (and are now perfectly fine).

Yet now it seems any child who’s fussy is labelled with ARFID.

I totally get this 1 of mine will try anything but the other basically lives on quavers and fridge raiders chicken, loves cucumber and broccoli but that's our limit x

Suppose it depends on the way it’s delivered? There’s a lot of presumptuous smug replies on this thread so no wonder it gets people’s backs up, especially if they’re dealing with something like ARFID? It is usually in addition to some other sort of SEN as well which can add a tremendous amount of stress on a person.

She also can't tolerate textures of food so I find this really strasful.. any advice would be appreciated x

Are you acknowledging other people’s replies on this thread where their 60/70 year old parents struggled with food? it may be YOUR experience but that doesn’t make it universal.

Yep my dry beige will eat mango, broccoli florets if not mushy and raw carrots but that’s it.

Well you wouldn't would you?

Of the ones that didn't die as a result of malnutrition/starvation, the ones that survived are hardly likely to discuss it, having almost certainly been brought up to think they were fussy, awkward or defective in some way.

Or even read it.
I posted one article several pages ago and yet on and on it goes.

Oh well. The threads for OP so at least they can have a read around the subject. They sound more willing to.