My 7 year old daughter hasn't eaten any fruit for 5 years.

[Jushilicious]

I'm at my wits end with my DS (nearly 8) who refuses to eat even a smidgen of fruit. I've taken her to the doctors, dieticians and now I think a psychiatrist may be needed but I really don't want to go there.
It's like she has a phobia of fruit so I've not pushed her or forced her to eat but my other two (9 and 3) eat it happily.
When I say no fruit - I mean none - not bananas, berries, apples -nothing.
I've tried smoothies which she reluctantly tries a sip of and then doesn't want to have any more. It's like she's made a thing out of it 'I don't eat fruit'.
I've yet to meet any other child who doesn't eat any fruit at all. Most fussy kids one type at least.
She is unsurprisingly low on iron and vitamin D and is suffering from hair loss as a result, and constipated since the age of 2. She used to eat everything when she was a baby but slowly stopped and by 2 she stopped fruit altogether - nothing happened but it was a gradual process.
Something drastic needs to happen now - I'm really worried about her health and feel helpless

Does she eat vegetables?

She eats two - sweetcorn and mushrooms. But my son refuses to eat sweetcorn or mushrooms, he gags on sweetcorn so I often give her corn on the side. It's very annoying that ds won't eat what she does

My 18 year old hasn't eaten fruit or vegetables for 17 years. She will occasionally have a bit of orange juice.

She's as tall as me and yet to develop survey. No idea how.

Just to clarify, does she eat tomatoes or sweet peppers or cucumber or anything? (Also fruit).

Vitamin D and iron aren't particularly drawn from fruit, though it can be easier to absorb them if other vitamins are ingested. Vit D is particular is a problem for many in the UK and is easy to supplement.

I am in no way an expert so all I can suggest is have you tried growing any fruit at home? Berries are easy, as are tomatoes, and cucumbers, and you can grow all sorts from seed or plugs.

My 4yo will eat almost any fruit of veg we have grown at home, which helps.

My son will be 13 next month
The closest he has gotten to eating fruit was sucking a piece of mango when he was 7 months old

You can get a great supplement for kids for iron and vit d called floradix.

I don't think it's as big a problem as you are imagining it to be. Your dd does not need to see a MH professional and there is nothing unique in fruit that she cannot get from elsewhere, as in other food groups

Don't sweat it. She doesn't need a psychiatrist. Lots of children are incredibly fussy eaters but get better in their own time. Sometimes when they're adults

You know what though? I'm 35 and I hate fruit. I eat a varied diet and love vegetables, but if I never ate a piece of fruit again in my life I wouldn't care.

What if you gave her an exotic fruit she didn't know as a fruit? Would she try it or does she not like new things?

Mamapants - She doesn't like new things at all.
Namelessensign - she doesn't eat tomatoes (but I put it in curries, bolognese pureed which is fine) or cucumber - but eats sweetcorn and mushrooms.
I just find it really unhealthy? If not eat fruit then we eat veggies right? She won't eat certain cakes because jam has bits in it -she says...any dessert with any kind of fruit she won't touch. She doesn't eat cereal or toast...her diet is limited which is what worries me.

Fruit is getting a bit of a bad rep these days for being high in sugar (fructose), anyway, OP!

Give her the veggies she likes and as long as she's getting good proteins, fats & wholegrains; she'll be fine,

My dc are like that it's a PITA 1 likes potatoes then won't eat them in any form, 1 likes beans the other wants carrots and peas I could go on.... I think many children often go through the fussy period 3+ onwards. Ds1 is 9 now and only ate sandwiches at 1 point he now eats more than he ever would - although potatoes in any form are out. I found school dinners were a great help for him he tried new foods that he saw his friends eating. I've no real advice I'm sorry but hope that her food likes change as she gets older. I'm not really a fruit person but I eat a varied range of veg ( although as a child this was limited to sweetcorn raw carrots and cucumber I'd flat out refuse any other- funnily enough my db hated everything I liked ) .

In the meantime can you give her some vitamin supplements to boost her iron. Have you tried pureeing veg into a pasta sauce or fruit into natural yogurts etc?

WTF - you're taking your kid to a psychiatrist because she won't eat fruit?! Maybe you should go instead.

I don't eat fruit. There is nothing particularly special about fruit. She doesn't need to eat fruit. Why do you think she does?

She eats a limited range of veg, and you seem to be able to hide other veg in her meals ok so what exactly is the problem?

thanks for your messages everyone I def feel better.
We have blackberries in the garden but she won't touch them.

Titchy - no need to be rude! I only mentioned a pyschiatrist because it seems like she has a real fear - I'm def not taking her to one! (She also has a very severe phobia of birds - unrelated which stops us from being able to take her to a park as she absolutely freaks out -she is terrified beyond belief)
She won't touch any dessert or cake with raisins, apple, jam etc like many desserts have - she loves sweet things however.

I just find that she is getting worse and worse ( a bit like her bird phobia) . I probably sound a bit crazy myself now.

Does she eat yogurt?
You can get cans of mango pulp in the Asian bit at the supermarkets and put that in milk/ice cream/yogurt.

Potatoes have as much vit c as oranges, especially the skins.

I wouldn't worry too much. DT2 eats fruit and veg to the detriment of protein and carbs.

Titchy - the problem is there's a lot of things I think she's missing out on because of her anti-fruit stance. Also I think she has lost a lovely glow she used to have and her hair is thinning and she's been diagnosed with alopecia at 7. Whilst I'm giving her a multi vit I'm not sure it's enough. Fruit has a lot of nutrients and minerals that she could do with.
She doesn't have a varied diet as she also doesn't eat rice, toast, cereal. Anyway if you still think I need to see a psychiatrist then so be it!

8Uhoh2016 MerlyPussedOf - yes she eats yogurt but only plain. I've not tried mixing mango pulp in or pureed fruit - will try that thanks. I'm giving her an iron supplement on Dr's orders.

I hardly ate any fruit or veg as a child, for me it was a texture thing, and if your dd complains about the bits in jam it could well be for her too. Will she eat puréed soup? You can hide any number of veg in that, maybe starting with mushroom or sweetcorn-heavy recipes, and it works for things like pasta sauces too. If you haven't already you could also try fruit juice (without bits) and dried fruit. Try different ways of cooking veg, for instance roasting instead of steaming/boiling.

Above all try not to get angry/stressed at her about her diet, if she associates fruit with being told off it'll only make things worse.

Would she eat banana bread where it's all mashed in the mix?

What about nuts? You know those naked bars type things where it's all blitzed nuts and dates-they're dead easy to make and you can add mint essence or orange essence to flavour them-would she eat those?

Sounds really tough, so huge sympathy here.

Final thought would she eat a shit ice lolly, like a fruit pastel one? Because you could make those much healthier and see if she likes them?

Might she have sensory issues? Lots of kids with sensory issues have extremely limited diets. The birds phobia may or may not tie in.

I will eat a banana, and an apple under duress. No other fruit. The thought of it makes me queasy. I like some fruit flavoured things, but not fruit itself, or jam or compote or etc etc. I'm not malnourished I think the issue is her general lack of intake, rather than fruit itself. Has she been referred to a dietician?

Try reading 'My Child Won't Eat' by Carlos Gonzalez. A really friendly book and very helpful.

Posted too soon. It doesn't tell you how to make your child eat, rather helps you change your own mindset about the situation.

I havent eaten fruit in 27 years. And very little veg for that matter. I am and always have been very healthy. No illnesses or hospital admissions. I rarely get colds or stomach bugs. I wouldnt worry. You'll create an issue that will have long lasting effects if you try and force this.

My ds9 doesn't eat fruit, won't eat yogurts, jam, jelly, sweets, lemonade or anything fruit tasting. Loves cooked veg, especially greens. He has MUCH better teeth than his fruit bat 13 yr old brother, which I suspect is due to lack of fruit acids affecting his teeth. Some children just don't like the sweetness of fruit. I make sure his dinner plate is loaded with veg though. If she hasn't eaten veg for 4 years, it really won't be affecting her hair and skin now.