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Vegetarian fussy eater 4.5 year old food ideas?

69 replies

Veggielove84 · 19/06/2018 19:47

Hey everyone

my child is a self made vegetarian, but she has always been a fussy eater. She is thriving so much though and actually a bit overweight. She eats goats dairy mostly with some soy yogurt or goat yogurt and some regular cheese when she has pizza.

Typical dinner foods are plain rice, plain pasta, eggy bread, chips and that sort of stuff, plain as in sea salt and either butter or olive oil as the sauce.

Typical day

Breakfast- Goat milk then cereal with goat milk

snack- either fruit or crisps or a nakd bar or something , she will not eat anything I try to bake her like muffins or flapjacks but will eat my smoothies and spelt flour pancakes

Lunch- sandwich on 50/50 bread with jam or almond butter and jam or occasionally chocolate spread. nothing else on it... paired with an apple and something crunchy usually those baby organic crispy snacks and often a piece of dark chocolate

another random snack and couple times a week a cake when family come over

Dinner- rice, pasta, pizza, chips , eggy bread paired with cucumber or berries of some sort. dessert is more fruit and sometimes a coconut grape sweetened frozen yogurt she thinks is ice cream.

supper- Goat milk and a banana with buttered crackers often oatcakes to get some oats in. maybe some dried dates with this. if still hungry a soy yogurt or goat yogurt sweetened with some honey or maple syrup.

Can I have some feedback please?

OP posts:
anotherangel2 · 19/06/2018 19:53

What are her portion sizes like? My friend DD is over weight and she eats lots.

I notice that she does not seem to eat vegetables except for cucumbers.

AsAProfessionalFekko · 19/06/2018 19:55

Self made in what way? Deciding not to eat animals or taste?

AsAProfessionalFekko · 19/06/2018 19:55

Posted too soon - will she eat fish or try new things?

Veggielove84 · 19/06/2018 20:01

Me and hubby are not vegetarian. She found out what chicken was and that was it. Doesn't want us to eat animals either. She will not try much. That is why she wont eat lentils hummus or anything. I think her portions are ok but its a lot of sweet flavours

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titchy · 19/06/2018 20:13

Doesn't look great tbh. There's a lot of snacks, plus pudding plus supper! I'd suggest snacks OR pud and supper.

I suspect if she had a decent amount of protein, particularly for breakfast (whats the cereal? Weetabix or coco pops) she wouldn't need the snacks, which look really sugary so she'll be getting a sugar high, then a sugar crash. Eggs for breakfast (is your eggy bread fried - I assume it is - again fatty) - suggest scrambled on whole meal - way healthier and keeps hunger at bay.

And a jam sandwich for lunch - eek! With more crisps!

Cut the sugar, less fruit and more veg, add lentils etc, and add meat. Hide it if she's fussy. Five year olds don't dictate what's for dinner.

AsAProfessionalFekko · 19/06/2018 20:16

Will she eat brown rice, pasta, bread - or does she tend to stick to plain white food? Ideally she will have more veggies and less pizza, chips etc. Can she eat cows milk ok?

LaCerbiatta · 19/06/2018 20:21

That diet sounds terrible! Where are the vegetables and protein?

And out of interest, why the goat dairy?

AsAProfessionalFekko · 19/06/2018 20:24

If she is old enough to decide that she won’t eat animals, she should be old enough to understand that she needs to eat a healthy diet to be healthy and grow. I’m sure there are shows or books that explain it to her age - is Sporticus still on?

ilovejammiedogers · 19/06/2018 20:26

Agree with others about trying to cut down the sugar and increase veg intake.
Does she not like sweet veg like sweet corn? I find snack trays are a good option for fussy eaters. So on a tray with different compartments you could put some of the following crackers/breadsticks, hummus, cheese, sweet corn, peas, pasta, tofu, cucumber, and fruit pieces.
If she really wants something sweet on her sandwiches have you tried sweet freedom instead of jam or chocolate. I think they use fruit sugars.
Will she have tomato pasta? I usually blend some veggies like carrots into the sauce to increase DD veg intake.
What about mac and cheese I mix broccoli or spinach in mine DD doesn't seem to notice as it's covered in cheese sauce.

PurpleDaisies · 19/06/2018 20:27

Why the goat milk and soy yoghurt?

Veggielove84 · 19/06/2018 20:28

ok the goat dairy because its what she always had after I couldn't produce breast milk I put her onto goat formula and if you are interested why its better for you than cows dairy then a quick google will bring that info up.

The eggy bread is not fried its dry fried on a non stick pan so its bread and an egg.

We are very health conscious but she just wont try much and its something I have tried to get her to eat fish and meat etc she just takes things she doesn't want off her plate straight away. I cant force her to eat things and I wouldn't be able to even if I tried.

I know she needs more protein that's why I posted for some advice but I cant force foods down her throat.

OP posts:
countryrosepink · 19/06/2018 20:31

Can you try the veggie quorn/Linda macartney stuff for extra protein?

AssassinatedBeauty · 19/06/2018 20:31

Goats milk is fine, if she likes it there's no need to change it to cows milk for the sake of it. Although, I wouldn't give two milk drinks a day, assuming she'll drink water?

Are there no vegetables at all that she'll eat? Peas, carrots, sweet corn, pepper? That's what leaps out to me - the total lack of veg.

I also wouldn't do supper, there's no need for 4 meals a day plus 2 or more snacks. There's also nothing special about oats that merits needing them for supper.

Veggielove84 · 19/06/2018 20:31

soy yogurt as its a good protein source and and another food (soy beans)

she wont eat any veg or sauce so I cant hide things.

She wont eat peas or sweetcorn I think its a texture thing. I try her on sweet potato a lot she wont eat it , again a texture, she wont eat home made oven chips only frozen again I suspect its a texture thing.

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ourkidmolly · 19/06/2018 20:33

She's probably too full to be bothered trying anything new. Try to catch her very hungry.

ourkidmolly · 19/06/2018 20:34

I have a fussy one and that's what I do, force foods on them after big swimming session.

titchy · 19/06/2018 20:34

No but you can stop filling her up with sugar! And hide fish, lentils meat etc. And veg.

LilQueenie · 19/06/2018 20:34

will she eat quorn? so many type and its versatile. DD is a bit tfussy too. She will some stuff but only when using certain flavours. so veggie mince is fine but so long as you use the correct sauce or seasoning. Trial and error but masking veg in things is a good idea. For example veg burgers containing actual veg go down well as it looks like a mcdonalds meal.

AntiHop · 19/06/2018 20:37

We're raising our 3 old as a vegetarian.

Here's some ideas.
Quorn sausages, bacon.
Add flaxseed to whatever you can as high in fibre. We add them to yoghurt. You could add them to your smoothes and pancakes (add them before you cook them). Or add ground nuts to the pancake mix.
My dd loves rice cooked with yellow. lentils and sweetcorn.
Sweet potatoe chips.
Mashed sweet potatoes or parsnip.
Roasted or steamed squash with lots of butter.

titchy · 19/06/2018 20:37

Well there are a number of ways of dealing with fussy eaters, from tough love, to hiding veg, to bribery. What have you tried? At the moment she's on her way to diabetes central.

AssassinatedBeauty · 19/06/2018 20:37

Could you put a vegetable that you think she might try (maybe sugar snap peas, raw maybe, green beans, sliced raw pepper) on her plate but separately to the food she will eat. Tell her that it's not ok to take food off her plate, but she doesn't have to eat it. You'll have to be prepared to insist on things not coming off her plate. Don't make any mention of the new food, just keep putting it out each meal time, whilst insisting it stays put.

QuackPorridgeBacon · 19/06/2018 20:39

Mashing carrots into potato is good way to hide veg. It tastes nice as well. Her diet does sound very milk and yoghurt based. What about Quorn stuff?

Veggielove84 · 19/06/2018 20:45

yes I think I have allowed her to get away with this behaviour unfortunately. I feel terrible about it and think I just thought things would change naturally, but not so.

The cereal is that bear one with the coconut sugar instead of the white sugar. Yes its still sugar but its better nutrients.

Is it a case of tough love now ? She is always hungry and I know its the protein thing.

Its not white stuff all the time its best of both bread at lunch time but yes white basmati rice . Ugh I have worried so long about this issue so finally decided to ask for some advice.

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AsAProfessionalFekko · 19/06/2018 20:51

Some children are fussy - it’s their nature! The more stressed poor mum and dad get the more they dig their heels in!

Does she like to watch cookery shows on tv? That may get her interested in new things. Soups or blended sauces? Smoothies?

Veggielove84 · 19/06/2018 20:52

Tried her with fish, chicken and fish fingers. Not interested in that. I have not tried quorn as we cant stand the thought of it and I know it will go in the bin as she wont eat it.

I am an ex vegan and I thought I ate healthy but out the blue developed type 2 diabetes so that does worry me especially since she is overweight already and the health visitor was happy that I don't feed her fast food etc just a weekly pizza ( not from take away as we don't eat take aways) she said she should grow out of it and they worry more about kids that are not thriving ... but I'm not so sure she will outgrow it anytime soon

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