Get tween to eat more adventurously?

[TheYakWanders]

My "tween" (12yo DS) is driving me mad with their inability to eat adventurously - or even with any variety at all.
He is such a beige eater, mainly carbs, and I really struggle with getting him to eat more vegetables or fruits or even try different foods. We are on holiday right now with so many wonderful tasting fruits and excellent dishes and they are refusing to try anything, pulling faces, doing "yukk!" sounds.. please give me your best advice as to how to resolve this before they are a fussy adult?! How did you help your DC through this or what did you do to just raise a child who eats well with variety?

I think on holiday isn’t probably the time to crack this, but we generally have 2 rules:

(1) you don’t say ‘yuck!’ or ‘disgusting’ to any food you have been served. If you don’t like it, you leave it on the plate politely.

(2) what’s been cooked for a meal is what there is. There’s no subbing in beige food. With my 11 year old, she can serve herself, so has control over what she chooses from what has been prepared. So they eat as much or as little of what is available (and then you just don’t offer up beige food).

The first should be fine on holiday, second may be more tricky if you aren’t cooking yourself.

He tends to eat what is given at home, so we don't sub in beige there thankfully but on holiday, given a menu, will default to chicken nuggets and chips - drives me bonkers.
But the refusal of fruit is a big irritation of mine and that is at home and away. I just don't know how to do this - maybe I start like you would with a baby and offer a tiny bite every day...?

Try it in different forms. My DD hates room temperature or refrigerated grapes, but would eat a whole punnet of frozen grapes happily.

Mangos fine whole won't eat cut up.
Apples are a no go whole, a big hit sliced and with peanut butter

Was he always like this - did he like these foods when you weaned him/in early childhood or is this a recent thing?

You said they eat well at home. On holiday in an unfamiliar place let them what they know is safe.
This is not the time for a fight or to get frustrated.

He doesn't have to like fruits or perhaps all fruits.
If he did veg id be less concerned.

Still if it's always been like this it could be more texture based issue.

I'd definitely not be making this an issue on holiday. Just leave him to it totally. Let him chill and do his thing. I'm sure you wouldn't want someone pestering you to eat the thing you didn't like just because it's there on holiday

Leave them to it on holiday but I wouldn't allow any pulling faces and saying yuck about my food.

You're all right, I shouldn't be bothering and nagging him on holiday, it is a holiday after all. I find it sad because my other two eat so much fruit that sometimes you have to hide it or you won't get a look in! And he was fine as a toddler, ate incredibly well and varied. Then seemed to hit that fussy awkward age where they refuse every food you provide and that doesn't seem to have ended. I just need to be more on it at home I think and provide much more fruit and vegetable plates.
His variety at home of home cooked meals is good - various soups and curries will get eaten, and we are vegetarian at home, so it's always vegetables in our food.

I think if he eats plenty of veg there is no reason to worry, he'll get plenty of nutrients from those without the natural sugars from the fruit or acid from the citrus so probably better for him really.

I'd perhaps focus on the manners side of things more s than anything. Having preferences and politely declining a food is fine but pulling a face isn't.

This is very true and a really good point, I need to pick up on this more tbh. It's very rude to make nauseated sounds and say yuck, I do tell him off but it doesn't seem to sink in 🙄

The fake vomiting sounds that tweens and even some adults make now are just hideous, I don't know if it started as a TikTok trend and infiltrated the nations psyche but I wish it would disappear as quickly as it arrived.

I don't eat much fruit. I have 'geographic' tongue, I think it's called. It hurts my tongue anyway! I'm OK with apples and the occasional satsuma, bit of watermelon in the summer.

The rest of my diet is fine, balanced, lots of veg. I wouldn't feel too sad about it, some people just don't like fruit. I get a bit eye rolly when some people enthuse to me about fruit - but it's so delicious! You have to try it! It's so fresh and juicy! Etc etc. I'll stick to my chocolate pudding thank you, I guarantee it makes me just as happy!

Anyway, totally agree about the rudeness but not eating fruit is not that bad. My 3 year old out fruit eats me by miles.