Healthy snacks. DD won’t eat any fruit or veg

[TwoGirlsAndOneDog]

Any advice greatly appreciated on what healthy snacks I can offer…

DD (almost 4) won’t eat any fruit or veg apart from edamame beans (!) and dried pineapple. It’s not a phase, she’s refused since she was about 18 months old and wouldn’t eat them at nursery either. It might be a sensory/ neurodiverse thing. She says that they’re “too wet” and she has physically gagged on the few occasions she’s put veg in her mouth. I do make secret veg sauces and she takes a multivitamin with milk in the evenings. We keep offering fruit and veg.

However, I really struggle with what healthy snacks I can offer and also put in her lunchbox (new nursery is lunchbox only). We do cheese cubes and Organix rice cakes plus edamame and dried pineapple.

Obviously not great to eat too much dried fruit but will she eat any other of the more unusual dried fruits - kiwi, papaya, mango, cherries, Blueberries. Might extend her tastes a bit and help further down the line.

Have you tried both tinned and frozen veg as well as fresh. Tinned sweetcorn tastes sweeter than frozen so might appeal more and is similar in texture to edamame beans (bluey fan by any chance). Marrow fat peas rather than garden peas etc.

What about the veggie tot things blw always suggest so little fried / baked tots of things like sweet potato or potato with cheese and hidden veggies mixed in

Veg based mini pancakes. Banana pancakes are a hit here and can be made bitesizr so perfect for snack.

Just a few ideas, you may well have tried them. I think all you can do is keep offering a variety and fingers crossed one day She will eat better

Have you tried giving her dried fruit if the problem is the wetness? Completely sympathise, my 2yo will only eat grapes and very rarely a bit of apple. He's also got a sensory issue with food but unfortunately as he still isn't talking yet I can't even ask why😭

Try different kinds of dried fruit. Does she like puddings like crumble and custard? I make crumble with just a little sugar in it for my son. Usually apple, or apple and blackberry in autumn. I stew the fruit in a little brown sugar and cinnamon and just buy shop bought crumble. We also mix apple sauce into porridge or yogurt. If you go to the baby aisle there are pots of apple sauce etc that are just pure fruit. There are lots of puddings with fruit that can be made healthier, like banana and blueberry pancakes. We also mash banana into porridge. What about smoothies or soups?

For on the go snacks, our healthier options other than fruit are: humous and breadsticks, cheese, rice cakes, crackers, yoghurt, peanut butter sandwiches, scones, cocktail sausages.

Will she eat something like veg fritters? Like rosti? Croquettes?

I got a neurodiverse DC to start eating peppers and carrots by cutting slices into the letters of their name. They were obsessed with letters at the time and liked to e.g. bite off the spike of a P to make a D.

If the issue is they are too "wet" try cutting them up some time beforehand and letting them air-dry a little