Picky Eating

ShannonMVT · #1 January 2nd, 2011, 04:20 PM

It seems like Matthew has gotten more picky lately.

Add that to the fact that he can't have any dairy and it is getting tough around here. I also don't feel like cooking and Dh and I both get discouraged about cooking because it's hard to find things that he likes and we like and that don't have dairy.

He loves fruit, especially berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries) and lately we have bribed him a little with those to get him to eat other things. Like eat one bite of chicken and you'll get a berry. It works to some degree, but I wonder if it is making the problem worse because he seems even more picky and OBSESSED with "bash" (berries). If you ever ask him what he wants, like even while playing he will tell you bash. They are also of course out of season right now and expensive. I wonder sometimes if he isn't eating his food because he is "holding out" for what he really wants?

He isn't eating a lot of his old stand bys and I am getting really frustrated. All he wants is berries and a couple other things.

He isn't sick or teething. It's so irritating to make things for it and then just whines because he doesn't want the food I gave him, which he used to eat just fine.

Also everything prepared has dairy! I wish I could give him ravioli because he does better if meat is hidden in something but OF COURSE every type of ravioli out there has dairy in it.

I could go on and on...they stick dairy in everything.

Eating is also no fun for me because I feel like I have to sneak away from him to eat things with dairy (I love it) because he will want my cheese or yogurt or pizza or whatever. I wish so much I could give it to him.

I'm depressed it looks like he isn't outgrowing this and if anything it is getting worse (sometimes family members slip up and give him something that is off limits).

Cooking makes me feel gaggy a lot now and Dh isn't being very helpful. He says he'll help cook but then he wants me to tell him what to cook and then he complains if it's not something he wants or that Matthew will eat or isn't nutritious enough, but he won't come up with options himself.

I guess this turned into a pity party. I really am open to suggestions but also just had to vent.

Resi · #2 January 2nd, 2011, 04:32 PM

I know what it's like to have a extremely picky eater. Oliver has always been very selective and only eats small amounts (like a few bites). He has gone through phases were he would only eat berries too. He loves blueberries. I can't imagine not being able to do any kind of dairy because some of Oliver's favorites are cottage cheese, yogart, mac & cheese. I'm sure you have tried the soy yogarts, puddings, and cheeses? Or maybe you don't won't him having soy? Does he like fish? Oliver loves salmon. Also soups are huge for Oliver. Lentil, chicken noodles, pea soup, black bean soup are his favorites and have no dairy in them. Plain whole wheat noodles with butter, noodles with red sauce, scrambled eggs with cheese. I'm trying to think of stuff that Oliver will usually eat but I'm sure you have tried most things I've listed. I know it's hard, frusterating, and tiring to find things to feed a picky eater. Sometimes I feel like I'm starving Oliver. As bad as it sounds sometimes I hate feeding him the most because it's so hard. We have good days and bad. Lately he has been eating better but still is picky. He won't eat veggies for the most part. Only peas and carrots sometimes if they are mixed in soups. I will try to think of some other things.

Hashbrowns is another new thing Oliver will eat. Can you make waffles or pancakes with rice milk or something? You can add blueberries. French toast could maybe be done too.

ShannonMVT · #3 January 2nd, 2011, 04:42 PM

I don't really want him having soy. He does get hemp milk. I have tried goat milk products in the past, but they wound up giving him diarrhea as well. It sucks because I know he really likes yogurt cheese and I bet if I could put cheese on things he would eat them better. The fake "non dairy" cheeses also have casein in them (milk protein) so it's all a lie, they are really dairy free.

He used to eat fish, but he doesn't seem to like it anymore. I might try to find him some breaded fish (I'd prefer he eat the non breaded version though) if I can find some without dairy in the breading.

He'll eat pasta with spaghetti sauce and he likes most bread items. I struggle more with protein and fat. He is very picky about meat. Sometimes he'll eat scrambled eggs and I found some sausage with a bunch of preservatives (still has a lot of salt) that he'll eat for breakfast sometimes.

I tried nuts recently now that he has molars and he loved the pecans and cashews and I was so excited....until a few days he got a red rash on his cheek. I don't really know if it was from the nuts since most nut allergies I've heard have different symptoms but Dh wanted me to stop so I did.

I will have to try more soups...do you have recipes? He ate some of my 16 bean soup today but I had to bribe him with berries to get him to eat it. Sometimes he eats Dh's minestrone soup but lately he hasn't been very into it lately.

I will have to look into hashbrowns. I can do rice milk pancakes and french toast, they just take so long to cook at a time when he wants to eat NOW, that I don't make them very often. He is pretty good about bread products so I'm lazy and give him toast instead or sometimes bagel. He will often eat either a little eggs or sausage in the morning so he usually gets that with some kind of fruit. I guess there is no reason I couldn't do breakfast food for lunch or dinner though.

Blueberries are his favorite food. I am thinking of driving 2 hrs this summer to take him to a pick your own blueberry farm. I think it would be Matthew heaven. I can't imagine how many berries he would eat if I just let him eat as much as he wanted. Wish you were around here too and you could take Oliver and we could weight the boys before and after their blueberry consumption!

soImarriedAnerd · #4 January 2nd, 2011, 04:49 PM

I have no idea on dairy stuff but I know some ladies who do! I will link this and see if I can get them to suggest things!

Alison81 · #5 January 2nd, 2011, 05:17 PM

You are not doing the wrong thing offering the berries, but eventually you want to fade it out. Say, once he is eating the chicken good, only offer a berry every 4-5 bites, and eventually you should only be giving a few berries when he's done with his chicken, and the goal you want is that he eats all the chicken because he actually likes it. So if that works, I wouldn't cut it out completely, it's good that he's so excited about getting the berries! I really don't know what to say about dairy, it's so hard to cut that out completely. Is he really allergic to the casein? Like, has it been tested? If it's really an allergy then his diet is very limited, if it's just the milk sensitivity, that's a little easier. Kylie is sensitive to straight milk products, like regular milk, and ice cream, but she can have cheeses.

ShannonMVT · #6 January 2nd, 2011, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alison81

Is he really allergic to the casein? Like, has it been tested? If it's really an allergy then his diet is very limited, if it's just the milk sensitivity, that's a little easier. Kylie is sensitive to straight milk products, like regular milk, and ice cream, but she can have cheeses.

He has a milk protein allergy. It's not the "true" allergy, you can't be tested for it. He was tested for the serious type allergy, but that came back negative. He gets diarrhea with mucus in it when he has dairy (and eventually bad diaper rash). At first he was okay with cheese and yogurt, but gradually it just got worse and worse until he can't have any dairy. I also tried some lactose free milk thinking maybe it could be lactose but he got symptomes from that as well. I gave him part of a bagel one time at the grocery store that had a small amount of buttermilk in it (it was far down on the ingredient list) and by the time we got home he had diarrhea.

My niece had the same problem and my SIL said she read the stricter you are with it, the more chance they have of outgrowing it. My neice outgrew it by age 2, but it looks like that will not be happening with Matthew.

~*Bethy*~ · #7 January 2nd, 2011, 06:11 PM

This is a toughy because you cant cook

How many grain's will he eat? beans? As long as hes getting a good amount of protein in, he should be fine. I dont have picky eaters, and dont have any with allergies (except bella cant have the gerber cereal puffs, thoes give her diharrea) and you mentioned that he cant have goats milk/cheese. What about hummus? veggonaise doesnt have diary in it (mayo replacer) What types of veggies does he like to eat? veggie soup with a beef broth stock would be your best bet. anything creamy would need a dairy product to cream it (sexy eh? LOL) Same things that are running through my head as when Sam asked for some lunch idea's for JJ's daycare, except his was with eggs. Let me come back to this with some more idea's.

roon · #8 January 2nd, 2011, 06:12 PM

Coming here via Angela's (soImarriedAnerd) link... Why don't you want to give soy products? As I'm sure you know, that would give you WAY more options. I also know you can find dairy-free prepared foods/ frozen foods at stores like Whole Foods. What about preparing your own raviolis ahead of time and freezing them? What about looking at the library for some vegan/ dairy free cookbooks for more inspiration?

~*Bethy*~ · #9 January 2nd, 2011, 06:13 PM

ETA: Can he have eggs? I know they are diary but sometimes they are an exception

Quote:

Originally Posted by roon

Coming here via Angela's (soImarriedAnerd) link... Why don't you want to give soy products? As I'm sure you know, that would give you WAY more options. I also know you can find dairy-free prepared foods/ frozen foods at stores like Whole Foods. What about preparing your own raviolis ahead of time and freezing them? What about looking at the library for some vegan/ dairy free cookbooks for more inspiration?

She said its super hard for her to cook due to her having morning sickness, and her husband isnt really helping LOL But thoes are really good suggestions!

ShannonMVT · #10 January 2nd, 2011, 07:20 PM

He can have eggs! He gets scrambled eggs sometimes. I used to put milk in them to make them fluffy but now I just leave the milk out.

I want to look into making ravioli, it's just one of those things I haven't done or figured out what I would need to do it yet. New recipes in general it just seems like it is so much effort and you don't usually get it right the first time! I know I need to branch out. Cooking is generally kinda tough in the evenings b/c Matthew gets needy around that time, so I need to be better about doing more around lunchtime or doing crock pot stuff.

He likes hummus and I have him dip crackers in it, just haven't gotten it lately b/c the grocery store we go to most often for some reason the hummus is way expensive and not very good. I need to go to another store and get some more. He used to like beans a lot and now it's a hit or miss thing.

Soy I am just not crazy about it b/c it has compounds in it that are similar to estrogen. I don't mind some, but don't really want to give him a lot of it.

As you said Bethy, anything creamy usually has dairy it in and he likes things in a sauce. So it winds up being tomato based sauce if I do pasta or what have you. All the "simple" recipes call for things like cream of chicken soup, which has dairy. I know I need to do more "from scratch" cooking. We are also going to buy a deep freezer before we have the baby so I'll be able to freeze things more.

Thanks for the suggestions! Keep them coming!

amyhk · #11 January 2nd, 2011, 07:43 PM

Also sent here by Angela.

We've been dairy/soy/nut free for a year and a half now. It's hard but I have a system... here's what works for us.

Yogurt replacements: Coconut yogurt! Eli gets half a container of coconut yogurt everyday. I mix in a fruit puree for extra flavor and baby oatmeal to thicken it up. The baby oatmeal I use has absolutely no milk or soy proteins in it. It's our go-to breakfast and Eli loves it. I buy the yogurt at Whole Foods, but they probably would sell it at other health food stores. Here is a link to the brand: Turtle Mountain - Dairy Free Desserts. Makers of So Delicious and Purely Decadent dairy free ice cream They also have fantastic coconut ice cream.

Ice cream replacements: Speaking of ice cream, my FAVORITE coconut ice cream is this brand: Welcome | Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss/Dairy & Soy Free/The Evolution of Ice Cream I like to get the vanilla and mint flavors. Diary/soy/nut free. I like it better than regular ice cream! And it's a great treat for Eli, especially when he's teething bad.

Cheese replacements: Daiya cheese! This is a fake cheese that is complete milk/casein/soy/nut free. I also find it at Whole Foods. They sell two flavors. Great to stick in recipes that require cheese. Daiya Vegan Cheese, Dairy Free Cheese alternatives, cholesterol free, non dairy cheese, allergy free cheese, gluten free, healthy option

General snacks: I like Enjoy Life products for quick and easy snacks. Completely allergy friendly. enjoy life foods - gluten-free & allergen-free cookies, snacks, granola & bagels - eat freely

As for a typical food plan, Eli usually gets oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast. Lunch is a variety of finger foods: avocado cubes (his favorite), cut up fruit, turkey deli meat (the kind with no casein), fish sticks, scrambled eggs, french toast made without milk, chicken/apple sausage, turkey/apple meat loaf, sunbutter and jelly sandwich (sunflower seed butter is a good nut butter replacement). Dinner is what we eat, and we usually have sauteed chicken with rice and a baked veggie, or pasta and turkey meatballs, or some sort of burger and "carrot fries." Dinner is super easy around here. I have turkey burgers, chicken burgers, and salmon burgers all in the freezer and ready to go on the grill at anytime. The turkey meatballs are also frozen and I just pop them in the microwave. I found a brand at Vons that has no soy or dairy. I usually roast my veggies (squash, carrot, or sweet potato) with cinnamon and a tiny bit of brown sugar and Eli will gobble them up that way.

We are still working on getting better with veggies, so I bought that book Deceptively Delicious and I'm going to figure out how to hide more greens into his food.

This was long.... I hope it helps! If you need any recipes just PM me.

ShannonMVT · #12 January 2nd, 2011, 08:15 PM

Thanks Amy! Wow I am going to check out that dairy free cheese, that is awesome! I haven't seen it at Whole Foods, I'll go look.

That would also be great for when I have the baby, I am expecting that I might have to go dairy free again.
I'll also look for coconut yogurt...I'm assuming that is at Whole Foods? I tried coconut milk with him at one point and he was rashy, but I think there was some other stuff possibly going on at the same time, so I'll have to try coconut products again and see how it goes.

~*Bethy*~ · #13 January 2nd, 2011, 11:50 PM

Thank you Amy! Angela - what board are these ladies from?! LOL! Share your secrets!

Shannon, are you feeling better about all of this?

Mars · #14 January 3rd, 2011, 04:07 AM

The suggestions here are great!!! I wouldn't have known what to add but I'm learning a lot and since my daughter has eczema, I like to know about alternative food in case she has a reaction to something I usually give.

She too had a cow's milk protein allergy when she first started whole milk at 12 months but her 18month allergy test suggested she was fine but I still use Goat's milk with her. I do find she reacts to some cow's milk products but not like before. I'm happy she is seemingly outgrowing it because she loves yogurt and cheese.

soImarriedAnerd · #15 January 3rd, 2011, 05:37 AM

They are from my PR

When I stepped down Amy took my place as co-host

(and isn't ELI the CUTEST little butterball!

I have a little crush on him

)

Amy can you share that weird chicken muffin that you make that travels great and is dairy free....everyone I know who tried it has loved it!

~*sierra*~ · #16 January 3rd, 2011, 05:38 AM

ok i have nowhere near the suggestions that others do, but a more affordable fruit choice right now might be clementines. i got a crate a few days ago and my nephew is going CRAZY for them. he'd eat like 5 in a row if i'd let him. i just bite the bigger segments in half so he doesnt choke.

ShannonMVT · #17 January 3rd, 2011, 07:31 AM

Chicken muffin, oh that sounds so gross LOL! But if he will eat it....

My SIL suggested a smoothie with fruit and chicken thrown in but I told her it would make me barf for sure.

He is hit or miss on the citrus fruits, sometimes he'll eat tangerines and the like and other times he won't eat it at all. I need to try it again.

Thanks for sending your ladies over Angela.

Eli's hair does exactly what I wish Matthew's would have done!

Bethy yup I am feeling better today, thanks. I'm having some preggo freakouts over crap here and there so I know that doesn't help with overreacting over stuff.