Fussy eaters

Dave will eat just about anything, and having been to Asia many times on business, he probably has. Me? I'll try almost anything, except bugs, but I may not eat it. Tried eel in Germany -- nope. Tried kangaroo, of all things, in Europe. It was a little gamey, but not bad. Don't think I want it again, though, just because... My granddaughter is very open to trying new things, but being 11 years old, her tastes change with the weather. My grandson is totally picky. Totally. Plain burgers, white meat chicken, pasta, no veggies except potatoes and carrots, and BBQ. He's going to be 13 soon, and I expect he will soon expand his repertoire, because teenage boys are notorious for eating you out of house and home.

PS. BBQ refers to smoked meat, not hotdogs cooked on a grill.
 

Catlady said:
Yeah, the problem is, why is it that families used to eat together and everybody ate what the cook/mom made? Why is it that nowadays family dinners are the exceptions, people eat everywhere but the dinner table and they expect custom food to be prepared for just them?

I think too many choices spoil people. It would be good for them to be in a situation where food is not available to them for a while, I bet they would learn to eat anything and without a whimper. I am retired too and I would NOT make 5 different meals for my daughter and her family and myself. If they wanted something other than what I made they had to bring their own, especially since I am a vegetarian and I will NOT cook meat. If it doesn't bother you to make several different meals for one sitting, that's good, but few people would be willing to be THAT accommodating.
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I have no problem going the extra mile to make life a little easier for people I care about. You call it spoiling, I call it caring enough about them to not make a fuss over their dietary preferences.

I have zero regrets about any of the kindnesses I've extended in this life, but can't say that's true about the times when I've rigidly held my ground for petty reasons.

Cooking to please various palates doesn't mean making 5 different meals for a family - it's easy enough to create a vegan meal with dairy and other toppings for those who want them. I don't eat meat but will serve certain already cooked meats for my guests, and don't mind if my they bring something to eat along with a meal at my home.
 
My grandson is the pickiest eater I’ve ever seen! Apparently according to my daughter her husband and his mother were and are exactly the same, I don’t understand it and I do get concerned as I know a limited diet could limit nutrients as well, I suggested a multivitamin and she is giving him a gummy multivitamin. He will eat chicken tenders, baby carrots, peanut butter, yogurt, and I can’t think of anything else. When I take him with me I always encourage him to try new foods but I’m not having much luck but I won’t give up, what is crazy about this is his pediatrician is not concerned at all, I don’t get that as a limited diet could lead to problems with the immune system and a host of other physical problems. 😟
 

Lc jones said:
My grandson is the pickiest eater I’ve ever seen! Apparently according to my daughter her husband and his mother were and are exactly the same, I don’t understand it and I do get concerned as I know a limited diet could limit nutrients as well, I suggested a multivitamin and she is giving him a gummy multivitamin. He will eat chicken tenders, baby carrots, peanut butter, yogurt, and I can’t think of anything else. When I take him with me I always encourage him to try new foods but I’m not having much luck but I won’t give up, what is crazy about this is his pediatrician is not concerned at all, I don’t get that as a limited diet could lead to problems with the immune system and a host of other physical problems. 😟
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Maybe the pediatrician does NOT know about his limited diet or is one of those that doesn't care and only wants to be paid for the visit. I respect you for trying to improve his diet, but his home is where the education should be available to him and on a steady basis. I liked @Rosemarie's post, she had the right attitude and solution to the nitpicking. Hunger is a great motivator.
 
Lc jones said:
My grandson is the pickiest eater I’ve ever seen! Apparently according to my daughter her husband and his mother were and are exactly the same, I don’t understand it and I do get concerned as I know a limited diet could limit nutrients as well, I suggested a multivitamin and she is giving him a gummy multivitamin. He will eat chicken tenders, baby carrots, peanut butter, yogurt, and I can’t think of anything else. When I take him with me I always encourage him to try new foods but I’m not having much luck but I won’t give up, what is crazy about this is his pediatrician is not concerned at all, I don’t get that as a limited diet could lead to problems with the immune system and a host of other physical problems. 😟
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How old is he?
 
Catlady said:
Maybe the pediatrician does NOT know about his limited diet or is one of those that doesn't care and only wants to be paid for the visit. I respect you for trying to improve his diet, but his home is where the education should be available to him and on a steady basis. I liked @Rosemarie's post, she had the right attitude and solution to the nitpicking. Hunger is a great motivator.
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I agree that hunger is a great motivator, and I’ve encouraged them not to provide before dinner snacks/drinks at least 2 to 3 hours before the big meal, and you’re right it is up to the parents but since I live so close it’s hard not to get too involved. Her pediatrician has been told what his diet is so that’s not it either. My three kids always had good appetites
, they had particular favorites but they ate what I put in front of them my daughter had a good example growing up so can’t be that.
 
Lc jones said:
6
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I wouldn't fret too much. He'll want to start eating pizza when he goes to parties where his friends eat it. Same with burgers. Little kids are monkey-see monkey-do with their friends. If he were my kid I'd start with a couple of very mild tasting vegetables like green beans. Also some raw veggies with hummus on the side.

His pediatrician has undoubtedly checked his height, weight and blood work, and found them all within the normal range.
 
Lc jones said:
I agree that hunger is a great motivator, and I’ve encouraged them not to provide before dinner snacks/drinks at least 2 to 3 hours before the big meal, and you’re right it is up to the parents but since I live so close it’s hard not to get too involved. Her pediatrician has been told what his diet is so that’s not it either. My three kids always had good appetites
, they had particular favorites but they ate what I put in front of them my daughter had a good example growing up so can’t be that.
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My daughter had a good example about family meals and about being ambitious and getting ahead in life, and she failed miserably at both. Therefore, I no longer believe in the saying, "The apple does not fall far from the tree".

I've seen and heard about plenty of instances where the children are opposites of the parents, for better or for worse. I knew a guy whose father was a cruel abuser and he turned out to be one of the most kind and responsible men I ever met. I've also met and heard about good parents whose child(ren) turned out to be monsters. Hope your young grandchild grows up to eat healthy. You're a good and sensible mother, but the more you nag the less she'll listen. I stopped telling my daughter, it only angers her and does nothing to change the situation. And I also closed the bank to them, when they hit dirt again they'll have to get up on their own.
 
I don't think we had "fussy eaters" in my family although some of us liked certain things and disliked others. Mom cooked what she cooked and you either ate it or not. Mostly, there was enough on the table that even if you didn't like one dish, you could eat plenty of the other (we ate from the garden a lot and from our canned goods in the winter). I did the same with my kids. I had one who didn't and still doesn't like tomatoes so he just doesn't eat the dishes with tomatoes (but he loves pizza ?????).

I'm a bit old fashioned on this one. I worked full time and didn't have time or the temperament to be catering to silly whims. Either eat what's on the table or fix yourself some cereal or a PB&J sandwich. No complaining to the cook because the cook isn't your slave. :p
 
Marlene said:
I had one who didn't and still doesn't like tomatoes so he just doesn't eat the dishes with tomatoes (but he loves pizza ?????).

I'm a bit old fashioned on this one. I worked full time and didn't have time or the temperament to be catering to silly whims. Either eat what's on the table or fix yourself some cereal or a PB&J sandwich. No complaining to the cook because the cook isn't your slave. :p
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My father was also like that. He didn't like fresh tomatoes, but he had no problem with cooked tomatoes, like in soup or sauce or pizza. He joked about it, said he was afraid the fresh tomato seeds would sprout in his stomach. LOL
 
StarSong said:
I wouldn't fret too much. He'll want to start eating pizza when he goes to parties where his friends eat it. Same with burgers. Little kids are monkey-see monkey-do with their friends. If he were my kid I'd start with a couple of very mild tasting vegetables like green beans. Also some raw veggies with hummus on the side.

His pediatrician has undoubtedly checked his height, weight and blood work, and found them all within the normal range.
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You are correct about kids eating what they see their friends eating. One time, I was stuck somewhere and couldn't get to daycare on time to pick my daughter up. When I got there, she was eating lunch with the full-day kids. Some kind of soup and a sandwich she would never eat at home (can't remember what it was). I think she enjoyed sitting and eating with her friends.
 
My kids weren't picky eaters- there were only a couple of foods they really hated, so I usually made a point of catering to those preferences. I wouldn't force a kid to eat something they hated, but I've never believed in treating the family kitchen like a cafeteria, either. Like someone else said above, it was usually a matter of a variety of foods on the table and they could take what they wanted.
The only rule I had though, was if you put something on your plate, eat it- don't overload the plate and then take a few bites and throw the rest away. The general idea was if you don't know how hungry you are, or if you're trying something new and don't know if you'll like it, take a little, and if you want more you can have more.
 
Lc jones said:
My grandson is the pickiest eater I’ve ever seen! Apparently according to my daughter her husband and his mother were and are exactly the same, I don’t understand it and I do get concerned as I know a limited diet could limit nutrients as well, I suggested a multivitamin and she is giving him a gummy multivitamin. He will eat chicken tenders, baby carrots, peanut butter, yogurt, and I can’t think of anything else. When I take him with me I always encourage him to try new foods but I’m not having much luck but I won’t give up, what is crazy about this is his pediatrician is not concerned at all, I don’t get that as a limited diet could lead to problems with the immune system and a host of other physical problems. 😟
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I wouldn't worry about a varied diet. I was the fussiest eater going. There could not be one vegetable in the soup. And I ate spam sandwiches every day in high school. Now I will try everything but I have gotten away from meat. I will be 87 in April.
 
JaniceM said:
My kids weren't picky eaters- there were only a couple of foods they really hated, so I usually made a point of catering to those preferences. I wouldn't force a kid to eat something they hated, but I've never believed in treating the family kitchen like a cafeteria, either. Like someone else said above, it was usually a matter of a variety of foods on the table and they could take what they wanted.
The only rule I had though, was if you put something on your plate, eat it- don't overload the plate and then take a few bites and throw the rest away. The general idea was if you don't know how hungry you are, or if you're trying something new and don't know if you'll like it, take a little, and if you want more you can have more.
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I completely agree. I am not religious, and yet I think that wasting food is a SIN. And the family members who like the dish will be deprived of those thrown away portions. Your rule was reasonable and ethical.
 
Camper6 said:
I wouldn't worry about a varied diet. I was the fussiest eater going. There could not be one vegetable in the soup. And I ate spam sandwiches every day in high school. Now I will try everything but I have gotten away from meat. I will be 87 in April.
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Well that gives me a bit of peace of mind thank you for that...👍
 
I had an older brother who never complained about anything.

I admire him now.

If he didn't like the meal he would just eat a bit and then I found out he would go out and buy himself something like salami or whatever. Life was hard then. No supermarkets. Gardens in the back yard.
 
Camper6 said:
I wouldn't worry about a varied diet. I was the fussiest eater going. There could not be one vegetable in the soup. And I ate spam sandwiches every day in high school. Now I will try everything but I have gotten away from meat. I will be 87 in April.
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One of my kids hated lima beans- but it wasn't a problem... he'd willingly eat vegetable "alphabet soup" and manage to avoid every single lima bean. When he finished the soup, there was always a small pile of lima beans left on the bottom of the bowl. I couldn't figure out how he did that, but it was certainly creative! :)
 
At my children's elementary school there was a tradition of a Greek Olympics type of all-day event for the 6th graders, the culmination of months of study about ancient civilizations. They had all kinds of fun competitions: mathematics, games, physical contests, costumes (they wore togas), etc. It was a very big deal - a perk for being in their final year of elementary grades.

When my twin boys reached that milestone, I was on the festival's food committee. The other mothers and both teachers insisted on a "Greek" including tzatziki, something with lamb, rice with lemon and parsley, and I forget what all else. I said, "No way my boys will eat that." The other mothers were aghast at my children's limited palates and poor sense of culinary adventure. I was equally shocked at their 11 year old children's willingness to eat strange foods, but stood my ground. My position was that this day was supposed to be fun for the kids - why not give them foods they'll enjoy. I was outvoted by a landslide.

Parents paid in advance for their children's food, and could also buy meals for themselves if they were attending that day. I bought a meal for myself and said that just before lunch was being served I'd duck down the street to a nearby Carl's Junior for burgers & fries for my kids. Can't tell you the withering looks I got from the parents and teachers that day.

Long story a bit shortened: My kids were virtually the only ones who ate lunch. I've never seen so much wasted food. Kids wouldn't even touch the rice because it "had stuff in it."

My boys shared some of their lunches with their besties, but obviously I hadn't bought enough burgers & fries to feed 50 kids. Can't tell you how many mothers came up to me that day with regrets for not having rebelled along with me. My guess is that most of those kids (now early 30s) would happily eat somewhat unfamiliar food today. But at 11? No freaking way, Jose.

BTW, it wasn't the first or last time I fought the (school) law and the law didn't win.
 

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