bad food

[netty.m]

My 2 year old son only likes to eat food that is not good for him (pizza, chicken nuggets, smiley faces, etc). How can I make him eat veg and other good stuff?

[MrsCheeks]

Hi there. Lets start with the food he does like first ..... actually as long as you are oven cooking or grilling the nuggets and smiley faces (omg I LOVE those lol) they are not as bad as you would think. But I do know what you mean about not letting your child only eat "junk" food. Are there any veggies he likes? For some reason all 3 of mine LOVE broccoli! They will eat it with every meal given half a chance. They will all try it on and be fussy - one wont eat what the other 2 are having sort of thing grrr - so I tell them it is that OR cucumber cos that is sooo easy to cut up. I took one of mine to a dietician because he was being very very faddy about foods and I was told not to let it worry me too much. Make sure your child has at least a pint of mik a day ... this can also of course be made up of yoghurts and cheese products ... and also fruit either in the form of actual pieces of fruit or fruit juice. I tend to do a 50-50 mix of pure fruit juice and water so as not to upset little tums. Every parent goes through this at some point, it IS upsetting to think that you might not be getting the right foods down their necks but he WILL grow out of it .. honest. Hope this makes you feel a bit better ... you are a good parent but bless them they do try our patience. Hugs to you. xxxx

[BUNNY]

If he likes pizza try making your own and top it with loads of veggies hidden under the cheese.

[zgma]

Try veggies with interesting textures... my 2yearold loves sweet peas because they are individual little round things - they're fun to handle. Same with any kind of beans. Some other things to try: carrot juice - very sweet so he may love it, but also good for you. raisins or grapes whole wheat toast pieces with hummus or guacamole to dip them in yogurt mixed with a little honey nuts applesauce cut fruit - bananas, melons, strawberries. These are all very healthy. They say that for a picky eater, sometimes you have to put the food in front of them 20 times before they'll try it. I think that's true. It also helps if they see you eating healthy food. Sometimes if I want my son to try something new, I'll eat it in front of him when he doesn't have other food in front of him... he will invariably want a bite of whatever I've got. Also, as BUNNY suggests, it works to sneak the veggies in. I used to make something I called "green noodles" - it was spinach, yogurt, and olive oil blended together, tossed with some cooked noodles and some parmesan cheese. My son had no idea there was spinach in there, and he LOVED green noodles. I have also had luck making the bits of veggies bigger and bigger in foods he likes, so that he eventually gets that they are in there, and realizes that he already likes them (worked with broccoli - he used to refuse it; now he likes it).

[Hgrove]

have you tried a book like one of Annabel Karmel's children's cookery books (she has written a number).  Some recipes look attractive to the child and contain the veg.

[Robinia]

Sometimes just fancy presentation can encourage little ones to eat.  Use pastry/cookie cutters to cut healthy sandwiches & pieces of cheese into funny shapes. And arrange vegetables to make faces or 'animals'. A plate with a picture on  so you can search for it as the food disappears can be fun for them too. My younger sister had a 'piggy plate' when she was small & there were times I would have loved to show her the piggy before she'd eaten the food by stuffing her face in it!! lol

We're good friends now though!