Would it shock you that the only veg a kid eats is corn and the only meat - sausage and chicken. No fruit.?

Question

I was shocked to hear (and still am) that this little boy does NOT eat fruit or veg (only corn) and will only eat sausage and chicken.

He gets macdonalds bought for him still (not ALL the time, but sometimes)

His step mum even said to me that she thinks he has a.d.d.

Why do people not realise the importance of good food for small people??

Are you shocked or does this happen a lot.

Answer 1

And you know what corn isn't a vegetable, it's a starch.  That child needs a more rounded, more balanced diet.  He doesn't have ADD, he has poor parenting and poor nutrition.

Answer 2

Sounds normal.  My kid wouldn't eat anything but corndogs for like 6 months when he was 4.

Answer 3

I was an amazingly picky eater growing up and still am.  I do not have a.d.d. (which is not a real thing by the way, all psychiatric 'diseases' are not based on truth but opinion - check it out yourself or if you email me I can get you some literature on it).

Agreed on the McDonald's point, that stuff is junk.  Being 8, his parents should definitely help him to find some things that are healthful for him.  By not encouraging that, they are raising him to be an overweight diabetic.  Sad really.

Answer 4

If he's a toddler, then that does not shock me at all.  Almost all toddlers go through phases where they absolutely refuse to eat certain items and only like two or three things.  Very common.  That's why you have to learn to sneak it in some other way.  I give my kids V8 fruit drinks.  They think its just punch.  I chop vegetables very fine and sneak them into their favorite meals.  You learn what works and what doesn't.

Answer 5

Does it shock me?  Sadly no.  This happens far too often.

However while *some* pickiness may be normal this is not and is caused by a few things:

1) Parents not understanding how little a toddler serving size is and how little a toddler needs to eat some days (though other days they may eat a lot more).  

Parents who don't realize how little is "enough" give a toddler food and they either won't eat any or eat only a few bites and because the parents perceive that the child hasn't eaten enough because they "don't like it" they offer something else.  Now I don't know about you but I'd have to be pretty darned full before I would turn down my few favourite foods. (Mmmm black forest cake, lobster, pain au chocolate).  

If I didn't know better than to live on nothing but chocolate, steak, and seafood (both for nutrition and monetary reasons) and knew if I just simply waited long enough someone would give me my favourite foods I would probably just wait/cry until I got what I wanted.  There are lots of foods I enjoy and eat everyday that I don't order when I am at a fancy restaraunt because they aren't "special".  And if I'm going to spend a lot of money its probably not going to be on spaghetti and meatballs.

2) Parents modeling poor behaviour.

Look at all the questions on here and in toddler asking "what's a fast meal for my toddler when I cook food they can't eat".  Definitely over age one, and realistically baby's over 6 months, can eat any healthy foods.  That means that if you are eating things they can't have you are probably eating foods you shouldn't eat either.  I try, and I'm not saying I always succeed, not to eat "unhealthy" (high salt, preservative, etc) foods around my kids.  Certainly I may sneak the odd thing after they are asleep but I shouldn't do that either.

If I were really worried about allergies I probably wouldn't have the foods in question in the house at all.  Cross contamination and accidents are too easy.

If mom and dad don't eat any fruit or veggies chances are neither will toddler.  If mommy or daddy moans about how veggies are icky then forget it.

3) Pureed, tasteless baby food.  There is no need to puree food for babies.  There is no need for "infant" cereal EVER.  Shape your child's tastes early.

Repeatedly this has been shown to cause pickier eaters who don't like texture or flavour.  Formula feeding adds to this effect.  Also feeding rice cereal at every meal forever and then wondering why kids want to live off "wonder" bread.  

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9646449

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/676279...

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T031900...

Answer 6

Doesn't shock me at all.  I get soooo angry when I see people medicating kids for add or complaining about behavioural problems when the kids are so lacking in essential vitamins they probably can't think straight!  It's not THAT hard to sneak vitamins into them, it just takes a bit of creativity.  Maybe there should just be better education out there - I think some mothers just don't know any better.

Answer 7

Actually it's probably more common than you realize and most of the reason it is so common is because many children, especially young children, are extremely picky eaters.   My 4 year old will not eat any vegetables except carrots and corn and she won't eat the carrots if they are cooked.   She won't eat chicken, fish, hamburgers or pork, any kind of meat unless she is really really hungry.  All she wants to eat is macaroni and cheese and it really doesn't matter how much other/healthier alternatives we put in front of her.  My son on the other hand will eat just about anything.   For most kids it's just a phase.

Answer 8

I think that in this day and age when childhood obsesity is a problem that people should be smarter. Corn is good for you, and so is chicken without the skin. Sausage should be in moderation, if at all. McDonalds fewer and far between.

This boy may be just going through a phase. Last week all our son wanted was corn on the cob and peaches. Yesterday he told me he "no like meat mommy". He's 2. It is normal for kids to go through something like that, but it's better if he's doing it with healty food.

Answer 9

No, it is not shocking.  A lot of children are picky eaters.  His sounds a bit extreme, but it could be a sensory or other issue.  His parents should discuss it with the pediatrician at his next appointment.