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GranolaMommy
12-08-2003, 04:36 PM
OK, so he isn't going to be 3 until next Monday, but I think that qualifies.

I am having the toughest time feeding him well lately. He is constantly telling me he is hungry, but he won't eat much of what he used to eat. Now he will still eat healthy soup (Case in point, he ate 3 bowls of spinach soup last Friday) and he likes fresh veggies often, but he is a picky eater for the most part. He doesn't eat many things that are filling so he is constantly hungry, but he will only eat fruit or crackers or salad, etc. But he is never full and it starts the minute he wakes up.

He generally won't eat legumes, although I can sometimes get him to eat red lentil soup. Very very rarely he will eat hummus and pita, but mostly he just wants the pita plain. he likes nuts, but they don't fill him for long.

I worry about too much soy although he won't eat much of that either. Although he will eat tofu in any way shape or form. :)

He generally won't eat oatmeal, porridge or any grain based dish. He will eat bread (but generally not sandwiches), rice cakes, crackers, chips. I got him to eat a bowl of millet prooidge last week and I was really amazed.

Things he does eat are:

red lentil soup
corn soup and rice
nut butter and jelly on rice cakes
salad
potato soup
occasionally sweet potato oven baked "fries"
carrots, raw
fruit
hummus and pita sometimes
some steamed veggies
The occasional bean burrito if the beans are very very smooth
tofu
clif bars
homemade granola w/yogurt

Things he won't eat:
plain legumes
legumes in most preparations
most sandwiches
veggie burgers

He loves cookies, candy, etc. but he rarely gets them and isn't nearly as enthusiastic about healthy versions of those things. I have tried cereal, but he generally doesn't like it so a box can last us for months.

I particularly worry about his diet because his father and I are predisposed to blood sugar concerns so I don't want to him to have to worry about that. FWIW, we are no longer strict vegans so he occasionally has eggs and dairy, although not very often.




Erin Pavlina
12-08-2003, 06:30 PM
The diet doesn't sound too bad to me. A lot of those foods he's eating are very healthy.

Sometimes Emily has jags where she seems interested in just eating the same thing over and over but that always passes. I keep trying new things, new flavors, and she does pretty well with that.

Her lunch now consists of an avocado sandwich. She loves them. Sometimes I put that on wheat bread and sometimes wrapped in a tortilla (she loves that).

Keep trying new things and new ways to prepare the things he does like.

vegma
12-09-2003, 04:35 AM
That's what I was thinking, Erin! My child won't touch a plain veggie!

Have you tried some legume pates spread on crackers? Or squash or pumpkin soup? I've read that toddlers are better off "grazing" than eating three meals a day anyway. Its kind of a continuation of the nurse on demand pattern. Feed them when they're hungry:) As long as he's growing, I wouldn't worry.

tricia
12-09-2003, 08:05 AM
My daughter who is turning 5 soon is going thru the same kinda phase... all she wants is vegetables, applesauce, rice cakes with spread on it, tortillas with beans, cereal with soy milk, smoothies , and lots of fruits... it sounds healthier than most kids are eating these days but i dont wanna miss out on any key nutrients... i hope its a phase.... she finished off a can of corn and a can of peas and carrots for dinner the other night... thats all she wanted..has me a little worried....

sarahrose
12-10-2003, 10:27 AM
Do you think it's possible that he's losing his appetite due to dairy allergy? If he didn't have the problem before he started dairy, you should try cutting that out for a week and see if the problem gets better.