Short and sweet: feeding a tween who hates food.

[SKL]

Help me brainstorm:

 

1) The minimum bare-bones diet for an athletic tween who hates almost every food (unless it's sugar).  Liquid yogurt is a yes.  Pizza and tacos work.  Nuts, beans, seafood, soups, and most veggies are a definite no.

 

2) How to encourage my tween to fight her sugar cravings and push herself to choose better eating.

 

Constraint:  Mom has no time to cook anything elaborate most days.  Kid doesn't like cooking either.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Will she do fruits and veggies in a smoothie?  We make a green smoothie (more of a purply  brown color) that is frozen banana, berries, an orange and kale.  She gets the nutrition of kale but can't taste it. 

[regentrude]

Yoghurt is nutritious. Add fresh fruit. You can also blend it to smoothies.

Pizza and tacos can be healthy - it all depends on what you put on/in them. 

 

Does she eat fruit?

 

I have a healthy teen athlete who was always very picky and does not eat veggies. 

[OneStepAtATime]

Have you checked to make sure she isn't hypoglycemic? Just wondering with the sugar cravings.

 

Does she have sensory issues?

 

Would she do protein shakes with fruit?

 

Could you enroll her in a cooking class?

[OneStepAtATime]

What about whole grain pizza with low-fat cheese and some veggies that are chopped up super small so the cheese flavor is stronger than the veggies?

 

Does she like soft shell tacos? There are many ingredients you can have in containers for the week that she can pull out and put on a tortilla. Or a hard shell if she only likes those.

 

Maybe you and she could try out some quick to make but reasonably healthy casseroles that could be made in bulk then frozen in smaller containers for reheating as needed.

 

How well do you and the rest of the family eat? Might it help if the whole family shifted gears?

[HomeAgain]

Substitute whole milk greek yogurt in smoothies.  It has a smoother taste than regular Greek yogurt.

 

You can do up chicken early in the week and have her throw it on pasta or rice.  An easy recipe here is doing up chunks in a frying pan, then adding garlic, and the white, chopped up ends of bok choy for some crunch (I add the chopped green leaves, too, but not as well received by the 7yo going on the 'beige' diet. ), then soy sauce, rice vinegar, a little bit of water, and red pepper flakes to make a sauce.    Or marinate in honey, o.j. garlic, cumin, salt, pepper- grill and throw over rice or black beans.

 

The big things for lowering sugar intake here are :

-increase fat. 

-decrease canned/boxed goods.  They often have sugar added.

 

And now a study is saying that sleep is a factor.  Poor sleep = more sugar cravings.

[Rosie_0801]

A lack of magnesium and calcium cause crazy sugar cravings, so I'd put her on supplements to see if that helps.

[Liz CA]

Agree with a lot of things can be hidden in yogurt.

Does she eat rice or quinoa? You could make a tahini sauce that would add some different nutrients. You could also put the tahini sauce over ingreds in the taco.

Fruit smoothies add a lot of sugar unless it's more of a veggie smoothie disguised. :)

 

Just adding that I don't cook quinoa or rice every day but cook once a week enough for the entire week. Cooked rice or quinoa stores well in the fridge and can be warmed up quickly.

Edited January 19, 2018 by Liz CA

[regentrude]

2) How to encourage my tween to fight her sugar cravings and push herself to choose better eating.

 

The one thing that helped when one of mine had phases of too much sweet stuff was to cut off supply.

Since I do the shopping, I control the amount of sugar that enters the house. I just stopped buying the craved foods. 

[FriedClams]

Don't bring anything into the house you don't want her eating. Treats will be just that.

 

Smoothies. Unsweetened yogurt, fruit, maybe a protein powder, unsweetened almond milk.

 

You can make taco, pizzas, and burgers very healthy.

[FriedClams]

FWIW, every liquid yogurt I've looked at is LOADED with sugar.

[regentrude]

FWIW, every liquid yogurt I've looked at is LOADED with sugar.

 

There's plain yogurt; the only occurring sugar is the sugar that is in the milk itself. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Agree with a lot of things can be hidden in yogurt.

Does she eat rice or quinoa? You could make a tahini sauce that would add some different nutrients. You could also put the tahini sauce over ingreds in the taco.

Fruit smoothies add a lot of sugar unless it's more of a veggie smoothie disguised. :)

 

Just adding that I don't cook quinoa or rice every day but cook once a week enough for the entire week. Cooked rice or quinoa stores well in the fridge and can be warmed up quickly.

 

We've found that 4 oz. of a smoothie is enough. 

[regentrude]

We've found that 4 oz. of a smoothie is enough. 

 

enough for what? 

For a meal? Not here.

[FriedClams]

There's plain yogurt; the only occurring sugar is the sugar that is in the milk itself.

Totally agree. Anything flavored... Watch out! Even the tiny lower sugar Siggi bottles have loads of sugar.

[Jean in Newcastle]

enough for what? 

For a meal? Not here.

 

Enough of a smoothie part of a meal.  If she has sugar issues then going over 4 oz. can set her up for a sugar rush and then a sugar crash.  So have a green-ish smoothie of 4 oz. but then add protein to fill out the meal. 

[SKL]

Yeah ... I know the yogurt has sugar, but she won't drink the other kinds.

[Kalmia]

See if there are opportunities for "mindless eating" of healthy foods you think she might accept. While she is watching TV or on the computer, put a dish of finger foods next to her without comment. She may reflexively snack when preoccupied. Include foods that will eat now and foods she has eaten in the past that might come back into rotation.

[Night Elf]

What about just protein like a deli meat? My picky eater likes Boars Head Tavern Ham so I buy it and roll it up and put it in individual containers so he can just grab and go. 

 

What about sandwiches? Peanut butter. Deli meat. Cheese. 

 

For sandwiches you could get any kind of bread she'll eat, even tortillas to make wraps is good.

 

I bake a batch of muffins and freeze them. I make banana chocolate chip muffins that uses egg whites and applesauce, but still has sugar in it. And I make zucchini muffins. I tried blueberry but I like mini muffins and they didn't translate into a mini version very well.

[SKL]

It's impossible to cut off the supply of sugar (well, not without acting crazy).  She has all sorts of ways to get it.  She goes to B&M school and this sweet lady gives all the kids treats every day before they get on the school bus to come home.  She also has some money of her own and finds ways to spend it on sugar.  Then there are the aunties who just can't stop themselves from buying it.  She always has a hoard of it somewhere in her room.

[prairiewindmomma]

What about a protein powder shake? If she has some satiation from that and healthy fat in her diet, that may naturally curb the sugar cravings.  The protein powder shakes I have taste sweet---muscle milk or the like are fairly decent, as far as such things go.

 

I would try branching off what she does currently eat---tacos--try different protein for the tacos.  Then, try fajitas. Then, try a chipotle style taco salad....  Likewise, if she eats burgers, try salmon burgers or gyros or adding avocado to her regular burger.    

[Frances]

Help me brainstorm:

 

1) The minimum bare-bones diet for an athletic tween who hates almost every food (unless it's sugar). Liquid yogurt is a yes. Pizza and tacos work. Nuts, beans, seafood, soups, and most veggies are a definite no.

 

2) How to encourage my tween to fight her sugar cravings and push herself to choose better eating.

 

 

 

Constraint: Mom has no time to cook anything elaborate most days. Kid doesn't like cooking either.

Although far easier said than done, the best way to fight sugar cravings is to remove sugar and any simple carbs from her diet. If done for even a finite amount of time, she may discover she likes some other foods more than she thought.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

It's impossible to cut off the supply of sugar (well, not without acting crazy). She has all sorts of ways to get it. She goes to B&M school and this sweet lady gives all the kids treats every day before they get on the school bus to come home. She also has some money of her own and finds ways to spend it on sugar. Then there are the aunties who just can't stop themselves from buying it. She always has a hoard of it somewhere in her room.

I BEGGED my son’s father’s side of the family to only give amazon gift cards for xmas.

 

He still ended up with a few hundred cash. Pizza, candy, soda galore.

 

No advice. Just sitting right here with you.

[Sandwalker]

If you really want to change his way of eating, someone is going to have to fix healthy, tasty meals for when he's home. They can be cooked ahead of time and frozen or refrigerated. Food is health, and imo more important than just about anything we do for our kids, so time has to be made. You can ban food from his room, and don't you buy any sugary foods. At least this way, he'll begin to eat some other foods sometimes, because there isn't a choice when he's at home.

 

Ets: sorry thought was your son, not daughter. Same thoughts apply

Edited January 20, 2018 by Sandwalker

[OneStepAtATime]

Again, have you had her tested for any health issues?  Working that hard to consume sweets even against your wishes seems a bit extreme.  If she is hypoglycemic or has one of several other health related issues that can cause strong sweet cravings, it may not currently be within her control to fight those cravings.  Finding out and addressing it may help.

 

I'm trying to make sure I am understanding your reason for posting so I am providing potentially useful help.  Are you seeking advice (and are really interested in implementing changes) on how to help her eat healthier long term or are you seeking food advice for things that she may willingly eat based on her current preferences?  Either way I don't think there is going to be some amazing solution that is easy to implement that won't get pushback from a tween.  Still, there have already been some good suggestions on this thread that might help.

 

If you want some simple suggestions for things she might eat based on her current preferences that might give her a bit more choice/chance of eating things that are not entirely junk, I agree with smoothies and other suggestions mentioned up thread.  Maybe, like I said, getting various things to stick in tacos that you can keep in containers.  Easier to pull out and toss in a taco.  Add in a few healthier choices like dark green shredded lettuce, low fat shredded cheese, small diced tomato, extra lean ground beef, etc.  They could be prepared in minutes on a weekend and added to as needed during the week.

 

If you really want to shift her eating habits significantly for the long haul, her access to food at school is harder to control but you can control what is available at home.  You may need to police her room to keep stuff out of her reach but it can be done.  You may not have much time to cook but perhaps you could search specifically for recipes that are very simple, very quick, reasonably healthy and can be cooked in bulk.  Eat half and freeze half.  Only have healthy snacks and foods available in the house.  Unless she has strong sensory issues/health issues that might make her simply stop eating altogether if you are serving tasty and healthy foods at home and that is all she has access to she might shift to a healthier lifestyle.

 

However, it is not easy with a tween.  This may work better if you involve outside help.

 

1.  Get her a full physical and a glucose tolerance test to rule out health issues.

2.  Consider hiring a dietician and getting her cooking classes to help you help her to shift her eating habits and have some solid skills for fixing healthier meals while she is still young enough for you to actually step in and get her on board.  If she is learning how to cook through someone else and is being advised by someone else she may be more willing to listen/learn.  Tween years are tough but I have found that outside accountability can help.

3.  Without rancor, shaming, anger, frustration etc. have a discussion with her on why you are concerned and wanting her to eat better.  Ask her to brainstorm with you on things that could be done to help her help herself.

Edited January 20, 2018 by OneStepAtATime

[Jean in Newcastle]

You can have healthier chicken “fingers†by doing something like chicken skewers. Roasted yam or sweet potato fries are easy. Adding some roasted carrot fries can be tasty as well.

 

 

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[Jean in Newcastle]

You can make something like a Starbucks bistro box by putting in some hard boiled eggs, apple slices with nut butter of some kind. Some grapes. Some cashews.

 

 

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[Lizzie in Ma]

I feel you.  Youngest has literally no hunger impulse, is a vegetarian and has sensory issues with foods

At school she refuses to go to the lunch line due to anxiety.  I pack her almonds or pepitas, a cut up apple, and either a Kashi or a Cliff bar.

At home she will eat pasta so I buy the super greens one, she will not eat pasta sauce so it just has butter on it.  Bagel bits are a favorite, cheese quesadillas, on rare occasions scrambled eggs with cheese, Morning star farms veggie products like their chicken tenders etc.  I serve with cut up carrots or sweet peppers with every meal.  She likes raw veggies, will not eat cooked ones.  There is a new line of soup out for vegans that she has tried and likes.  She likes only apples and grapes but will drink orange juice.

It is a challenge.

[JudoMom]

What about breakfast-y foods?

 

Bacon egg and cheese biscuits (Pillsbury biscuits from the freezer section are good)

Pancakes made with protein powder

Breakfast burritos

[SparklyUnicorn]

My picky kid loves stuff like ramen and mac and cheese.  He'll even eat bowls of instant rice.

 

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I'm seconding the above suggestion for breakfast burritos.  Getting in a breakfast with protein and fat and really help with energy and satiety throughout the day.  I would hav eon hand grated cheese, salsa, cooked bacon or sausage or similar, olives, roasted potatoes, etc.  Then each morning only the egg needs to be cooked and added to the rest.  Another one would be to find a high protein breakfast muffin recipe.  

 

Does she like any dips, like ranch or French onion or spinach or hummus?  If so, I'd have a perpetually full container of cut-up veggie sticks in the fridge plus dip, and I'd make it free-access.  

 

 

 

 

If you really want to change his way of eating, someone is going to have to fix healthy, tasty meals for when he's home. They can be cooked ahead of time and frozen or refrigerated. Food is health, and imo more important than just about anything we do for our kids, so time has to be made. You can ban food from his room, and don't you buy any sugary foods. At least this way, he'll begin to eat some other foods sometimes, because there isn't a choice when he's at home.

Ets: sorry thought was your son, not daughter. Same thoughts apply

 

 

I do think, for most people but especially kids, healthy options just cannot compete with sugar and artificial flavors.  If you can't stop at least some part of the sugar influx, you're going to have a major uphill battle.  

 

I'd possibly consider some of the "documentaries" aka scare films about sugar.  It might be interesting to have the entire family keep a food diary and then stack up sugar cubes to show just how much sugar they are eating.  But then again, middle schoolers tend to think they are invincible, so it may not have much effect.  

[Carrie12345]

Help me brainstorm:

 

1) The minimum bare-bones diet for an athletic tween who hates almost every food (unless it's sugar).  Liquid yogurt is a yes.  Pizza and tacos work.  Nuts, beans, seafood, soups, and most veggies are a definite no.

 

2) How to encourage my tween to fight her sugar cravings and push herself to choose better eating.

 

Constraint:  Mom has no time to cook anything elaborate most days.  Kid doesn't like cooking either.

 

Thinking about my 5th grade boy...

 

I find that cooking is really the only answer.  It doesn't need to be elaborate, though.  My son will heat up food in the microwave but, if there isn't something quick and easy to toss in, he will just nosh on cereal or crackers or instant oatmeal (high sugar) all. day. long. until dinner, the only meal we usually make fresh. (And by we, I mean usually me or my teenagers.  The 10yo will only help cook if we're making one of his few favorites.)

 

95% of the time, I limit cereals to the lowest sugar ones, and I only buy the instant oatmeal occasionally b/c of its sugar content.  He's fully capable of whipping up quick oats with fruit and a sprinkle of sugar. He just can't be bothered most days.  He's the same with a lot of other options.  When I take a little time to make good choices easier, he's more inclined to make them.

[SKL]

I should add that if there isn't food she feels like eating available, she just won't eat.  And then things get ugly.

 

I did have her sugar levels looked at.  So far the numbers don't really concern the doctors.

[OneStepAtATime]

Help me brainstorm:

 

1) The minimum bare-bones diet for an athletic tween who hates almost every food (unless it's sugar).  Liquid yogurt is a yes.  Pizza and tacos work.  Nuts, beans, seafood, soups, and most veggies are a definite no.

 

2) How to encourage my tween to fight her sugar cravings and push herself to choose better eating.

 

Constraint:  Mom has no time to cook anything elaborate most days.  Kid doesn't like cooking either.

 

 

Yeah ... I know the yogurt has sugar, but she won't drink the other kinds.

 

 

It's impossible to cut off the supply of sugar (well, not without acting crazy).  She has all sorts of ways to get it.  She goes to B&M school and this sweet lady gives all the kids treats every day before they get on the school bus to come home.  She also has some money of her own and finds ways to spend it on sugar.  Then there are the aunties who just can't stop themselves from buying it.  She always has a hoard of it somewhere in her room.

 

 

I should add that if there isn't food she feels like eating available, she just won't eat.  And then things get ugly.

 

I did have her sugar levels looked at.  So far the numbers don't really concern the doctors.

 

SKL, this is not an easy position to be in and I do sympathize.   The thing that makes me wonder if our responses are actually helpful is that you aren't really giving a lot of feedback on whether any of the suggestions in this thread are actually suggestions you can use.  You just keep responding with what you can't do.  You are saying you cannot limit her intake of sugar since she has stashes in her room (which you are unable to locate and remove?) and has access at school, plus she won't eat anything healthier even if you apparently provide it (are you providing healthier foods on a regular basis and if so what?), you don't have time to cook and your girls have no interest, she will simply stop eating if she does not have access to her junkier food choices and you want a way to solve the issue.  Multiple people have made suggestions but all of them require you to be on top of this situation and be proactively involved.  Since you have not responded directly to any suggestion already made I am wondering if any of the suggestions are actually helpful to you.  There is no magic bullet here.  There are ways to address the issue but I don't think any of them would be easy, especially with a tween.  There is no simple set of pre-packaged foods you can toss at her that are healthy and filling that takes no effort.  

 

 

In other words, you might get responses that are more helpful if you share what you are truly hoping for from this thread and what you think of specific posts that have been made.  I'm not sure we are meeting your needs.

 

Good luck and best wishes.

Edited January 20, 2018 by OneStepAtATime

[Frances]

I should add that if there isn't food she feels like eating available, she just won't eat. And then things get ugly.

 

I did have her sugar levels looked at. So far the numbers don't really concern the doctors.

While not remotely picky, my son was like this as a teen when he went too long without eating. We had to be extremely firm and basically give two options, eat or go to his room until he was ready to eat. He wasn’t allowed to make life miserable for the rest of us. Even a glass of milk could help get him to a more reasonable point. Edited January 20, 2018 by Frances

[Upward Journey]

Yeah ... I know the yogurt has sugar, but she won't drink the other kinds.

 

I am not a yogurt lover. In general I just don't enjoy sour foods. I've found that full fat plain yogurt (I think the kind I get is 13%) is much sweeter than the regular plain yogurt. I can actually eat it straight... if I'm forced too. I can't even get regular plain yogurt down.  I do also always pour off the whey before eat it. I'm probably pouring away some of the benefit, but my taste buds would disagree ;)

[mathnerd]

Your kids do way more physical activity than an average kid. Let us say that she has 45 minutes of PE at school, 3 recesses (AM, lunch, PM) during which she is active, she is walking on campus to and fro, going to one or more of the after school sports mentioned in your signature per day which could be another 1-2 hours of physically strenuous work for the tween. At that level of exercises, the body needs way more energy than you might think. She may be having a calorie deficit in her diet because of the extreme level of physical exercise. An easy way for a kid to get that energy is through simple carbs. Which is what she is doing, I presume. 

 

I am not sure if you are looking for feedback, suggestions or simply venting in this thread.

 

I know that you have little time for meal prep. She needs to eat more fiber, healthy fats and proteins to feel satiated. You need to control the sugar since you are the one concerned about it and you are her mom - you can remove the stash from her room. Stipulate what her allowance money can be used for (no sugar is reasonable). Can you buy some healthy meals from Trader joe's or even the frozen healthy meals for her? Could you add more spinach, kale and broccoli into her diet (maybe on the pizza topping)? Can you try to substitute her pizza crust with a readymade Cauliflower Pizza Crust without letting her know about it to see if she will eat it?

Try to gradually cut off the sugar in her diet so that she hardly notices the changes.

 

There is not much you can do about the sweet lady in school and the aunties. But, you can fix what is going on under your roof. Good luck.

[katilac]

 

 

The big things for lowering sugar intake here are :

-increase fat. 

-decrease canned/boxed goods.  They often have sugar added.

 

And now a study is saying that sleep is a factor.  Poor sleep = more sugar cravings.

 

Yes, this is what the most recent research supports. Good sleep is looking to be more and more of a factor. Where losing weight is concerned (which I know is not the issue here), sleep is more important than exercise, with diet coming first. 

 

Yeah ... I know the yogurt has sugar, but she won't drink the other kinds.

 

Not drinking the other kinds doesn't mean she has to drink sugary liquid yogurt by default. They should be regarded like any other treat. I can't imagine they're adding much positive nutrition, and they're fueling her craving for more sugar.  

 

Also, liquid yogurt sounds disgusting, lol. 

 

 

Working that hard to consume sweets even against your wishes seems a bit extreme. .

 

 

I don't think it's unusual for a kid to consume sweets despite mom's wishes, especially when they are readily available. 

 

SKL, I forgot to quote, but I wanted to address the issue of sweets from school, buying sweets, and so on. Would it work to offer non-sweet bribes to your daughter in exchange for her sweets? If the school lady gives them two pieces of candy every day, maybe offer a small amount of money for each piece she hands over to you, with a bonus for handing over all of them. Or screen time, or whatever her currency is. 

 

I'd have a serious talk with the aunties. This is your kid's health, and they are acting counter to your wishes. There was a time when my kids were young that I limited visits with certain people, because they thought it was their prerogative as "auntie" to do whatever they liked. I get it, it's fun to spoil kids, but when I say "this kid can't handle xyz, please don't do it/give it to them" then you either believe me or you see the kids a lot less, and only in my presence. You can insist on giving them certain toys, but I can insist that they go straight to Goodwill, kwim? They can insist on buying her candy, but you can insist that dd only have so much candy available at one time, and that you "hold" the rest. My kids used to get a ton of candy at the holidays, and after a couple of days the bulk of it would go into the communal candy bowl. Which I steadily emptied, to the delight of dh's coworkers, lol. Kids are always getting candy from birthdays parties and other sources, so mine never even noticed. 

 

Can you suggest other ways they can spoil the kids? For the price of a candy bar or two, they could buy: stickers, notebooks, fun pens, Silly Putty, bouncy balls, puzzle books, all kinds of things that kids would enjoy. 

 

Can you play the doctor card? The doctor says she needs to limit sugar, so please don't make her sad by giving her candy she can't eat. 

 

For the most part, I think she is too young to expect her to choose better eating habits for herself, she's going to need a lot of support and scaffolding. I agree with others that healthier stuff needs to be readily available, and sugary stuff harder to get. I don't think it's unreasonable to have a "no candy in the bedroom" rule. Her candy can be kept in a bowl or box, preferably in a cabinet, and she can choose some for dessert. Some people, including me, are very triggered visually: if a treat is out for me to see, it is that much harder to resist. When it's put away, I sometimes don't even think about it. Also, make a list of various desserts that she likes, and pick some that score a bit higher nutrition-wise. Keep those in the house, and preemptively suggest them for dessert. 

 

Pizza and tacos are actually a decent base to work with. Look up a process called food chaining (having kids try 'new' foods that are very similar to what they already like). This link has a summary towards the end: 

https://www.parents.com/recipes/nutrition/picky-eater-strategies/

[katilac]

Your kids do way more physical activity than an average kid. Let us say that she has 45 minutes of PE at school, 3 recesses (AM, lunch, PM)  

 

Are there actually schools that offer daily PE, lunch break, and two recesses?? That absolutely does not exist in my neck of the woods. Daily PE only goes through 5h-grade at public schools; at private schools, it is usually a 'special' which means it rotates with other specials like art, library, computer. Lunch is 30 minutes and often does not have the option of going out to play when done, and long lines means most kids need the whole half hour anyway. There is ONE 15-minute recess, which the district had actually eliminated for a time. 

 

I hope there are schools like that, and I wish there were more of them. Kids would learn more in a shorter frame of time if they had more physical activity in the day. 

 

 

.  She goes to B&M school and this sweet lady gives all the kids treats every day before they get on the school bus to come home.   

 

Is this a mom, neighbor, or school employee? I'm a bit surprised that anyone is handing out candy to kids like that, particularly with the potential for allergies. I would not be cool with someone giving my kid a treat EVERY DAY. Can you talk to her and explain that not all kids are able to have daily treats? Can you suggest that she give out stickers instead, and maybe even give her a supply to get started? It sounds like it's someone on school grounds, so I'd go higher up if I had to. I'd emphasize again and again how nice it is, and what a fun tradition it is, but that something other than treats should be the standard. If no one is listening, just use the word 'liability' and they will start hearing you. 

[Seasider]

Smoothies and bowls are getting us by here. Smoothies covered already, just adding we use vegan pea protein powder as it has a milder flavor than some other protein powders, if that's something you want to add. Frozen kale or spinach and frozen berries are also staples for smoothies that don't require prep time and hold well in the freezer until used. Liquids we use are coconut milk, carrot juice or tea.

 

"Bowls" consist of combinations of rice, quinoa, black beans, diced grilled chicken, diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, salsa, shredded cheese (parm, cheddar, Monterey Jack), olives. Bagged salad greens. Canned tuna. Easy to prep ingredients on one day of the week and use throughout the week. Vinaigrette and ranch dressings.

 

Same with cut veggies and fruit - apples, baby carrots, kiwi, bananas and clementines are already serving sized and ready to go. Bagged salad greens make things easier.

 

For us, the key is grab and go. My kids always seem to think that when they open the fridge, by some magic a bag of Chipotle lunch will be handed out. Making it easy when they cruise for food helps get the good stuff in. Prepping on the weekend or one weeknight evening ensures that we will also be ready when we need to pack a lunch to take out.

 

It takes some discipline to shop and prep, but it's worth it.

[katilac]

My kids always seem to think that when they open the fridge, by some magic a bag of Chipotle lunch will be handed out.  

 

:lol:

[HomeAgain]

I should add that if there isn't food she feels like eating available, she just won't eat.  And then things get ugly.

 

I did have her sugar levels looked at.  So far the numbers don't really concern the doctors.

 

IME, those who should be concerned, aren't.

 

I looked at the school nutritionist-approved mandatory breakfast for the public schools.  And I did a visual, piling an adult's recommended serving of sugar on a plate and the amount of sugar in the mandatory breakfast they wanted to feed my kid on another.  It was TWICE the first plate.

 

Actually counting it up is appalling, and doctors should be made aware by a visual what is being pushed on kids.  FWIW, one Go-gurt has a third of the daily recommended allowance of sugar in a 2.25 oz tube.

[mathnerd]

Are there actually schools that offer daily PE, lunch break, and two recesses?? 

SKL's kids go to a private religious school according to her past posts. In my area, such schools have longer days and after school care with extra curricular activities onsite as well as school team sports after school. The days are longer and PE and recesses are built into the day. Which is a lot more activity than one would expect if you also count in the extras that they do like gymnastics, taekwondo, music etc every day. For e.g. from observation, I think that one TaeKwonDo class for my son burns almost 300 calories. 

[Ali in OR]

I have an extremely athletic kid who has always been an extremely picky eater. I was picky as a kid, and as an adult I learned about and believe I am a super taster (I have aversions to coffee, alcohol, anything in the broccoli family, etc). For dd, I think she has super tasting issues as well as texture issues. My facebook feed threw up a meme on how picky an eater you are with a long list of foods and you count how many you don't like. While people were posting answers like 6 or 9 foods, I counted 35 on the list that my dd won't eat. So at some point it's about getting calories in with some nutritional value. She adds a food to her repertoire every now and then, and there's some positive peer pressure when she sees what other athletes and friends eat at school--so the situation improves slowly over the years.

 

Many of the ideas in this thread would not work for her--she won't eat any yogurt, cold cheese, ranch dressing or dips, most vegetables, etc. And mixing foods, like bowls, wraps, casseroles, even tacos or burritos--no go. So, if it helps at all, here are some of the better things that my dd will eat:

-Most meat (not deli meat except ham)

-Some fruits: strawberries, apples, watermelon, grapes (no citrus, blueberries, other melons)

-Raw spinach. She'll put some in her smoothies.

-Paninis. She'll make a ham and mozzarella panini on sourdough bread.

-Most pizzas. Little Caesar's got her through her major growth spurt.

-Pistachios

-Home-made baked goods. I can make fairly healthy muffins that keep her on the go.

-The Outshine/Dreyer's  frozen yogurt bars, only the strawberry ones. Only yogurt she'll eat. She'll grab one for breakfast on the way to school sometimes.

 

I understand how tough it is. No judgement here. Do the best you can to have the healthier stuff THAT SHE WILL EAT around.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Ali in OR

[OneStepAtATime]

Both pizza and tacos are spicy food.  You might go in that direction.  

 

Are you looking for takeout, prepared meals from the health store, or quick recipes?

 

Is Coach reminding the athletes to eat whole foods?  If not, start with some education there.

 

The sugar cravings will never be defeated.  You have to educate on the concept of blood sugar roller coaster then don't allow sugar it in the home and limit the refined carbs.  It works out, because living on food makes them feel better than living on sugar...may take a few years to get them in tune with their bodies. 

 

 

My dc's aunties like to send over wrapped candy and oreos...we dont take it out of the bag.   Candy goes to a nonprofit office's visitor candy dish, oreos go to scout campout.   

 

Actually pizza and tacos don't have to be spicy at all (they can be as bland as dirt in fact) but you bring up a good point.

 

SKL, if you were to really look at the flavors/textures your child WILL eat, start with that as your base.  List out every single thing she will eat, in detail, including take-out/restaurant foods and see what you actually have to work with.  Start from there.  As others are saying, she needs calories, appears to be very active so probably needs even more calories than your average tween, and is apparently getting her quick fix through sugary stuff like the liquid yogurt. 

 

Now you need to find ways to beef up what she IS willing to eat.  It may take some planning and intentionality.  It may take a LOT of time.  It can be done.  Picky eaters are usually not picky just 'cause they like being picky.  My mom and my son are both picky eaters.  They find it frustrating.  That doesn't change how they feel about most foods.  But things can be added slowly, over time.  Not everything.  They may really react badly to a lot of stuff.  But some things can be added eventually.  You just need to find out what.

 

For example, let's start with the sugary liquid yogurts.  Those do have a tremendous amount of sugar but they also have a little bit of protein and unless they are fat free they have a little bit of fat and they are super quick and easy to grab.  I see the appeal.   This gives her a quick kick with zero effort.  There are a zillion recipes out there for healthy fruit smoothies that use yogurt.  Try creating something similar to her liquid yogurt but healthier ingredients.  Do it together.  Make it an experiment where you and she try different things to make it taste good.  If you can find a recipe that is sort of appealing then you could maybe make some ahead of time.  Have it ready to go in small portion sizes that she can still just grab and go or can carry with her to school if that is what she takes in her lunch.

 

Tacos.  What kind of tacos does she like?  I live where lots and lots and lots of different kinds of tacos are available so I am uncertain what kind of tacos she actually enjoys.  Taco Bell kinds of tacos?  Soft shell breakfast type tacos?  Barbacoa?  Fajita?  What does she actually like in a taco?  If she likes the Taco Bell kind of tacos, you can get slightly healthier hard shells.  Get extra lean ground beef, cook it with the Taco Bell seasoning (usually available in grocery stores) making sure to drain the fat, shred some dark green leafy lettuce (you can mix it with iceberg if that will help make it more appealing), chop up some tomatoes, have shredded cheese and put them in containers in the fridge to pull out and assemble quickly.  If the meat is already cooked and the veggies already shredded/chopped it won't take long to assemble at all.  The meat can be heated in about a minute in the microwave.  Quick, easy meal without quite the salt/fat content of a true Taco Bell taco.  Over time you may be able to add to that.  Try additional ingredients one at a time to see if there is something else she would be willing to eat in that same basic format.

 

Pizza.  Does she just like cheese?  Or are there other toppings she likes as well?  There are so many things you can add to pizza dough.  Is she mainly used to some particular brand of restaurant pizza?  Or frozen?  I would work with her to experiment with things that could be done to make the pizza flavors she likes but with healthier choices.  There is so much that can be done with a pizza format.   The key is getting creative and trying different approaches.

 

In other words, maybe if you posted about specific foods she already likes we could brainstorm ways to make those things slightly healthier.  From there we may be able to suggest specific things you could try to slowly add once or twice a month or so that is sort of like what she already likes but is still something new, something to add to her repertoire of limited foods.  It may take time for her to get used to the new food but if it isn't too far from what she already likes and you serve it often enough for her to get used to it she may be able to expand her accepted choices.

 

What do you normally do for dinner?