My cute little picky eaters!!

I am the mother of 4 children. Let me introduce my children (obviously their nicknames).  Spanky is 9 years old, Portamus Prime is 7, Bubbles Pat is 4 and Tallyoop is 2. I have 2 extremely picky eaters out of the 4. The frustrating thing is the 2 picky ones rub off onto my good eaters. Pretty soon I have 4 kids that won’t eat anything I fix without taking drastic measures. In past years I wouldn’t have called myself an extreme healthnut by any stretch of the word. We ate like most Americans with some minor changes. I did use whole wheat flour when I baked, real butter, and fructose sugar. I tried to buy things that were lower in sugar and never really bought a lot of sugar cereals. I did pretty well with not taking my kids out to fastfood.  I wanted to give you an introduction to my family and the challenges that I've faced with feeding my children.  Their health has been my motivating factor.  The diversity with each of their eating habits and needs made it easier to test my methods.  You probably have similar eaters. 

EXTREMELY PICKY  --Spanky by far is my pickiest eater and has presented the most challenges.  She tolerates only a handful of foods all of which are only relatively good for her.  She has the most disgusting gag reflex you've ever seen.  Anything that felt wierd in her mouth ended up back on her plate. YUMMY for the rest of us! As Spanky became pickier, I became worried about her health. She became thin and sickly. She just simply refused to eat unless it was something she liked and she was the type to starve rather than just eat something. I took her to the doctor and was told to add ice cream and butter to her meals. That seemed a bit ridiculous so I decided I’d do some research and find something that might work instead.  I have found some great alternatives that have proven quite successful with Spanky.   She eventually gained some weight so the doctor was pleased with that (I didn’t tell them my secret, for all he knew I’d given her the butter and ice cream for every meal).  I was told years ago that Spanky would eventually grow out of her picky eating habits. I found comfort in that but the years went by and there had only been small improvements. I knew it was time to make a change!!   I'm happy to report that after months of using my techniques she is more open to a variety of foods.  (More exciting research and info available soon) Just a preview of what's in store.  My family will attest to how amazing this sounds.  Spanky ate beets from our garden and asked for MORE at dinner the other night.  Whoah double take! I felt so happy.  My crowning moment.  My methods were working...

FOOD SENSITIVE, NOT PICKY--Portamus Prime is my 2nd child. He’s always been a great eater. However, he is allergic to milk and some forms of wheat. He has drastic blood sugar problems when he doesn’t eat a balance diet. He’s on the larger side. He’s not fat just bigger than kids his age. He’s tall and big boned. He’s a foot taller than most of the kids in his class at school. My worry with his health is that he eats for comfort. He’s constantly eating. I’ve read numerous books to help me understand some of his behavioral problems with food. Through good nutrition I’ve been able to help him maintain his weight (without gaining), decrease blood sugar spikes, and provide substitutes for his allergies.

PICKY EATER with FOOD SENSITIVITY--Bubbles Pat is my 4 year old. Variety with this kid is hard. He’ll eat his vegetables only if you play games or bribe him and usually he’ll gag the whole time. It’s quite a sight to see. It was easier when he was younger but luckily I had established some good eating habits while he was very young. He has many allergies. I’ve had to really watch for food sensitivities. He breaks out with rashes easily. He doesn’t mind that he’s drinking rice milk or gluten free foods. I’ve been able to give him more nutrients because he hasn’t always been aware. He didn’t notice for a long time that I was sneaking things into his yogurt, applesauce, peanut butter and whatever else. I remember the day when he caught me as I was sticking my head into the fridge with his applesauce. I thought I was too sneaky but he caught me. I didn’t even try to hide it after that. He was too smart and so I explained what I was doing and the good it was having on his body. Now he reminds me to put them in if I forget.

GREAT EATER, NOT PICKY, NO FOOD SENSITIVITY--Tallyoop is my 2 year old baby. She was picky from birth but has grown into my good eater. In fact she’ll eat everything I eat. I never worry about her getting nutrients. She loves cucumbers a lot, vegetables, beans, soup and just about anything. She has so much variety in her diet. It’s so refreshing. Of course, the other kids’ attitudes are gradually wearing off on her. She’ll say she doesn’t like something just because of the other kids. Having this kind of eater was helpful while testing my methods.

As you can see I’ve had a challenge on my hands to get 4 very different children the adequate nutrition and eating habits that will help each one grow and develop. I’ll be sharing with you some of the ways I’ve been able to take on what seemed like the impossible for me only a year ago. Keep reading to find out how!!!!