Raw child? Uh-huh....

[gavinart]

My 6 year old is so willful, I've tried and tried to incorporate raw into her diet -- she loves fruit and dehydrated berries -- but won't touch the cheeses, nutmeats, salads or breads. Say's YECHH at the most amazing desserts and other dishes. She's not into carob and scoffs at nut butter.

She DOES like the vice-dream style ice cream I make...

I make her smoothies and she loves young coconut and some veggies but not enough to feed her an entire meal. She's hooked on noodles and miso soup.

I always have to make two meals!

[juliebove]

I've never met a kid who didn't like noodles. Even the pickiest eater loves noodles! My daughter will eat some raw foods like apples, baby carrots, cucumbers, sprouts, peas, strawberries, green onions,melons, and cashews. She might occasionally eat a pear or a piece of orange. That's about the extent of it. She will be 8 in July. She will eat a green salad if she is super hungry and the rest of the food hasn't arrived.

As for the desserts, I've seen a lot of recipes and while the pictures look appealing, when I read what all is in them, none of them sound the least bit appealing to me. But then, I am not a fruit lover and I don't eat a lot of sweets to begin with. I can't see that any of them would appeal to my daughter either.

One thing you might try is to have her grow her own veggies. You don't even need a garden. You can grow something in a pot. Start with something as simple as a tomato plant. If she plants it (perhaps with your help), takes care of it every day and sees it bear fruit, she might be more likely to taste it. My daughter has always despised tomatoes unless they are cooked in something and despite repeated attempts to eat raw ones, she has still not liked them. Until recently! I had some pico de gallo and she asked for a taste of it. Not only did it contain raw tomato bits but also raw white onion. Another thing she wouldn't normally eat. Now all of a sudden she liked this stuff! She still won't eat onion and tomato in other things, but this is a start.

A lot of times with kids it's not so much that they dislike the taste or texture of something but a psychological thing. My daughter used to have no problems at all with onions until I took her to a friend's house for a potluck. I had put onions in something and the kids were all happily eating it until one of the dad's spotted the onions in the dish and shouted, "Oh my God! An ONION! Justin doesn't EAT onions!" With that declaration, the kids all dropped their forks and wouldn't eat another bite. Then for a long time after that she would refuse to eat any food that had a visible piece of onion in it or that she knew I put onions in. She was about three then. She seems to have forgotten about it now.

More recently, she came home very upset over the lunch I had sent her. She has assorted food allergies and I'd sent in some special bread that she wasn't allergic to. She loved the bread but suddenly refused to eat it again because she said the kids at school told her it smelled funny and if she ate it her breath would stink. Now she won't touch the stuff.

[shakti17]

gavinart - i was thinking, maybe it is natural that she does not like the recipes. maybe she is closer to nature, being only 6, and so prefers the whole foods. the recipes are sort of eck - as they are not really ideal to digest.

[gavinart]

Good point. I'm not forcing her to eat what she doesn't like -- she'll come around in time!

[faith4u]

One thing that has helped me is that when I go shopping I let my kids each pick something that they want in the produce section.

it is amazing how they will try new things that way.

My son often picks coconuts while my daughters pick mangoes and strawberries.

Once my son wanted red bell peppers.

So, it might help your child try new things. Otherwise just focus on the things that she does like. If she likes smoothies make them first and let her eat as much as she wants BEFORE the noodles.

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi Gavinart,

I was thinking the same thing that Shakti17 said. Maybe she likes whole fresh fruits and veggies. I'm 52 and that's all I like. I don't like any of the prepared dishes and I go to raw food potlucks every month where I get to try many dishes - YUCK!!!!! The prepared dishes are usually used to transition to the more natural whole foods. If she can go straight to them, all the better.

You said she doesn't like salads. My 2 1/2 year old grandson doesn't either so we put spinach in his smoothies. You can sneak in other greens too into smoothies until she's ready to eat salads. The more you eat them around her the chances are more that she'll want to try it. In the mean time let her fill herself up with all the whole raw fruits that she likes. My grandson basically eats all raw fruits and has been 95% raw his whole life. He is extremely strong and the doctor said he is one of the healthiest kids he has seen. He only went to the doctor once, on his 2nd birthday and that was so he would have a doctor that would sign his waiver for no vaccines should he have to go to a public or private school. (oh yeah, forgot he went to the doctor one other time for stitches after splitting his cheek open on the coffee table).

[RowanC]

Well, I suppose this post will get me some hate mail. But things have sure changed, and I'm not sure it's for the best.

Since when can a 6 year old dictate to her mother what she eats?
Why do you give her that power?
And does she REALLY want it or need it?

For goodness sakes, she's 6.

I just get so annoyed seeing people trying to negotiate with their young children. These kids need parents, not friends and associates. They need to be TAUGHT to make the right choices. They don't just wake up and know how.

I reared 3 sons.
I put a healthy meal on the table of MY choosing.
They either ate it... or they didn't.
Period.
If they didn't want it.. fine.. but THAT was their only choice.

Believe me, they won't starve.
Take away ALL options except the food you put in front of them and eventually they'll eat.

Your post sounds like you're talking about a mature adult.. but she's not.
She's a child.
She obviously cannot make good choices.
Your job as a mother is to make good choices FOR her.
Do it.

That's MY opinion!
:::ducking the tomatoes that are now being thrown at me::::

[RowanC]

She's hooked on noodles and miso soup.

I always have to make two meals!

First.. noodles and miso soup are not enough for her to live on.
Take those away and give her fruits and vegetables.
Throw the miso and noodles in the FOOD BANK bag and get them out of the house.

Secondly... you do not HAVE to make two meals.
You are choosing to make two meals.

[maraw]

I'm really glad you started this thread gavinart. Everyone has offered some really helpful advise. I like the idea of kids choosing new fruits and veggies they've never tried before. My kids are always open to trying new things, but they won't eat much of it. I also take the approach of, "this is what we are having for dinner - take it or leave it." However, I always include some raw carrots and simple fruit so they won't starve. I have 2 that are under-weight and cannot afford for them to go without. Plus, I know the things they like: simple, identifiable, finger foods. The other night, I cut up an entire watermelon and that's what we all had for dinner. I know it sounds awful, but they loved it.

Having said this, my kids are not 100% raw. My younger two really seem to like much of the raw foods I prepare, while my older two are willing to try it, they usually won't eat it for a meal.

There are many good suggestions here. Thanks everyone.

[shakti17]

you could make raw miso soup with raw noodles. if you cut coconut meat like noodles, i think it has the exact texture. or spiralize zuccini, put it in with the raw miso.

i just had an idea -- you could make a bunch of raw noodles when you are in the mood to spiralize. then put them in the freezer. when she wants miso noodle soup - it will take 5 seconds. hot water, add noodles and miso! :)

[gavinart]

First.. noodles and miso soup are not enough for her to live on.
Take those away and give her fruits and vegetables.
Throw the miso and noodles in the FOOD BANK bag and get them out of the house.

Secondly... you do not HAVE to make two meals.
You are choosing to make two meals.

To live on???

I'm not depriving her of other wonderful fruit and other great nutritional (non living) foods. It's just what she loves to eat. I feed her noodles and soup MAYBE once a week.

I'm a well versed cook and make sure she eats healthy -- has been vegan since birth, homeopathic -- never has had a drug in her life.

She getting into carrots and spinich lately, and I have been sneaking other things into her fruit shakes ( thanks for the suggestions!).

I'm off to whole foods!

[Bobbie]

Have you tried letting her make meals herself? Find some easy and delicious recipes and have her make them, either by herself or with you helping, which she'll probably love doing. When I was little, when my friends came round we would make cakes or follow recipes out of books or make up dinners with whatever was in the kitchen. Usually the results were delicious but occasionally they were disgusting, yet we always ate them. 2 of my friends were extremely picky eaters. They always left half their dinner, and would only eat a few select items (most of it junk).
But when we made a meal ourselves, they always ate the whole lot!! A big plate full.

[Bobbie]

Also we used to go to the allotment with my Grandpa, and hang out with his friend Louis.
A few times he took us to a place where gooseberries were growing wild, and we picked lots of them, and took them back to his shed. There we watched him boil them(they all had fire/stoves in their sheds) and then mash them and mix them with honey. He shared the mash out between us and himself - and we tasted it, and it was absolutely disgusting!!! Hideous. The worst thing I'd ever tasted. Vile.
But we ate every drop of it. Even my ultra picky friend who would never finish a meal even if it was her favourite.

[Boysenberry]

Maraw,

I don't think watermelon for dinner is bad at all. The other night, my three year old shucked many ears of corn, she put them back in the paper bag when she was done. We all sat in a circle on the floor in the living room and I presented the family with raw corn on the cob, out of the bag... A few at first were unwilling to eat at all. I also subscribe to the, 'this is what is for dinner' theory. Everyone eventually ate and was filled.

I also love the idea of letting kids pick out something they want to try. The three year old consistently picks out cauliflower... It works really well for all of my children, from 18 months to 16. The 16 year old actually asked for pears the other day instead of his usual favorite, Top Ramen. WE are definatly making progress!

Best of luck to you!