help... veggie daughter dislikes vegetables...

Allegra

hmkn wrote: »

Hi,
Basically, she's going to have to make some compromises to maintain a healthy diet, and for all I think her choice should be respected, you are her mum, she is only 12 and if she can't agree to eat more veg, I think you would be completey within your rights to say she can't until she widens her diet!
HMK

I agree completely. My daughter (11) turned veggie earlier this year. Up until then, she would not eat any cooked vegetables (she'll eat raw peppers, cucumber, lettuce, carrot and radishes, and that's about it), plus she would not eat anything in sauce, not too keen on cheese or eggs, hates milk... And she doesn't like meat substitutes either, apart from veggie hotdogs and southern fried quorn burgers.

So, despite the fact that we had a talk about before she turned veggie, and she promised she will do her best to eat a wider range of things, very soon she was eating nothing but her quorn burgers, baked beans, rice and potatoes, with a bit of salad on the side. Quite apart from the fact that those things cost an arm and a leg compared to veggie stuff that we eat (we are not veggie, but we like veggies, if you see what I mean), she clearly wasn't getting all the nutrition she was supposed to - and it was showing in her behaviour.

I don't have any easy answers, I'm afraid - what (eventually) worked for us, to an extent, was getting a vegetarian cookbook and getting her to try out recipes from it; also, she has to try every vegetarian thing we have - doesn't have to finish it if she doesn't like it, but she must try it. Sometimes - wonder of wonders - she will find that she actually likes it.

Oh, and I make doubly sure that, on the days she has to try something she might turn her nose up at, she has no snacks after lunch, so she's well hungry. If she really won't finish it even though she can not possibly be full up, she can snack on fruit after dinner - fresh or dried; and absolutely no pudding unless she's finished her main meal.

It's still all a bit hit and miss, and her range is still severely limited, but it is about three times what it used to be, and I am quite confident that she is getting the nutrients she needs.

Good luck, and if you do find a foolproof answer to the problem, please let me know !

horseinhatman

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

Whatever it is (Quorn) it makes me violently sick, as with a lot of other people, so be aware that it is not for everyone.

.

I just checked , I'm not suprised quorn makes you ill :eek:

Quorn is made from the soil mould Fusarium venenatum strain PTA-2684 (previously misidentified as the parasitic mold Fusarium graminearum). The fungus is grown in continually oxygenated water in large, sterile fermentation tanks. During the growth phase glucose is added as a food for the fungus, as are various vitamins and minerals (to improve the food value of the resulting product). The resulting mycoprotein is then extracted and heat-treated to remove excess levels of RNA. Previous attempts at producing such fermented protein foodstuffs were thwarted by excessive levels of DNA or RNA; without the heat treatment, purine, found in nucleic acids, is metabolised producing uric acid, which can lead to gout.[10]
The product is then dried and mixed with chicken egg albumen, which acts as a binder

Dick_here

hmkn wrote: »

Basically, she's going to have to make some compromises to maintain a healthy diet, and for all I think her choice should be respected, you are her mum, she is only 12 and if she can't agree to eat more veg, I think you would be completey within your rights to say she can't until she widens her diet!

I fully agree, in theory.

In practice however, what do you do if the child simply refuses to eat more veg, or any meat, or for that matter any veg on a plate with any meat on it ? Do you force feed them ?

Lilycharlotte

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

Whatever it is (Quorn) it makes me violently sick, as with a lot of other people, so be aware that it is not for everyone.

I'd get your daughter Linda McCartney sausages, pies etc., or most supermarkets do own brand veggie burgers, also Dalepak make yummy cauliflower cheese grills and veggie quarter pounders, also packets of Beanfeast flavoured soya are very versatile. There is no reason she needs go hungry, but I would work on finding some type of veg that she will eat, or make up for it with lots of fruit, including dried apricots etc.

It was Linda McCartney sausages we sued to have, not quorn!

Thanks for reminding me.

We always have those Dalepak cauliflower cheeses. Even my OH likes them and he might as well be a carnivore!

xXx

Steve-o

horseinhatman wrote: »

To the people who eat quorn , is it true its a thing thats grown on chicken embryos ?

I think the non-technical name is "egg". Although I might try asking in my local Tesco for a dozen chicken embryos, and see what they say. :rotfl:

pigpen

Steve-o wrote: »

I think the non-technical name is "egg". Although I might try asking in my local Tesco for a dozen chicken embryos, and see what they say. :rotfl:

technically.. as most are not fertilised eggs as there are no boy chooks about they are chickens periods! lol

Steve-o

Children are annoying little things. Almost like small people in fact. And, like bigger people, they can be stubborn !!!!!!s.

My niece is 4, and a very fussy eater. The phrase "I don't like that" seems imprinted on her mind, because that's usually the first response she gives if any food other than chips, beans or crisps is near her. Vegetables are things that she "don't like", along with a host of other foods. It isn't helped by the fact that she never sits down with her mum and dad to eat: they all eat at separate times, and it's almost always processed convenience foods except for the occasional Sunday roast.

When my niece visits me though, I always make sure I'm at some point eating fruit/raw veg or cooking something with veg in. The routine usually goes something like this:
Me, cutting up some carrots to dip in some garlic dip...
Niece: "What's that?"
Me: "These are carrots"
Niece: "I don't like carrots"
Me: "These are for me, not you!"
Later, both sitting down together eating garlic dip, niece with breadsticks....
Niece: (again) "I don't like carrots"
Me: "That's okay", and I carry on munching them....
Niece pauses, then picks up a carrot stick, dips it in the garlic dip and says "I like carrots" :rotfl:

The same tactic has worked with other things. Now I can make noodles mixed with veg (sliced beans, peas, chickpeas, soya beans, carrots, mushrooms, etc) and we 'share' the meal. With any new veg introduced, the phrase "Ooh, look at that teeny tiny bit of (veg)" always ends up with her fork descending on it. :rotfl:

Steve-o

pigpen wrote: »

technically.. as most are not fertilised eggs as there are no boy chooks about they are chickens periods! lol

Or chicken phantom pregnancies.

pigpen

When my daughter was about 12 she did the 'I am a veggie' thing.. brought on by a so called friend saying she would no longer have nything to do with her unless she gave up meat..

Personally I do not think it is a good enough diet for a child in the throes of puberty, growing quickly etc. Probably because my brother who has never eaten meat because he doesn't like the texture or flavour was diagnosed with severe malnutrition at 13 because he wasn't getting enough from vegetables alone. The consultant told us he needed masses of proteins and carbs to grow properly and not become ill again.. he lived on peanuts for months.. plus 5 meals a day!!

I told all of mine they can chose when they are doing the cooking for themselves I don't get paid enough to perform chef duties and cook meals to order.. if it is on the plate that is what you've got like it or lump it... but that has been since birth not suddenly thrown at them.. That was OT.. sorry.. I am prone to waffling.

If you chose to let her carry on with this she has no option but to eat other stuff whether she likes them or not because as you said she cannot live on pasta alone. Sit her down and give her a talking at.. she will probably soon be after a plate of chicken dippers, burgers and sausages!! lol... She may well just not realise the implications for her health and just be doing it for attention or just to be different from everyone else in the house. You cannot respect her decision if it is not based on proper foundations and factual information, that is what needs to be clarified first.

Boodle

Steve-o wrote: »

I think the non-technical name is "egg". Although I might try asking in my local Tesco for a dozen chicken embryos, and see what they say. :rotfl:

technically.. as most are not fertilised eggs as there are no boy chooks about they are chickens periods! lol

Or chicken phantom pregnancies.

Yikes! You guys are enough to turn a girl vegan!

Me, cutting up some carrots to dip in some garlic dip...
Niece: "What's that?"
Me: "These are carrots"
Niece: "I don't like carrots"
Me: "These are for me, not you!"
Later, both sitting down together eating garlic dip, niece with breadsticks....
Niece: (again) "I don't like carrots"
Me: "That's okay", and I carry on munching them....
Niece pauses, then picks up a carrot stick, dips it in the garlic dip and says "I like carrots" :rotfl:

:rotfl: Oh - I know this conversation only too well... and that's just the hubby...;)