Any devious ideas for hiding veggies?

VfM4meplse

duchy wrote: »

He has Aspergers so I think the veg phobia goes back to earlier sensory issues connected with this.

Presumably he responds to logic though? Maybe a little re-programming is in order.

There are lots of men that won't eat vegetables which means their wives end up turning into their mothers. At least your DS has a valid excuse.

duchy

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Presumably he responds to logic though? Maybe a little re-programming is in order.

There are lots of men that won't eat vegetables which means their wives end up turning into their mothers. At least your DS has a valid excuse.

No he doesn't have "a valid excuse" but once he's in the habit of eating something -he gets told what's in it -and he acknowledges it's ok after all with very good grace. Different methods work differently for different kids -as Pigpen's post shows-Mine would dig his heels in and I have never had any intention of turning mealtimes into battlefields or worse setting him up for an eating disorder later on so the "eat it or starve" method wouldn't work here. Different strokes and all that.

As for reprogramming he's a human being -not a computer . I believe certain cultures find those kind of practices acceptable but not mine !

pigpen

I don't argue or push it... There is no battle over food.. they all get the same and are encouraged to try new things there are usually more than 1 thing on a plate so it is hardly setting them up for eating disorders by putting a small sprig of cauliflower or a carrot on the plate... if they don't eat it there are other things there.. this is something you should have been tackling before he reached 20, he is man now.. children have to experience new things up to 15 times before they are convinced it isn't poisonous.. and seeing parents eat the same helps with that process.

A simple 'I cooked this differently, would you try a small piece and let me know what you think?' is a suitable and appropriate request.. hardly forcefeeding.

I have 10 children I don't have the luxury of time to cook meals for each of them so they all get a bit of everything. Though if I cook a perfectly edible meal they have eaten before and they choose not to eat it they don't get anything else! I am a mother not a servant.

My aspie boy is totally obsessed with sprouts!! and only eats the very tips of broccoli not the stalks. He almost expired at the macaroni cheese though.. he hates sloppy food and food touching other things on his plate... I make allowances for the aspergers but not exceptions.

Another thought.. has he been offered other types of veg... asparagus, corn on the cob, aubergine, courgette etc? .. sometimes something totally new raises interest.

YORKSHIRELASS

My 11yo has suddenly decided that cabbage is delicious - after refusing to eat it since he was a toddler. Just goes to show that putting a small amount on their plate and not making a fuss if they dont eat it works!

However I accept this approach may not be right for your boy. I grate veg wherever I can. We have just had lasagne which had chopped onion, grated carrot, grated courgette and of course tinned tomatoes in. So even if the kids didnt eat much of the side salad I know they are getting some veg.

The other option is to get a food processor and blitz the veg into tiny pieces. Once its cooked with something like spag bol he is never going to know.

TDMum

My 2 eldest are great at eating veg but my youngest (2) is not! He refuses it all unless its in soup, sauces or cooked in muffins with cheese. I try him every day with some just on his plate like the rest of us but he either won't touch it or he'll try a bit, say yucky and spit it out. He'll eat pretty much any fruit except apples, which he chews to get the juice but then spits it out.

I make sure we have homemade soup at least one a week to get veg in him and make spag Bol or shepherds pie quite regularly and add extra veg but i was hoping you lovely people had some recipes with "hidden veg" so I can make sure he's getting enough of the good stuff.

K9sandFelines

Pasta sauce - i manage to grate carrot and a whole onion into that and whizz it in the blender; and my daughter who is also fussy with veg , will eat it with meatballs and pasta no problem

Can you grate cauliflower and then blend it into cheese sauce for cauliflower cheese or mash it into potato, same with things like celeriac and other white veg that he mightn't detect as it will blend in.

Will he eat grated veg in coleslaw?

miss_emmajane

K9sandFelines wrote: »

Pasta sauce - i manage to grate carrot and a whole onion into that and whizz it in the blender; and my daughter who is also fussy with veg , will eat it with meatballs and pasta no problem

Was going to say the same - I make my pasta sauce with lots of veggies in and when blended up you wouldn't know at all - aubergine, pepper, asparagus etc :j

Although not hidden, maybe try him with different veggie sticks and raw cauliflower/broccoli florets and dips/humous?

notanewuser

2 year olds are notoriously fussy.

Hide his veg now, and he'll still not be eating it at 30.

Let him serve himself, let him play with it, don't put any pressure on him to eat it.

http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/chow/dont-hide-those-vegetables.html

Upsidedown_Bear

squeakysue

Definitely persevere with giving him veg everyday that the rest of the family are eating, hopefully eventually he will accept them and enjoy them. You could give him a multivitamin if you are worried but if he is eating lots of fruit he will be fine but obviously not the best for his teeth.

Blending veg into soups and sauces is the best way to 'hide' veg but do give him unhidden veg alongside it too