Tell me this wont cause any serious issues? Fussy child/food

aliasojo

I've kinda had my 12 year old up to about here ........*reaches pretty high*

She wanted to become a vegetarian a few years ago. After telling her that if she still wanted to do so after another 6 months, then we would support her. She did want to, so we did what we could to give her suitable food.

As time has gone on, she seems to have become fussier and I'm getting very fed up of the wasted meals she is turning her nose up at. Even things she once would eat, she now doesn't. We're left with a small menu that means she gets the same things quite often. I wouldn't even mind that too much but some of the things she will eat are things like salmon which I just can't afford to have every other day.

We made an agreement when she became vegetarian that she would eat a wide variety of veg/pulses etc etc and would not be fussy over food. She was happy to agree but as I said, over time the wasted meals are increasing as a result of her narrowing tastes.

I've had a chat to her about it and explained the importance of nutrition and also the effect food wastage has on my food budget and she takes it all on board in theory but the practice still = wasted food/narrow menus.

I'm seriously, seriously considering serving her pasta for every meal for a week just to make a point. Perhaps a physical display of how her diet would be if we keep going down this route would be of more use than just talking.

But, I'm a bit concerned about the lack of vitamins etc.

Tell me she wont suffer with anything more than boredom?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

She'll be fine.

Make sure it's basics pasta


(Oh, and if she thinks she is a vegetarian when she's eating fish, she's sorely mistaken. At best, she's a pescetarian, at worst, just a faddy madam trying to drive you round the twist)

aliasojo

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

She'll be fine.

Make sure it's basics pasta


(Oh, and if she thinks she is a vegetarian when she's eating fish, she's sorely mistaken. At best, she's a pescetarian, at worst, just a faddy madam trying to drive you round the twist)

Actually she does know what she is (take that as you will ), it's just me that is a bit loose with the terminology.

Basics pasta :eek:....can I be that bad. :undecided:D I was going for wholemeal. :rotfl:

Mely

Vegetarians dont eat fish, and im sure she will be fine but i feel like she is trying it on with you to see what she can get away with,with regards to food. You need to sit down with her again and make a meal plan for the next week that suits you both. Dont pander to her!

Humphrey10

aliasojo wrote: »

As time has gone on, she seems to have become fussier and I'm getting very fed up of the wasted meals she is turning her nose up at. Even things she once would eat, she now doesn't.

Is there a reason she won't eat certain things (is she worried about them not being fairtrade or bad for the environment or animal welfare issues eg battery hen eggs) or does she just say she doesn't like them?

Tigsteroonie

I don't think it would harm her to be fed pasta & sauce, or even just pasta, for one week. She might get a little tired from lack of vitamins, so perhaps something to do in the holidays (Easter?)

aliasojo

Mely wrote: »

.... i feel like she is trying it on with you to see what she can get away with,with regards to food. You need to sit down with her again and make a meal plan for the next week that suits you both. Dont pander to her!

I honestly don't think she is deliberately 'trying it on' as such. She's a good kid for the most part, quiet and unassuming, not really the sort to become demanding particularly.

Humphrey10 wrote: »

Is there a reason she won't eat certain things (is she worried about them not being fairtrade or bad for the environment or animal welfare issues eg battery hen eggs) or does she just say she doesn't like them?

She's big on fairtrade stuff and we do try to buy fairtrade if there is an option to, and we also buy fresh free range eggs for example but I don't think that's the reason she's eating less foods than before.

She says she just doesn't like the taste of things now.

Blue_Elephant

Try the pasta (wholemeal) then...

Make up the pasta sauce. Use tinned toms, onions, leeks, carrots, pulses, lentils, any cheap and seasonal veg. add more tinned toms to make sure the sauce stays the right colour. Add herbs and lots of black pepper. Whizz it all up in a blender, freeze into one person portions. Serve with pasta/rice on a daily basis for a week

charlies-aunt

Give her what she'll eat (even if her menu is very narrow), buy some 'Basics' multi-vitamins to cover any possible deificiences and "Keel Calm & Carry On"

My 20 year old daughter has been veggie since about 9 years old - for ethical reasons - and she has a very narrow range of foods that she will eat but she's 6ft tall, was selected for county athletics and netball teams, competes at dressage on a national level, is study bio-med at uni and is glowing with health and beauty. I wouldn't like to eat what she does but its not done her any harm ... and is probably better that the fast food / cheap alcohol diet that so many youngsters prefer

January20

I am sure I read somewhere or was told by somebody that you have to have a bad diet for 3-4 months before it really has an negative effect on you. Not sure how true that is, but a week of just pasta won't hurt her.

Your story is similar to my story with my dd. She started becoming fussy with her food, became a vegetarian, adding to that the pressure girls are under at school to look like stick insects and she ended up being really fussy for a few years. Her diet was quite shocking. I was worried too but couldn't force feed her, could I? Anyway, happy to say that at the tender of 18, she finally grew out of it. She decided to start eating more meat and now she will eat practically anything I put in front of her (no lamb or mushrooms and I must hide any bayleaf!). In total, I think she was fussy for about 5-6 years.

aliasojo

January20 wrote: »

In total, I think she was fussy for about 5-6 years.

Noooooo. I can't do 'patient' for that long. I'm only human! :rotfl:


Cheers all. :beer: