15 year old fussy eater

Frogletina

shopaholicz wrote: »

Also, they went back to school this week, and before the school holidays he was arguing with school lunch staff as they wouldn't let him pick the protein part from 3 school meals (as this meant other pupils had no protein part of their meal).

I lived with a guy who always knew when he didn't eat enough protein - it's not something I'd ever noticed or even thought about. Maybe it's a boy thing.

With my own family I always put the food in dishes on the table for my children to choose what they wanted.

Perhaps he would cope better if food items were separate on the table and he could mix and match what he wanted. However, it seems as if he's been given the same dinner as everyone else for a long time - so maybe it is time to stop doing that.

dragonette

As a child I couldn't explain my dietary intolerances, or unusual dairy allergy. It's only through my own experimentation that I've been able to find ways around it.

I guess it depends on whether he is willing to work with you, if it's that he cannot easy the foods for an intolerance reason. It could also be a control type thing (similar to am eating disorder) or be a symptom of high stress.

I also know a lot of males (teenage and adult) who knew when they hadn't had enough protein. Some people do seem to be wired that way

Indie_Kid

Gloomendoom wrote: »

My wife was a fussy eater when I met her. The list of disliked foods was long and included all vegetables, seafood etc. I seriously questioned whether I wanted to pursue the relationship. I'm a human dustbin so find fussiness hard to understand. My view was/is that there are so many people starving in the world that fussy eaters need a hard kick up the bum.

Anyway, she is now mostly cured. The only hurdle that remains are peas. I'm working on it.

She reckons that her fussiness was triggered by a desire for attention. She is the eldest of a largish family.

Bit harsh. Some of us actually have issues with food. But somehow, being a vegetarian is more acceotable?

SingleSue

elsien wrote: »

The not eating sandwiches thing is interesting. I know someone who hates sandwiches because he likes his food "separate", but will quite happily eat the same two slices of bread and ham (or whatever) if it's on the plate and not in sandwich form. Then again, he is on the spectrum, which makes a difference.

Middle son is exactly the same, he will take apart a burger or a sandwich etc into it's seperate parts and eat it that way....he is also on the spectrum.

I was classed as fussy when I was younger as I cannot stand veg (especially green ones - used to love cabbage and then one day it got stuck in my braces and couldn't get it out until after school, seriously stomach churning). A big deal was made of it and the end result is that I only have to look at cabbage cooking and I start heaving. That said, I cook the full range of veggies for the boys and they absolutely love them, even if I am standing in the kitchen almost at throw up stage whilst doing so.

Personally, I wouldn't make a big deal of things, certainly don't turn it into a battleground, who is to say that if things had been a little more understanding with me, then I would not have developed such a 'thing' about veg.

I do try various veg every now and then to see if my tastes have changed, as a result, I can now eat cooked carrots instead of raw, sweetcorn and parsnips. I even had some pea puree the other day but it's not something I will have on a regular basis.

heartbreak_star

Took me years to work out that it's not the taste of root veg I don't like - it's the texture. However, I love peppers and will even eat them with a roast!

We have a girl in her late twenties at work who will only eat processed food - so burgers but not steaks, fries but not mash, etc. I worry about her health.

OP, to get more veg in my system I use a green powder from MyProtein - worth a try?

HBS x

Mojisola

KiKi wrote: »

Of course there are things that we all don't like - that's fine. I don't think it's right to force kids to eat things that they genuinely don't like.

But the OP's son will ONLY eat pot noodles, pizza, takeaways, fried chicken and bread. That's not about not liking a few things - that's really, really bad for his health, and does sound like he just wants to eat junk.

Which is why I suggested that he gets involved in menu planning and cooking his meals.

Only eating junk food and takeaways shouldn't be an option.

gayleygoo

OP maybe you could make a list of ideas from this thread, and your own ideas, including less favourable ones like "It doesn't matter what I cook, you'll eat or go hungry". Sit down with your son, tell him you're concerned that his diet is not meeting his needs, show him the list and see if he has any preferences on how to address the issues (of his nutritional needs, food waste and cost, your time spent cooking, his need to learn to fend for himself without potnoodles and toast!) It should encourage him to work with you.

Agree a compromise on junk food if necessary - he's a teenager, he'll want at least some, and once or twice a week will do him no harm as long as he's trying other foods too.

CharlotteBarnes

My younger sister was quite fussy when she was around that age. Although there are a couple of things she still doesn't like, most of what she said she didn't like was out of habit, not because she had tried them and didn't like them. I remember being that age and there was almost something fashionable about having a big list of foods you didn't like.

I sometimes wonder if she refused to eat certain foods - mushrooms, onions, seafood - because she was so used to saying 'I don't like that.' Turns out on holiday she ate prawns all the time but wouldn't eat them at home!

In the end, I told her that, as I was the one cooking the meals, she didn't get a say in what I cooked. In the end we came to a compromise; if she helped me cook, I would let her pick the ingredients (within reason). She ended up allowing mushrooms if they were chopped up into tiny pieces so ended up as a win in my book.

Maybe try something similar? Cooking together makes the whole process a lot more fun and enjoyable for both parties.

Gloomendoom

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Took me years to work out that it's not the taste of root veg I don't like - it's the texture. However, I love peppers and will even eat them with a roast!

Mrs G was the same. I used to mash them up and mix them in with mashed potato. Gradually increasing the proportion of veg to mash until she noticed. Then I pointed out that she had, in fact, been eating them for the last few weeks without complaint. It was something of a turning point as she realised that it was all in her head.

YORKSHIRELASS

Vikipollard wrote: »

I'm afraid I am old school on this. Mine were brought up that if they didn't eat what that day's meal was, they didn't eat. I always insisted that they tried something they said they didn't like - because most of the time they hadn't tasted it before.

Same here, but when my son hit 15 he started refusing to eat things he had always eaten before. And when they are that age its much harder than when they are 5!!

Some thoughts from me:

Dont ban anything and try not to make it a stand off. I would allow pot noodles but buy him 1 a week for him to have whenever he chooses.

Say that he has to eat the same as the family (perhaps with small adaptations) 4 days out of 7. The rest of the time he can cook himself something else.

Assuming you do the shopping you control whats in the cupboards/freezer. Think about ways to compromise. Maybe he would have ordinary noodles with a sauce?

Encourage him to cook for himself. My son surprised me by starting to cook himself omelettes. But then you have to decide whether you mind them missing the main family meal and starting to make omelettes or whatever at 9pm.

I accept that my kids have likes and dislikes but I wont accept that there is no vegetables/meat/fruit they will eat. My OH grew up as a fussy eater and says that now he sometimes feels that he has missed out.

Interestingly my friend took her teenager to the doctors because he was such a fussy eater. The doc said that actually the teenager was getting more nutrients than my friend thought and she shouldnt worry.