Is his diet adequate....?

poppyscorner

Hi all,

Just a quick question about my DS1 's diet he refuses point blank to eat potatoes in any way shape or form as this is a staple food will he be OK he does eat pasta but also refuses to eat rice.

He eats some veg i.e white cabbage, brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, peas and he loves salad well lettuce cucumber tomato raw carrot wont eat any other veg or salad stuff.

He likes fruit aswell and eats red apples bananas red and green grapes and oranges.

Missing potatoes will it do him any harm or not his diet also has meat (apart from mince, sausages and bacon) and dairy foods cheese he loves and yoghurts and he drinks milk hes not a fan of junk foods (something I am rather proud of) he does like sweeties but I limit them he is not fat and I would say a bit skinny but not where I am concerned by it.

So anyone have any thoughts on it I may just be being silly just potatoes and rice do form a big part of our diet and I cant feed him pasta everyday can I ?

Thanks Poppy x

Gingham_Ribbon

Potatoes aren't essential. They're a good source of vitamin C, particularly when cooked in their skins, but he sounds like he's getting that from his other fruit and veg. The main thing they're good for though is as a carbohydrate. Pasta is just as good in that respect. You may be able to entice him to eat rice by making a rice pudding for example, or trying a creamy risotto with mushrooms. Other good sources of carbohydrate are couscous, bread, quinoa, sweet potato etc.

My son didn't like potato for a good couple of years or more but we rarely cook with them, except in soup. One of the things I remember doing to encourage him was to make little 'burgers' out of mash, cheese and peanut butter for him.

Kimitatsu

Hi Poppy

Yes he will be fine! In fact as long as he is bulking up his diet with fruit and veg it should not do him any harm whatsoever.

My DS2 refused to eat potatoes for years along with many types of fruit, when we eventually got a diagnosis it turns out he is intolerant to most types of fruit apart from apples, pears and bananas. I could have written the list of intolerances from the things he point blank refused to eat.

So from my experience as long as he has a healty broad balanced diet then I would leave him be and tell you what he wants to eat.

Horace

There is a way of getting him to eat spuds - buy or make some gnocchi - these are potato balls and look very similar to pasta. Con him and say that it is a different form of pasta.:D

Try some different potato too such as sweet potato - it has an orange colour and doesnt taste like normal spuds at all.

noonesperfect

Hi Poppy, I was the same as a youngster,I wouldn't eat potatoes in any form.
I think it was semi-cold lumpy school mash that did for me, I didn't even like the smell of potatoes!

Love em now (unfortunately)

dawnybabes

My LO won't eat potatoes unless they are raw ..... He's 5 and normal weight/height etc. I just fill his plate with more veg.

poppyscorner

Thanks for all the replies you have put my mind at rest x

antronella

Try fingers of wholemeal bread with meals to provide the carbohydrate.

Dustykitten

My DS3 is nearly 6 and he rarely eats potato. Occassionally he will eat a small amount of jacket spud if it is out of the skin with baked beans and cheese hiding it.

He doesn't really even care for chips. If we have roast chicken he will just have meat and veg. He does eat bread and spaghetti but not rice. He is growing fine (bigger than his brothers were at this age).

Corn on the cob is a good carb and he loves that.

sillyvixen

yes he will be fine, potatoes are not essential, and as you say he eats other carbs. a balanced diet contains a good mix of food groups and he seems to eat a good range. so he is a wee bit picky as long a he his getting a good mix he will come to no harm.

his diet seems alot better than many kids!!

masterthief

without kowing his age and how much food per day, its difficult to comment. but...........


yes, you can give him pasta every day, esp. if you get him eatin the different coloured ones (e.g. spinach pasta and the like, just don't say its spinach as that might put him off, lol). and the post about gnocchi is also good (I also recall my mum making tuna mayo sarnies for my, my big bro, and our friends as a kid - she would tell bro his was chicken, me it was duck/pheasnet - weird Roald Dahl obsession of mine, lol - and a friend it was turkey or something, and we all happily ate it).

try him on sweet potatoes, they have carbs but not as much as regular spuds, you can roast them in skins, boil minus skins, or mash with butter v. easily and they're high in beta-carotene and tasty. perhap get him to try before naming as he may word-associate (hell, I still word-associate sometimes and I'm 23, lol).

the main thing is making sure he (a) gets enough calories per day and (b) gets enough nutrients. carbs shouldn't be a big factor (but try to get him on wholewhate pasta and bread if possible as its better than white pasta/bread), the main health worry kids have is getting enough protein (via meat - turkey is the best option, chicken also good, then leaf beef and lamb from there on, as a rough guide), vitamins and minerals a wide range of fruit and veg does this, and essential faty acids (fish is the bets source, as fresh as poss.).