Eating only 6 different things...help please

by meg
(los angeles)

dear all,




I'm wondering how to help my daughter accepting new tastes.
She only eats about 6 different things including milk and water.
She likes the taste to be rather neutral and not textured.
I have gone through the whole questionnaire and it's maybe only 2 or 3 individual answers where i could see a place for her.
Certainly not worthy a SPD diagnosis. However - the taste issue is really huge.

I have seen her try out new foods only ONCE in her little life. When she was very happy during a ballet performance over a weekend with 4 shows.
nothing before and after - she's 5 years old now.

If you can help i thank you very very much in advance.

meg



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Jul 13, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		need help
by: tara

i am so lost and i need help. i had my kid when i was 17 i am 20 now and my son is going to be 3 now. and parenting was all new to me. i didn't think my kid would be so stubborn. he only wants to eat out now.he only eats certain things at home and will refuse to try new foods. but now he just doesn't want anything. like he is getting sick of the same foods everyday. and when i try to make new things for him its just a battle for me and him to try it. i just dont know what to do anymore i am scared and lost.
Jun 16, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Do pick your battles, but take part in the battle.
by: SensoryOT

I had a lot of food issues growing up. I was VERY picky. I saw that I wanted to eat what everyone else did, but it would make me gag. When I was in college, I made a conscious effort to desensitize myself. It worked, and now I am much more flexible when it comes to new foods. I would say to try to find a good therapist who will partner with you to address this issue. Food is not only a sensory thing, but it can also be a behavioral/control thing as well. Have him try new foods NOT around meal times. I read somewhere that children have to be exposed to a new food 20 times before they try it. Don't just say, well he's picky. Get organized, and start with baby steps. You might be surprised at how quickly he expands his food repertoire.
Jun 06, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		can't push
by: Anonymous

Hi, Two of my 3 children have SPD, including very specific tastes. My son has milk, soy milk, sometimes crackers, sometimes french fries, sometimes pudding and just added peanut butter to his repertoire. He is the tallest and youngest in his kindergarten class...so I guess he's not hurting. he's very athletic but cannot eat normally. He cannot stand the smells of most foods but doesn't mind some stinky smells!

I don't worry about it anymore. Several of his cousins are the same way and they also are tall and strong.

Some children can detect the most minute changes in their diet, such as 2% milk used in cheese instead of 1%.

I guess what I am trying to say is, don't worry about it unless there are other issues, such as growth, health, hunger, etc.

I do slip in vitamin drops (no iron) every day.

Do realize there are many, many children with this. There are many books which can also give you information. Good luck!
Jun 04, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		tanks Meg
by: Anonymous

Thanks Meg appreciate your advice and your feeling. We hope for a better future for our children. Best regards.
Jun 04, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		SPD or other
by: Anonymous

hi - thanks for sharing your thoughts.
pureeing and hiding is the only way. that cook book that jessica mentioned is certainly worth every penny!
it's what i've been intuitively doing since my girl was 2 yrs old.

thanks for commiserating,
i feel for you,
meg
Jun 04, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		SPD or other?
by: Anonymous

Hello Meg, I too struggle with these problems for my child, is a serious problem for her nutrition.I can not mix the food if they realize it is very demanding in the taste.I ask all the mothers who have children with this problem to post their testimony. I wonder in which diagnosis takes place when the disorder is very severe? Who to contact for expert help? good luck.
Jun 03, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		eating only 6 different things
by: meg

dear jessica,
thanks so much for your caring answer. yes, she does get good nutrition as i totally hide everything (pureed) - but, wow - what an unusual way to eat!
reading about how your son is experiencing foods like she does - she also eats no meat or fish - i'm not alone anymore.

so that's good!!!

thanks again!
meg
Jun 03, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Expanding Limited Foods
by: Jessica

Hi There- My son is almost 8 and he has done very little in trying out new foods. He eats very specific foods and they must be cooked the same way each time with no variations. If there is anything different (mac n cheese that is a little too runny for example) he will gag and tell me to throw it away.

When we recently decided we needed to put him on a gluten free diet due to his SPD and candida overgrowth (yeast in the gut that makes you really sick if overgrown), I was at my wits end, not to mention out of time and money, trying to find ways to feed him. I realized a few things, among which became one of my new slogans with him -- "choose your battles".

If she is getting good nutrition, you are very lucky to start. If not, then finding ways to "sneak" good "stuff" in would be good. I ended up buying the Jessica Seinfeld book "Deceptively Delicious" and it has helped some. It is a recipe book where you hide fruit and veggie purees into foods they like. Because he tastes differences in foods, it is easier for things that are sweet (like desserts) to try it out.

What I also learned was something called "stringing". It is where you take a food they like and find something else that is similar in taste, not too different, that they can "string" into. For example, it worked from pizza to lasagna (he doesn't eat meat - but likes sauce and cheese).

Lastly, we found that "food therapy" (although we didn't know that's what it was at the time) worked really well. When he was with friends (at school or at their houses), he would often try something (even just once) that he wouldn't normally eat because his friends liked and tried it.

I hope that helps. There are a lot of great books and sites that help picky eaters (and their parents). I know it's daunting, but it all works out. Good luck. -J

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