Parents What do your kids eat?

[GymBeeMom]

Food is a giant issue for my gymnast daughter. The other eats everything. My DD is so picky and eats almost nothing but carbs. She will not eat meat of any kind, any dairy products, nuts and not even many veggies. She hates everything and is one of those people that doesn't care much for food. (She did not get this from me!!!) So if you say you are getting nothing else unless you eat this chicken she will just choose not to eat. She eats mostly fruit, bread, crackers etc. It's a constant struggle. And she doesn't like foods together. So even though she does like peanut butter she won't eat it on crackers or bread. Finding her something to eat before gym is a problem. After practice she usually doesn't eat much of at all.

She will eat plain potatoes (don't dare put anything on it) plain noodles in broth, etc. everything has to be plain. Not the easiest stuff to take in the car.

I was the same way as a kid. I grew out of it; sort of. I will eat anything (almost) now but I do it with hesitation and often have to psych myself up to try something new.

 

[MaryA]

I have one of those too, but not my gymmie, luckily. Gymmie eats anything and everything while her twin sister is on the "white food" diet. Plain rice, potatoes, bagels, cream cheese (bagels and cream cheese or bread and butter are some of the only foods she'll eat together) white meat chicken, eggs, most fruit (luckily), milk... All white stuff!

Nutritionist wasn't too enlightening. I don't think I learned anything new or helpful. We did get one hand-outs that I haven't read yet, so maybe there will be something useful in there.

 

[Amusibus]

My kiddo has allergies to both milk and wheat gluten so food in general is a challenge. I often do peanutbutter with apple slices, or avocado slices with a few carrots and rice crackers. I give her fruit for an in- gym snack, except once when I gaveher potato chips, which many of you heard about already! I always try to include a protein and a fat before gym, as those foods keep her going longer.

 

[teksquad]

My kiddo has allergies to both milk and wheat gluten so food in general is a challenge. I often do peanutbutter with apple slices, or avocado slices with a few carrots and rice crackers. I give her fruit for an in- gym snack, except once when I gaveher potato chips, which many of you heard about already! I always try to include a protein and a fat before gym, as those foods keep her going longer.

This may sound strange, but I make my daughter smoothies with silken tofu and frozen fruit (a banana, and usually berries of some kind) I add a bit of almond milk, too, and a little sweetener. Cinnamon, too. The tofu taste gets mostly hidden in the berry/cinnamon/fruit taste. She sometimes has this for breakfast before a morning practice, or before a meet. It fills her up for awhile- she usually only wants to eat lightly before doing gymnastics. I was wondering if this might be a helpful recipe for those who have dairy/gluten allergies. (but not for those allergic/sensitive to soy or berries!)

 

[krisnkids]

OMG! can you say night and day? To the point of dd's head coach sitting her down and asking what the difference was?

Wed night we had chicken (rotisserie), potatoes and salad, Thursday waffles for breakfast, lunch she ate at school. She was supposed to bring the healthy sandwich, apple and cheese but forgot that at home that morning, so we stopped at Chik Fil A and got grilled chicken bites and a bowl of fruit.

Workout: She was laughing, jumping around, doing skills that made the coaches say, "who was that" as well as half the team. My gymmie is back. Now I'm kicking myself in the but for not realizing this earlier.

 

[leotardmakermum]

My daughter has one known allergy (dairy) and we are currently using the low FODMAPS diet to try to figure out what her intolerances are (stomach aches for months etc. We are doing it at the suggestion of my Dr). I am ok with avoiding the foods that need to be avoided but I have been finding it hard to get enough protein and calcium into her. It will be a process of experiments for a while.

Anyway, for the first week or so of the new diet she couldn't get to the end of 4 hour training without "crashing" energy-wise, even with fruit break halfway through. Then earlier this week I came up with a new idea:
Soak almonds overnight. In the morning, chuck them in the blender with a banana, some drinking chocolate powder, some cinnamon, and oat milk. Blend until as smooth as possible.

She loves it. It gives her sugar, carbs, protein and now she gets right through a training session, still bouncing off the walls at the end.

It has really shown me the difference that good nutrition can make to her training. It's been a wonderful thing to learn. She has it for breakfast too, as well as her lean bacon. I'm a happy Mum!

 

[maryRS]

Your non gymmie sounds a lot like my gymmie. It is frustrating, because it makes it hard to ensure they are getting a good balance. She does like greek yogurt so that is a good, thing, lots of protien in that! In our case, any chicken she will eat has to be doused in some kind of sauce or fried!

I have one of those too, but not my gymmie, luckily. Gymmie eats anything and everything while her twin sister is on the "white food" diet. Plain rice, potatoes, bagels, cream cheese (bagels and cream cheese or bread and butter are some of the only foods she'll eat together) white meat chicken, eggs, most fruit (luckily), milk... All white stuff!

Nutritionist wasn't too enlightening. I don't think I learned anything new or helpful. We did get one hand-outs that I haven't read yet, so maybe there will be something useful in there.

 

[momto2js]

I also have a kid that doesn't eat much. He is allergic to tree nuts so lots of healthy snacks are out. He won't eat most meat but will do cheese and yogurt. I have counted and several days he consumes about 600-700 calories a day. I know it isn't enough but unless I offer junk, it is the most he will eat. I have added some pedisure to his gym day diet just to add some calories.

 

[kayjaybe]

We aren't huge veggie eaters in this family, but I do make sure she gets her protein. She has learned that if she just has carbs before a practice, she struggles to get through. Even if it isn't very healthy protein (chicken nuggets or a hot dog), it is still better for her stamina than an all-carb meal.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

I know I already answered this thread, but I keep seeing the title and all I think every time is, "What do your kids eat?"

"ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!"

lol, sorry.

 

[MaryA]

Sort of OT, but I think, when it comes to feeding your kids, this is one of those things, like nursing and co-sleeping and whatever, that people have really strong opinions on, but you just never know what you will do till you're in the situation. I was a big believer in the "kids should eat what the family eats... they won't starve themselves... if they're hungry enough they'll eat" philosophy... BEFORE I had kids. When I tried to implement this... and keep in mind that I have fraternal twins, with the same foods introduced at the same time... the perfect nature vs nurture study... it did NOT work. Oh, it worked great for my gymmie, so if she had been my only child, I would still believe the way I used to. But for her sister, every meal was a battle. Even just trying to get her to take one bite of what I had prepared was close to impossible. She wanted bland food... fruit, bagels with cream cheese, pasta with butter, white meat chicken (no sauce), fish sticks (no ketchup), mac and cheese. Every meal time became a battle, till it got to the point where you could literally feel the entire family starting to tense up as the dinner hour drew near. So... we re-considered our policy. We stocked the low shelves of the refrigerator with foods that she would eat that she could prepare for herself, even at 3 years old. I would like to say that I see signs of her growing out of her "white food" phase (9 years later) but I don't really. My gymmie stopped ordering off the children's menu years ago because the choices were so boring. But somehow I see my other daughter ordering off the children's menu when she's 30. BUT she's healthy... a healthy weight, plenty of energy, spends 10 hours a week in dance classes, hardly ever takes a sick day, a straight A student. Still stubborn as a mule, especially when it comes to food (and clothing)! I don't know. Maybe there was/is some sort of sensory issue there that we should have had evaluated back when she was three. But we all do what we feel is best for our kids and our families, whether it's allowing our young child to spend every waking moment outside of school in the gym (even if we have friends who imply that this may be some sort of child abuse/neglect) or whether it's letting our child exist on a white food diet.

 

[Ingwe]

Mary,

Wow, I could've written this same post, right down to the fraternal twins part (mine are B/G twins) my son was and still is a VERY picky eater. He eats maybe 10 things, none of which include, chicken, pork or pasta. He basically won't eat any meat that isn't steak. He could live on cereal, pancakes and pizza. I too gave in and the basic rule is if you don't like what we are eating, feel free to fix whatever it is that you would like to eat. He too is very healthy, the kid never gets gets sick, is full of energy etc. My other 2 kids, his twin sister and my 16 yr old son have never seen a meal they didn't want to eat

Just too add how similar your post is to my kid, he is also very picky about his clothing. (won't wear jeans at all, doesn't like the way they feel) and I too think that he has/had some sensory issues that probably should've have been addressed at a younger age.

Like you said, we all do what is best for our kids/fmaily and in the end that's all that really matters.

 

[Bajanswife]

I have very different kids as well in terms of eating, and I do cater to them a bit now. We don't mind leftovers in our house, so I rotate the foods that I cook so that if I make something that some of us don't like, there are other leftovers that they do like. Or if not, pasta is easy to cook quickly, and so are frozen fish sticks or chicken wings. I realized that I can't eat shellfish, nor can my son, and I don't particularly like fish in general, and neither does one daughter. If I won't eat the fish that DH cooks because he and the other 2 kids love it, then I can't very well make the other fish hater eat it, can I? So when one DD says she really doesn't like meat sauce, that's fine - she'll have lots of cheese on her pasta instead. If she doesn't want mashed potatoes, angel hair pasta is so easy to make instead - takes no time and is no trouble. I have gradually gotten the pickiest one to try more and more things so it's easier now. I know I would hate to be made to eat stuff I didn't like, and I am not going to force my kids any longer. Some things are so unappealing that I won't even try one bite, and if a child of mine feels that strongly about trying a bite of something I won't force them either. Food aversions are real, and as long as a person (adult or child) is getting adequate nutrition, and the family can deal with juggling the various tastes (we don't find it hard to do), no-one else should have an issue with what any other family does.

 

[MaryA]

Actually, neither of my girls will wear jeans (yes, we're officially WAY off topic), but they both are at different ends of the spectrum. My dancing DD will only wear skirts or dresses and my gymmie will only wear sweat pants and yoga pants. Kids!

 

[CreateMagic]

If you haven't read the "Sneaky Chef" yet, you should. It gives all sorts of ways to "hide" nutrition in everyday kid-favorite foods. My friend uses it because her daughter is super super picky too! (I am in no way affiliated with this, I've just seen it work!)
The Sneaky Chef: Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals

 

[Bajanswife]

Actually, neither of my girls will wear jeans (yes, we're officially WAY off topic), but they both are at different ends of the spectrum. My dancing DD will only wear skirts or dresses and my gymmie will only wear sweat pants and yoga pants. Kids!

My 9 yo gymmie, who isn't that picky about food, is SO picky about what she wears! She hates pants unless they are booty shorts or capri length leggings. She won't wear skirts or dresses. Getting her to wear something appropriate for an evening event is a battle, because she wants to wear her denim shorts that are size 4 (like toddler size!) and very tight and very short. They are OK for daytime, but I put my foot down for evening! She wears the same outfits over and over and over. She now wears her black velvet gym shorts as going out shorts too (daytime). Thank goodness she has to wear a uniform to school - at least I don't have that battle on school days! Her favourite black leggings have developed 2 holes, and the other night when we were going out she wanted to wear them and I said no way. What does she do? Runs for the needle and WHITE thread and tells me she is going to sew them really quickly. That child!

My picky eater DD is not picky at all with clothes. She'll wear anything! Go figure.