Can I just say...

[InMediasRes]

How thankful I am that I have kids that eat well? I know it is a real struggle for some families. I'm not trying to brag - I am truly humbled that my luck of the draw was kids who like to eat well. We have our battles in other areas, obviously (like taking baths ).

DS just threw the most enormous tantrum because I took a bite of his broccoli. He kept trying to ram his hand in my mouth to get it back. For a minute I was frustrated that he was so angry about it, and then I felt really happy that he was so passionate about broccoli. So we blanched some more together .

What healthy foods do your kids go crazy over?

[dogmom327]

Originally Posted by InMediasRes

How thankful I am that I have kids that eat well? I know it is a real struggle for some families. I'm not trying to brag - I am truly humbled that my luck of the draw was kids who like to eat well. We have our battles in other areas, obviously (like taking baths ).

DS just threw the most enormous tantrum because I took a bite of his broccoli. He kept trying to ram his hand in my mouth to get it back. For a minute I was frustrated that he was so angry about it, and then I felt really happy that he was so passionate about broccoli. So we blanched some more together .

What healthy foods do your kids go crazy over?

That sounds like my kids. Food is no big deal...baths have historically been a struggle.

Woohoo! Post 5000

[griffin2004]

I'm also blessed with a broad spectrum eater. And she's also pretty adventurous about being willing to take a bite or 2 of something new to see if she likes it. Now, if I could just get her to eat dinner in under 90 minutes!!

[berry987]

Yay for your son! My middle son (who is 3) LOVES asparagus...as in he grabs it like it's candy and shoves it in his mouth like he is being naughty. He also loves broccoli, carrots, and spinach. He's my veggie kid. He always clears his veggies off his plate before anything else. My older son is a very good eater compared to many other 5 year olds I know, but still would rather eat treats than meals. And veggies are usually approached with "how many bites do I need to take?" But he was a toddler who ate brown rice with kale and tahini for breakfast! Hopefully he'll come around again later! My 1 year old shoves anything in his mouth I place in front of him.....but I know he'll eventually have preferences, too.

[LionTigerBear]

Thank you for your great attitude about it, I personally really appreciate it.

My oldest son has sensory issues and a history of food intolerances and digestive issues. At one point, the only healthy food he would eat was a smoothie. That was it, and that was all he ate for almost a year. He is still a very picky eater (he still eats literally only a few things and will starve rather than try anything new) and his stubborn attitude about food causes me real stress every day.

My younger son is more normal but has a wicked sweet tooth and craves dairy (his allergy food). He sometimes has meltdowns when I don't let him have cheese, ice cream or candy.

This is despite both boys being raised on natural, healthy food, with dependable routines and rules, and me setting firm boundaries and guidelines and being calm about all of it.

It is very frustrating that most people assume these issues are caused by some parenting deficit.

Hey, at least they love to take baths! They would take more than one a day if I let them!

[velochic]

I feel lucky, too, to have an adventurous eater. We do have food issues, though... food intolerance that reared its ugly head when I was breastfeeding. Dd (8 now) was only 6 weeks old when I had to go on an elimination diet. Lucky for us, it's processed food that is the culprit, so even though we would have chosen this path, dd requires an all-natural diet.

She's never eaten McDonald's, has never had a soda pop, rarely eats sweets (but is allowed as much ice cream and chocolate as she wants - she just prefers fresh fruit), she eats everything from scratch or all-natural packaged foods. The handful of times she has been in a situation that she had to eat processed food (a hotdog comes to mind), she said it was disgusting and tasted like chemicals.

I like that she has a discerning palate and can taste the difference between quality food and processed crap. But I'm not going to give her all the credit, either. We travel a lot around the world and she's been exposed to many different cuisines. The broad spectrum of foods she has come to love (from mussels to duck tongue to shrimp to a good medium rare steak) is because she's been exposed to them. In some cases, she had no choice. When you're in a remote Turkish village, you eat what you're served. But I'm grateful that I've never had to fight dd about a food. It would be difficult for us, as dh and I are both foodies, and I love to cook daily.

Like a pp said... if I could just get her to eat faster, that would be great!!

[425lisamarie]

Originally Posted by dogmom327

That sounds like my kids. Food is no big deal...baths have historically been a struggle.

Woohoo! Post 5000

LMAO!! Us too. I remember days when I would be grateful DS played in the hose cause at least I knew he had actual water running all over his body

Now he is like obsessed with showers.

I am REALLY fortunate that I have *always* known how to cook and feed my family well. I realize the struggle some have, because for whatever reason they did not have the means or a good example and are trying to catch up or change habbits after kids are already eating/doing certain things. That is really really tough and I have so much sympathy for this situation. We all try the best we can, and that is really what counts. Setting happy examples of healthfulness for our children is key.

[lil_earthmomma]

I think my kids are MORs. (middle of the roaders). My 3 yr old loves broccoli, but that's about the only veggie I can get him to choose to eat. He loves green smoothies though so that's good. He loves every fruit known to man and will pick them over sugary treats if given the chance, so that makes me happy. He's always eating the strawberries off of the cake at grandmas, and leaving the cake behind! He is starting to like more meats all the time. Loves cheeses, and plain greek yogurt with a bit of vanilla added. So I feel like he's pretty normal, picky in some ways but I can get healthy foods into him with some work.

My 18 mo on the other hand is a VERY adventurous eater. Spicy salsa with a spoon, stirfries with "weird" veggies, he'll eat pretty much anything!

I think the op is right, it's luck of the draw, and I HATE it when parents think they are the reason why their kids are such good eaters, or that other parents are just doing the wrong things and that's why their kids are picky. My sister's kids live on mac and cheese, frozen meals and HFCS crud. Her son is the pickiest child I've ever met, but her daughter... her daughter will eat anything I cook, no matter how healthy.

[Hokulele]

Yay! Thank you for making me sit back and realize how lucky I am too. I know there are parents out there trying their hardest to get their kids to eat something... anything healthy. But my kids will try anything and some of their favorite foods are healthy things I never would have expected. Of course they both love sweet stuff but they rarely get to indulge in that.

My 21 month old cannot get enough edamame and will scream and kick the table until she gets more if they run out before she's had her fill. :-)

My four and a half year old will willingly taste anything I ask her to, no matter how yucky it looks. We always talk about how a person would never try chocolate if they based it on the way it looks! While she doesn't always love what she's trying, she gives it a chance and will actually try it again and again if I offer it to her on a regular basis.

[InMediasRes]

Originally Posted by LionTigerBear

My oldest son has sensory issues and a history of food intolerances and digestive issues. At one point, the only healthy food he would eat was a smoothie. That was it, and that was all he ate for almost a year. He is still a very picky eater (he still eats literally only a few things and will starve rather than try anything new) and his stubborn attitude about food causes me real stress every day.

It is very frustrating that most people assume these issues are caused by some parenting deficit.

OP again. My broccoli-loving DS is has sensory issues as well (which is why the bath is a problem) but he is orally underresponsive, which is why I think he likes so many things. He probably can't taste them all that well. He will try any flavor, any texture, anything. But he really does crave things with very strong flavors, like pickles, sweets, spicy stuff. I have to be careful or he can really overdo things that upset his tummy. And he is a real crunchy/chewy food junkie.

DD seems like she has some preferences, and she's had to try a few things a few times before agreeing to eat them, but for the most part, she likes fruits and veggies and a variety of foods. She doesn't eat nearly the quantity that DS used to when he was one, but I'm sure that will fluctuate as she gets older.

And you're right, I don't think it has a whole lot to do with the parents. I just try to set a good example, but I can't force them to like something. I have my own preferences too, so I wouldn't expect any different from them.

[Bri'sgirl]

I feel very lucky that my kids are adventurous eaters, but like a pp said, sometimes it takes them a very, very long time to eat (like DD with her oatmeal in the mornings). They will usually eat just about anything that is put in front of them, and we've always had a 2 bite rule on new foods. A lot of times kids will say that they don't like something because of the way it looks, but when they give it a try, they actually do like it...like Hokulele said with the chocolate.

I do think that part of it is luck of the draw, but I also believe that parents have a lot to do with it. A good friend of mine has the pickiest eaters in the world. All she gives them is mac n cheese or McD's or some other processed crap. Ever since the kids were really little, my friend has made an adult meal and a kids meal...for EVERY dinner! Then she complains that they won't eat new foods.

But, I also understand about texture issues. Sometimes there is nothing that can be done about that. For example, I can't stand acorn squash. The texture has given me the heebyjeebies since I was a kid.

Like I said, I know I'm lucky to have good eaters, but even they sometimes need a little encouragement to eat some things.

[DevaMajka]

I'm sure that sometimes it's related to parenting and sometimes it isn't. lol. There's no way to know which it is!

Ds1 is a good eater. He frequently requests spinach salads for dinner (but also requests boxed mac n cheese sometimes too). He likes lots of veggies and fruit. He doesn't like french fries (but likes baked fries ok) or fried chicken. He doesn't like tomatoes, but wants to taste it frequently just to see if his tastebuds have changed

Ds2 hasn't had many solids yet, but so far has devoured everything I've given him that isn't pureed- including black beans!