My 4 year old won't eat!!

[jchizever]

First let my say that my 4 year old DD is a strong-willed, often challenging little girl.  I love her very much but that is just the truth.  She has never been the best eater but recently it has been getting worse.  Some of it may be because my husband and I have been going to a nutrtionist and therefore have been eating more whole foods and veggies.  We never ate horribly - mostly a lot of chicken & fish - now we are expanding. 

Today, before she even saw the food on the table she said she didn't like it and wouldn't eat.  We believe in one dinner.  I am not a short order cook.  It takes a lot of time to make dinner and I am not making her chicken nuggets or Macaroni & Cheese.  All she did was whine and cry.  I tried hard to keep my cool but I was about to loose it!   My son is 20 months and is a good eater - except of course now he sees her behavior and started crying and would not eat! 

I refused to make her something else and she went to bed early & hungry. 

Now of course I have no idea if I did the right thing and feel horrible! 

What would you have done??  HELP!!

[mama1803]

Have you considered a zinc deficiency?  One of the most common symptoms of zinc deficiency is loss of appetite--zinc is responsible for our senses of taste and smell.  With those senses not working optimally, appetite decreases.   Because only about 30% of dietary zinc is absorbed, it is rather easy to become deficient.  Those with zinc deficiency usually opt for very sweet or spicy foods.