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<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Nightwish</strong> <a href="/community/t/1386753/3-year-old-wont-eat-anything-remotely-healthy/20#post_17486197"><img alt="View Post" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br>
<p>There is actually no scientific evidence to support this.</p>
<p>But there is scientific evidence to support the fact the forcing food on children is harmful and messes up their body signals, so they can't feel when they are full.</p>
<p>The kids will grow to learn to eat the food we are eating. Not the food we <em>are supposed</em> to eat, but the food we are actually eating. It's that simple.</p>
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<p>Ah, I realize I need to clear up a misconception here.</p>
<p>We do not enforce quantity. But we do enforce quality.</p>
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<p>I am not sure what you mean by "there is no scientific evidence to support this". I'm sure you're not saying that there is no scientific evidence that it does not matter to kids' health and development if they try to subsist on a white diet - as in dry pasta, dry bread, yoghurt and the occasional sausage, and <em>nothing else</em> that might contain a shred of fiber or a microgram of vitamins - for years and years? Because that was what DD tried to control everyone around her into letting her eat <em>exclusively</em> for over a year. She basically stopped growing after I had to nightwean her at a year old due to inflamed and suppurating nipples (she ate the bare minimum of the fruit and veggie purees to survive during the day and tried to make up for it all night) and after I had to wean her for good at 1.5 years halfway through my third pregnancy, her overall development seemed to slow down, except for a huge buddha belly that just kept expanding - at that time, we still got the occasional jar of veggies or applesauce in. When we finally were able to gasp for air after a highrisk pregnancy and the birth and NICU stays of our special needs baby to realize (a time during which she spent way too much time at daycare and with grandparents) and realized what kind of diet she had screamed and fussed her way into eating (see above) she had stopped pooping, too. There must be scientific evidence that it's not that great for kids when they stop pooping...</p>
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<p>Our fridge was and is overflowing with fresh produce. We cook meat and veggies from scratch, always have, and enjoy it all. It did not matter one whit to our DD. She simply stuffed herself with the carb options on the table (dry pasta, dry bread - God, we were glad if could get the occasional potatoe in, and tricked her into tolerating butter on the bread) . The healthiest thing she was eating was homemade cakes and pies, and that not always. DS1 was a picky eater too, but he had nothing on DD.</p>
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<p>So, in desperation, we went primal/PHD. There simply is no more bread or pasta in the house and we have asked the grandparents not to serve those any more, either (still working on daycare). We had to basically starve her into even consenting to put a piece of veggies or fruit into her mouth - I kept telling myself it's that or continuing laxative medication indefinitely.... Had to refuse to let her have anything in the way of rice or potatoes until either the veggies (still pureed, though she has recently, after 8 months training, graduated to carrot pieces and peeled apple slices) and meat on her plate are gone or enforce one bite of each in turn (we still have to watch her like a hawk, it's easier to just insist on her having veggies and meat first before we even put a carb option on the table). Certainly no dessert unless she's had a balanced meal. This goes for DS1 too! We tell the kids, with conviction, that the body cannot cope with the additional sugar unless it's had a solid dose of proper nutrients in.</p>
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<p>The kids are developing in leaps and bounds, calmer, happier, even though we continually insist on their trying something new at table - with DD, it might be a new shape of boiled carrot pieces (yes, she's that difficult), with DS1 it might be a bite of cauliflower. They are beginning to calm down about that situation too, resigning themselves philosophically to putting stuff in their mouths they would both have run away from screaming only months ago, and interestingly, usually admit that they like it or at least find it tolerable. I would not have the eating situtation we had before go on for another day.</p>
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<p>Feeling if she's full? She refused to even sit down at the table, insisting she wasn't hungry when veggies were so much as on her plate, and put herself to bed. However, she was immediately hungry if there was one of the 5 or so options she liked.</p>
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<p>And no, she's not autistic. Probably sensory issues around food, but otherwise very healthy.</p>
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<p>And I'd be <em>extremely</em> suspicious of any scientific evidence purporting to infer any causalities on finding, that most kids, by and large, grow up to do stuff the way their parents do it. Unless the children are adopted, you can have no idea just how much of those similarities are actually due to modelling. Anecdotally, I have seen too many families with children who run the gamut from excellent over so-so to extremely picky eaters to believ in modelling any more.</p>
I have a friend who is trying to put her kids on the cure tooth decay diet after being vegans and they basically would rather starve. Seriously. It goes against all the theories but it is true, for them. I just am not sure I believe she could have gotten candida in her system or something similar? She has basically been having large amounts of breastmilk everyday for 2.5 years! I feel like her immune system IS good - she is rarely sick. Anyway. Thanks for the n´oat meal recipe - I will definitely give that a try!</p>
