Junk Food Junkie

Hi S., One of my 8 year old twin boys has the same issues. I think its a sensory issue and there are ways to work around it. I thought we were doomed to have a life time of chicken nuggets and hot dogs! We were referred to Edwards Hosptal (Naperville) speech therapy where they had specialists that deal with eating issues. My son has been going for 6 months now. It has been a wonderful learning experience for all of us. There is also a book called "Food Chaining" which is great. It helps you introduce new foods slowly so the kids don't "freak out". My son has eaten foods I never thought he would try. Good luck and let me know if I can help with anything else.

Hi S.!
I have a 9 year old son who gives me problems as well! I am vegan and try to get my kids to eat only vegan foods. However, with the incredibly unhealthy foods they get a school and grandparents houses, not to mention the junk they eat at friends houses, it makes it difficult to keep them on track!

I have found that my son now complains about almost everything I prepare now! So, I have told him that he MUST eat a portion of everything I prepare for dinner. I bought these AWESOME bowls that he eats out of. I place a small portion of each thing in a individual bowl for him and he eats it. IF he really truly doesn't like something he can push that bowl away. I then feed him something with peanut butter. (usually a wholegrain bagel with two tbsp of pb) This way I know he is getting enough of his required nutrients.
We also do not buy foods that he "shouldn't" eat. I purchase oreos and such from costco and "hide" them in our cellar. He only gets these things when he has eaten all his required healthy foods!
Also, if you print and laminate a copy of a food pyramid for you childs age and let them mark off what they have eaten through out the day...it gives them a sense of accomplishment. As if they are doing something good by eating all the required fruits and veggies!

Good luck! I hope it gets easier!

The only suggestion I can think of is not to give her any options but what is healthy for her and deal with the tantrums. Eventually she'll eat what you give her. My parents did that with my brother. He would only eat hamburgers when he was a kid. My poor mom had to put up with his tantrums for about a week before he gave up. She never gave in even a little for that week. I know it's a difficult decision, but that is all I can think of and all I can relate. Good luck...

Your daughter may have a sensory issue. My 2 1/2 year old has oral and tactile sensory issues and we are in a feeding group as well as getting help from a speech therapist who is also trained in SOS (for feeding issues). You may want to look into SOS therapy (you can find out more about it from some books, too, like "Just Take a Bite" - I checked it out of my library and it had a lot of info - mostly stuff I already knew simply becuase we were already in the therapy route but is good basic info). For some kids even the smell of some foods is enough to make them gag/vomit. My son is not quite that extreme but definitely has issues trying new things - mostly eats "cruchy" and pureed (baby food). Unfortunately he keeps dropping food items off his repertoire and not adding anything in. So far he is still at a healthy weight, etc but I worry too that this may change in future.

Look into talking to a speech therapist that has SOS and/or other types of feeding issue specialties. We are in a feeding group at Communication Clubhouse in Downers Grove and our speech therapist is at Marion Joy. Central DuPage Hospital also has therapists.

Good luck!!!!

My first thought is to just stop buying sugary cereals. Rid your house of the junk. Otherwise you sound like you're doing a good job of it. She's just may be naturally picky and might grow out of it. Maybe you can get her into a cooking class and get her interested in foods if she makes them or takes some vital role in preparing them?

Your daughter might have some senory issues with her food. My son has these issues and is VERY picky. He will only eat starchy stuff - pasta, chips, cookies, potarts, FRIED foods, sugar coated cereals. He is getting feeding therapy right now where his therapist and I are very carefully are trying to introduce new foods, so that he won't gag. We usually let him play with the food for like 4 weeks before we even attemp to get it close to his mouth. Good luck! I know this is an uphill battle!

Hey S.,

Have the doctors mentioned anything about her tonsils? Oddly, we had this same problem with my son...he is 7. He was getting alot of colds and throat problems along with the gaging while eating and so on. The doctor said he had abnormally large tonsils. We had them removed last summer, and eating is a whole new story now. No more gaging which is great! Just a thought but you might want to have it checked out just to make sure.

Sounds to me like your daughter is a "protein type" . If she is than she gets her energy from proteins and fats not grains. If you are feeding her ( and she is eating a variety of vegetables there is no need for grains) She is probably eating the cereal for the sugar taste and the protein in the milk , which is why she wont eat whole grain bred( no sugar taste)
If you dont understand metabolic typing this web sight will give you a little blurb.
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/Meta...
Dr. Merecola also has a lot on the web on metabolic typing as well

My response will be, Children don't miss what they never had. How did she get to the point that she loves fried chicken etc...She will stop eating fried food if it is not given to her. You might have to cut out fried food for the whole family in order to wing her away from it. Try bake chicken. She would get use of the better foods if she's hungry enough.

It is hard when you have a finicky eater on your hands! I have a 10 year old daughter and ever since she was small, I have instilled a "one bite rule" to her. No matter what it is, she has to take a bite out of it...if she doesn't like it, she can spit it out. If she does like the taste, then she has just found another food she enjoys. She has tasted everything from raw onions and jalapenos to the sweetest, most decedant desserts. It has really broadened her taste buds and her flexiblity for trying new things. It was a tough sell at first, but once we got over the major hump, it has not been hard to get her to try new things. You just have to stick with the rule and no matter how stubborn she is, make her try one bite of everything! Good Luck!!

WOW! There is alot of good advice here, and... well, some others have clearly NOT had a child like this. My middle child (TOO!) has the same deal! I can have her sit for hours, (and have) and she still won't eat what she doesn't like.

The one bite rule is great, I DO use that, too. The one thing that I don't find to be correct, is the "Don't buy it" advice. I feel that it is not fair to punish the other 4 people in the house because you are trying to teach one child who is in control... Food, in my opinion shouldn't be about control, I think that is how you end up helping to create eating disorders...
S., if she is eating some veggies, some fruits, some meat and some grain, You are doing your job as a parent! Cheer up, You are not alone!

The only other thing I can suggest, is that over time, tastes change. Maybe re introduce the "hated" foods every month or two for at least a bite. Eventually, she may love them!
I have to thank all of the moms talking about food allergies, and the different "types" Those are things I hadn't thought of, and I am off to go research now! By the way, my 21 yr old hated condiments, butter, and syrup...everything else he ate! My 9 yr old is a great eater, and always has been-- it is just the 11 year old that has major issues...

I am a mother of two and a grandmother of 2 with one on the way - I have a simalar problem with my 6 year grandson- very picky eater - he cries when you try to get him to eat new things. Although he parents have poor eating habits as well - they eat a lot of junk food. I am a Personal Chef and when my grandson comes to Grandma's house - he tries things.
I might just be because someone else is making it - I made him stuffed Tortalinni - and he loved them. the next time he came over I made something new and he was willing to taste. I can get him to eat alot better with my cooking than he does at home.

We've been eating right for about 4 years now - but at first, my daughter ( who grew up on mcdonalds -- I know ... I'm not proud of it ) really resisted. She however was only about 5 at the time, but after about 3 weeks of no having things like mcdonalds available (just didn't go there) she got over it and started eating the fruits, vegetables and chicken and fish we were offering (oh, and brown rice). Just eat the basic items that are sold around the outside of the store (things that don't have preservatives, etc, and things you can't pronounce in them for a good solid couple of weeks and she'll be good. She might get some sweets at school or outside of the home but at least you're doing your part at home. She can't have what she can't get her hands on. And she's not going to let herself go hungry (trust in that). She'll eat ... eventually.

Good luck :)~

How is your 8 year old eating differently than the rest of your family? I don't think she goes out and buys her own groceries!! If everyone else is eating healthy (most of the time) she should be eating what everyone else is. Don't give her a choice or something else to eat. If she is hungry she will eat what you are serving to the rest of the family. If she doesn't eat it, then do not let her eat anything else until she does. Does she eat the lunches at school or do you pack her lunch? If you pack it only pack healthy foods like fruit with fruit dip, chocolate milk (if she won't drink white), reduced sugar granola bars, popcorn, yogurt, a whole wheat wrap with peanut butter and banana (or lunch meat or just cheese), nuts or raisins, pretzels with peanut butter...there are so many options. Stop buying sugar cereal. Will she eat oatmeal? You can buy no sugar added. Try a fruit smoothie made with protein powder or carnation instant breakfast (no sugar added!) You can also make a protein shake with chocolate and add peanut butter to it. Good luck getting her to try some healthier menu items. It may be hard at first, but it should get easier. Go to your library and check out some cookbooks for healthy meal ideas for kids, there are tons of them!

It sounds to me like you doing all you can! If it was me, I would not buy or provide foods that I don't want her to eat. The sugar coated cereal for one. Unfortunately you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. One other thing, (I wasn't a junk food junkie... mom wouldn't buy it!) But, I was an extremely picky eater as a child... now I am introducing my folks to new foods! Growing up, we had only healthy foods in the house... tree hugger kind of healthy food, I didn't love it then, but now that is what I provide for my family. My point, she may surprise you. Just don't make it a control issue that would be rough on you both!

Good Luck,
C.

I hope you get the help you need. Best wishes!

You could try making oven baked chicken or baked potatoes
with veggies and a little low fat cheese. Don't worry she will come around if you don't give in.
Nana

My son doesn't like much either, but since I can't (won't) cater to him, our rule is that everyone in the family gets their turn to pick dinner. When it's your turn, you can pick your favorite, but when it's someone else's turn, we all eat whatever it is - no complaining. Also, I had started pretty early "making" them at least "try" things. But by "try", I mean our rule is that you will put a whole bite in your mouth and completely chew and swallow before you are allowed to express any kind of reaction. I also told the kids from early on that their taste buds are always changing so it's OK to try something again after awhile because you may like something now that you didn't used to. I think this gave them "permission" to "admit" that they actually did like something after all without having to admit that they were wrong before. It's not always perfect, but for the most part it works pretty well. Good Luck!

My 11yr old stepdaughter is the same way. My husband is constantly trying to get her to eat new things, but she will either just say she doesn't like it or even if she will taste it she already has it in her head that she doesn't like it,so she just spits it out and says she doesn't like it. Unfortunately we don't have her all of the time so we don't have complete control over what she eats and doesn't eat. If she says she had tried something and doesn't like it we just have to take her word that she has tried it. She is getting a little better at trying new things. We have found that if we go to a buffett we can usually get her to at least try one or two new foods because she knows she can just get a little bit to taste. At least your daughter will eat vegtables, green beans are the only veggie ours will touch and you have to make her eat that. She eats no fruits either. You just have to hope that the older she gets the more foods she will try.

My son just turned ten. We have the same problem. He has been picky since birth. He would not eat babyfood etc. When he was ten months old we were in Disney World and I couldn't get him to eat anything and we were away from home and I just cried. I have been told many things and have had much guilt. He has little by little gotten better. What works for me is that I make a meal and always have things he likes with it and he has to try a bite. Now his bite is not close to my bite. My husband always tries to get him to eat more. You do not want to make eating a issue you need to chose your battles. Hope this helps.

I lived off of cereal and macaroni and cheese for the beter part of my childhood due to pickyness. I had some weight issues until my junior year in highschool, when I started dancing, but as long as I stayed active it really didn't bother me or my family. My mother would roll her eyes at me however they never made my lack of interest in healthy food a big deal. They bought the food, so there were few unhealthy choices, and I ate what and when I wanted. Dinner time I had to sit at the table and watch everyone, or only eat the side dishes, but there was never a power struggle over my eating. When I moved out I broadened my horizons after I realized how embarrasing it is to tell a date that I don't eat fish, while sitting at a fish restaraunt. Now I eat almost anything, but still don't only stick to healthy foods. I go for a lot of fruits and veggies throughout the day but still indulge my junk food cravings to some degree. The only thing I still make sure I do is exercise. If I've overdone it this week, I exercise more. The only time in my adult life I've had weight issues is post pregnancy, and this time (second) I'm more prepared to fix it. The best thing you can do is honestly teach her portion control and a love for physical activitiy. The eating habits will change, and you never want to make food a power struggle especially with a girl. Eating disorders are all about control. oh and I Hate anything but white bread as well. Try Pepperidge farm Italian, it tastes the same but is healthier than plain old white.

My ped. told me to give the kids 1 TBLS. of everything at the table. Don't cook seperate meals (You're ruining it for a future spouse), that's not fair to other siblings that have to eat what's at the table. It's going to be hard because you've let her get away with it for years.???? Don't let her have more than 1 piece of bread. She's "showing you" mommy. The rest of you have to go about your own business at the table..don't give in to her she's already a princess. Her siblings have probably already complained about it to you or hubby. My mom made us stay at the table until every bite was gone..if it took till midnight. That's rough. I don't advise that. Good luck

We used to have a very similar problem w/ my step son (now 8)- he would literally make himself throw up when he put vegetables in his mouth. So we started involving him in cooking with us, even naming dishes after him. He had a real sense of pride when dishes he helped make were praised by the rest of the family. And he'd devour them. We even got him a kids cookbook (The Usborne Beginner's Cookbook)& let him pick out recipes for dinners. I'm not going to say that he eats vegetables with gusto - but it certainly helped break the cycle & he's much more adventurous.

Sometimes it takes a little tough love. If she is smart she is what i call "To smart for her own good". My Doctor told me that kids like that will not let them selves starve and will give in with some firm action. By just telling her that we have to make some changes or you could end up over weight or ill, may help. You also could consider going to a nutritionist and has her for help.
I do know the more you give into her the worse it will get.
Good Luck and Many blessings.

Okay - so, you're like alot of other mom's out there - take heart in that you are not alone.

Children are very curious creatures that are "very good" at knowing at an "early age" how to make their parents feel incredibly guilty! You have that each and every time you have your daughter try a different food in order to expand her menu and she responds by spitting it out. Seems to me - this is a contest on which individual is going to give in first!

My mother always told me, "When you're raising your children - you're also raising your grandchildren'!! What you have taken the time to teach them,will also be in turn, taught in a smilar manner to their children.

This may be a hard thing to do - but you have two choices from what I can see. First, you can "reward" her each and every time she tries and consumes something new. Unfortunately, that's going to send the wrong message and is going to get expensive - flooding into other areas of her life as well.

Second, you can try "tough love". Children will eat what is available and put in front of them - eventually! When they are hundry they will consume even the most healthy meals. So, stop making all the things that you know she shouldn't be eating on a regular basis so available, and only offer her what is healthy.

Once she learns that new foods can be just as delicious - then she can go back to an occasional treat. Stir it up abit - instead of pizza every Friday - try Chinese,Mexican, etc. to expand her variety of foods.

Trust me - she will eat!

Along with Jessica Seinfeld's book, I'd look into "the Sneaky Chef" (haven't seen it yet, but plan to).

For fried chicken and other things you can make at home, try to find a healthier way to do it, different breading, etc. Sweet potato fries.

There is a white bread that is healthier, I can't remember which one it is-read the labels.

Good luck!

Run, Don't Walk, to walmart or the nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of jessica Seinfeld's cook book. You can hide nutritious things in your kids food. My neighbor made the black bean brownies, and they were delish! Start sneaking it in, and quit buying the junk food. She'll eat if she gets hungry enough. She's 8,, not 3, so it's time to cut off her indulgences and stubborness.

I also need to add, I was a really picky eater when I was growing up, wouldn't touch eggs or cheese, or lots of things. I went away when I was about 8 or 9 to summer camp with my CampFire Girls friends and you better believe I ate eggs and grilled cheese at the end of that week. It was eat what they fed us or starve. We didn't have things handy like granola bars and such back then. Just try to be creative with what you are serving, and maybe she'll try a little bit with each meal. I'm sure it will be tough, but you know it's for her health. There are way too many obese children out there, you have to nip it before the pre-teen hormones kick in!

Hi S.,
I have a picky eater as well who is nine, my advice is to only purchase what you want your children to eat. It is impossible to have food in the pantry and then say "no" when they want to eat it. I would also let her choose a meal of her choice one day a week and be "OK" with what ever that is, by giving her a choice and control will allow her to hopefully start making good decisions. Kids will eventually eat what you make as they will not starve themselves. Be a good role model and I bet she comes around..my son has!!
Good luck, it is not easy when there are so many unhealthy choice out there!!
T. N.

Don't make the junk available. Don't buy it! She will eat the good food when she gets hungry enough.

Hi S., my 5 year old is sort of picky. Fortunately for me, it's a lot of condiments or creamy sauces he doesn't like and we can all do without them so we're okay on that front. My husband loves to try different foods so we make a variety of stuff. The rule at our house is "we aren't short order cooks, so if you don't like what we made, then make another choice from the fridge (leftovers). If you don't want that, then you don't eat" plain and simple. It might sound harsh but if you allow them to rule, then it's all over. We also make our kids try a bite of anything that looks strange to them. Although they are not allowed to spit it out, they have to chew it well and swallow it. There is water on the table so they can drink some after they swallow the food. For the most part, they will end up eating most of the food that they first didn't even want to try. If I don't want something at the house, I simply don't buy it. They don't get too many sugary cereals, mostly healthy stuff. I'll buy corn flakes and they will add fruit to it and I'll allow them to add a tiny spoon of splenda to it and they like that. I'm not saying they don't get any junk food because I'd be lying. If you think it might be a medical issue then have her checked. If all results come back that she's perfectly normal then both you and your husband have to be on the same page and stand your ground with her. She won't starve herself. She will eat when she's hungry and when she finally realizes that she's not going to get her way, she will come around. Good luck. BTW: It's great that you get her to eat salad. My children won't touch the salad and I so wish they would. They do get a variety of veggies though.

S.,

In all honesty, don't buy the junk. I LOVE pop. Absolutely love it and if we have it - I'll drink it. So, I don't buy it.

Kids will not starve as long as there is food in the house. I'd make healthy foods for the family and if she turns her nose, fine. She can sit at the table for dinner time and can help clean up and be a part of the family. Eventually, she'll eat.

I grew up where we had to eat all of our dinner before we left the table. I'm not that strict but, we encourage our 2.5 y/o to eat at least one bite of everything on his plate before he gets seconds on his favorites. It works most times.

Good luck.

T.

Hi,

Getting kids to eat well is tough. I'm a big fan of whole food supplements. I give my kids Juice Plus (full-disclosure I am a distributor). It's an organic whole food supplement of all veggies and fruits - no vitamins and no additives.

That's the easy route. A little tougher, if she likes fried foods, try tempura style vegetables. They have some frozen ones at Trader Jo's that look pretty good. Even a fried green bean tastes good! Also re: the fried chicken. A delicious way to do it is to marinate chicken breast in low fat Greek yogurt (Fage brand) and then coat with seasoned corn flake crumbs. Baked in the oven it is crunchy and delicious and very very low fat. The seasoning can be salt and pepper, or Good Seasons dry salad dressing mix which you can then serve later with parmesan and red sauce, or sometimes I even pour buffalo sauce over the cooked chicken. It's excellent.

Jessica Seinfeld wrote a book on disguising food. Apparently you can hide spinach in brownies??? It's controversial because she was accused of plagiarism, but let's let the courts figure that one out. Good luck!

Don't keep it in the house. I was probably around five or so, but my family went to Italy to visit and stay with my mother's relatives for about three months. Needless to say the food was very different than I was used too, especially in rural 1970's Italy. I would only eat eggs, wax beans, hot dogs, cottage sheese,& orange juice. Well, that was not obviously served in my Aunties house, also rude to refuse food from your hostess. So I just plain went hungry, for two or three days, I refused to eat a thing, then I was truly hungry...I haven't been fussy since, however those foods mentioned are still some of my favorites to this day.

I find if my kids help make dinner, they are more likely to eat it. Even my 4-year old can cut up mushrooms or olives for pasta dishes. She's probably old enough to look through cookbooks (or cooking websites) to help plan the week's menu.

Hi,

I am the mother of twin 5 year olds who are also very picky eaters. This may sound a bit harsh but, she can't eat it if you don't buy it. I learned this the hard way when I allowed my husband to grocery shop without a list for a couple of weeks (in my defense I had pneumonia). My husband bought Captain Crunch, Fruit Loops, Skippy,Velveta, hamburger helper, and the list goes on. My children had never had any sugar laden cereals, cheese product, and traditional shelf peanut butter. When I recovered both my health and the shopping duties, they did not want to eat the "Pre-daddy shopping" foods. I stood my ground and gave them a choice - they could eat what I purchased or choose an alternative snack etc. in the pantry or refrigerator but I was not rebuying the items my husband purchased. They complained for about two weeks and then caved.

My suggestion would be to replace one unhealthy item a week with a healthier alternative and don't say a word about it in advance. When questioned about it simply respond - it was on sale or a friend recommended it and leave it at that. If she doesn't want to eat so be it, don't force the issue - but don't buy the unhealthy version. She will complain but she won't starve - she'll make another choice. This will only work if you don't cave!

I Hope this helps.

T

I understand----I have 3 kids myself. I've learned that we all need to try different foods several times to "acquire" a taste for them. I keep expecting them to have a "taste" of foods they may not like yet. It does work. It's an expectation I have, not a struggle and it's not up for discussion. I express that expectation simply. I also provide lots of different veggies, for ex. They choose which veggie they eat. Finally, my kids can have BBQ sauce with their meats or vinegar or ranch dressing with their veggies BUT they know they must eat those things or there's no dessert. Once they go to bed hungry, they get it.

I have the same problem with my son who is almost 12. He will only eat certain chicken nuggets, peanut butter and ramen noodle soup!!! I hope you get some answers as it may help me too!!

I assume that you purchase the food that comes into your house, so DON'T BUY it if you don't want her to eat it. Continue to reinforce the idea that healthy foods are necessary for a healthy body.

Buy only healthy foods, and she will eat them if she's hungry.

I talked to my ped about my son who is a junk food junkie and his response was "He can't eat it if you dont buy it"

I can relate to this very much. I was that kid. I can count on one hand the things I ate as a young child. My mom did not make me eat healthy stuff like you do, though. I think you should keep giving her whatever healthy stuff she will eat. I wish my mom had, because it was harder for me as an adult to make sure that I do. I eat quite a variety of foods today, so I think maybe she will eventually grow out of it. As long as you focus on healthy eating, she will change her habits. My oldest son is super fussy as well. He gags too over veggies, fish, an a lot of other things. I discovered what veggies he will eat (carrots and salads) and offer them a lot. He eats fruit so he gets that a lot too. I found out he can tolerate v-8, so he gets a can everyday. I talk to him often about making sure he eats healthy foods, and it is working. My opinion is a little different than yours on making separate meals though. In our family, I will make fish or ham, which my son hates and give him something else. I just feel that we should not have to give up things the rest of the family likes, and I feel that sometimes I should offer him what he wants - kind of like a balance or trade offs. You could tell her that this is what the family is eating and take the bread away because you are now only going to offer her healthy foods, like the rest of the family. She can eat salad and maybe try something new, even just a tiny bite, each night. She might adapt. I would recommend trying some of the breads that do not look like whole grain, but do have whole grains. Also, see if she will eat chef salad, because that way she can get some protein if she likes cheese, seeds or nuts, or turkey, chicken or ham. I know it is tough, but if you focus on health it will get better as she gets older. Sometimes you have to offer a food a dozen or more times before she will even consider it, but she might. Your family is setting a good example for her, so as her taste buds mature, she may join you, so keep up the good work with the rest of the family.

Have you tried to have your dtr help you make dinner? Kids usually are willing to try something new if they've helped. There are whole grain "white" breads that taste fantastic! (Can't remember the brand/kind we used, but I didn't notice any difference in taste or texture. You can make french fries at home and "fried" chicken too, I can email you the recipes if you'd like. My two boys (3 1/2 and 16 mos) are trying, to a point, to control what they can in their lives and exert independence. Maybe your dtr is trying to find something, she can control and is probably having fun making you crazy in the process, best of luck. Jenn RN

WOW!!! Does everyone have this problem or what? I must say I feel for you! My son had a major gag reflex, to the point of throwing up at times. If we went for a play date at McDonald's and another child had a cheeseburger, he would gag and throw up at the smell of cheese. He would only eat nuggets and fries, or chips. I was so worried and took a lot of flack for this through the years. He is 9 now and in the last year he has really started to try some things. Our motto is that you need to try things several times before you can get a taste for it. I am working on this now with my 4 year old. Very picky, too, but all 3 of my kids eat a variety of fruits and the 4 year old loves veggies. I always make sure that there is at least one thing on the table that they will eat. I usually have a bowl of fruit out, as well. I have made 3 different meals many, many times. That's my cross to bare. Hang in there, I knew my son would not go off to college without eating pizza or burgers!

Here's a thought I haven't seen anyone address...

I've always been a picky eater. Although I'm better about it now, my husband still complains about my, uh, limited palate. I have a couple unscientific theories as they relate to me. Maybe this will help in some way.

I'm famous for hating cheese, onions, and coconut, and I've only started eating spicier foods in the last five to seven years (much to the hubby's relief!). Alternatively, I've always loved cereal, starchy foods, black plums, chocolate, gristly steak, milk, popcorn...

It turns out that my pickiness has served a purpose beyond being, well, picky. As much as I love milk, it turns out that I'm somewhat intolerant of it, which explains some GI issues. I still love to drink milk, but other dairy products don't usually appeal to me. Okay, ice cream is good. ;-) But cheese, yogurt, creamy sauces... I've always eschewed these things for other choices. So dairy, onions, and too many spices cause me digestive discomfort. It also turns out that I'm very mildly allergic to coconut and coffee. I also hate tofu: I'm mildly allergic to soy. (Don't ask me why I love corn--I'm mildly allergic to that, as well.) I'm NOT allergic to wheat (thank goodness), and I find that I crave pasta, cereals, bread, and such.

Unfortunately, I have bad junk food habits, too. I'm getting better because I have a five-year-old and almost five-month-old.

My mom tried to lay down the law, but if I wanted something, I'd get it, whether from school or the convenience store, I'd find it.

I guess the point I'm trying to make--and please excuse if htis is rambling because I'm very tired due to the little guy having a worsening cold on top of teething--is that your daughter's pickiness may serve a function. Get her check for food allergies, and see if she has a sensitive stomach.

Finally, I've found that I really like Spanish (European) food, especially Tapas-style foods, and some Indian food (curries are good). Sushi with cooked meat is really good, as well. It's expensive pre-made, but mayube you can improvise at home. It can be fun and colorful.

Hope this helps.