"Picky Eating 8 Year Old"

My oldest daughter literally went for YEARS without eating a vegetable. I'm not exaggerating.
She'll be fine. Keep offering new choices and keep mealtime positive. If she doesn't eat she doesn't eat. Don't keep junk food around the house. It's amazing how healthy and strong my kids stayed throughout various periods of extreme pickyness. They all grew up just fine and now eat a wide variety of foods, including some things even I don't like!

She seems to like things with ground beef in it.
Try other recipes.... with ground beef.

- She also seems to like, plain type foods, and/or bland.
She likes 'dry turkey'... maybe make other recipes with turkey in it that is not all full of creamy sauces.
And not everyone likes, Tuna. That doesn't mean that person is "picky."

She also seems to be a "grazer." ie: eating little amounts at a time, throughout the day, not full meals. WHICH is, how many people eat, naturally. And actually, this is a healthy way to eat. Because, eating a ton, at each meal, is actually too much. And kid's "portion sizes" are NOT the same as for an adult.
My Husband and son, are GRAZERS. They do not... eat tons... nor full "meals" at a time. They eat, according to their body and when they are full, they know it and then stop eating. They don't eat according to how much is on a plate. Our Pediatrician said, it is GOOD my son eats that way. He does not over eat and he knows his body.
Versus, me and my daughter, we tend to eat, MEALS at meal time.
Per our Pediatrician... eating FULL MEALS... is not the best way to eat. Because, at that point, a person is just over stuffing themselves... and they do not know, their body's cues for hunger or fullness. And as long as my kids are healthy etc. and their percentiles are good, there is no worry about how "much" they eat or not.
The point is, not eating according to how much is on a plate and having to eat it ALL. The point is, to eat according to your body's cues. And stop, when full.
It is also important to know, "portion sizing."
Most people, eat too much. And kids versus adults, have different portion sizing.

My kids don't have the same palate or tastes as I do. And visa versa. No biggie. But I cook and make what I make, and we all eat... to varying amounts. And also, I don't make something, that I know everyone in my family, hates. So there is a balance.

And, see... what kind or type of veggies... she likes. And it is also about HOW it is prepped or cooked.
ie: my kids like broccoli. My Husband too. BUT NOT IF IT IS RAW. So, I saute it. And I season it, in a way that EVERYONE, likes it. And me too. It is not too much trouble.
It is also about, how foods/veggies are cooked and/or prepped.
I also personally hate, raw cauliflower. Even if someone forced me to eat it, I would spit it out. It doesn't mean I am picky... I just don't like it raw. BUT it is cooked, I will eat it. No problem.
I personally also don't like fish. No biggie. It doesn't mean I am picky.

So, take a look at how... you cook things or prep it.
Because, that can make a huge difference. In what, the family will eat or not.

We have the same problem at our house and my boys are 15 and 11!!

I got really tired of making two meals about 6 or 8 months ago and started (for the most part) making what I wanted and telling the boys "here is dinner, eat it or starve". Now, they really don't like Chinese food, so if I make that I'll make them a chicken patty sandwich or something. It has slowly gotten better and I've even gotten some surprised "hey Mom, this is pretty good" remarks.

Good Luck,

M

Just keep offering to her but don't worry. She is a person with likes and dislikes. She is eating. Beans are not bad for her. Of course you want her to eat healthier but she's going to be okay. Let her learn to pick and choose. It helps her learn to stand up for herself.

Perhaps you can get that cookbook where you hide veggies in foods. Like for sauces that are red you add things like shredded beets so it won't show but not much or it will change the taste and that's not the goal.

I like to use a micro plane grater and grate carrots and zucchini into spaghetti sauce. You could also do that into meatloaf. Try mixing puréed cauliflower into your mashed potatoes.
I've heard of a book by Jerry Seinfelds wife that cleverly hides veggies in traditional kid friendly recipes. Might be worth looking into. Here is the link for it on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/006176793X/ref=mw_dp_mdsc/1...
Hope this helps.

We all feel your pain! A lot of kids have taste issues, a lot have texture issues, a lot have problems just sitting down for a meal. Once they get in the habit of eating only a specific thing, it's really hard to break that. She seems to have found the comfort food of choice, the frozen burrito.

You're right that she needs more than a multi-vitamin. In fact, most doctors don't even think the vitamins are so important because they are so difficult to absorb and they contain a whole lot of stuff you don't want your kid eating. The warning labels alone are enough to give parents pause. So most of the time they are a waste of money. No vitamin works in a vacuum, and there are over 70 nutrients (vitamins, minerals, trace elements, etc.) that need to be present in the diet every day for any of them to really work effectively - that's based on research on the workings of healthy cells. "Just eating right" isn't enough either - the AMA released findings well over a decade ago that everyone has to supplement. It seems that a fully balanced supplement, ideally with a patent (proving safety and effectiveness as well as uniqueness), and not in pill form (because of absorption), and at optimal nutrient levels (not the RDIs that are so out of date) works far better.

I think you might look at 4 things: not asking her what she wants anymore, not buying frozen burritos or other processed foods, spending some of your money on a better supplement, and pure deception (hiding nutrition in foods she already tolerates). At 8, she's not going to starve. She'll spit it out and be dramatic, and she'll get you into a panic about her not eating anything, but she will eventually change her eating habits. Start slowly. She's absolutely got to get some protein in at breakfast time - toast and juice just fill her up, and I get that you don't want to send her to school on an empty stomach, but maybe you can start on the weekends or vacation days. If she sits there for a few hours with no breakfast, she'll survive. But I did a great French toast with more protein in it for my son, and what we call "power pancakes" that had all kinds of hidden gems in them without him knowing the difference. I also made them ahead and frozen them, just popping out what he wanted that morning. I can help you with that if you want.

You could spend some time together on the weekend making some meals. You could improve what's in a burrito by making your own and hiding plenty of nutrition in there - over time, you can increase the amount of other ingredients as her palate adjusts. If she likes tacos, I wonder if it's the beef she likes, or if she likes the idea of assembling it herself. If it's the beef, I found I could add a lot of nutrition to a basic hamburger and meatballs, including beans, spinach, wheat germ, etc. You're already got her eating meat loaf, so you can add a whole lot to that recipe. Falafel is another place to hide things. First of all, it's chickpeas, but you can either make your own or start with a mix and then "stretch it" (and reduce the spices/salt) by adding your own ingredients. Maybe putting that in pita or lavash bread would feel like a taco to her? Maybe you could put turkey and cheese on a wrap, and then branch out by adding a few other ingredients. My son started with enchiladas and not much inside, and then we added more and more. A friend of mine has found her kids will eat vegetable soup or chili -they eat the beans just fine, and then she grinds up all the stuff they don't think they like, such as zucchini and tomatoes and other vegetables. I also make super healthy chicken nuggets and oven fries. If your daughter wants spaghetti, you can give it to her but maybe bump up the fiber by using whole grain pasta and then hiding a whole bunch of stuff in the sauce or the meatballs. Let me know if you need recipe ideas. Between these changes and the supplement, we've all been super healthy for years. No worries anymore.

Have you seen any of the cookbooks that disguise food? Putting pureed butternut squash in mac & cheese, for example? That's Jessica Seinfeld's claim to fame, but there are others. Making a cauliflower & egg pizza crust, and then they build their own pizza from there? That was on Rachael Ray the other day.

What you can do is also insist on a certain level of manners and the absence of drama. And if everyone in the family participates in meal prep and meal eating, and that's where all the fun is, as long as she doesn't get a free pass to watch TV, she may join in.

I Have a picky eater too. He is almost 11. I will say it does get better. He will now at least try things. He won't eat vegetables either. An occasional carrot or cucumber, and recently, corn. I always put a slice of cuke on his plate since he was 2 and eventually he ate it. Won't eat lettuce or tomatoes. Good fruit eater. He will eat the same things over and over. Does not like a sandwich, not even PB&J. We used to have to check kids' menus at restaurants to make sure they had mac n cheese as that is all he would eat when he was about 5/6.
Never would try pizza or even ice cream when he was 3 or 4! He eats it now, of course!
I guess I don't have an answer for you but just wanted to let you know you are not alone and I feel your frustration.
My son will now eat spaghetti, meatballs, meatloaf, baked or roasted chicken, chicken wings. Tried a hamburger the other night and he said it wasn't bad. Only ate half of it. He would rather go hungry than eat something he doesn't like. He will eat corn now, which he would never even try before. Does not like any type of rice or potatoes so he typically eats chicken or meatloaf or pasta with some type of fruit and milk.
I would put a small amount of something new on her plate with familiar foods. maybe she will try it, maybe she won't.
I know one Mom who makes her kids try at least one bite. If they don't like it, they don't have to finish it. They roll their eyes and do it. My son never went for that. I got tired of meal times being a struggle.
Good Luck!

I hear you! Just know it might be a phase. If she will eat those "frozen burrito's all day" DO NOT BUY THEM. Then she will have to make a healthier choice. Some simple suggstions in the mean time:
Spaghetti - make your own "sauce" I make mine with tomatoes, butternut squash, peppers, and spices (all pureed of course). Kids don't even know they are eating more veggies.
Taco's - try lentil tacos instead of the beef. Use spinach instead of lettuce and replace hard shells with whole wheat tortilla wraps.
Meat loaf - again, you can dice veggies and hide them inside.
Mashed potatoes - same thing - hide the veggies.

Jessica Seinfeld did a great cookbook called deceptively delicious, check it out.

As for the multivitamin, not all are created equally. If you are picking it up at the local store...it is probably not doing much good for her. I will PM you a link to the ones my kids have been on for years. Also I will send you a link to a breakfast "chocolate" bar that is a full meal that many kids LOVE for breakfast. (it isn't really a chocolate bar...but they don't know that!)

B.

Your job is to provide healthy food choices.
Then she chooses whether to eat it or go hungry.
Stop getting junk food (I count frozen burritos as junk food) - don't have it in the house.
If she eats toast then buy/bake whole grain bread.
If she likes pasta then but whole wheat pasta.
If she likes mashed potatoes (which aren't bad if you skip butter/cheese/sour cream) then potatoes or sweet potatoes are good to have.
Meat loaf and tacos? Make them with ground chicken or turkey.
If you're making your own bread you can bake veggies into it - zucchini bread/pumpkin bread/etc is delicious!
If you give her something healthy to eat and she won't eat it then she gets nothing but water till the next meal (or she can eat what she last refused).
Some fruit is ok but eating large amounts of it all the time is just too much sugar.
Push the lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and high fiber.
You can puree veggies into soups and stews and she'll never know they are there.

I was a picky eater as a child.
It was based out of fear.
I was afraid to put something in my mouth that would taste bad.
As an adult, you wouldn't put something in your mouth you knew was bad right?
Well, as a child, for all I knew that Alfredo sauce was going to taste like spoiled milk and so on....
But, I was also a fearful child.
Later I developed separation anxiety and other phobias.
I finally went to a Hypnotherapist in my 20's and got much better.
Spanish rice (you know, the mouse feces of food?) is now one of my FAVORITES!