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help...my son is addicted to cheese!
Started
by Kim G
on October 17, 2009
I babysit a 2 1/2 year-old who refuses to eat anything that looks like a vegetable, and her mom is always asking me to feed her broccoli, which doesn't go over well. All she eats is macaroni and cheese and the occasional slice of tomato, so the responses to this post have been very informative and I will be sure to pass on the information!
Also, have you done green smoothies? I suppose you've mixed in the spirulina, but if you get some baby spinach and combine it with Mango (or any sweet fruit, really) and soy milk, perhaps with some frozen bananas, you never even taste the spinach, despite using quite a lot. You can do this with other vegetables that have lighter tastes; steamed broccoli is a good idea. Hopefully your kid will accept a smoothie that is green in color, since it tastes nothing like spinach. You could put it in an opaque cup if he makes a fuss about the green or create a nifty story as to how the smoothie magically became that color. I think as he gets older he will expand his taste buds, but cheese is really addictive (hands down, it was the hardest thing for me to give up!), so I think gradually phasing it out of his diet and being patient would be the best thing.
I have done this before and it worked. Lately I have been giving my 2 very picky kids annies mac n cheese. I am going to stop buying it and make pasta with vegan butter, a bit of soymilk and nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is great for adding a creamy yellow texture to foods. It tastes nutty and cheesy and comes in the form of flakes. It is a complete protein and most brands are fortified with B12. Score!!
Trying adding avocado into his diet, a lot of people find that the creamy/fatty taste helps take their mind of of wanting cheese in sandwiches, for example.
My son was too. I just tried the tough love approach. I stopped buying it and he eats when he is hungry. Also if my kids don't eat what I fix. I save it and rewarm it when they are hungry and ready to eat. Eventually they learn that if they eat well they get rewarded with goodies. I make them vegan goodies to entice them to eat there veggies. I have a friend who puts chopped veggies real small in to her spagetti sauce and her picky kids eat it up. I also have heard of pureing cauliflower into a mash potato style dish. It fools the kids into thinking they are getting mash potatoes instead of a real veggie. I hope this helps. Good luck!
Thanks for all the suggestions! =)
I found my son LOVED when I used to juice at home. He not only loved my milk after I drank a juice but he would beg for "green juice". The funny thing is that he will not eat any vegetables on their own with the exception of one crazy night when he ate a bunch of broccoli. This was once in his entire life. Anyway, the juicing was a lot of work so I stopped doing it but I used to make the most amazing juice that included: one apple, one cucumber, one lemon and the rest was filled with kale and spinach. Sometimes I would also add a beet and or carrots. Now this didn't cure my son's sometimes poor eating habits but at least I knew he was getting a great vegetable blast once a day. Now that I"m too lazy to juice (i found it took up a lot of my time) he gets a smoothie made with rice milk, frozen berries, and banana and vanilla yogurt (unfortunately dairy, he won't drink the soy version)
My three year old will not usually eat plain veggies well, but she will down them in hummus. I know a lot of kids dont like hummus, but my kids love it. Its worth givign a try.
My three year old will not usually eat plain veggies well, but she will down them in hummus. I know a lot of kids dont like hummus, but my kids love it. Its worth givign a try.
Oh, also, My kids love nutritional yeast topped on things. It is really good for them, full of b vitamins, and has a sort of "cheesy" flavor going on. I pop popcorn in a pan for them and sprinkle the nutritional yeast on top, and it tastes like cheesy popcorn to them. i also make them toast with smashed up avocado and nutritional yeast sprinkled on top.
How about green smoothies??
Yummy ones....just like the fruit flavoured ones.
Example: Kale (5 leaves) with blueberries (1/2 cup) and a banana and fresh water (2 cups) and a drizzle of agave nectar.
or
spinach (2 cups), a red grapefruit (peeled), a lime (peeled), an apple (cut up) and 2 cups water plus 2-3 tbsp agave nectar.
Blend well (Vitamix is best)
This type of smoothie makes everyone happy. Be creative. Just make sure you get at least 2 cups of greens in there. (cilantro, cucumber, zucchini, collards, sprouts (I love pea sprouts), celery, etc.)
My daughter loves them!!
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