Are my expectations out of line re: food?

[Psyche]

:shifty

The doctor talked to Caden about eating more fruits and veggies. So in an effort to do that, I made a smoothie for him and Jon this morning. He likes smoothies. He's refusing more than a few sips. I told him he wasn't getting anything else until its gone. :shrug3 Its a good smoothie. Its not like it has gross stuff in it. Its one he's drank in the past. But its not the HFCS laden smoothie he gets as a special treat sometimes.

I'm slowly trying to tighten the reins on his diet b/c he would eat meat and carbs all day long if I let him with nary a fruit or veggie.

[Macky]

Is he able to tell you why he doesn't like it? If so, it might be easy to modify your recipe while he's getting used to healthy smoothies.

When I was little, I couldn't abide anything with hard seeds in it. If my mom made a smoothie with strawberries or blackberries, I couldn't drink it because the seeds irritated me that much (the flavour was usually fine). I wouldn't eat raspberry jam either, same reason. It was a simple matter for my mom to pour the smoothie through a little seive into my cup for a couple years until I grew out of that phase.

[Love_Is_Patient]

I tell mine they have to finish food they have before they get something else, but if it isn't gone by the next mealtime then I go ahead and pitch it (or eat it myself) and give them whatever the next meal is. I feel like that's a good balance for us.

If it's something new, they just have to try it, not finish it, and if they have a concrete reason (like ds can't stand soggy cereal) then I'll be flexible. But the above is the general rule.

[teamommy]

Maybe you could give him a choice of two things that are acceptable to you, then hold him to it once he has made the choice. My kids eat lots of variety and usually like my smoothies, but sometimes they don't like the combinations I put in and I don't force them to drink it. Just try again next meal; put out a couple of veggie options.

[itzj]

I would want to know if he can tell you why as well. There's no way my DD would drink one. If there were any chunks or seeds it would be off putting. And she hates yogurt because of the bitter undertone. She would probably only take banana blended in milk.

[Psyche]

Okay I asked him and couldn't get any firm answer. First he complained there was no banana. There was. Then he said there was no ice. The blueberries were frozen. Then he complained there was no milk or apples in it. We never put either in our smoothies.

I finally compromised with him and got him to drink some of it and he's eating his lunch now.

He's not the greatest verbalizer so I'm not sure if he couldn't pinpoint it or if he was just being resistent or what.

It was defintely sweet enough oj/banana/frozen blueberries and little little bit of spinach. It wasn't a nasty color or anything. :shrug

I think he's just used to uber sweet naked juice or highly sweetened fruit smoothies. I don't mind naked juices so much since its no sugar added. I supposed I could buy a quart each week and beef it up so it retains some of the same taste :shrug

[believer]

:hugheart I absolutely hate food wars w/ children. I have some friends who I have watched go through that for years and it was very ugly and disturbing and upsetting to me.
I really got to the point where I did not like even being around them and their kids at mealtimes which was hard because we were in a church small group together that had potluck dinners and our church had potluck lunches on Sundays as well.
I had gently tried saying someting very little like "I just would not worry about that when they are in public" to them at various times but it was clear that they were determined to have food wars w/ their kids.
One family wound up taking their son to a psychiatrist for ADHD and they also brought up the food issue and he told them to stop fighting it and just offer healthy foods and nothing else and that he would eat when he was hungry and it is soooo much more pleasant being around them now.
If your son does not like the smoothie, I would not push it.
I would no longer offer the hfcs one any more at all.
I think it is ok to offer fruit and veggies at each meal and start out by just asking him to eat a little - one carrot stick or whatever, and slowly increase the amount.
Then, only offer healthy food choices and limit the amounts of meat and carbs and tell him that is all he gets and if he is still hungry, there is fruit and veggies. :shrug3
My ds could live off of carbs and youngest dd could live off of all meat if I would let them.
I offer a variety of fruits and veggies and I do limit the carbs and meats and tell them that once they have eaten all of that, they must eat the fruit and veggies in order to get more meat and carbs. But I don't make them eat the veggies first in order to then get meat or carbs.

[mystweaver]

Can you make smoothies and put them in the Naked Juice containers? :shifty If you don't put any dairy and just blend fruit/vegetables, it couldn't be too different.