Need Help With Kids Meals

Food
1

Hey, All!

I'm getting a little frustrated with the meal thing for our 8-year old with T1.  I need a really good book or on-line resource for diabetic kids meals.  I've got a couple of nice books for grown-ups who have diabetes, or adults who just want to cut back on the carbs, and while the recipes are definitely something I would gobble up (I love the "French Women" style of cooking), most of it is stuff our son wouldn't eat if he were starving.  Literally.

Now, our son has been a picky eater since before he was eating solid foods.  Really.  He preferred the left over the right.  He wouldn't touch "baby food" ever (not even the home-made stuff), and didn't eat any real food until he was 10 months (scrambled eggs, bread and bananas...that's it).  He has an intrinsic suspicion of anything even remotely resembling a vegetable, and has an incredible talent for picking every single vegetable out of a cassarole or mixed dish (I do a lot of them, hoping the vitamins from the vegetables will rub off onto the carbs).  I've tried smothering veggies in melted cheese and Ranch dressing (which I detest...have you read the ingredients?!?), but he manages to pick off the cheese or lick off the dressing, leaving the vegetable intact and on his plate.  He's even been known to selectively pull the bits of oregano out of his mouth from each bite of marinara sauce on his spaghetti.  Before his diagnosis, if we tried to "force" him to eat a balanced meal, he would literally skip eating 2-3 meals in a row, waiting for the carb-fest to be served up (his maternal grandmother was the same way, so he comes by it honestly). 

In his defense, and lest you come to the conclusion that our little guy is just being "difficult", he's got Central Auditory Processing Disorder.  For some reason, sensory processing disorders and eating challenges seem to go hand-in-hand for many, many, many kids (believe me, I've done the research on LD's).  It seems to be a combination of taste, tactile, texture and "touching food" issues all coming together to make eating an obstical course to be negotiated, rather than a multi-sensory pleasure (as it is for me:).  His younger brother, who's been raised in exactly the same circumstances (same guidelines for eating, same meals), will eat just about anything you plop in front of him.

Final challenge.  I try to avoid manufactured (pre-packaged) foods as much as possible, and stick to organics whenever I can.  So, kids' meals based on a box of Kraft Mac-n-Cheese won't do me much good :)

Thanks for letting me vent.  Sorry for being so difficult.  ANY input would be greatly appreciated by this worn-out mom :)

Blessings,

Mo

Mom to William, DX T1 5/13/09

 

2

First of all, from what I understand, he should be able to maintain good blood sugars even with no veggies, it's just healthier to have them! (:

Have you read Jessica Seinfeld's newish book about hiding veggies in food for kids so they'll eat them? I haven't seen it, but maybe it would have sneaky ideas?

If he's getting services for CAPD, has he recieved OT or Speech for feeding/tactile issues. An OT may have suggestions. Contact me if you want -- I'm a pediatric slp, and have worked with "picky eaters."

 

Good luck!

3

Thanks, Sarah, for the suggestions.  After reading reviews on Amazon, I went with the "Sneaky Chef" book, and look forward to getting it.  He's not currently getting services for CAPD, partly because he's not formally diagnosed, and partly because the "services" we were getting through a speech pathologist were not what I had hoped.  I'll keep in mind the OT suggestion...

Mo

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Diabetic Cooking for Kids - Includes Sugar-Free Snacks and Desserts image

 

My absolute favorite book of all time! It has a bunch of yummy D-friendly recipes, many of them including veggies and fruits. The best things about this book that seperate it from others is that

a) It makes the food LOOK fun, so kids will want to atleast try them (teddy bear shaped buiscuits, octopus hotdogs, spaceship meatloaf etc)

b) The recipes are simple to make and include a carb count

c) The veggies are usually "hidden" and you can hardly taste them, but they are there

d) Its categorized by meals, so theres like lunches, dinners, snacks, and desserts. ALL D-FRIENDLY!

If the other book doesn't work out, or you're just looking for another, its a great book.

5

Thanks for the recommendation.  This one didn't pop up when I looked on Amazon originally.  The others that did pop up, and that I looked inside, were mostly based on processed foods, which I'm trying to avoid.  Does this one include some recipes for cooking "from scratch"?  Or am I just asking for too much :)

Mo

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Most of the recipes include a lot of fresh ingredients. By the way, this book doesnt have one single author, so if you are looking for it, its easiest to find it by "Diabetic Cooking For Kids: Includes Sugar-Free Snacks And Deserts"

7

[quote user="Savs"]

Most of the recipes include a lot of fresh ingredients. By the way, this book doesnt have one single author, so if you are looking for it, its easiest to find it by "Diabetic Cooking For Kids: Includes Sugar-Free Snacks And Deserts"

[/quote]

 

Awesome!  I'll add it to my Amazon cart :)

 

8

my picky 7 yr old was just diagnosed w/ T1 and 1 week into this is making me nuts. Max eats cheese sandwiches, nutella sandwiches, chicken nuggets and pasta with out sauce. oh he'll eat fish sticks and hot dogs, pancakes and waffles but not a whole alot more. Of course the only fruits he eats are the carb ones. then of course he'll eat about any snack food but other than cheese stiks and sugar free jello we are at a loss for cards free food that he'll eat. Any suggestions anyone? Dinner time totally stressed me out before this now i am completely frazzeld.

9

[quote user="maxsmamma"]

my picky 7 yr old was just diagnosed w/ T1 and 1 week into this is making me nuts. Max eats cheese sandwiches, nutella sandwiches, chicken nuggets and pasta with out sauce. oh he'll eat fish sticks and hot dogs, pancakes and waffles but not a whole alot more. Of course the only fruits he eats are the carb ones. then of course he'll eat about any snack food but other than cheese stiks and sugar free jello we are at a loss for cards free food that he'll eat. Any suggestions anyone? Dinner time totally stressed me out before this now i am completely frazzeld.

[/quote]

I'm sorry your son was diagnosed, but you'll find a lot of support here.  Our 8-year old was diagnosed May 13th.

I've noticed that our son's tastes have started mellowing out since his diagnoses.  Or, maybe he's more willing to eat other things he likes (but doesn't love), just because I've been making the carbs more scarce.  I'm putting a "proper portion" of carbs on EVERYONE'S plate (not just his), and then letting him have as much of the "healthy" stuff as he wants (not that it's much).  But, now that his BS numbers have been consistently within his target range, he seems to be much more satisfied with smaller portions of carbs, and with drinking WAY less milk.  He's suddenly more open to other options, like Triscuits with melted cheese, and apples with peanut butter, which he wouldn't touch before.

I've had to back off a bit and slow down.  Small changes a day or so at a time.  So, hang in there.  I'll post again if we have any break-throughs on the feeding front :)