We have talked a lot about the problems that a child can reject when certain foods are rejected and we have given you some tips to include them, especially vegetables, in your diet. However, I think it may be interesting to reconsider again if, really, that a child rejects a food It is a real problem.
That a child rejects a food is not a problem
My answer is clear. No, it is not. Nothing happens if a child refuses a mealHe simply doesn't like it, or his body makes him repel it for whatever reason. Do not insist, or overwhelm, and never, never, force him.
The goal that parents should be clear about when we prepare our children's meals is not that they eat everything, whether they like it or not. The true objective is twofold: that children receive the nutrients they need and that they learn proper nutrition.
We can meet several situations. The first, that the child does not want to eat something new and reject it. Given that, patience and repetition and example strategies. The second, the child who does not like a certain food, type of food or preparations. Given that, patience and repetition and example strategies. In no case is it necessary to insist, just let the child decide, when he wants, to be encouraged to try it and respect it if he keeps saying he doesn't like it.
What if it makes you sick or want to vomit with food?
The third is the most serious, the child whose food makes him sick until he wants to vomit. Disgust is reached by several paths, there may be a disgust reaction directly and in that case, again, patience and strategies of respectful repetition and example without ever forcing.
But if the child has been forced to eat something they did not like and made it clear that he did not want, then we are putting a great base for the next time we insist feel disgusted and throw up.
Come on, sometimes it is enough to see the food or smell it so that they are nauseous. Given that, absolute respect. Let's stop exposing him to something that produces so much disgust at least for a few months, just as we would like them to do to us.
You never have to force a child to eat something that makes him sick. Neither with pressures, nor with threats, nor with emotional blackmail, much less doing those barbarities that some still defend: putting it on breakfast, lunch and dinner until they starve. And neither, although I hope that no one does that anymore, grab their hands or cover their nose until they eat it. Never.
Can you imagine that you would feel forced to eat a plate of monkey brains, viscous algae or worms? They are supersan foods, I assure you, and there are towns that devour them with pleasure. You are disgusted. Well, that disgust that you feel should not be passed on to the children, no matter how delicious and healthy the foods that disgust them seem to you. And in addition to respect and empathy, pure logic should guide you: do you think that you can sit well with something you eat between arcades?
Reasons to be disgusted by a food
There are many reasons why a child or an adult feels disgusted by certain foods. The first is clearly cultural. We have already explained that what is good to eat depends greatly on the guidelines of Our culture.
Horse meat, raw meat, grasshoppers, ants, water bugs, blood curdled with milk and the eyes of a ram are foods that other cultures accept but that ours is generally considered unsuitable for food. Nothing happens. Food and disgust for certain products is something that is not universal. The problem arises when our child feels disgusted by something we consider edible.
But there are also completely natural reasons why young children can show disgust for certain foods. The viscous textures or with trips of different hardness can cause disgust. And that is a natural reaction that prevents choking and not all overcome at the same stage. The bitter flavors It is also natural for some vegetables to reject them, it is another natural reaction that prevented them from eating something poisonous and, even if the food is healthy and the taste is not very intense, the reaction will occur. Again, patience.
There are also psychological and emotional aspects very attached to the food, it can even happen that a child, unconsciously, rejects a food he ate at a time when he felt physically or emotionally bad, witnessed a fight, scolded him, felt fear or disgust for that particular food or for something that associates with him.
It can even happen that eat something in disrepair or that felt bad and his body makes them feel nauseous just to see it, smell it or think about it. Never force this. It is easy to perceive if our child suffers from this immediate reaction and I assure you that we are going to win nothing by exposing them to a phobia, just increasing their phobia or anxiety.
I'm still nauseous just thinking of a chicken breast fillet that has a veil inside. My son may vomit when he sees a hamburger from industrial chains, or with its smell. My experience comes from a day when a family member forced me to eat an undercooked chicken fillet. That of my son, of a cockroach that we saw in the bathroom of a fast food establishment when it was very small. We will never eat that anymore. Never. And we will survive as your children will survive if they don't eat something that makes them want to vomit.
Children who reject food groups
Once understood that the violent rejection of a particular food has a simple solution which is not to give it to the child until he asks for it or never to give it to him if he never asks for it, let's move on to what can be a real problem: the children who reject food groups or many foods from a group.
A healthy and balanced diet It will be the one that provides the child with all the nutrients he needs. And nutrients are in many types of foods, even in different groups.
Rarely, if we or other people have not forced him or her, we will get a child to reject all the food in a group. The question is look for alternatives that provide the nutrients you need avoiding conflicts with food, a true cause of emotional problems and eating disorders in the medium and long term.
The most logical is provide the child with food equivalent to the one he rejects, thinking that there are no indispensable foods but it is important to offer food from all groups. We can group food and find alternatives for our children, adapting to their tastes and their needs.
Protein we find meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cold meats, nuts, legumes and croquettes with these crushed foods.
Dairy products We can offer them as breast milk, cow's milk, goat or sheep, yogurts, cheese, milkshakes, cottage cheese, desserts and homemade ice cream. Even by combining green leafy vegetables, legumes, animal proteins and nuts, or by adding vegetable drinks with the guidance, in that case, of a specialist, dairy products can be suppressed without any risk. If we continue with Breastfeeding until six or seven years the problem of the contribution of dairy products in early childhood does not exist, because the most natural source will continue to have it available.
Fruit We can give it in pies, compotes, juices and smoothies, and even temporarily replace it with raw vegetables such as grated tomato or carrot. We can also mix it with milk or yogurt in smoothies. I think I fed on tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, peas and orange juice during the first five years of life. It is not ideal, but now as of all fruits although I do not like them too much.
Vegetables there are so many and so many are the possible presentations that in some way you are sure to include them. And no doubt vegetables are very important. Anyway, if you do not want vegetables but fruit, there is no serious nutritional problem, especially if you include juices of raw vegetables mixed with fruit juices, or camouflage them, temporarily, with purees, sauces or croquettes. You will see how things change and improve over time. In any case, potatoes are usually well accepted and serve as a complement to the above.
Hydrates They are found in rice, pasta, noodles, potatoes, legumes and nuts. The colines, cookies and biscuits (better homemade) and rice cakes are also alternatives that you can offer.
I hope these tips help you face the different situations that occur when children refuse food, whether it is a violent rejection or something punctual, whether they reject a specific product or preparation or if they have problems with whole food groups. The general advice I repeat, is patience and respectful strategies of offering food, never forcing, blackmail, pressuring or forcing.
