Help me- recipes and strategies for a picky, unhealthy eater with weight concerns

[Anonymous]

My 8yo has always been at the top of the height charts, but as a toddler he tended to be around 50-75 percentile for weight. Over the past few years he is now at the top of the weight charts as well (99 percentile for weight; off the charts for height.) The ped said that this isn't necessarily a problem IF he was eating healthy... which used to be the case but is definitively no longer. He was always somewhat picky but until elementary he would eat a much wider range than he will eat today. I'm part of the problem since simply making sure he was fed always took priority over what he ate (he was one of those toddlers who never recognized he was hungry and would act out when he was.) His preferred diet would be chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers, with an occasional serving of applesauce as his only fruit or vegetable. He is still tall enough that he doesn't look "fat"... but in a bathing suit it's clear he's headed in that direction.

I really want to turn this around. We're going to see a nutritionist, but I'd love any other strategies, books, recipes, or advice from others who have dealt with this. In particular, if anyone has any reasonably healthy and tasty recipes for chicken nuggets and chicken noodle soup, his two favorite things, I'd be grateful. I'm a lousy cook but I'm going to have to step up to the plate. Thanks for any help!

[Anonymous]

I think it was Parenting magazine that had a few variations of oven "fried" chicken that you could try as a stepping stone away from nuggets and toward grilled or roasted chicken. Even Shake & Bake would probably be better than the packaged nuggets. There was also a story from a mom of an overweight child that discussed how they were handling it as a family. I can't find it online though. The article had some sidebars from doctors, who recommended using the CDC's BMI calculator and chart. Apparently for kids you are supposed to calculate the BMI, and then find the percentile for that.

At age 8, I think your DS is also old enough to learn about why he needs to make good choices and participate in the menu planning and cooking. Supposedly those activities will make him more likely to try (and maybe even like) the foods. In our house we also talk about what different foods do for our bodies. We need to make good choices in order to be able to run fast, do well in school, keep healthy hair, skin, eyes, teeth, etc.

My DD is pretty picky, but she does OK with raw veggies that she can dip in ranch. Carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, sometimes even broccoli. We try to serve two veggie options at dinner and she has to have two scoops total and can choose how to distribute that (one of each, or two of one). For alternatives to nuggets, she also likes grilled lemon chicken and "mexicali" chicken (marinated in lime juice, olive oil and chili powder). Flank steak is a favorite in our house, as is BBQ pulled pork or chicken. She surprised me and likes beans (refried, baked, or simmered), which are a good source of fiber and protein. Might be worth trying some smooth vegetable soups, too. Split pea, butternut squash, carrot, cream of broccoli. Most are surprisingly easy to make, although a little time consuming. I think a lot of picky eaters object to the texture. And you can make a soup fairly mild in flavor by thinning with broth.

Examine your food options and try to eliminate as many of the "white" foods as possible: white bread, potatoes, white rice, pasta, cereal.... Replace with the whole grain (brown) alternatives or eliminate altogether. Over time, these can mess with the body's reaction to glucose and cause weight gain.

Become more active as a family.

Also, remember that some (all?) kids get chunky right before a growth spurt. That doesn't change the fact that you should all try to improve the quality of what you are eating, but don't panic about his actual weight.

[Anonymous]

Your Ped is lying to you to spare your feelings. At 99% for weight he is "obese" per the BMI calculator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your Ped is lying to you to spare your feelings. At 99% for weight he is "obese" per the BMI calculator.

BMI calculator requires you to take his over 99% height into account too, you know. So I'm pretty sure you're wrong.

[Anonymous]

Well, the CDC calculator appears to say just "overweight" when I enter his precise details. Not quite obese. Which doesn't exactly make me feel better. He doesn't look obese or anything like it, but obviously I was posting to get helpful advice which at least one of the PPs provided. (Thank you 1203!) I don't think the ped was lying - he was very clear that weight gain that is proportional to height is fine IF it is the a product of a healthy diet, and I was very clear that I don't think my son has one.

I literally don't know how to fry anything, so I don't cook in that fashion - always grill or bake chicken. But I am very guilty of using chicken nuggets in his lunchbox, and I'm determined to stop. I've been trying out various recipes I found on the net, but would love any specific recommendations if anyone has them.

[Anonymous]

Not the answer to your question, but take him for a walk every evening. That will help lower his blood sugar at least and is a good habit. Stop buying the nuggets. He needs to quit those. He won't starve.

[Anonymous]

Chicken noodle soup can be extremely healthy if made from scratch because you can load it up with veggies and lean chicken. Perhaps you could make a vat on the weekend and freeze it? If my kid ate a bowl of chicken soup for lunch every day I would be thrilled. You could also gradually expand too - minestrone, meatball soup with kale, chili, etc.

Also. Have you tried making food fun? Start a vegetable garden. Let him dig around in the soil and help you plant things (also gets him moving). Involve him in watering and weeding. When the veggies are ready I bet he will be excited to try "his" green beans or whatever you grew.

Pick apples in the fall. Join a CSA and let him "discover" what the veggies in the box are each week and maybe let him research how to cook them.

Visit a farmers market and let him choose the wackiest vegetable he can find, then try a recipe using his selection. This can be fun for everyone.

If he has siblings perhaps each child has a turn to select one veggie for dinner. Tonight is Bobby's corn on the cob, but tomorrow we get to have the zucchini you chose! Are you excited?

Will he eat Smoothies? A neon green smoothie appeals to this age group like no other. Banana, ice, berries, some yogurt, and a handful of greens. Spinach and romaine are good ones to start with. The greens don't affect flavor, just make it a crazy color. You can Google green smoothie recipes for more ideas.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

As a mom of a "recovering" skinny kid, I will be in your shoes before too long. Ped told us to do whatever it took to get DC's weight up. Chocolate, cookies, whatever. We have, and now that DC's weight is not so worrying we need to step away from the junk. The helpful thing is that I love to cook, so I can make DC good stuff. But for me (and maybe for you?) I have a fear of letting the kid go hungry because of the weight loss scares. Before the weight issues I was fine plunking down dinner or lunch and DC had the choice to eat or no, and it was no skin off my nose. Now...that is harder because of what we've been through. Maybe just recognizing that in your self, and saying that at this point your DS will be okay if he doesn't want to eat the dinner you serve, or if he leaves his lunch untouched. He has that choice.

[Anonymous]

A few weeks ago I read somewhere (it might even have been on DCUM) the suggestion to keep a stocked veggie tray in the fridge, and pull it out before dinner or when your kids say they are hungry.

We started doing this, and its been amazing how many veggies my kids have eaten in just a few weeks, and how much this has replaced sorta junky snacks (goldfish, pretzles, etc). I highly recommend it.

[Anonymous]

What do you and DH eat for dinner??