Hello,

My 7yr old daughter has always hated meat. It could be a rebellion thing, but this has been going on for 7 years now.

She gags, and acts like she is going to vomit when she tries it.


Needless to say, she is not in a vegetarian family, and we don't think she is getting all the nutrients and vitamins etc. that she needs.

We are out of ideas for food for her, and can't continue to feed her mac & cheese everynight.

There are thousands of recipes online. You might want to try these links...

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=142
http://vegweb.com/index.php?action=recipes

the recipe section is great, and I think a few other sites have kid friendly meals. Having your child take a vitamin, drink plenty of water and juice, and get lots of fruits and veggies should help tons too!

If she's been eating this way for 7 years, and her pediatrician believes she's growing normally and in good health, she's more than likely getting all the nutrients she needs. Will she eat other vegetarian foods besides mac and cheese? Like fruit, peanut butter, oatmeal, corn, vegetable soup, beans, pasta, rice, potatoes, salads, milk, yogurt, scrambled eggs, etc?

You don't have to plan two separate meals for your child and the rest of the family. Set aside some pasta and sauce without meatballs for her on spaghetti night. If you're making tacos or burritos, most kids love a vegetarian bean burrito. Have some of her favorite toppings on hand, and she can make a meal of a nice hot baked potato and/or cooked veggies or pasta by topping them with salsa, marinara sauce, grated cheese, hummous, low-fat ranch dressing, guacamole, or whatever.

Vegetarian kids can be just as picky as non-vegetarian kids. Hang in there, and good luck to you and your daughter!

Oh, I almost forgot to add this link to an American Dietetic Association article on raising vegetarian children:

http://www.webdietitians.org/Public/Media/PublicMedia_10879.cfm

one more thing.... I got my kids to consume a lot of fresh fruit in the form of smoothies. Kids love 'em!

:hi:
Having a child who simply doesn't like meat may not be as surprising as you think. :) My littlest one, he's 2, can't stand meat when my relatives offer it to him. I am vegetarian but my husband is not and he and my twins occasionally eat meat. My toddler seems to have chosen to be a veggie though.
Your daughter doesn't need meat in order to be healthy but, I agree, she needs to eat more than mac & cheese! You have a reason to be worried.
Please do not force her to eat meat. Making her choke down something she finds gross is only making eating and food unpleasant to her. It's the cause of many an eating disorder in adults. Your daughter is 7 so I think she's probably old enough to understand some rudimentary nutrition. Discuss the food groups with her and what each gives to her body. Don't forget the meat group also includes veggie items like beans and nuts. Let her know that it's ok if she doesn't want to eat meat but it's not ok to eat unhealthy because she doesnt like meat. Help her come up with ways to "replace" meat in her diet.
Goveg.com has a lot of great ideas for veggie meals even people who don't want to be vegetarian like. Don't forget things like lasagna, pastas of all sorts, soups and chili's are also good veggie choices. You won't even miss the meat in them honestly. http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/ has some neat ideas for brown bag lunches to send to school sans meat.
My twins do not necessarily eat every veggie I place in front of them. I get the scrunched up nose a few times a week. They've been eating veggie for two years now (with the rare meat exception--maybe a few times a month) and my baby has been veggie for his whole two years of life and they could not be healthier. Their weight and height are above average for their ages but right on course, iron levels are great, healthy as horses.
Involve your daughter in shopping and cooking. Have her help you pick recipes and try new veggies. Chili's and spaghetti sauce are great ways to hide veggies that she might not otherwise like. I think you'll find her open up more about trying new stuff when dinners aren't a nightmarish power struggle anymore.
Some veggie cookbooks (you can even check them out the library) might give you some more ideas. Don't forget breakfast for supper too. Pancakes, french toast, cottage fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, the list goes on.
What does your daughter like? I might be able to brainstorm a few dishes that my boys gobble up based on what she eats. :)
Mary

im 13 yr's old and im very healthy and have vaiy diet just frm eating veg and quorn,and pulses and nuts and fruit etc.

I think All 7 year olds have taste and food issues-- being ultra picky and so forth. As a growing child she definately needs lots of protien-- more than a full grown adult pound for pound. I totally agree that too much mac and cheese is bad for her. So tell her they have stopped making it, and never bring it in the house again. Also tell her "the doctor" said that she has to eat what ever you want to feed her. And never let her see you sweat. Lots of great behavioralists have grappled with the picky child issue. I suggest reading a child psychologist like John Rosemond (www.parentingbythebook.com) who has some tricky ways to get a child to do what you want. Be forewarned-- it is his contention that you do not argue with a child. What you say goes. He would probably also say that she is trying to control you and doing a fine job of it. That kind of stuff. Good luck.

You have a reason to be worried. Mac and cheese is not very healthy, nor is it very exciting! As your daughter is only 7, she's going to need your help to make sure she's eating a healthful balanced diet. Like what others have said, she'll need to have fruit and veg in her diet, as well as starchy carbs and high in protein foods, such as eggs, beans, lentils, cheese, milk, nuts and seeds. Don't force her to eat meat because that will just result in her hating the stuff even more as she gets older. Buy a vegetarian cookbook or check out the recipe section on this site for meal ideas. It is a good idea to get her involved with the cooking and to tell her about healthy eating.

I think All 7 year olds have taste and food issues-- being ultra picky and so forth. As a growing child she definately needs lots of protien-- more than a full grown adult pound for pound. I totally agree that too much mac and cheese is bad for her. So tell her they have stopped making it, and never bring it in the house again. Also tell her "the doctor" said that she has to eat what ever you want to feed her. And never let her see you sweat. Lots of great behavioralists have grappled with the picky child issue. I suggest reading a child psychologist like John Rosemond (www.parentingbythebook.com) who has some tricky ways to get a child to do what you want. Be forewarned-- it is his contention that you do not argue with a child. What you say goes. He would probably also say that she is trying to control you and doing a fine job of it. That kind of stuff. Good luck.

Firstly, not to go off subject, but Rosemond is quack. I wouldn't suggest anyone listen to him.
http://www.behavior.org/parenting/index.cfm?page=http%3A//www.behavior.org/parenting/parenting_wyatt_commentary.cfm
Not trying to be confrontational but a lot of his advice, well, kind of sucks.
Secondly I would urge you not to lie to your daughter. She's 7 and will go into a supermarket again. Don't tell her they don't make mac and cheese anymore because she will learn, maybe rather quickly, that you lied. Besides mac & cheese isn't unhealthy, necessarily, especially not when you make it yourself. It's rather simple and you can add veggies to it without altering it too much. I would tell her you're not buying the boxed stuff anymore and ask her to help you make it.
I am a picky eater. Still am. There's no way you make someone like something they don't and simply not liking a food is not controlling another person. *Everyone on Earth has something they don't like to eat.
I won't eat vegetables boiled and plopped on a plate but I don't mind them so much mixed into other things. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Forcing a child to eat something while they gag and vomit is not the proper way to introduce your child to a varied diet.
Making vegetables fun is a great way to get kids interested in trying them. Shoving food down your kids throats for years has already been proven ineffective. My mom tried that method when I was little. It didn't make me like them anymore.
Mary

Thanks for all the input - I will have to go back and re-read most of it tonight.

She will eat canned sweet corn, and scrambled eggs. She likes pasta with Alfredo sauce, and she will eat cheese Pizza. From time to time she will have her carrot and ranch dressing, but will not eat any sort of red sauce (except on pizza).

I did try the grocery store strategy - taking her and letting her pick out whatever she wanted. That didn't go well. She only wanted the special bunny shaped mac&cheese.

I'm not sure if we should just start teaching her how to prepare her own food and let her make her own meals. I personally don't want pasta every night, and on the occassions we have (I won't offend you all with the random names of meat and animal based meals here ;) ), I don't want to make two separate dinners.

She is on a vitamin routine, and has been since she was an infant, but she has been 'sick' for the past few months now, with stomach cramps, vomiting, fever etc. The doctors have been of little help, and my first thought is her lack of a well balanced diet.

Thanks again for the advice and links, I'll start some reading

Hey Veggiedad.....
First, you deserve a pat on the back for trying to help your daughter. My guess is that approximately 98% of the children (young to college age) that politely ask there parents to not eat meat or at least not serve them meat are turned down. This comes from my experience conducting speaking engagements with schools.
I myself come from a huge meat eating, Pa Dutch family and they think I cannot possibly get what I need. The thing to remember is that in reality (not what the meat & dairy industry want us to believe) we DO NOT get healthy nutrients, vitamins and minerals from meat.
Good job on looking out for your daughter and take the advice from all of these people with the thought of your daughter in mind. I, as a father, highly suggest trying some of these suggestions with her. You will be amazed at what the world has to offer for your body :)

Good Luck an again....JOB WELL DONE!

Hey Veggiedad.....
First, you deserve a pat on the back for trying to help your daughter. My guess is that approximately 98% of the children (young to college age) that politely ask there parents to not eat meat or at least not serve them meat are turned down. This comes from my experience conducting speaking engagements with schools.
I myself come from a huge meat eating, Pa Dutch family and they think I cannot possibly get what I need. The thing to remember is that in reality (not what the meat & dairy industry want us to believe) we DO NOT get healthy nutrients, vitamins and minerals from meat.
Good job on looking out for your daughter and take the advice from all of these people with the thought of your daughter in mind. I, as a father, highly suggest trying some of these suggestions with her. You will be amazed at what the world has to offer for your body :)

Good Luck an again....JOB WELL DONE!


Thanks,

My philosophy (if that is the correct term) is to neither encourage nor discourage her stance on meat. I don't think that meat is necessary for a well balanced and healthy diet (because there are millions of you who, by example, could prove me wrong). I intend to carefully read and ponder the grocery store strategy and give that another shot. I have been considering just taking her and working with her to pick out several new meals, just for her to try - without forcing her to eat an entire serving if she doesnt' like it.

Her reaction in my opinion, is more than rebellion, she physically gags when we force her to try new foods. We have not taken to forcing her to eat an entire meal with us, just forcing her to take one bite - and if she doesn't like it, she doesn't have to have any more; and we have been completely consistent in this approach - one bite, one time and that's it. She still fights us on this though and it is frustrating, things I believe she would like, she still gags on because of a predetermined preference she has.

What would be a great help is to find a vegetarian family locally with kids her age for ideas. The menu choices and documentation are fantastic, but preparing a complete vegetarian meal for a child who will gag down one bite does not sound like fun.

The doctor did give her a neat drawing of the food groups, and we will use that with our grocery store expedition.

thanks again for the help and encouragement.

Veggiedad... your daughter is so lucky to have an understanding parent. Good for you!

I HATED meat for as long as I could remember but it took me until i was about 14 to get my mom to let me stop eating it. I have horrible memories of sitting at the kitchen table long after everyone else left with a cut up hamburger covered in katsup and my mom saying "just one more bite" and I just couldn't do it.
However, i remember her trying to get me to try all kinds of "weird" foods (all things I eat now as an adult.) If left to my own picky devices I would have lived off of grilled cheese, pizza and bagels with cream cheese (esentially the same meal.)

I agree you don't have to make an entirely different meal for her. Usually you can make a slight alteration to the family dinner to make it no meat for her. Try and get her to eat some fruits and veggies, and stay on a vitamin and she should be ok. In general i think its a good idea to let ALL kids know what kinds of foods they need to stay healthy meat or not. So even though she may not always eat that way, let her know what is good for her.

If she still won't eat it as she gets to be a teenager, then i would worry about her making her own meals and such.

Good luck to you!

Myself and my daughter are vegetarian and I don't want to be spending lots of time in the kitchen, it's just not me!
We tend to eat a lot a Quorn, as it's ready prepared and quick, and nutritious.
We recently tried tofu but my daughter wasn't keen as I fried it and she said it had the consistency of scrambled egg - which is fine by me - but she doesn't like eggs so she wasn't keen.
I have since learned that if you freeze tofu and thaw it prior to frying it, it crisps up really well, so I shall be having another bash with it, as it can be used as a meat substitute in stir-fry dishes etc

Good Luck !

debidoo

I went veggie when I was around 9 and I ate basically pizza and pasta with marinara sauce and the occassional carrot. When I told my mom that I wanted to be vegetarian she said okay but only if I would try one new vegetable every week. Each week we made a new vegetable and I kept a running list on the refrigerator of what I liked and didn't. It helped me figure out my tastes and opened my mind up to new foods.

After a while we didn't need to enforce the new vegetable rule anymore, I started trying things out on my own.

Try a similar compromise with your daughter, it's expanded my tastes a lot and has made me the most adventerous eater in my family.

You might find some good ideas from the discussion boards at www.vegfamily.com. It's a vegan board, but a lot of people have kids and have great ideas for kid friendly meals. They're also very non-judgmental (like most people here).

You'll also find some ideas for lunches at veganlunchbox.blogspot.com - where a mom takes pictures of and includes recipes for the foods she sends to school with her picky eater son, who is about the same age as your daughter. (Again, it's a vegan site, but you'll get some ideas.)

The "Becoming Vegetarian" books break down nutritional needs by age group - that might be helpful for you, too. It's written by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis and costs about $13 on Amazon.

As for holidays - when I visit friends and family and am not cooking myself, I eat a good selection of side dishes. If you add a side dish that has beans or tofu or cheese in it, she should be able to get some protein without eating the main dish.

What kind of meals does your family usually eat? Even if it's the classic meat/veggies/potato, you don't have to make a whole different meal for your daughter. Find something she likes with a protein source in it (eggs, cheese or beans) and she can eat potato, veggies and chili (for example) while the rest of you eat potato, veggies and a pork chop. My partner is not vegetarian and he's a great cook. He just keeps the meat on the side so that I don't have to eat it. Every week I make a big pot of something bean-based and just have a scoop of that whenever we eat a meat/veggie/starch meal.

What kind of meals does your family usually eat? Even if it's the classic meat/veggies/potato, you don't have to make a whole different meal for your daughter. Find something she likes with a protein source in it (eggs, cheese or beans) and she can eat potato, veggies and chili (for example) while the rest of you eat potato, veggies and a pork chop. My partner is not vegetarian and he's a great cook. He just keeps the meat on the side so that I don't have to eat it. Every week I make a big pot of something bean-based and just have a scoop of that whenever we eat a meat/veggie/starch meal.


Generally, we eat Mexican and Italian food. She will not eat refried beans, rice, or quasedillas. She will eat corn chips though :think: .

on Italian night, we will keep pasta aside for her alfredo sauce, but she will not eat spaghetti or anything with red sauce on it.

For steak and potato night, or stew, or pot-roast; she will not touch any of it. She won't eat potatoes unless they are the french-fried or potato chip style, and she won't eat any cooked vegetables, aside from the previously mentioned corn.

what exactly is Quorn? And is Tofu for more than just texutur?

I'll check out the new sites mentioned..

VeggieDad - you've gotten some great advice here, (and some that maybe you'll want to take with a grain of salt..). I do like your philosophy and it sounds like you do have an open mind about all this.

So it sounds like your daughter is pretty particular in general, though meat items seem to be one of the major things she dislikes. But it isn't clear if her not eating meat is your concern, or not eating healthy, or the power struggle and gagging she does, or what specifically?

Barrylove is probably correct that a huge majority of kids would prefer to not eat meat if given the choice. I work in an elementary school and I can tell you the one item left uneaten with nearly EVERY lunch tray is the "meat" item of the day - pepperoni picked off the pizza, hamburger removed from the bun, chicken chunks picked out of the potpies... not that that helps any, but just letting you know your daughter isn't a minority on the whole "disliking meat" issue.

You said she's been "sick" though, with cramps, fever and vomiting... that can be of serious concern. I noticed you put "sick" in quotes however so was wondering if you consider her sickness an act or the real thing? These types of symptoms can be very debilitating for a child so I am suprised the doctors have been of little help unless they also feel it's all just drama on her part and not real. I would investigate this part further for SURE.
In rare cases even 7-year-olds have eating disorders (not that I think this is what it is) or it could be something as simple as lactose intolerance or as serious as Crohns. What sort of testing have you asked for? If you're not getting any help from your Dr. maybe you should go to a different one.

That said, here's a little of my experience - I have three daughters that were raised in a household with one meat-eating and one veggie parent. Two of my kids ate pretty much anything set in front of them, but my middle daughter sounds so very much like yours... we discovered she did indeed have a couple food allergies, but also had quite a 'drama queen' personality, so it took a while to narrow down what she "could" eat and what she just didn't WANT to eat - things were tough going for several years...

I have never tried to get her to eat meat (me being the vegetarian one in the household) but she would do the "gag" thing on whatever she decided she didn't like (whether she'd tried it before or not). We started making a list of things she WOULD eat or liked (I cut out magazine pictures since she was about 6 at the time) and we added several new items every week. It can be a VeRY slow process...

I would suggest letting her pick out some things but also choosing some items yourself - maybe things you might not usually try yourself... veggie egg-rolls, veggie chicken nuggets, lentil chili, vanilla soymilk, etc. Make up a menu that she can read or understand and where she can see what day you'll be having Mac-n-cheese... on the other days serve something similar to whatever you're having (You won't offend us with words like pot-roast or pork-chop, it's OK to explain your family's eating patterns, it'll help us with ideas I think). If you're having hot dogs, serve her a veggie dog, if you're doing fried chicken she can have veggie nuggets... try and have SOMETHING she's familier with and likes at each meal, but not necessarily the main course - it can be fruit, rice, pasta, potatoes or veggies too. The tough part however is: don't serve her any other options than whatever is on the table for that meal... unless there are other, more serious issues going on, she won't starve herself. It won't hurt her to go a meal with just carrots and ranch - offer her a healthy snack in a couple hours - I know how tough this is to actually DO but it does have good results if you're consistant...

Another thing that was helpful to us was going to different ethnic restaurants (even those we weren't familiar with) and letting our kids try items there - we discovered our insanely "picky" daughter LOVED Pad Thai, Hot-and-Sour Soup, Mung Dal, Tempura Veggies, Veggie Sushi, Chile Rellanos and Brocolli Cheese soup over baked potatoes, to name a few... (and it gave us new menu ideas as well!).

There's a great site called VEGFAMILY (www.vegfamily.com) that has lots of good and child-friendly ideas and recipes http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-recipes/ and while you don't need to change your entire family's way of eating (though some here are gonna jump in gung-ho and say you should just all go Veg overnight...) you may be suprised at how enjoyable incorporating a few vegetarian items into your meals can be.

It sounds like you're headed in the right directionthough! You're doing a great job and show a lot of concern for your daughter's health and well being.

Let us know how else we can help.

Veggiedad,

Like everyone else, I want to give you a pat on the back for being open to try a vegetarian diet for your daughter. It sounds like you have a few seperate issues, and one simple approach wont solve your whole problem, rather a mix of different solutions.

First, I agree completely with Tofu-n-sprouts - sometimes going to bed hungry is a good motivator for kids to branch out. My mom did that with my first sister and I, but didn't with the second two kids. My brother went through a TERRIBLE phase when all he would eat was microwaved lasagna. I kid you not. Chocolate milk and microwaved lasagna. My mother would microwave that stuff at 6 in the morning when I was trying to eat my cheerios and I would gag every time. but since my brother was already pretty underweight, she felt she had no choice. My sister was equally picky, and to this day, they are both pretty picky. I think going to bed a little hungry once or twice will not hurt her, and will show her that you mean business about eating what the rest of the family eats. It certainly didnt hurt me one bit.

However, if there are a few foods that genuinely make her gag, then its appropriate to have other options. She really needs to have a more varied source of nutrients than just mac and cheese. She needs to learn to compromise. Tell her she doesn't need to eat meat anymore, but that means she has to eat some types of beans, tofu, tempeh, etc. Give her a choice - either the beef tacos, or the re-fried bean (or cheese and whole pinto bean) tacos. Tell her that you want to respect her tastes, but that she needs to respect her nutrition too.

I agree if she has had stomach issues for more than a couple weeks it is time to see another doctor. There are too many potential medical problems to wait too long.

Give her some fresh fruits and dips after school for a snack. Does she like any salad dressings? They are a great way to get beans into a kid. I also recommend highly vegfamily.com, which has a lot of good info, and you can even submit a question to a real nutritionist/medical doctor there.

A vegetarian diet can be perfectly healthy for child upbringing - and just like you wouldn't raise you kid eating nothing but cheeseburgers, you can't raise one eating nothing but mac and cheese either. Variety is the best way to ensure she is getting her nutrients, and careful counting of her protein, calcium, omega-3 and fiber intake (a B12 supplement doesn't hurt, either.) There are millions of people around the world who are strictly vegetarian for religious reasons, and they are perfectly healthy (one of my best friends has been vegetarian since birth, born to vegetarian parents, and she has a PhD in environmental engineering and a BS and MS in chemical engineering - and she's a marathon runner. You can be very healthy as a vegetarian.)

Good luck!!! With thoughtful parents like you, I'm sure she will do great!

You said she'll eat french fries/potato chips.. have you ever tried making oven baked? They're not so terrible for you. Leave the skins on a whole potato, spray them lightly with olive oil and bake them in the oven until they're cooked through and a little crisp on the outside. You could try SWEET potato fries too, which are much more nutritious.
Will she drink a smoothie? You can jam all sorts of stuff in there. Some frozen fruits (i like frozen banana -- peel it and cut it into chunks BEFORE you freeze it!! and frozen mixed berries) plus some milk (any kind) and some silken tofu and you've got a really nutritious milkshake type drink.
Tofu, to answer your question, is high in protein, as well as fiber and vitamins and minerals. It doesn't really have any flavour of its own. Silken is good for sauces and smoothies and things like that and firmer for stir fries or to put in dishes. You might be able to get away with pureeing some silken tofu and adding it to her alfredo sauce. It's white and would blend well and probably wouldn't affect the taste at all.
I guess you have to just keep on trying things til you find stuff she'll eat! See if having her help cook increases her desire to eat as well. And I agree with getting a second opinion about her being sick all the time.

Thanks for all the input - I will have to go back and re-read most of it tonight.

She will eat canned sweet corn, and scrambled eggs. She likes pasta with Alfredo sauce, and she will eat cheese Pizza. From time to time she will have her carrot and ranch dressing, but will not eat any sort of red sauce (except on pizza).

I did try the grocery store strategy - taking her and letting her pick out whatever she wanted. That didn't go well. She only wanted the special bunny shaped mac&cheese.

I'm not sure if we should just start teaching her how to prepare her own food and let her make her own meals. I personally don't want pasta every night, and on the occassions we have (I won't offend you all with the random names of meat and animal based meals here ;) ), I don't want to make two separate dinners.

She is on a vitamin routine, and has been since she was an infant, but she has been 'sick' for the past few months now, with stomach cramps, vomiting, fever etc. The doctors have been of little help, and my first thought is her lack of a well balanced diet.

Thanks again for the advice and links, I'll start some reading

Hi again!
I would STRONGLY recommend taking your daughter to a GI specialist. The vomiting, gagging, pickiness, can all be a sign of a bigger problem. As one example reflux in children can show itself as vomiting and gagging and the child learns quickly which foods bring discomfort and will avoid them. Some children avoid all new foods for fear it's going to hurt them. A lot of peds will quickly dismiss a child as "fussy" without looking for a deeper problem. If your daughter has always had these issues, there could be something deeper going on. A GI specialist will also have some ideas on how to help. Your ped should be able to refer you even if they think you're overreacting. Did she vomit a lot as a baby? Was she colicky?
If you're absolutely positive there's no GI issues (thought I would still persist you should take her just to be on the safe side) it's very easy to hide veggies in even white sauced pasta. Puree them up. She will see they're in there, it will change the color of the pasta, but she won't taste them. How about a "white" pizza? You can make up pizza, minus the sauce, and let her add her own toppings. My kids have a blast making pizza.
You can bake your own fries too. It's very very simple.
Really, though, she can eat pasta every solitary day of her life if you just mix in pureed veggies with it. It's kind of boring but if it's what she'll eat she can do it in a healthy manner. If she can get down the boxed mac and cheese there's no physical reason she can't eat homemade mac and cheese. It's incredibly simple and you can make large batches at once and freeze it in smaller portions.
Have the doctors done blood work on her? Did they tell you she was vitamin deficient? It sounds like this has been an ongoing issue with her. I would really urge you to see a GI specialist.
Good luck!
Mary
Edit:
The grocery store strategy only works when you tell her you're picking a new food. Take her to the produce section and ask her which fruit or veggie looks interesting. Hope she doesn't pick something to obscure. lol Take the veggie home, look up an interesting recipe and then have her help you make it. Maybe she can peel the veggie or fruit, mix things in a bowl, measure things out or add ingredients. Have her touch and smell the veggie, let her get familiar with it.Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. :)

Wow, the vomiting, cramps and gagging doesn't sound right. I agree about taking her to a GI specialist.

Wow what an interesting situation & thread. VeggieDad, kudos to you for approaching this matter without prejudice. Whether it's a physiological condition or a psychological one, there's only one way to find out: by remaining impartial in your observations.

Her reaction in my opinion, is more than rebellion, she physically gags when we force her to try new foods. We have not taken to forcing her to eat an entire meal with us, just forcing her to take one bite - and if she doesn't like it, she doesn't have to have any more; and we have been completely consistent in this approach - one bite, one time and that's it. She still fights us on this though and it is frustrating, things I believe she would like, she still gags on because of a predetermined preference she has.

One way to address the rebellion notion is to show her that it's no big deal. For example, say a child wants to rebel by riding motorcycles. The parents could say "Hey that's a neat idea. I used to ride motorcycles, too!" Nothing throws a wet blanket on a rebellion like knowing it's OK with your parents ;)

Have you considered going to a Chinese restaurant and ordering a collective meal for the whole family that's vegetarian? You could observe her reaction, and you'll know immediately if it's a rebellion thing, because she would be eating what everyone else is eating.

But for the most part, it sounds like a physiological condition--maybe even an allergy. Allergies to milk and seafood are not uncommon, so I can understand someone having gag responses to red meat.

Anyway, to address your original question, I'd say check out some ethnic foods. Mexican is usually a safe bet (refried beans instead of meat), and kids love tacos. There's also Chinese, Italian & Greek (hummus :drool: ). You may have to spend a few nights checking out different restaurants before it becomes clear what she wants. The grocery idea is great, but a lot of the time, home cooked meals come out way less appetizing than they look on the packages.

Keep us posted!

I agree with the oven-roasted potatoes. Toss in a little olive oil (and maybe garlic/onion) and bake at 450* for 20-40m, turning every 10 minutes. Once you hear them hissing and they're golden, they're good. Dipped in ranch or whatever else you usually dip fries in, these are amazing! We always pair them with our bean burgers, etc.

Tacos with refried beans as the "meat" (can season them with taco seasoning if you like) are good.... And if she won't give up the idea of mac & cheese, you can always go with a natrual cheese version, or learn to make it from scratch so it's healthier than the powdered box type. Could also insist that it ONLY be a side dish. (make a batch and use a healthy spoonful at dinner until it's gone)

Learning to like veggies is always an interesting thing~ one thing I can suggest, that works with my kids, is to add cheese to the "questionable" stuff. Or get the frozen broccoli/carrot/cauliflower with cheese side dishes. SOOOOOOOOO yummy~ and I've never had leftovers to put away. And adding cheese to fresh steamed broccoli, or green beans, carrots, etc, is a good way to make them more child-friendly.

Sounds like she really enjoys pasta. There's an amazing white sauce by Ragu that she might like~ look in the same place you'd find the spaghetti sauce, but it's usually top shelf over there. Smaller jars~ the one I'm thinking of is "Roasted Garlic Parmesean". It's a nice break from alfredo, and is very tasty! It's our new favorite these days. Whole wheat pastas are quite tasty, but you have to watch it and be sure not to overcook or it gets mushy and not very good.

OO, and chopping veggies up small and saute'ing them, adding them to pasta sauce is a great way to sort of hide them. Carrots and celery, green peppers... easier to hide in red sauce, but they'd be a flavorful addition to others too.

Homemade pizza? fresh whole-milk mozzerella cheese slices over red sauce, and add whatever toppings you like. Olives, green peppers, tomato, onion, or go simple and just do pineapple, etc. Have her help build it and she'll have a lot of fun~ and being more involved in making her meals will help her learn to enjoy them more.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling. It sounds like you've got GREAT information here! And fwiw, the average 1-3 year old (who needs more than an adult or other child of any age) only needs .55 grams of protein per lb of weight per day. So, my 25lb boy needs about 14g per day, and my 36lb daughter needs about 18. To be safe, I'd say .45 or .40 grams per day x her body weight = protein needs daily. You can always google "protein needs, child" and you'll get a lot of resources with lots of info.

GL, and hope you can get this all figured out soon!