Good food V 'bad' food-which would be best to eat?

[ayabrea38]

Let me explain.....
A boy is a 'fussy'eater.
He has a good breakfast (weetabix,toast and hot drink)
Then eats rubbish for dinner (cake,cake and cookie)
Now for tea(back at home where parents have some control)
Should he have what mum cooked(chicken casserole and veg)
or pizza and chips......
Hang on though
the problem is with the casserole he will eat about 1/4 -the rest goes in the bin.The pizza(with meat topping and extra cheese)gets eaten completely 100% gone!!
So which is best for him to eat?
Answers on a postcard please!

[cazzz1975]

I would remove any junk type snacks from the house and revert to a boring (but healthy) 3 meal a day system, the junk snacks would be replaced with fruit. he will moan and refuse to eat food for the first week but as I wont budge on the rules eventually hunger will get the better of him and he will "make do" with the proper food.

[ayabrea38]

I know!
Saying that though,he wont eat Mc Donald's unless it has nothing on it-inc the cheese,just plain burger and bun.Thats it!
Also once they served pizza for a week in school,he didn't like that either,too big,too sloppy,too tomatoey,too spicy etc you get the picture!Help

[China Doll]

The very simple rule in my house growing up was you eat what you are given or you go hungry. There was no bargaining or pandering. If there was a vegtable on your plate that you were known to dislike, you were still expected to eat a little bit of it. The only thing that I was allowed to get away with was milk and mashed 'tatties as I stongly disliked that from a young age and still do.

I was forced to suffer through much boiled bacon and cabbage and flaming irish stew as a child but I agree with the philosophy... if it had been up to me I'd have probably had ham and tomato sandwichs and smarties for most of my childhood years!

[China Doll]

(Should probably add that neither of my parents were ogres who deliberately put stuff we hated on our plates... Unfortunately mums just a terrible cook and dads irish, they've never grown out of either alas! ;0)

[ayabrea38]

I was also brought up on a 'this is it' type meal system (I still have nightmares about peas)But now I would say he needs food,and I dont feel right giving him nothing at all,hence my original question.
As a child I was a bit fussy myself,but this one takes it to an extreme now.He knows what he likes and woe betide anyone who tries to change that.
Any ideas to try and change his restricted ways?

[cazzz1975]

Be firmer about what is available, he knows you will back down and give in now so he can pretty much call the shots at dinnertime

[China Doll]

I'm afraid I agree with caz and Boo on this... he's calling all the shots. Perhaps you could try cooking with him so he has more control about what goes in to his food but is still only using food that is available in the house?

[LoftyLottie]

My son stopped being really fussy when he went to boarding school! They had choices of reasonable food and very little junk food. It's surprising how faddy eaters can change once they realise noone is going to pander to them. He then became very interested in food and cooking when he was at Uni and is definitely the chief cook in his household nowadays. He eats a very varied diet now.

I class pizza as junk food!

[jno]

pizza with casserole topping? Chicken, even veg...

[China Doll]

A freak with 'texture' issues ;oP

[LoftyLottie]

Nobody could persuade me to ever eat a banana. I baulk at the very thought!!

[boxtops]

What I find quite sad about this, whilst agreeing with what's been said, is that "he will eat part of the casserole then the rest goes in the bin". I can't bear throwing away good food - if it's not eaten then it can be frozen and used another day. Nobody can afford to throw food away on this scale!
I'm glad it's not my dilemma - like others I had to eat what was in front of me, we got no choices.

[Answerprancer]

The casserole IMO, and if he gets stroppy about eating it, put a plate over it and put it to one side then later in the evening when he is REALLY starving ...reincarnation via the microwave !

[ayabrea38]

I was watching a show called 'Freaky Eaters' where the girl would only eat potato products-crisps of any kind,mash(ONLY if made by her mum)and chips from 3 certain chippys in her area.
Well things aint that bad yet,but it goes to show the extremes some people go to.

[cazzz1975]

most of these issues are created by a mountain being made out of a molehill regarding "being picky" giving a child a platform to refuse food because its a certain texture or colour will only make things worse in the long run.

we have learnt that through leaner times during the war people ate whatever was available, "freaky eaters" simply didnt exist. Its a modern day problem brought on by having too much food to choose from. the key is to remove the junk snacks and buy good wholesome food but not to overfill the cupboards with a myriad of different options. you will save money as well.

[ummmm]

We have no options...I never buy food that isn't for the 3 meals needed each day. The only thing they can snack on in this house is toast.

[LoftyLottie]

ummmm. I would like to say that was true for us as well but I just have to have bars of dark chocolate in my food cupboard. It's my treat every evening!!

[ummmm]

We get the odd treat...we just hide them.

[LoftyLottie]

Meanie!!