Food choices

Hi lovelies,
I havnt posted in here but need to, to seek some advice. Im not a parent although my job is working with children. I have a situation where a child im working with is on medication which is affecting his appetite. At first this stopped him eating all together. His parents were happy with him eating anything as long as he was having food. This included loads of junk. (chocolate/ donuts, those biscuits with icing dip in a small packet, fairy bread for lunch) Now his medication has slightly changed and its having the reverse affects where he is constantly hungry. He is still eating a high amount of thise foods.I dont have any control ultimately what is put in the lunch box for school but would like some ideas because lately he had eaten anything and wants something else. I want to be able to support the family as much as I can.
The complex part is also that they change tastes eg: will love sandwiches one week and hate them the next.
What have you found have worked for you and your kids or kids you know? I think the parents have a preference to "packaged" food as well. Its makes it quicker and easier for them. The child has no allergies to any types of food.

We have so far found those sugar free snake lollies in coles to work a treat.

Are there any ways you have discussed fruit or got your child to eat fruit? they arnt keen at all.
Thanks in Advance

Hi Summer,

I don't have kids that age either but I can only tell you what has worked with my nephews/niece in the past.

They always got very interested in fruit when I got them to help make "faces on plates" out of the fruit of their choice and cut apples into "stars". All that involved was cutting an apple in half crosswise instead of lengthwise (the resulting seed pattern looks like a star). Apparently it made the apple taste better ... not sure how that worked. =)

They also like fruit and veg cut up into little sticks that they can eat with hommus or some other kind of dip. It looks like fun food if you know what I mean.

Not sure if that helps.

Cheers,

Mel

How old is the little boy?

Even though not my job, ive even cut up apple etc and then got the tiniest bites before refusing to eat it.

He is 7-8.

We have had some dried mix come to school. And he munched on that for a day but hasnt ben as hungry lately, and well the chocolate biscuits that are coming arnt exactally healthy!!

We are lucky that our DD is aware of healthy food, and after her class spent the whole of last term learning about healthy food, she now asks us before every meal if it is healthy or not?

Have you seen or heard of apple slinkies? You buy a slinkie machine and it peels, cores and then slices the apple round and round like a slinkie. DD's class had one of the machines in her classroom last week and all the kids bought their own apple in for the teacher to make a slinkie for them. I know some schools get them for the tuckshop and charge a small amount of money if you bring your own apple to school (10cents) or you buy an apple from the tuckshop and then they cut/slinkie it for you.

Last term the kids had to take their own sandwich filling to school and the teacher went and bought some bread and margarine and the kids all did their own little step by step plan on how they were making their healthy sandwich, then went and made their sandwich for their lunch.

They've also done what Melbo suggested and made food faces. It was infact the artwork they each submitted for the school art show.

What about borrowing a food dryer thingy if you can, and asks the kids to bring a piece of fruit to school and go through the drying process with them and when its ready they can all have a taste of the different fruits.

Can't think of anything else at the moment??

Goodluck, hope you can find something that works.

Nic

I hope that whatever he is on medication for is not something that can be made worse by junk food. I believe that a high number of health issues (very high) are due to what we feed our body. It seems these days, our kids are suffering with so many illnesses because of the packaged and junk food they eat.
Have you thought about sushi (I know it sounds weird, but my daughter who is fussy LOVEs raw fish...). And how about yoghurt (as in SKi, and other adult varieties, with fruit). Maybe you could do home made pizza's and let him help.
And what about smoothies and juices (not always practical).
hope that helps
xoxoxo