Ms. Mary Silva
Specializing in feeding and nutrition.
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 Ask Mary Silva
Preschooler Who Only Wants to Eat Fruits and Veggies | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Ms. Silva,
My granddaughter is a very thin 3-year-old who doesn't want to eat much of anything. She prefers fruits and vegetables and rarely eats any meat. She likes cheese and yogurt but only takes four or five bites of anything and then refuses to eat any more. She's full of energy and runs off the very little she eats. I'm her granny, and I'm getting a little worried.— Concerned Granny in Virginia | | | ANSWER |
March 8, 2001 | | | Dear Concerned Granny,
Although your granddaughter appears thin, she may actually be growing at an acceptable rate. Her healthcare provider would be able to ascertain this by looking at her growth chart and observing whether or not she's gaining weight and growing along the pattern she has established throughout her lifetime.
Some things you can do to improve her diet, while still letting her have the foods she enjoys, include giving her the meat and starch portion of a meal first, then the vegetables. You might also put cheese sauce over the vegetables or meats. You also can use cheese in cooking dishes like macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, or cheese omelettes. Giving fruit after a meal as a dessert instead of a snack also can be helpful in filling her with foods containing more calories than the low calorie fruit.
Oftentimes children eat less because they are drinking an excess of juice or other sweet beverages. If this is the case, you might try limiting juice to eight ounces a day and avoiding other sweet drinks like punch, lemonade, or soda.
— by Mary Silva, M.S., R.D. |
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