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A possible option for parents with picky eaters to prepp for

7K views 41 replies 25 participants last post by  randolphrowzeebragg 
#1 ·
If you have very picky eaters in your family, you might consider asking your Dr about medical food for use If SHTF. Abbott makes one called EleCare which I have not tried yet. However, I am a big fan of Abbott. After I had a very rare complication from gall bladders surgery, banana PediaSure was the first thing that would stay down.

Part of reason I am an Abbott fan is that for families who have no other way to afford it and whose kids medically need it, they have a funding program. I volunteered with the cystic fibrosis foundation at one point and someone came to an event that they did and talked about that among other things
 
#2 ·
Medical necessities are one thing, but picky eaters are another.

Don't suffer picky eaters living in your home. We all have some foods we won't eat but when the number of foods someone refuses to eat exceeds a handful then self indulgence is at play. It's an indicator that selfishness pop up in other areas when stress levels increase. Your family unit will suffer if you indulge picky eaters when an emergency strikes.

I don't have any specific advice about a spouse being a picky eater because that should have been solved before getting hitched but other family, especially kids need to be broken of that behavior by any means necessary. Junior who only wants pizza needs to be told he can only have pizza on his birthday and no time else. A child should not be indulged more than 4-5 individual foods that can refused. If it's because your cooking skills suck then solve that problem.

Limited diets should be suffered because the doctor says so.
 
#4 ·
My neice is a picky eater bx they let her be
Her mom has issues with gaining weight and not wanting to be fat so thus spread that crap on my neice.

Who has tinted teeth bx lack of milk...tiny skinny bx she does karate but doesn't intake alot of calories..she literally eats chicken nuggets or ramen when they make chicken paremasan...oh but brownies and crap is ok.
She was once on pediasure bx she wasn't eating enough..she just turned seven..and now is iron dificient so must take iron pills that make her wanna vomit..
 
#7 ·
Don't suffer picky eaters living in your home
Exactly.

I don't have any specific advice about a spouse being a picky eater because that should have been solved before getting hitched
Also.....exactly. My wife started out with a long list of things she didn't want to eat. I told her that was a problem and she's worked on it ever since. Now she is pretty much down to mustard, coffee and raw tomatoes that she won't eat. I'm okay with that.

Excessive food pickyness would be a deal breaker....and that goes for my kid too.
 
#8 ·
For some kids it’s not as simple as like it or be hungry. I have had migraines for as long as I can remember and when I was very little, my family had the like it or be hungry motto and didn’t believe me that certain foods caused headaches from Hell. An aunt who lived with us actually thought I was causing the migraines on purpose like to get my way... it was awful. I still have a bit of new food phobia because of it.

So yes I agree with eat it or not if the underlying problem is discipline... just please listen to the kids if they say they think something is causing headaches or stomach aches or whatever... it’s very unlikely that your 4 yr old looked up migraine online to get out of eating something... more unlikely when I was a kid in the 80s
 
#9 ·
If It's A Medical Issue certainly I wouldn't make my kids eat it but sometimes when they eat chicken one day and next time around say they don't like it..I know they do lol usually offering a dip helps like bbq or ketchup or ranch. Yes hfcs is a issue there so go for organic or homemade. But in a,shtf scenerio eat
 
#10 ·
Sounds like a situation where rectal feeding may be necessary.
A nutrient enema may be hard to come by post shtf but I can knead some deviled ham in a Baggie to the right consistency and apply with a turkey baster.

I think after one or two sneak feelings while they're sleeping even the pickiest eater will agree to try some new foods.
It the shtf the last thing on my list of things to do will be trying to convince someone to eat their green beans
 
#11 ·
Not understanding the entire gist if the thread.

Hard work. Hungry. Eat.

-True medical dietary restrictions are rare, not exceedingly rare, just rare. A true nut butter allergy, as a simple example, may be life threatening. Also, with planning, can be avoided.

Overindulgence & pandering, however, is quite common.
 
#12 ·
I was thinking about the trouble that some people would have in getting their toddler to eat the food in MRE type packages... also about those who might have sensory issues with texture etc ( say from autism spectrum disorders) as well as kids who may be afraid of new food especially if they are afraid of it because of say migraine ( like me). With all those types of kids in mind I wanted to put forward an idea about something to possibly store to ensure they have enough calories. That was my point, sorry if it wasn’t clear... I just thought that this might be something most people would not think/ know about and that it might help a few stressing parents.
 
#13 ·
Spectrum disorders and the like, yah, folks would have to know what works and what does not. For them. Plan accordingly.

Young ones, blender, grinder and such. Age appropriate foods, again know what works and what doesn’t. What may work for some, even in the same family, may not work fir the next.

Plan accordingly. Infant mal nutrition is a very real thing, avoidable with work and care on both the parents part. Always try to nurse if and when possible, formulas should only be in the rare cases where nursing is not medically possible (again rare).

Think natural sweeteners if needs be (apples, yams etc), avoid honey under 1 year at all costs. Honey is fine for mom, no beuno for baby.

Take into account caloric and nutritional needs for mom, both pre and post partum. Equally important, especially during nursing.
 
#15 ·
Our pantry and stock is a working pantry so we store what we eat and eat what we store. ..
We've gotten into foraging more and homeschool so we learn and make it educational for my kids and they try it..for example..we recently tried dandelion tea..I think every person and situation will vary but non medical necessary supplements aren't n my stock.
 
#16 ·
My Dad was a single parent. He would offer me the food and that was the only thing I got to eat. Eventually, I learned to eat it.

I have foods I don't like, foods that cause migraines, and I am allergic to almonds. So I didn't prep any of those foods.

I have cats. They eat their food, all of it, before they get more. It works for all of us.
 
#17 ·
Sorry. None of you would have gotten me to eat XYZ when I was little or now. And I had tons of various methods applied by various relatives/family members.

Settled my grandmother by... Me :"Maynaise makes me poopy."

Grandmother : "Oh, that just because it was left out of the fridge. You can't let it get warm like it is down in Florida."
Me : "I also don't like how it tastes."

Grandmother : "It tastes wonderful. Here. This jar hasn't been opened. Try some on your sandwich."

Me : "Still tastes Horrible." And after I spent two hours pooping slime in the toilet [she had plans to take us somewhere, blew that]. She never bothered with Mayo and only slightly pushed with all the other stuff and learned to ignore me when I wouldn't eat it.

An aunt and uncle lied to me about some hot dogs being all beef. Same result -- which was probably better than the other way I deal with such -- throwing it up. And sitting on the throne was how I knew they lied to me.

I was perfectly capable of staring at a dining room wall and staying at the table until bed time [my mother's method].

Mix orange juice and milk in my belly at breakfast....no way, burping and feeling ill till evening.

A spoonful of sugar does not make tomatoes 'taste good'.

In fact, most food does not taste good to me. I eat it because the alternative is death. I don't eat lima beans. I don't eat canned peas. I will eat oatmeal uncooked dry, but not cooked. [really blew that grandparent's skull]. I do not like ketscup. I 'tolerate' sphageette sauce and prefer as little as possible. I like salt, probably because I used it to make things edible when I was little [and now]. I don't like the taste of butter against cheese in a sandwich. I do like cheeses. I hate youghret and most cottage cheeses. I despise celery but can pick around it. I don't even like the smell of coffee. Don't care for cold tea, but want water to wash the taste out of my mouth afterwards. I don't like colas [or the taste involved]. I don't like canned grapes, but do like fresh grapes. I could keep going.

In a SHTF situation, I would happily give up all the cans of peas, etc. NOT that there are ANY in my stores.

The only meal I have ever really cared about is breakfast. Lunch, a cheese sandwich, is something to cover for whatever I have done so far. Supper is OK, but I have no great desire for it much of the time. Or much of a desire for many foods others drool over.

It is just something to stick in your mouth and chew.

[p.s. as I understand it, smashing food into my mouth when I was in a high chair didn't work. I apparently was an excellent spitter.]

[p.p.s. I have cooked food I 'like' and 'prefer' since I've been an adult. That still doesn't mean I am drooling to get it.]

[p.p.p.s. well, maybe I get droolie thinking about fresh scallops, lightly breaded using wine, and sauted.]
 
#20 ·
Sorry. None of you would have gotten me to eat XYZ when I was little or now. And I had tons of various methods applied by various relatives/family members.
You haven't met me though.

My sisters would invite me over when their kids would hunker down hard.

I would bring my special bag with me.

Once the trouble started at the table I would be asked to show its contents. I would explain that unless some certain food was causing you physical trouble then you would be required to eat the rest. Skipping eating was acceptable but you got nothing later until that meal, even if it went to the fridge for holding for later, was eaten.

On the 4rd day of refusing eating I would declare a nutritional emergency and offer the kid one last chance to eat the food on the plate in the fridge. Then out came the tube, the lube, the pump, the electrical parts, and the nutrient solution. A tube would get pushed up your nose and down the throat to your stomach where I would pump at least a liter of nutrient solution in. It is safe if you know how to do it skillfully, but it is never pleasant. And I hold the credentials to wave off any nanny state SJW's who want to swoop in and "save" the child. Actually, I hope they bring a cop so I can direct him to arrest anyone attempting to stop me. It holds up in court.

But as impactful as I was making that point I do see something different about your case. You simply don't eat a lot. I have a family member like that. It's just her physiology. She just doesn't need a lot of food. She was also on the refusal of food kick for years until we laid down the law. But she wasn't required to eat more than she said she felt full with. Her plates would be well rounded without regard to her food desires but the total amount was small. No more than a bite or two of everything that the others were eating. When she goes out to eat as an adult now and orders a petite filet mignon, she takes more than half home in a doggy bag. It's her meat course for the next two days as well. But her list of refusal foods has settled on just a handful.

Some folks have special medical food issues. Some folks have health philosophies, like vegetarianism. Some folks refuse to eat reasonably intelligent creatures like cows and pigs. Every metabolism is different about caloric need. Some people are forced to suffer at the hands of a bad family cook. I can live with all of that and work with it. But I don't suffer listening to people just being selfishly picky. It's an attempt to put yourself above family budget and planning needs that leads to more demanding and selfish behavior that will throw a wrench in any family crisis planning.

So I have an enteral pump to make people comply. If I can make a 200lb vet who fell off his anti-psychotic drugs comply then a kid is easy.
 
#19 ·
My picky eater is growing out of it
He wouldn't have any condiments on his plain dry burger -bun, burger.
But he would drag a bowl of wasabi across the table and eat it straight from the bowl when he was two.
Only canned thing he will eat is fruit
He'll eat just about anything fresh.
 
#21 ·
I guess I am "hard nosed" about "picky eater" BS. So long as its not a medical issue, dental, allergy related, etc. I don't buy it.

Generally, its just spoiled kids, that want to be the center of attention at meal time.

I spend a lot of money & time in order to prepare good/big healthy nutritious meals for our large extended family. As such, they can either eat whats served, or NOT. If not, I will not take the time or go to the trouble of cooking specialized meals for one (1) individual who is "picky" about what they will or will not eat.

Funny thing about "picky" eaters. We have large get to-gathers at our BOL. During which all there are usually involved in a lot of strenuous activity, e.g., logging, cutting firewood, building things, gardening, Mtn biking, hiking, hunting/fishing, water sports, baseball / softball games, etc.

Family BOL large meals are generally done mess hall style. Everyday strenuous activity & hard work builds large appetites. After a few days of strenuous activity, the picky eaters chow down just like everybody else, on whatever is served without any complaints.
 
#23 ·
Before I had kids I used to think that I would just make them eat whatever I cook , like some here suggest. But, I have one daughter that is now 26 that I swear would only eat cereal, pancakes , chocolate milk, and certain fruit for the first 5 years of her life. She was so skinny I took her to the doctor several times because she just would not eat. I tried making her eat, by either threats or even tried bribing her, and the result was she threw up at the dinner table. No medical issues to be found. She eventually started eating more stuff, but she still has a huge list of things she will not eat. She is still super skinny but not anorexic and does exercise. Even when there is food she likes, she only eats a small amount ( compared to the rest of the family). I think our son eats more in a day than she eats in a week. So yeah, for a kid like that I would stock up on things she will eat if at all possible. People can make themselves sick if they have to eat something they don't like. I dislike seafood , especially any sort of creepy crawly things out of the ocean like shrimp or oysters. I ate a raw oyster once on a dare, and puked my guts out right after for hours. Some people can just not eat things that groces them out. I would most likely starve or kill myself before I ate something I found disgusting.
 
#30 ·
There are foods I didn't eat as a kid. But I just didn't put them on my plate and passed them on.

However, not once growing up was I allowed to dictate what was served for dinner or allowed to leave the table to find something else I liked better. Quite simply, you ate what was prepared or you waited until the next meal.

Everyone ate something at every meal because I lived on a farm and we worked so hard you were hungry enough to eat an old shoe (and we ate 5 times a day during the summer). Hunger makes you eat things you may not like the best, but are passable. We were never allowed access to the food supply to snack.

So I guess picky eaters need 8 to 12 hours of hard labor a day to fix it.
 
#32 ·
Growing up, my stepmother was such a terrible cook her oldest son used to keep a container of Old Bay Seasoning on the table and use it at every meal. It was a lot of carbs and boiled meat, horrible iceberg salads, just lettuce. I was very skinny.

When I met my husband, he started taking me out. Carbs, carbs, carbs. Food that actually tasted good! I started gaining.

Now and then my husband jokes he should "send me back" to lose some weight, but, from what I understand, they eat out 'most every meal now anyway.
 
#38 ·
I can not stand mushy vegetables. I despise mayonnaise. I don't like artichokes or eggplant. I don't like candied yams/sweet potatoes (do you REALLY need all that sugar in and all those marshmallows on top of sweet potatoes?!? Gag!).

Mushy vegetables, eggplant, and artichokes taste godawful to me. Mayo makes me want to vomit. Candied sweet potatoes make me want to vomit. I'd much rather have plain sweet potatoes with a little salt.

So, I avoid pasta and potato salads, anything with artichokes or eggplant in them, and veggies that are mushy. I also prefer plain salads (lettuce, green onion, spinach, other greens) to salads that have lots of other things in them, like tomatoes, strawberries, etc., and I prefer vinaigrette or no dressing at all to ranch, French, or any number of other salad dressings. I like tomatoes and strawberries and other things, but not in a dressed salad.

I also don't like barbecue sauce. If you barbecue or grill something and need to put sauce on it to make it taste good, you're doing it wrong, IMNSHO.

Yes, I'm picky. However, I don't let my pickiness ruin meals for other people. There is rarely a meal where NOTHING that is on offer is something I am willing to eat. If there is a salad, and it is undressed, I can eat around the ingredients I don't like. If there is barbecue, I order it dry if I'm out, and none of my friends or family sauce it before service, either, because some people like different sauces. On only one occasion per year do I encounter the main meat dish already sauced, and I just don't eat it (after having tried it several times and continuing to dislike it), and bring my own lunch that day (it's at a regional shooting match, where the paid entry also buys you lunch for that day).

If there is truly nothing I am willing to eat, I wait until later, or go get something I am willing to eat. The only time that is not possible is when I'm out in the middle of nowhere (like at a match) and have forgotten to take something with me. Unfortunately, unless I'm the one doing the cooking, at least one place I visit for several days at a time, I get no veggies, because the person doing the cooking there really seems to like to cook the snot out of veggies, and I never manage to catch her to dish some out when I think they're done before she cooks the crap out of them. So I eat a token few to be polite, wash them down with whatever else has been served, and deal.

My parents did the sit-at-the-table thing with me with several foods. The one I remember most was raw tomatoes. I could not get them down without vomiting because of the blandness and texture. It took me YEARS after I reached adulthood to even consider trying them again because of that experience. I will eat raw tomatoes, now, but still have issues with their texture, at times.
 
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