My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the moment
her diet consists of:
Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
Yoghurt (only froobes)
apples
bananas
crisps
chocolate
sweets
And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the food
look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other foods she
likes, everything.
We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
tackle the problem.
Any ideas?

On 30 May 2006 16:12:16 -0700, "
> wrote:

>My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
>that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the moment
>her diet consists of:
>Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
>Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
>Yoghurt (only froobes)
>apples
>bananas
>crisps
>chocolate
>sweets
>And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
>away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the food
>look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other foods she
>likes, everything.
>We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
>dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
>tackle the problem.
>Any ideas?
Yes, you are the adult she is the child. Take charge.

wrote:
> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important [snip]

> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
> tackle the problem.
> Any ideas?

Diabetes is serious; I think you're right to be concerned. I thought
diabetics were supposed to control their intake of simple
carbohydrates. You have beans, white bread, crisps, fruit, chocolate
and sweets on your list. Can't you get a list of preferred foods from
the doctor and then use that to guide what you feed her? How is a six
year-old supposed to know what is good for her? -aem

"aem" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> wrote:
>> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
>> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important [snip]
>
>> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
>> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
>> tackle the problem.
>> Any ideas?
>
> Diabetes is serious; I think you're right to be concerned. I thought
> diabetics were supposed to control their intake of simple
> carbohydrates. You have beans, white bread, crisps, fruit, chocolate
> and sweets on your list. Can't you get a list of preferred foods from
> the doctor and then use that to guide what you feed her? How is a six
> year-old supposed to know what is good for her? -aem
>

Beans are good diabetic food. They have a lot of protein, and although they
are listed in the carbohydrate food group, their carbohydrates are complex
rather than simple starches or sugars, so they have a low glycemic index
(meaning that they raise the blood sugar levels slowly and do not raise them
as high as an equal number of calories of simple starch or sugar.) Also,
beans are very high in fiber. Fiber in the diet of a diabetic is VERY
important. Fruits are okay in moderation for diabetics as well. Although the
fructose in fruit is a simple sugar, most fruits do provide a lot of that
all-important fiber.

--Rich

In article .com>,
" >
wrote:

> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the moment
> her diet consists of:
> Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
> Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
> Yoghurt (only froobes)
> apples
> bananas
> crisps
> chocolate
> sweets
> And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
> away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the food
> look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other foods she
> likes, everything.
> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
> tackle the problem.
> Any ideas?

See if she can tour a local pathology laboratory after they have done a
leg amputation from an older diabetic. Let her watch them dissect it.

It's not uncommon for uncontrolled diabetics to lose limbs later in
life, have kidney failure, and go blind.

Maybe it would get the point across...

Or google for similar graphic pictures.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> In article .com>,
> " >
> wrote:
>
>> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
>> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the
>> moment her diet consists of:
>> Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
>> Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
>> Yoghurt (only froobes)
>> apples
>> bananas
>> crisps
>> chocolate
>> sweets
>> And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
>> away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the
>> food look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other
>> foods she likes, everything.
>> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
>> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
>> tackle the problem.
>> Any ideas?
>
> See if she can tour a local pathology laboratory after they have done
> a leg amputation from an older diabetic. Let her watch them dissect
> it.
>
> It's not uncommon for uncontrolled diabetics to lose limbs later in
> life, have kidney failure, and go blind.
>
> Maybe it would get the point across...
>
> Or google for similar graphic pictures.

That's a tad complicated, not to mention scary, for a 6 year old. I
remember having my tonsils out when I was six and the girl in the next bed
and been bitten by a German Shephard from the top of her head to under her
jaw. She cried all night; she was in such pain. I don't think I'd consider
taking a child into a pathology lab or showing her photos. I *would*
suggest to the parents, the child isn't the one in charge of the meal or of
managing her health condition. Time to set down some limits and make sure
she eats what the doctor and/or nutritionist recommends, not crisps and
chocolate.

Jill

wrote:
> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the moment
> her diet consists of:
> Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
> Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
> Yoghurt (only froobes)
> apples
> bananas
> crisps
> chocolate
> sweets
> And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
> away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the food
> look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other foods she
> likes, everything.
> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
> tackle the problem.
> Any ideas?

Don't cater to her whims. Sooner or later, she will eat what is
served. The mistake you made was coddling her in the first place.

-L.

On 30 May 2006 16:12:16 -0700, "
> wrote:

>My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
>that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important.

Since she is a diabetic, I would
a) Get the doctor to give her a good talking to - why she must eat
this and that food etc.
b) Use the strict way: You eat this (or a choise of "this" or "that"),
or you don't eat till next meal (*don't* get soft and give her "just a
little bit" of what she wants, it'll cancel the whole thing). After a
few days that'll be it. It won't be easy for you, but keep in mind
it's really important for her.

Note: I had the same kind of problem with my then 1.5 yo son, and I
didn't take the strict way (I took way Nr 2 explained hereafter)
because he has no health problem and also because he was so young I
couldn't even argue with him, but the pedriatrician I consulted told
me that in essence, when you have that kind of problem, there are 3
ways, and either works well, on the only condition that parents use
one and only one (and don't go to and fro from being strict to being
lax):
1) The strict way I explained
2) Total laxism (the child gets what he wants, the parents abandon all
table war and stop remarking on what the child eat/doesn't eat etc.)
3) Leaving an assortment of food at the child's disposal and letting
him/her eat from that when he/she wants.

Nathalie in Switzerland

The Herd wrote:
> On 30 May 2006 16:12:16 -0700, "
> > wrote:
>
>> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
>> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the moment
>> her diet consists of:
>> Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
>> Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
>> Yoghurt (only froobes)
>> apples
>> bananas
>> crisps
>> chocolate
>> sweets
>> And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
>> away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the food
>> look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other foods she
>> likes, everything.
>> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
>> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
>> tackle the problem.
>> Any ideas?
> Yes, you are the adult she is the child. Take charge.
>

That works in most situations - put what they can have in front of them
and if they don't eat it they go without, eventually they come around.
In the situation of a diabetic child however wouldn't it be dangerous to
let her go without food? I don't know that it's more dangerous than
eating candy but...

One thing I wonder - how long have you known she was diabetic and how
else has it effected her (does she do insulin shots and test her blood
sugar?) Perhaps controlling her food is her way of feeling in control
of this situation - kids often use food as a way to control their life.
As for the answer - I would talk to her Dr. She can't be the only kid
to have gone through this and had the problem...

Roberta (in VA)

You're asking 2 different questions: the one about a fussy child and
the one about the right diet for a diabetic. I'm qualified to answer
the one about fussy eaters: Have only healthy, nutritious food in the
house, no junk or non-nutritious food anywhere. She's only 6 so she
should have no access to anything that's not healthy anywhere else.
(She can't exactly drive down to the local outlet of the chocolate
factory for a 7 course feast consisting of candy.) Present
well-prepared, delicious, healthful, nutritious meals and snacks with no
emotional investment. It's just food that you and everyone in the
family has the option of eating or not eating. If she doesn't care for
what's offered, insist on good manners in the form of saying no
thank-you. That's it. If she doesn't feel like eating what's offered,
all she has to do is say "no thank-you," not eat it, sit politely at
meal time and see if she likes what's offered at the next meal better.
For your part, you take no particular notice of what she eats or
doesn't, no yelling, no begging, no rewards, no lying, just offer the
food as you would to any guest and stop thinking about it. (Remember,
it isn't a matter of having to eat dinner or not getting dessert.
Dessert isn't even in the house. No one is eating it.)


That's the advice for non-diabetic fussy eaters. Check with her doctor
on whether it is O.K. for her to skip meals. I'm guessing it isn't.
The rest of my advice is sure to be contraversial, and I'm not sure of
this, but I'd say to go ahead and follow the above advice even if it
promises to land her in the hospital if she doesn't eat. That way,
you're sending the message that she's responsible for her ultimate good
health and well-being. It would only take once, and the power struggle
would be over.


--Lia


wrote:
> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the moment
> her diet consists of:
> Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
> Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
> Yoghurt (only froobes)
> apples
> bananas
> crisps
> chocolate
> sweets
> And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
> away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the food
> look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other foods she
> likes, everything.
> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
> tackle the problem.
> Any ideas?
>

you ALL need to sit down with the doctor and discuss the problem.

you are giving that child ALL the wrong foods................juvenile
diabetes IS something to be scared of, and her WAY OF EATING can make all
the difference.




--



> wrote in message
oups.com...
> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the moment
> her diet consists of:
> Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
> Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
> Yoghurt (only froobes)
> apples
> bananas
> crisps
> chocolate
> sweets
> And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
> away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the food
> look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other foods she
> likes, everything.
> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
> tackle the problem.
> Any ideas?
>

Julia Altshuler wrote:

>
> That's the advice for non-diabetic fussy eaters. Check with her doctor
> on whether it is O.K. for her to skip meals. I'm guessing it isn't.
> The rest of my advice is sure to be contraversial, and I'm not sure of
> this, but I'd say to go ahead and follow the above advice even if it
> promises to land her in the hospital if she doesn't eat. That way,
> you're sending the message that she's responsible for her ultimate good
> health and well-being. It would only take once, and the power struggle
> would be over.

Yeah, put her into insulin shock, that'll teach her!

Gabby

Gabby wrote:
> Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
>> That's the advice for non-diabetic fussy eaters. Check with her doctor
>> on whether it is O.K. for her to skip meals. I'm guessing it isn't.
>> The rest of my advice is sure to be contraversial, and I'm not sure of
>> this, but I'd say to go ahead and follow the above advice even if it
>> promises to land her in the hospital if she doesn't eat. That way,
>> you're sending the message that she's responsible for her ultimate good
>> health and well-being. It would only take once, and the power struggle
>> would be over.
>
> Yeah, put her into insulin shock, that'll teach her!
>
> Gabby
>

I don't have diabetes so I don't know and am asking this question
honestly...what will happen if she eats all the wrong foods? Won't she
get sick that way as well?

Roberta (in VA)

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote in message
...
> In article .com>,
> " >
> wrote:
>
>> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
>> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the moment
>> her diet consists of:
>> Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
>> Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
>> Yoghurt (only froobes)
>> apples
>> bananas
>> crisps
>> chocolate
>> sweets
>> And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
>> away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the food
>> look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other foods she
>> likes, everything.
>> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
>> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
>> tackle the problem.
>> Any ideas?
>
> See if she can tour a local pathology laboratory after they have done a
> leg amputation from an older diabetic. Let her watch them dissect it.
>
> It's not uncommon for uncontrolled diabetics to lose limbs later in
> life, have kidney failure, and go blind.
>
> Maybe it would get the point across...
>
> Or google for similar graphic pictures.
> --
> Peace!
> Om

Please don't take this the wrong way, but...did you miss the part where she is 6? Her
parents are being irresponsible allowing her to have this diet if she is a healthy
child. Being a diabetic, they are being down right abusive. This diet is a killer.
Literally. Traumatizing her isn't the answer. But perhaps the parents need to look at
the images that you mentioned. Maybe seeing what they are doing to their child will
wake them up and force them to take some control.

kimberly

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> My 6yr old daughter is a really fussy eater, it is worthy of mention
> that she is diabetic, so her diet is extremely important. At the moment
> her diet consists of:
> Baked beand on toast (maybe with suasages)
> Cheese sandwhichs (white bread, only one variety of cheese)
> Yoghurt (only froobes)
> apples
> bananas
> crisps
> chocolate
> sweets
> And thats about it, we have tryed being patient and hoping it will go
> away, enticement/reward, progress charts,lying,shouting,making the food
> look fun, helping to prepare meals, hiding food amongst other foods she
> likes, everything.
> We are extremely worried that her lack of a balanced diet and general
> dislike of food is detrimental to her health and have no idea how to
> tackle the problem.
> Any ideas?
>
Assuming you're asking this seriously, I will give you an honest, no-holds barred
answer. This diet is dangerous to a diabetic. You must know this. You need to realize
that YOU are the parent. This is a 6 yr old we are talking about. Stop providing
foods that are detrimental to her health. White bread, crisps, sweets, bananas. Stop
buying them. Prepare the foods she is supposed to eat and offer them. Keep high fiber
fruits and veggies available to her. Kids are not born with a taste for crisps. It is
developed after it's been offered by the parents. I'm not trying to come down on you
out of any malicious intent, but you seriously need to seek professional help with
her diet and get a grip on this problem NOW.

Buy groceries that are suited to her disease. No more white bread. (There is a whole
wheat bread that looks white, and is soft like white, yet has more fiber, and is
therefore less likely to cause spiking, particularly when combines with additional
fiber (fruits or veggies) and protein. )

Bananas may seem like a good idea, but they are notorious for causing high spikes in
BG levels. When you give her an apple, try including a tablespoon or two of peanut
butter. The fat in the pb and the fiber in the apple will keep the sugars from
causing much of a BG raise. The beans are good, as long as you're not buying premade
baked beans that include high fructose corn syrup. They're almost pure starch/sugar.

Make sweets that are healthy for her. Buy Splenda and experiment. Make her treats
based on something other than processed flour and sugar and avoid anything that lists
high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. HFCS raises blood sugar more than other
sweeteners, including plain sugar. When you do use sugar, do it in small amounts, and
use unprocessed cane sugar. Evaporated cane juice is a good option. Use nut flours
and process oats into a flour consistency.


Seek out a nutritionist. Find out how long she can avoid eating and be safe. A child
her age is not likely to go hungry very long anyway. Keep an eye on her levels. You
are going to have to be much more pro-active than worrying. The time for worrying is
done; you need to ACT.

Good luck.

kimberly

Roberta wrote:
> Gabby wrote:
> > Julia Altshuler wrote:
> >
> >> That's the advice for non-diabetic fussy eaters. Check with her doctor
> >> on whether it is O.K. for her to skip meals. I'm guessing it isn't.
> >> The rest of my advice is sure to be contraversial, and I'm not sure of
> >> this, but I'd say to go ahead and follow the above advice even if it
> >> promises to land her in the hospital if she doesn't eat. That way,
> >> you're sending the message that she's responsible for her ultimate good
> >> health and well-being. It would only take once, and the power struggle
> >> would be over.
> >
> > Yeah, put her into insulin shock, that'll teach her!
> >
> > Gabby
> >
>
> I don't have diabetes so I don't know and am asking this question
> honestly...what will happen if she eats all the wrong foods? Won't she
> get sick that way as well?

The challenge is to keep her carb intake on the low side to keep her
blood sugars down. With what she listed, it would be difficult, but
not impossible to accomplish. But if the kid eats cheese sandwiches,
yogurt, apples & bananas, and baked beans you can still make her a
healthy meal. I'm just thinking that it's a very boring diet.

Gabby

"Roberta" > wrote in message news:zJifg.2450
> I don't have diabetes so I don't know and am asking this question honestly...what
> will happen if she eats all the wrong foods? Won't she get sick that way as well?
>
> Roberta (in VA)

Absolutely. The wrong foods can do more damage in some ways.

kimberly

"Julia Altshuler" > wrote in message
...
> You're asking 2 different questions: the one about a fussy child and the one about
> the right diet for a diabetic. I'm qualified to answer the one about fussy eaters:
> Have only healthy, nutritious food in the house, no junk or non-nutritious food
> anywhere. She's only 6 so she should have no access to anything that's not healthy
> anywhere else. (She can't exactly drive down to the local outlet of the chocolate
> factory for a 7 course feast consisting of candy.) Present well-prepared,
> delicious, healthful, nutritious meals and snacks with no emotional investment.
> It's just food that you and everyone in the family has the option of eating or not
> eating. If she doesn't care for what's offered, insist on good manners in the form
> of saying no thank-you. That's it. If she doesn't feel like eating what's
> offered, all she has to do is say "no thank-you," not eat it, sit politely at meal
> time and see if she likes what's offered at the next meal better. For your part,
> you take no particular notice of what she eats or doesn't, no yelling, no begging,
> no rewards, no lying, just offer the food as you would to any guest and stop
> thinking about it. (Remember, it isn't a matter of having to eat dinner or not
> getting dessert. Dessert isn't even in the house. No one is eating it.)
>
>
> That's the advice for non-diabetic fussy eaters. Check with her doctor on whether
> it is O.K. for her to skip meals. I'm guessing it isn't. The rest of my advice is
> sure to be contraversial, and I'm not sure of this, but I'd say to go ahead and
> follow the above advice even if it promises to land her in the hospital if she
> doesn't eat. That way, you're sending the message that she's responsible for her
> ultimate good health and well-being. It would only take once, and the power
> struggle would be over.
>
>
> --Lia
>

Lia,

The problem with that last part is that it may not be just a hospital trip. Not
everyone who has a severe bout of hypoglycemia recovers. It would be better to find
out how long she can go without eating and still be relatively safe. Then make sure
to have juice on hand to keep her levels high enough to avoid insulin shock and make
her drink it. Continue to offer the foods that she can safely eat. The odds of a
child that age going hungry for too long is pretty slim.

kimberly

Nexis wrote:

> The problem with that last part is that it may not be just a hospital trip. Not
> everyone who has a severe bout of hypoglycemia recovers. It would be better to find
> out how long she can go without eating and still be relatively safe. Then make sure
> to have juice on hand to keep her levels high enough to avoid insulin shock and make
> her drink it. Continue to offer the foods that she can safely eat. The odds of a
> child that age going hungry for too long is pretty slim.


You expressed what I was trying to say better than I did. I still admit
that I don't know anything about the medical side of diabetes. My idea
was first to check with the doctor to see if the plan was safe, then
offer healthful, nutritious food with an eat-it-or-not attitude. I
should have included something about making sure that something is
offered that she normally doesn't mind eating. We agree that a 6 year
old isn't likely to refuse all food for long, and that's what I was
trying to convey with the idea of the parents sticking to their guns
even if a hospital trip was involved-- not withholding food until the
kid dies. (I forget that there are people out there in usenet land who
don't know me. I don't always express myself well. I'm never in favor
of killing kids.)


--Lia

"Gabby" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Roberta wrote:
>> Gabby wrote:
>> > Julia Altshuler wrote:
>> >
>> >> That's the advice for non-diabetic fussy eaters. Check with her doctor
>> >> on whether it is O.K. for her to skip meals. I'm guessing it isn't.
>> >> The rest of my advice is sure to be contraversial, and I'm not sure of
>> >> this, but I'd say to go ahead and follow the above advice even if it
>> >> promises to land her in the hospital if she doesn't eat. That way,
>> >> you're sending the message that she's responsible for her ultimate good
>> >> health and well-being. It would only take once, and the power struggle
>> >> would be over.
>> >
>> > Yeah, put her into insulin shock, that'll teach her!
>> >
>> > Gabby
>> >
>>
>> I don't have diabetes so I don't know and am asking this question
>> honestly...what will happen if she eats all the wrong foods? Won't she
>> get sick that way as well?
>
> The challenge is to keep her carb intake on the low side to keep her
> blood sugars down. With what she listed, it would be difficult, but
> not impossible to accomplish. But if the kid eats cheese sandwiches,
> yogurt, apples & bananas, and baked beans you can still make her a
> healthy meal. I'm just thinking that it's a very boring diet.
>
> Gabby
>

A couple things. First, it isn't carbs alone that control your blood sugars. The old
way of thinking was to cut out all carbs, which is not necessary nor is it
particularly helpful in the long range. And what's healthy for someone else is NOT
healthy for her. Bananas are not healthy for diabetics. White bread is not a good
choice either. And I doubt the yogurt is unsweetened. The child needs more variety in
order to be healthy. Yes you can make a meal or two from those options, but
definitely NOT a way of eating that will be healthy in the long term.

Maintaining consistent blood sugars while providing the nutrients essential to life
is the key to avoiding the nasty complications of diabetes, and you cannot do that
with as limited a selection of foods as what the OP listed.

kimberly