Getting a 5 YO to eat hi fiber?

[Amycvcc]

Any ideas? He is sooo picky.
Amy

[bg]

You could try cutting the items into bite size portions and sticking toothpicks onto them (finger food ideas)

You could also try putting fresh fruits with fibre into a fruit salad or ice cream or yogurt.

[sunshine]

Oatmeal cookies with raisins?

granola topping for yogurt or ice cream

whole wheat bread sandwiches?

What does "picky" mean? what will he eat, won't he eat?

[Amycvcc]

Hmm..what will he eat.. chips, mac n cheese from a box, pasta, bread. Mcdonalds...(chkn nuggets). He is only wiht us on the weekends(SO's son) but we are all trying to improve his diet due to a problem he is having wiht busted blood vessells in his bottom from lack of fiber.... Poor guy..
Amy

[sunshine]

OK -- buy OJ with the pulp, make cute faces with fruits (leave peelings in place) ie- cut apples cross wise into rounds. Place one round on plate-- add raisin eyes, radish ears, cauliflower hair, whatever his imagination dreams up--- and make sure he knows whatever he puts on the plate, he has to eat!

Buy the multigrain breads and pastas. . .

[forestdale]

Grilled cheese on wholemeal toast with baked beans on top. My kids loved this when they were five. Beans are very high in fibre and with wholemeal toast they are complete protein. Good luck.

[YankeeMom]

Here are a few recipes that came up with google:
Magic muffins
2 c. grated carrots
1 apple – grated with skin on
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 c. crushed pineapple – drained
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. shredded wheat – crushed
1/2 c. Grape Nuts cereal
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
3 eggs
2/3 c. vegetable oil
Mix together. Set aside.
1 c. sugar
2 c. fiber flour
1/4 c. rolled oats
1 T. cinnamon
2 t. baking soda
Mix together in a large bowl. Add fruit mixture and blend well. Spoon into lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes two dozen muffins.

Peanut butter crunchies
1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
1/2 c. chopped peanuts
1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. Grape Nuts cereal
1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c. chopped raisins
Blend ingredients together. Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls. Can roll balls in shredded coconut or chopped peanuts if desired. Chill. Makes about 20 balls.

Date bars
1 1/4 c. fiber flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
1 c. rolled oats
2 t. baking powder
Mix together. Set aside.
1/2 c. chopped dates
8 ounce canned pears in juice – blended
2 eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
Mix together then add to dry ingredients. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.



And a really great link:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutriti...ion/fiber.html

[Sara Noel]

Smoothies are a great way to get fiber into their diet. I can get a banana, strawberries, and blueberries easily into a smoothie for my kids. Switching to whole grain bread. Peas added to mac n cheese. Raw veggies and dip. Baked potatoes with the skin.

I started offering cherry tomatoes at snack time. I also add sunflower seeds and chick peas to our salads.

I agree...making foods more fun helps.

We make some fruits a special treat. (like kiwis and mangos)

[Kimberlina]

Could you switch the pasta from the box macaroni and cheese with whole-wheat macaroni, and just make the rest the same?
Maybe try buying fresh fruit and blending it in the blender, then pouring it into popsicle molds. My DD loves these, and I don't add any sugar unless I add yogurt- then I add just a little bit to cut the tartness. Otherwise, she won't eat them. I also used canned fruit (not sure why I even had it) once and it worked out fine. Any flavors you can think of- strawberry banana, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple banana....

My DD also loves whole wheat toast with peanut butter- I think the best way to start switching to whole wheat for someone used to white is to buy whole wheat that is similar- not a nice, crusty whole wheat, but the kind that is mass-produced. Just make sure it says WHOLE wheat and you should be okay. The texture is similar, and if it is toasted and covered with something, I would think the kid would be less likely to notice.

I think it is great that you are trying to help this little guy now. I think one of the most significant gifts we can give our children is to teach them to eat right and get exercise- it is so hard to start as we get older.

[Amycvcc]

Some great ideas. I like the muffin recipes. I will give those a try. If he won't eat them.. I will. I also liek the smoothie idea. And adding veggies to his mac n cheese. His nonna asked me about buying some wheat mac n cheese because she knows I shop at the health food store sometimes. Maybe he will like it. He does like apples sometimes if he has caramel to dip them in...(mcdonalds)
Anybody havea good idea for adding fiber to homemade chicken nuggets without it tasting "healthY"?
Thanks again for the great ideas.
Amy

[pip]

My kids like peanut butter and raisins on celery (ants on a log) and those orange essence plums. You can buy the plums in the grocery store by the dried fruit and raisins. I also would give them the baby food juice that is a mixture of prune and apple juice, it's very mild. Maybe frozen grapes?

[YankeeMom]

Originally posted by Amycvcc

Anybody havea good idea for adding fiber to homemade chicken nuggets without it tasting "healthY"?
Thanks again for the great ideas.
Amy

Could you maybe use crushed grape nuts or whole wheat flour, or maybe oat bran (not sure how that would turn out) instead of white bread crumbs or white flour for the breading?

[Amycvcc]

I amy try the grapenuts. It just might work...As I said before..If noone else eats it I will..I am not nearly as picky as everyone else around here seems to be!
Amy