My baby only eats sweet foods

My Baby Will Only Eat Sweet Foods

We received two separate e-mails this week from Mums whose little ones seem to have developed a sweet tooth already!

Connor only seems to like certain fruits

Mum Beverley told us…

and he’ll eat sweet potato for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But that’s all – if I try to offer him anything else, he either grimaces, gags or won’t open his mouth at all.

Well, Beverley, this is actually a very common problem – and it’s not surprising when you consider that infant milk (breast milk in particular) has a very sweet taste. If milk has been your little one’s sole source of nutrition for much of his first 6 months, then a little resistance to an entirely new flavour is natural!

That being said, we DO recommend trying to nip this in the bud as early as possible. Tempting though it may be to keep your baby happy by indulging his sweet tooth, in the long term it may limit the range of nutrients he receives and lead to very picky eating later on.

In our experience, the best way to get around a preference for sweet foods is to serve savoury ones in disguise!

Say, for instance, your baby has a passion for sweet potatoes but will steadfastly refuse to eat zucchini (courgette). Then try serving a meal of sweet potato, with just half a teaspoon of zucchini stirred in. Continue to serve this combination for a couple of days, then increase the quantity of zucchini to 1 teaspoon. Over the next few days, continue to increase the amount of zucchini you are adding to the dish, until it becomes the dominant flavour. Eventually, you should be able to serve it separately to the sweet potato!

Of course, we are using zucchini as an example and you can apply this technique of combining sweet and savoury flavours to any foods that your baby either enjoys of refuses.

Don’t always assume that a grimace means your baby doesn’t like a certain food!

Anxious to please their babies, some parents are quick to withdraw a particular food, convinced that a grimace means that their little one does not like the flavour. However, babies expressions at mealtimes are not always reliable indicators of their opinions – they may pull a face more in surprise at a new flavour than in displeasure! It may also take several attempts to get your baby to try – and appreciate – a new taste… so don’t give up too quickly and assume that your little one will only eat sweet potato!

Veggie recipes to tempt your baby

Take a look at some of our vegetable recipe pages – we have lots of ideas and delicious combinations to help your baby enjoy a range of flavours…

Pumpkin

Swede (rutabaga)

Bell peppers

Lentils

Butternut squash

Sweet potato

Vegetarian recipes (6 mths+)

Vegetarian recipes (10 mths+)

Don’t forget to leave a comment and share YOUR tips for helping a sweet-toothed baby appreciate a wider range of flavours!

My Baby LOVES Sweet Potato

We received a message over the weekend from Kristen in Scotland, UK, who’s becoming a little frustrated with her son’s love of sweet potato – to the exclusion of ALL else.

Michael will only eat sweet potatoes – he closes his mouth and turns his head away from just about everything else.

We’ve tried other vegetables and fruits but we’re not getting anywhere.

My Health Visitor told me he needs to be eating more than just sweet potatoes – he’s 8 months. But she didn’t tell me how to make him do it! Help!

This isn’t the first time we’ve received a message from a parent in a situation like this. Whilst the favoured food may vary (although it always tend to be sweet – go figure!), the problem is the same.

Baby just want to eat the SAME thing for every meal.

So is it bad for baby to eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Well, if the food is a sweet one, you obviously want to break that addiction to sweeter tastes and foster an appetite for savoury flavours too.

You also want to offer your child a far broader spectrum of nutrients than can be offered by one specific food, however healthy that particular food might be.

Every single fruit, vegetable, type of meat etc offers its own unique benefits to baby, so including as many different nutritious foods in his diet as possible is important.

And if THAT wasn’t reason enough to offer a broad range of foods, there’s also the issue of texture to consider.

Whilst you can produce some degree of textural difference with only one type of food (pureed sweet potato, for example, as opposed to roasted cubes), the difference doesn’t compare to the contrast between – say – sweet potato and a piece of meat!

So what can you do if your baby only wants to eat one type of food?

Ensure that you buy the organic version of that particular food. This is because non-organically produced fruits and vegetables may contain pesticide residues – in some cases, even after washing and peeling (more info about this here). If your baby eats the same non-organic produce on a daily basis, then the constant exposure to the same pesticide residue could be harmful.

Refuse to wholly give in to your baby’s demands! Of course, you don’t want to feel like you’re starving him – so give him just a little of that ‘favourite food’, alongside something else. Once the favourite food is eaten up, that’s it until the next meal. By the next meal, his appetite may be a little sharper (owing to the fact that the previous meal was rather small!). Start this in the morning and you may see results that evening!

Speaking of mornings, breakfast times are the BEST times to introduce new flavours. Baby tends to be brighter, cheerier and hungrier than at any other time of the day… and subsequently more likely to try new foods.

Eat WITH your baby – preferably with him on your lap – and put lots of healthy foods that baby usually refuses on YOUR plate. Eat them with lots of obvious/noisy enthusiasm – but don’t offer any to your baby! If he thinks he’s missing out – and he’s on your lap – he may just help himself from your plate, in order to try for himself this food you’re so excited about! It’s also useful to have his little friends come eat with you one day – when he sees THEM eating other foods, he might be more willing to try them too!

Mix your baby’s favourite food with foods he doesn’t like. So in Michael’s case, his mummy could serve the sweet potato with a little broccoli puree stirred in. At each meal, however, she could reduce the amount of sweet potato added, until Michael is eating the broccoli puree by itself. Sneaky, but effective!

Remember that the WAY you cook something affects its flavour. If your baby refuses pureed turnip, for example, then try roasting it instead of steaming it – it tastes completely different. Try getting a little more creative with the foods your baby has already refused.

Try again with the foods that you think your baby doesn’t like. His taste buds are changing and developing all the time.

Offer finger foods! We can’t stress this enough! MANY parents have witnessed amazing changes in their babies when they’ve allowed them to feed themselves. Some babies just like to be in control – be proud of your independent little diner!

Be as patient as you can. Getting cross with your baby creates a vicious circle, where he’ll seem to oppose you even more. Remove foods your baby won’t eat without comment, praise him excessively when he DOES try a new food and accept the fact that there are some foods your baby just won’t like, no matter how creatively you prepare them! Gentle persistence will pay off in the end!

Please do add a comment and share YOUR advice if you’ve ever faced – and overcome – this problem!

By Author Christine

Posted on Last updated: November 19, 2018

Categories Nutrition

Tags feeding problems

The child eats nothing but sweets. What to do?

Ekaterina Ushakhina

The child gorges himself on biscuits, and prefers beautifully packaged sweets to usual food. Each trip to the store ends with the purchase of another kinder surprise or chocolate bar. The baby's appetite is getting worse. This situation is familiar to many parents. They are trying to do something to make the child stop loving sweets so much, but nothing comes of it. What to do?

Maria Kardakova, nutritionist and mother, in her book First Soup, Then Dessert, tells how to overcome an irrepressible love for sweets.

All parents will benefit from these tips.

Stop buying sweets

First of all, to solve the problem with sweets: parents need to learn not to buy them.

Sugar is not only the usual white sand, but also syrups, honey, fructose, nectars, sweeteners. If the amount of added sugar does not exceed 5-10% of the energy received from all the food eaten by the child per day, there is no cause for concern.

Serious problems (including dental problems in children and adults) can result from the systematic excessive consumption of foods containing added sugar. We do not include added sugar that is naturally found in dairy products, vegetables, fruits - it is an important component of a healthy diet.

According to the National Nutrition Survey, on average, children eat two to three times the amount of added sugar recommended by WHO.

According to European standards, information about the content of added sugar in the product must be indicated on the packaging. In Russia, controlling the amount of added sugar is a little more difficult: few manufacturers provide this data on the label. However, the presence of sugar in baby food, in any quantity and under any name, should definitely alert you.

Do not use dessert as a reward

Children are often rewarded with sweets for good behavior, for homework done. Sweetness can calm the saddest baby in the world! But especially often sweet becomes a reward for the main course eaten. It is this approach that leads to the fact that the child begins to divide food into tasty and tasteless, useful and harmful, which should be avoided.

Never use sweets as a reward. Source

How to reduce sugar cravings

Start gradually reducing your sugar intake throughout the day. We usually think that sugar is that white sand that is added to tea and cereals. In the usual sense, sweets are chocolate, cakes, sweets and other confectionery.

However, in modern gastronomy, sugar is also found in unsweetened foods: sauces, bread, dairy products, semi-finished products, sausages and juices. Read the labels of all foods your child eats. Check your favorite muesli, fruit yogurt, ketchup and sauces, "low-calorie" and "baby" cookies for sugar content. Try to find less sweet analogues for them or remove them from the diet altogether.

A good idea is not to ban sweets "once and for all", but to stop buying bags of sweets for future use, to keep them "secret" from children on the top shelves.

Table from the book

Make sweets yourself

Sweets can and should be prepared by yourself, preferably with children. You can partially use whole grain flour, include dates and fruits as sweeteners. Healthy homemade cakes are always in place. Make sure that the child's menu is complete. Improve your daily diet by including more vegetables and slow carbohydrates (the main sources of glucose).

Homemade sweets are much healthier. Source

Sugar stimulates the release of dopamine (the hormone of pleasure), which is why we get used to sweets so easily. But dopamine production is also facilitated by a variety of taste sensations, textures, smells, and even anticipation of a meal. So do not be afraid to experiment, try new healthy foods, look for healthy recipes with your child, go to cafes and restaurants that you have not visited before in search of new food combinations.

No to stress, yes to fun!

Children with the help of sweets often seize stress (which can appear for various reasons, including if the baby is hurt or offended several times during the day). In this case, you need to find out what exactly upset him and help him solve the problem.

Keep your child active. Walking and physical activity will help reduce stress levels and distract the child from sweet food.

Quite often children are drawn to sweets simply because they are bored.

Teach your child to keep himself busy! When we are bored, the brain seeks to get information for processing by any means. To load it, for example, processing stomach signals or watching TV, requires a minimum of effort. The brain is busy, but at the same time it does not need to decide anything, and the body does not need to strain: the refrigerator is open, the shelves are examined, and the coveted pack with sweet or salty contents is already rustling in small hands.

See to it that the child is always busy with something and does not try to overcome boredom with the help of sweets. Source

Children who do not know how to regulate their desires and their schedule, much faster than adults, put their brains on such pseudo-employment as constantly chewing food.

But you can stimulate the child's nervous system in a gentler way. Instead of dessert, offer your child an interesting activity. Play a board game with the whole family, build a house out of blankets, or spend a "sofa night" with hugs.

A little is possible

There is no need to completely eliminate sugar from the children's diet. You can cook sweet dishes with your children or, for example, buy an interesting, high-quality dessert you like in a cafe, on a walk, in the park (not regularly, but on occasion). It is not necessary to take an extra box with you, even if the dessert turned out to be especially tasty.

You can eat sweets when you really want it, when everyone has chosen the right moment for this and shared the joy of spending time together!

It is not worth banning sweets altogether. Retrieved

Children who have a relaxed relationship with sweets can easily skip dessert if they don't like it or the portion is too big. It's great when a child is able to understand when he wants sweets, and when he just wants to eat.

How quickly can you overcome your cravings for sweets? It is impossible to give exact dates, and each child is individual. However, using the right tactics and allocating enough time for activities with the child, cooking and joint leisure, after 1-2 weeks you will notice that the baby has fewer obsessive thoughts about sweets.

Based on the book First Soup, Then Dessert.

Article cover: pexels.com

why this happens, causes, consequences, what to do at home

Chocolate as a reward, a lot of sweets on holidays or a bun as a snack - this is often the fault of most parents. Why does a child eat a lot of sweets, is it necessary to forbid him, how much sugar is considered normal? We answer these and other burning questions together with an expert.

How many sweets can be eaten by children of different ages

Children under three years of age are not recommended to give sweets at all, since it is still difficult for the baby's body to digest them. Sweets include not only sweets, cakes or pastries, but also other sweeteners - honey, molasses, fructose and others. The following amount of sugar per day is considered safe:

3-6 years	20 g
7-11 years	24 g
11-18 years old	30 g

Bear in mind that fruits and tea with sugar 一 are just as sweet. Therefore, adhering to the norm of 25 grams (2-3 sweets), you need to remove sugar from cereals or reduce the amount of muffin in the diet (1).

Reasons why a child eats a lot of sweets

A small amount of sugar in a child's diet is considered normal. However, the abuse of sweets is highly undesirable. There are several reasons why a child eats a lot of sweets.

A small child

In this case, the body does not have enough nutrients and energy for an active lifestyle. Normally, they come with food, but it is not always possible for children to sit down and feed normally. After all, it is much easier to have a snack with cookies or chocolate. Sweet gives a quick burst of energy and a feeling of fullness, but it has a negative effect on the body as a whole. Therefore, it is recommended to exclude such snacks and accustom the child to proper and timely nutrition.

Photo: pixabay.com

Unbalanced diet

Most often this happens if the child's menu is low in complex carbohydrates (2). The best solution here is to add cereals to the diet, because they contain the necessary complex carbohydrates. In addition, they practically do not increase blood sugar levels, are rich in vitamins and trace elements, and provide a feeling of satiety for a long time. Therefore, porridge for breakfast is an excellent and safe source of energy for the body.

Flavor enhancers in sweet foods

Excitatory effect on the central nervous system and cause chemical dependence. Such additives are put in most confectionery products, "planting" a person on them. The child's body is less resistant to any addiction, so parents should control the quantity and quality of the child's use of sweets. Better yet, replace various sweets with dried fruits or prepare desserts yourself.

Consequences of refusal of normal food

It should be understood that the abuse of sweets can lead to a number of pathologies.

Caries. It has been proven that sucrose directly affects the occurrence of this disease (3).
Obesity. Dangerous changes in the work of the central nervous and cardiovascular systems, affects the psyche of the child, reducing his self-esteem.
Diabetes mellitus. With the development of the disease, the child's well-being worsens, appetite greatly increases, weight is lost sharply, constant thirst and bad breath appear.

You can prevent the occurrence of these diseases by adhering to proper nutrition and limiting the amount of sugar to the recommended values.

Photo: pixabay.com

Nutritionist and nutrition expert Olga Matveeva adds:

— The consequences of refusing normal food, especially with a bias towards sweets, can be very sad. These are diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis), kidney and liver diseases, and even mental disorders. Therefore, the question should be corrected not only by a nutritionist, but also by a psychologist, and he should work with parents too. Until the age of 7, a child is completely dependent on how correctly his closest person behaves in relation to food.

How to stabilize a child's appetite

The process of stabilizing a child's appetite is not always easy or quick. Especially if the diet is broken for a long time. But, with some effort, you can achieve your goal.

Stimulate appetite

It is recommended to increase the child's physical activity so that he starts feeling hungry more quickly. Walking in the fresh air or playing sports always has a positive effect on appetite. Equally important is the presentation of the food. You can decorate food with various figures carved from vegetables or serve it in unusual dishes.

Cook together

It is much more interesting for a child to eat what he helped to cook. Therefore, older children can share responsibilities in the kitchen. Trust your child to, for example, stir vegetables for salad or grate carrots.

Offer the dish many times

This rule applies especially to very young children. Unfamiliar products can cause them fear and, accordingly, rejection. It takes some time to overcome this state. Therefore, offer the same dish repeatedly. For some children, 2-3 times is enough, others agree to eat at 10-15 attempts.

Away with food violence

The desire to feed a child by any means can lead to the development of an aversion to food. A short-term lack of appetite usually indicates that the accumulated energy from the previous meal has not yet been used up. Therefore, it is better to wait a bit and offer to eat a little later. If the child does not finish eating, do not scold him and do not force him to eat every last crumb. Maybe you just gave him too much.

Photo: pixabay.com

Don't allow snacks

They lead to a feeling of fullness, forcing the child to forego the main meal. Remove various sandwiches, sweets and the like so that the child does not refuse normal food.

Remove distractions

Do not play cartoons or read books while eating. It is necessary that the child treats food consciously, feels its taste and understands that he has eaten.

Do not use food to manipulate

Food is just a source of energy and strength. It should not be used as a reward or punishment. You also don't need to show your child how important nutrition is to you. Do not praise him for eating something healthy or a few more spoonfuls. This behavior can lead to manipulation by the child. For example, begging for toys or chocolates in exchange for a plate of porridge eaten.

Start with yourself

It will not be possible to stabilize the child's nutrition if the parents do not adhere to the rules and regulations. Therefore, try to establish proper nutrition not for a single baby, but for the whole family as a whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I see a doctor due to lack of normal appetite?

— It is necessary to go to the doctor with the child in case of any sudden change in appetite. If this change is due to an increase in interest in sweets, you need to understand the reason. As a rule, the reason for such a change is a violation of obtaining energy from more resourceful food. That is, this is a sign of a shortage of energy resources: the body seeks to get it from the most easily digestible source - simple sugars. Among the reasons for such cravings may be a violation of the digestive process, helminthiasis, vitamin deficiency or high physical exertion, says immunologist, pulmonologist, family doctor Valentin Shishkin .

What healthy sweets can be offered to a child?

— Fresh berries, fruits, dried fruits. However, it is worth remembering that excessive consumption of fruits to the detriment of good nutrition will not be beneficial. Fruits are good as a dessert, in addition to the main meal.

You can eat regular sweets that do not contain trans fats. These are marshmallows, marshmallows, marmalade. But in limited quantities and only after the main meal, explains nutritionist Olga Matveeva.

How to explain to a child that you can't eat only sweets?

“Try to cook natural sweets together with your child and at the same time, simply, “on your fingers”, explain to him how sweets affect the body and why it should be limited,” says Olga Matveeva, a healthy lifestyle coach. - It is good to use simple examples that are understandable to the baby. For example, that cars run on different fuels, or what will happen if gasoline is poured into an aircraft engine. People have their own fuel, it can be of high quality, giving energy and health. Or it can be debilitating and harmful.

Sources