Picky Eaters | ADHD Information

My son who is 16 is a very picky eater. There is very little food that he actually likes to eat. Bland doesn't even describe it. He will not eat any sauces, gravies, dressing, spices, etc. The only condiment he will eat is ketchup. He eats meat, (most kinds) it just cannot have any gravy, sauce or visible seasonings on it. I can usually season with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder, because he cant see them on the food. He eats pasta plain, no sauce. His pizza consists of crust and cheese, no garlic or sauce of any kind. I actually tell the pizza place just put cheese on the dough and cook it, nothing else. The only vegetables he eats are cucumbers and raw carrots. His lunch is usually a plain ham sandwich (bread with ham only) sometimes he will add cheese. He does eat plain hotdogs and hamburgers. When he was a baby he ate just about anything put in front of him. At about 3 yrs old he would start telling me he didn't like certain foods. He would say, "I don't like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." I would remind him that he ate one 2 days ago, but it didn't matter. After a few years he was eating very little food. The ped didn't seemed to concerned because his growth and weight seemed fine. I had hoped when he got into his teen years that he would start trying new foods. I was hoping peer pressure might work in my favor here. No such luck. His friends tease him but he doesn't care. I don't get crazy over making dinner. If we have something he doesn't like than he just has to fend for himself (eat a bowl of cereal or make eggs.) He lately complains that certain foods make him feel sick. He is due for his checkup in a couple weeks I will talk to the ped about this. Maybe he has some food allergy or digestive problem.

Spookey, I understand your frustration. I come from a large family. My mother always cooked dinner and you either ate or didn't. She didn't get all crazy over who liked what. Many a nights I just ate the mashed potatoes and vegetables because I don't like fish or liver.

The other thing I was wondering is does your child have sensory issues. My younger son (10 yrs old does). This may be why your child has difficulty with food. Sometimes textures of foods can cause difficulty. I often wonder if this isn't the case with my older son, although he doesn't have many other symptoms. I have thought about OT for him but I don't know if he would be willing to try. Good luck.

sorry if this is a repeat post but i kept getting time out errors when doing a keyword search.

Anyone suggest meal ideas for picky eaters?  i cannot do anything 'casserole-like' e.g. no lasgna, crockpot meals, hamburger helper type stuff.  plain and boring rules in my house

I am sick of the same old meals night after night !! 

anyone want to swap dinner ideas? 

please don't take this the wrong way but who's the parent??  Children won't starve themselves.  They'll eventually eat.  Granted, you don't have to make spinach souffle or anything but they will eat.  If you lay down the law and tell your child, "this is what we have to eat.  you can eat it now or later."  and stick to your guns.  trust me, have you ever seen a kid go more than a day without eating anything??  I just don't buy the whole "picky eater" thing.  it didn't exist when I was growing up.  maybe i'm just old-fashioned.