We eat a limited variety of fruits & veggies, but still the "colors of the rainbow"...are we missing any nutrients?

By Anonymous March 31, 2009 - 1:05pm

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I have a 3 year old, who is a picky eater. We offer her a large array of foods, but she is in one of those "eating phases", and I'm tired of throwing away uneaten produce (and wasting money!).

As far as produce, she will only eat:
peas, sweet potatoes, corn, apples, bananas, grapes, broccoli (soup) and blueberries (hidden in "healthier" pancakes).

My husband and I will eat these fruits & veggies, along with spinach salad.

If this is all the fruits & veggies that we eat in the next year, are we missing out on some important nutrients? I don't like to make several different meals, as I know my daughter is just in a food phase. She eats dairy, meat and starches well, and I know I'm not the first (or last) mom to say, "my child won't eat her veggies!".

I really want to know if there are a few other fruits or veggies that I should be focusing on adding, to "round out" the balance of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc)?

thanks,
Stacey

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Coach Virginia

Dear Anon, I think SusanC cover most of what I would have said. I think as parents we want to make sure our children are eating the necessary nutrients at each stage of their development. My favorite book on children's nutrition is one written by my kids' pediatrician, Dr William Sears and his wife Martha who is an RN. They have a great website with wonderful information on nutrition You may want to check it out at http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040100.asp

Dr Sears and his two sons who are also pediatricians, are frequent guess on the Oprah and Dr Phil's shows. My favorite book is "The Family Nutrition Book", I highly recommended to every parent with growing children who want to make smart food choices.

April 1, 2009 - 11:38pm