Dear Gina,

I have been blessed with a wonderful son who was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when he was 3.5. He is 7 now.

As long as I can remember we have had tummy problems. Every time he goes - it’s diarrhea. I guess I am not surprised. His diet consists of macNcheese, cheese pizza, grilled cheese sandwich, 2 kinds of cereal, and of course - gallons of milk.

We were told from the beginning that his diet will never be that of a “normal” child - due to sensory issues. The doctor says he is healthy and strong, he is growing normally, and not to worry. But I can’t help it.

There was a time when we tried to make him eat a couple peas, or one slice of cucumber, or 3 kernels of corn, only to end up with a fit of throwing up every time. Then we gave up…

He will NOT try any fruits or veggies or greens. My husband and I have been drinking green smoothies for a month now, but we have not been able to entice our son.

I don’t know what to do. I cannot force him. Would you have any advise?
Thank you, Masha

REPLY

Hi Masha, it’s Stephani here! I wanted to reply to your question since my son is now 8 and he also deals with sensory issues, ADHD, and Aspergers.

My very first idea for you since he is adamant about not eating any fruits or veggies is what about popsicles? Does he like popsicles and have you ever made your own? I have preformed, reusable popsicle makers that you fill with whatever you want and stick them in the freezer. My kids love them because the bottom piece (with the stick) is big enough to catch the drippings and a straw to drink it from. If you don’t have any, a cup and wooden popsicle stick will do!

Popsicles are the easiest way of all to sneak great stuff into your children’s diet! You can use fresh juices, or blend whole fruits (aka smoothies!) and freeze them. When these are accepted, you can up the game and try hiding greens in them (mango/spinach smoothies are a great neon color that can out do any of the artificial green colored popsicles out there, or use another fruit like berries to hide the color). You can also add superfoods to the popsicles for an extra boost. Just be careful and not overdo it and ruin the flavor!

If fresh, raw foods are entirely new for your son, it wouldn’t hurt to expose him to them in other ways. Read about how food grows and how it gets to the stores for you to buy, learn about exotic fruits and the parts of the world they grow in, explore other cultures where these foods are a main staple in the people’s diets, find internet sites and blogs with pictures of kids eating raw food and loving it! (My blog on www.growinglittlesprouts.com is full of pictures of our kids and the food we eat, and I’m sure there are others out there.)

For other suggestions, I would need to know more about his exact likes and dislikes. There is no point in me giving you lists of ideas when they wouldn’t be possible due to his sensory issues. ☺ (You might have ruled out the popsicle idea immediately if he can’t tolerate cold or frozen foods!) Other questions I have for you are how much raw food (besides the smoothies you mentioned) do you regularly eat and how long have you been eating this way? What cooked foods do you still allow in your diet? Do you want to have your entire family eat raw foods or are you just trying to increase the nutrients in your son’s diet?

There are many specific things that could factor into both his willingness to try these new foods and the methods I could give you to encourage him. You are right in questioning your doctor’s complacency about your son’s diet, especially when he has had long term physical symptoms of digestive troubles. That, plus the fact that a gluten- and casein-free diet has been shown to be effective in treating autism spectrum disorders. (I have personally witnessed an amazing transformation in my own son due to his diet!) I won’t go off into a tangent about the actual nutritional education doctors receive and the lack of importance a healthy diet is given in comparison to pushing medicine on to their patients… I will only encourage you to continue searching for more answers and trying new ideas.

You can contact me if you have any other questions, or would like to discuss further the questions I have asked of you. You can reach me by e-mail at Stephani at growinglittlesprouts.com if you would like to continue this conversation!