My son is a fussy eater. Like – super fussy. If he could live on jam sandwiches and two minute noodles – he would do, and he’s been like that since birth.

I received an email from Cenovis Kids to do the ‘Good Stuff Challenge’. Which is to prepare good meals three times a day for a week and to blog about the highs and low’s – so here goes.

As frustrating as it is – I cook lovely meals at night for my family that they don’t eat. I don’t often have a lot of time – but I usually do the meat and three veggies (crumbed lamb with gravy is my favourite), mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. Occasionally I do stir fries, lasagne’s or whack a casserole in the slow cooker. There is nothing more disheartening to spend 30 minutes or more cooking a meal, placing it in front of the kids and they say ‘I don’t like it’ without even trying it. I’ve become quite adept at ‘re-branding’ food. Broccoli is Batman’s favourite food. Carrot’s give you night vision and meat gives you Iron Man’s brain. Both my boys push the food around their plate. and I even caught one of them feeding the dog under the table. Frustrating.

I am lucky though (on a positive note) that they both love their fruit. Apples, banana’s, pears, strawberries, plums, mandarins – they will eat them all. And they do – when they get home from school, they won’t go for crap – they go for fruit. It kinda makes up for the fact (a little bit anyway) that dinner is often untouched or barely eaten. It still does concern me that they aren’t getting everything they should. I don’t worry so much about son # 2 as he is above average in height and weight and looks glowingly healthy. Son #1 however is quite often pale (he is the fussy one) and is slightly under weight. That worries me.

To bulk him up a bit I have done the following:

I give him a malted milk at night and hide an egg in it without him seeing! (blended up of course!)
I let him graze – when he’s at home with me he get a plate with lots of choices, cheese, yoghurt, crackers, nuts etc. I’m a grazer and he has inherited my bad habits. However, choosing healthy snacks means he is getting a good dose of calcium and B Vitamins.
I give him a multi-vitamin every morning before school (making sure there is no artificial colours or flavours or it sends him bonkers). He is particularly fond of the Cenovis Kids Vita Fizzies as he is mad on soft drink (but not allowed to drink it!).
I give him a couple of glasses of milk a day to drink. He likes milk. I was also surprised to hear 50% of Australian parents* wrongly believe one glass of milk provides a child with enough calcium they need each day. It’s more like one glass of milk, a piece of cheese and a small pot yoghurt to reach the recommended daily intake don’t hold back on the calcium!

Anyway, this is my story of my fussy eater, I would love to read your story. You can also access some great tips and tools online here at the Good Stuff Challenge or at least read up on what it is all about. Most Mums struggle with fussy eaters at some stage share your story!