My toddler is a very fussy eater

Ack Daza, what are you doing to me! that looks amaaazing! I've just started a 28 day detox so I will save it until after, that looks like an excellent "sometimes food" ;). I'm not sure if it is ok to post the details, but the detox is a great way to step back and look at your eating habits and I think it would be great for you spiritedaway. You have to join the "clean and lean detox" facebook group, (join today as a new round of detox has just started!) https://www.facebook.com/groups/319515628128738/ basically over the course of four weeks you remove certain foods from your diet and introduce a bunch of other ones. I'd call it a "beginners" detox. There is so much great info posted along the way (links to articles and online videos etc). The women who runs it also is a health coach, I have never personally used her one one on one coaching and I'm not sure how much it costs, but again, I think she might be just what you are after, she is Doha based but I know she does online/skype consultations. http://www.therawhealthcoach.com/ We have moved to a mostly paleo diet, (although every so often we fall off the wagon bigtime). I recently bought a couple of really good books which have changed the way I cook, I wrote a long post on this thread. http://www.expatwoman.com/qatar/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=219053 I also recently bought an online recipe book for slow cookers, which I haven't actually tried out yet but I love the concept of, basically instead of cooking meals and freezing them, you chop the raw ingrediants, add the spices and freeze, then tip it frozen into the slow cooker, add stock/water/liquids and switch it on. The idea being you prep and freeze ten meals in one go so its only one kitchen clean up. http://www.mamaandbabylove.com/shop/ebook/slow-cooker-freezer-recipes-ecookbook/ Not sure if all my links are allowed, I promise I'm not affiliated with any of them (although I have met Nicole and she seems lovely!) anyway spiritedaway I will copy and paste this message and email it to you, just in case the links do get deleted.

Kiwi, if you've got a sweet tooth.......http://deliciouslyella.com/caramel-chocolate-slices/ Heaven in a mouthful.

I'm going to be preachy :) I honestly believe that the best investment you can make in your children's lives is to instill healthy living habits in them. If you teach them to enjoy healthy food and to be active it will increase the quality of their lives, not just in childhood but for the rest of their lives. Spiritedaway, being a stay at home mum makes it much easier to get your children in to good habits. You have plenty of time to get in to the kitchen with them and learn about healthy eating together. Three year olds love to help in the kitchen and they are much more inclined to try new things if they have helped to make them. With your oldest child being three, there is absolutely no reason for them to be eating rubbish, you control what they eat (you won't forever) and you have the power to say that's it, no more sweets, no more McDonalds. If your daughter is used to eating rubbish it might take a while for her taste buds to get used to the new food but if you give it time, don't push it, make it fun and keep offering her only healthy options she will learn to love healthy food - as will you. There are loads are great websites to help inspire you - at the moment I'm loving http://deliciouslyella.com/recipes/ I'm also a believer in buying the best quality food you can afford. I'm happy to sacrifice in other areas for our family to be eating good organic food. I'm not saying my children eat perfect all the time, at weekends if we have birthday parties, eating out etc on they can eat a fair bit of rubbish but I know that at home, and for the vast majority of the time they are eating really well. It can be a bit of a struggle and they have all gone through stages of vegetable dodging but if you keep at it it's worth the results. If you put the time and effort in, there is no reason for your children to feel like they are missing out or being deprived of 'treats'. Don't buy processed foods and do you own baking so you control what goes in to it. My children often have a 'chocolate slice' for their snack at school. It's packed with superfoods, great for them and they love it. They also have fish and chips and chicken nuggets, all homemade and so much nicer and better for them than McDonalds. We don't focus on any weight issues, it all about health and foods that make us 'shiny and happy on the inside'.

Yes, it is so important that you eat well yourself, I think you need to step back and change your strategy. With a one year old you can get away with handing them brocolli while you eat a biscuit, a three year old is not so easily fooled. She needs to see you not only eating healthy food, but ENJOYING healthy food. I would suggest an overhaul of your family meals, and if you must eat junk don't let her see you doing it. Also don't talk about being overweight, losing weight, or joke about having eaten "naughty" foods in front of your kids. The message you want to be given is that healthy food is a treat, something to be enjoyed, not something you eat because you "should". This is a good website http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/start-here/ And if you do a Facebook search for 100daysofrealfood the same site has a page with daily posts. If you do see a nutritionalist, see them for yourself, so you can be a role model for your children, that will be a far more powerful and long lasting lesson. This is a journey we are on ourselves, and I'm not being preachy, I have a total weakness for sweet foods but we are moving further forward everyday.

I agree with the below, I struggle a but with my 3 year old too, I have found cutting back the milk intake helps a lot. Fruit, try smoothies/shakes, blend banana or strawberries in with milk and give it in a fancy cup with a straw. You can also make them using water instead if milk, but milk might might it easier if your child doesn't like fruit much. If the smoothies are a success you can also try adding an egg or egg yolk to them. Sweets, total ban, three year olds should not be eating candy, its all chemicals and no nutrients, not far from poison, just say no. Bread, could be your child has a gluten intolerance, I wouldn't push bread or pasta if she doesn't like them, bread is not really a "healthy" food anyway. Try putting platters out and leaving your child alone with them, I find sometimes my son is more likely to try something without me standing over him. You can combine dates, nuts and dried coconut with cocoa powder ( unsweetened) and natural vanilla extract (optional) to make a homemade "chocolate" that is actually very healthy, roll it into balls or flatten in a tin and slice into squares. You can leave out the nuts/nut butter and use virgin coconut oil instead. Are you eating healthy food yourself? Children copy what they see.

Hi, I feel for you...my 3 year old is similar and it is so frustrating, especially as he was a great eater until about 14 months. I did see a nutritionist which I recommend doing, even to just reassure you that she is getting enough food. Keep a food diary over two weeks to get a clear picture of what nutrients she is getting over a fixed period rather than daily. a few things we do which I hope help. He loves nuggets and chips so I make my own using normal potatoes as well as sweet potatoes. I make tiny, tiny nuggets which I marinate in yoghurt to make sure the meat is tender and use shop bought breadcrumbs rather than homemade as they look more like the fast food type. I spray with oil and bake until browned then negotiate with him. One nugget for 3 chips. I'm lucky that he likes peanut butter so I use whole meal tortilla wraps to make peanut butter wheels. I call sweet corn golden treasure which makes him eat it. I glaze peas in honey and butter which he likes, especially if we count how many he can fit,in his mouth at one go. He will eat a meatball occasionally, and strangely pasta with marmite (I can't even remember how we found out he liked that!). He is also a grazer so I leave healthy snacks out, like raisins, apple, nuts, cheese triangles (not sure they are that healthy but,they have protein!). He started eating nuts when I was eating some and didn't offer them to him so,he decided he wanted to try them. however, the main thing I learned from the nutritionist is that it is our job as a parent to provide healthy homemade food and put it in front of them. It is up to them if they eat or not. Always put something new on the plate along with something you know they like. Eg. a slice of carrot next to her noodles. You might have to put the new food infront of them 20 times but eventually they might pick it up, sniff it or,lick it! Above all, dont say anything about whether they are eating or not.set a fixed time at the table, if she hasn't eaten then clear everything away without making a big deal out of it. Also try to eat together as a family when possible. also, make sure she isn't drinking too much milk. Stick to just morning and evening and water in between. can you try to sneak nutrients in, like make homemade chicken stock and cook the noodles in it? sorry for the essay. I hope something I have written helps.