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Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your help.

Discussion in 'Baby / Kids Foods' started by chkalyani, Nov 6, 2013.

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  1. Nov 6, 2013 #1
    chkalyani

    chkalyani Gold IL'ite

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    Hi friends
    I hail from Telugu Brahmin family and am purely a rice / veg eater. Until last year my daughter was having normal eating habit. But of late, after she turned 4 yrs, she is literally refusing to eat our Indian food like idlis / dosas / upma and other such Indian veg food and is much used to the American food habits like she is too fond of strawberries, cupcakes, desserts, yogurt, donuts, bread, juices etc.

    Earlier she was fond of sweet pongal / salty pongal, vada, gulab jamun, sooji halwa prasadam, payasam (kheer) and other such Indian food stuff. But now she is simply refusing to eat all these.

    I wonder, if this is the situation with most of the toddlers of Indian families residing in the Western countries or is it only me who is facing such a terrible situation.

    I have no intentions of settling in the Western countries / U.S but would return to our home country India in future. So I am very particular that my daughter should get back to the habit of eating Indian veg food.

    I am worried a lot and don't understand how to come out of this. Friends, pls help me.

    Thank you in advance.
     
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2013
    chkalyani, Nov 6, 2013
    chkalyani, Nov 6, 2013
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  2. Nov 6, 2013 #2
    Rakhii

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    Re: Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your h

    Kalyani, first of all relax. strawberries/yogurt/juices etc are just fine to eat too. She is probably going through a phase where she enjoys a certain kind of food. It doesn't mean she will refuse Indian food forever.
    Its really not that "terrible". Also, living abroad, we cannot expect them to eat all Indian food.
     
    Rakhii, Nov 6, 2013
    Rakhii, Nov 6, 2013
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  3. Nov 6, 2013 #3
    Chitravivek

    Chitravivek Platinum IL'ite

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    Re: Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your h

    Are you currently in US and your kid goes to school? If so the influence is very normal.. As long as she eats healthy american food there should be nothing to worry.. May be you can let her chose the lunch and server DInner of indian choice in an attractive way that she would love no same old pongal or idli.. may be parathas... Indian snadwich etc...
     
    Chitravivek, Nov 6, 2013
    Chitravivek, Nov 6, 2013
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  4. Nov 6, 2013 #4
    guesshoo

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    Re: Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your h

    Do you eat together as a family? Does she see you and her dad relax and enjoy your meal? It might help. With my 2 year old DD, I insist that she try at least 4 spoons of whatever the dinner is if she wants dessert - which typically is fruit, and occasionally is a muffin or cookie. If we sit and eat together, she certainly finishes a good portion of her meal once she gets going. Also I find if there are adults around constantly telling her eat, eat, eat, she'd just stop eating. Once we sit down to eat, I try and talk either about the plan for the day or discuss things we did that day. When the full focus is not on the food, she will happily eat. Perhaps this trick might work with your dd?
     
    guesshoo, Nov 6, 2013
    guesshoo, Nov 6, 2013
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  5. Nov 6, 2013 #5
    chkalyani

    chkalyani Gold IL'ite

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    Re: Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your h

    Thank you Rakhii for your good words. But my point in worrying is that as this is a formative stage, the habits including the food habits which are formed at this stage might die hard. Obviously, there is no point in worrying as long as she eats healthy food stuff but in a tropical country like India particularly in the South, the body should take carbohydrate-rich food and protein-rich food like rice and dal. It is difficult to cope up with the bodily requirement if one is completely dependent on foods like bread, cupcake, strawberry, juice etc in India.

    That is the reason for my worrying. As of now it is okay in the U.S but I am imagining the situation when I get back to India.

    Thank you Chitravivek for your response. Yeah, presently I'm residing in the U.S and my daughter is going to preschool and not public school as she has recently completed 4 yrs. And she is not even showing interest in paranthas / chapathis.
     
    chkalyani, Nov 6, 2013
    chkalyani, Nov 6, 2013
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  6. Nov 6, 2013 #6
    simpleMom

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    Re: Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your h

    Your caste details are unnecessary, although I understand that you wanted to convey that you are all vegetarians.

    If the child is eating strawberries, yogurt, juices instead of idli/dosa/upma, where is the problem?. Tell me this, if the child eats (strawberry, yogurt, bread) instead of (idli, milk), don't you feel happier? Both are nutritionally somewhat equivalent. I will have no problems with such an exchange.

    You can minimize/stop giving bad(juices and desserts) and increase quantity of good (strawberries, yogurt, bread).

    Idli/Dosa/Upma - If she goes to school, try offering after she comes from school. That's when the child is most likely hungry and may not be particular about what you offer.
     
    simpleMom, Nov 6, 2013
    simpleMom, Nov 6, 2013
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  7. Nov 6, 2013 #7
    Rakhii

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    Re: Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your h

    Kalyani...you are needlessly worrying. Lets say you relocate to india tomorrow and she has a hard time finding strawberries and cupcakes, she is going to eat what is a delicacy in India right?
     
    Rakhii, Nov 6, 2013
    Rakhii, Nov 6, 2013
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  8. Nov 6, 2013 #8
    Chitravivek

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    Re: Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your h

    Just relax. Kids food habit keep on changing.. I think your DD will swing back to normal pretty soon and this worry of you minght not be needed at all.. Just ensure that she gets enouch nutrients in whatever she eats now...
     
    Chitravivek, Nov 6, 2013
    Chitravivek, Nov 6, 2013
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  9. Nov 7, 2013 #9
    chkalyani

    chkalyani Gold IL'ite

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    Re: Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your h

    Thank you guesshoo, for the good suggestion. Of course, we three - self, dd and dh - have dinner together.

    @ SimpleMom, I appreciate your response. My problem is not that she is inclining towards the Western eating habits, of course these are healthy and suitable to a country like the U.S but I am sure these food habits do not suit in a tropical country like India particularly the Southern states which experience hotter climate than the Northern states.

    As you know food habits like the dressing should suit the climatic conditions of the place. This is what concerns me more at present thinking of the future.
     
    chkalyani, Nov 7, 2013
    chkalyani, Nov 7, 2013
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  10. Nov 7, 2013 #10
    simpleMom

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    Re: Hi! friends. My 4 yr daughter is refusing to eat our Indian veg food. Need your h

    OP, I am not the one that said you have problem with western eating habits :)
     
    simpleMom, Nov 7, 2013
    simpleMom, Nov 7, 2013
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