My son is afraid of food. If it's unfamiliar and looks like it might not be crunchy, he can't even bring himself to touch it with one finger. It's terror plain as day on his face when he's confronted with something new or mildly wet. The torture this poor kid has gone through at birthday parties trying desperately to get at the cake while avoiding getting the frosting on his skin is hilarious, but also very very sad.
Approaching my wit's end to find ways to feed him healthful satisfying foods, I've tried to get to the basics of the things he will eat:
fruit- it's sweet.
crackers- they're crunchy
freeze dried anything- crunchy and dry
nuts-crunchy
seeds-crunchy
steak- it's relatively dry and salty.
hamburger patty- dry and easily held
plain whole wheat toast- dry and crunchy
yogurt-sweet
Obviously it's the tactile part of the eating experience that trips him up. I got my first real clue when I made a chicken burger patty for him the first time. He would eat a plain burger patty so I tried to make a healthier version that we might use in our regular menue rotation. http://wgrainofsalt.blogspot.com/2014/07/chicken-burgers.html He didn't eat it that time, but I tried again a few weeks later and he ate them up!
It was round, easily held, not sticky or wet. So I started looking for ways to turn things into a patty. I tried veggies. Had some success with latkes but could only make them taste good by using more oil than I wanted him to have on a regular basis. Also, I was looking for something that took less prep time. And then I saw a Mc Donalds breakfast commercial. The smiling fast food worker deftly cracks a whole egg into an egg ring on a pan and the result is a perfectly round disc of egg. Eureka!
I found my egg ring at Marshal's for less than $2. I crack an egg in a bowl, whisk it, and pour it into the ring on a buttered pan and he eats it! (Almost) Every.Single.Time.
It's quick, it's easy, it's a healthful whole food. I still get a little teary every time it works.
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