My son’s case is even more poignant, as for 3 years he had not grown in height and he preferred fun foods to most healthy foods. Last fall he was diagnosed with Crohn’s, an autoimmune disease that strikes at the digestive tract. Many children with Crohn’s have stunted growth. Then my son started receiving treatment for Crohn’s. He started to grow (3 inches in 9 months), and started to eat a wider variety of foods. I believe that now that his body can absorb the nutrients it needed to support growth; it demands that he consume them.
So, keep eating what you want your child to eat. Offer a variety of foods. Give no food more or less distinction beyond being a healthy food or a food just for fun. Then sit back and watch the show. I have seen my daughter gravitate to dairy foods, which she had previously shunned, as she reached her pre-teen years. This is a time when the body needs more calcium and without knowing this she asked for cheese, pizza, and yogurt. My son has gone in and out of wanting raisins in his lunch. When he didn’t want them he told me that he hates raisins. But then some months later he would ask for them. Keep doing what you know you should do. It may take 10 days or even 10 years for the message to sink in. But once a child chooses to eat a food, they will eat it for a lifetime. This cannot be said for foods a child is forced to eat.
