New to the forum. My daughter is a MUTLI diagnosed beautiful young lady, going to turn 9 in a few days. She's SPD, Aspergers, ADHD, and a pending mood diagnosis. Honesty, I can't believe how amazing she is considering the challenges she faces everyday. She is stronger than me, that's for sure.

My question to the forum:

Do many SPD kids have trouble getting their required fruits and veggies everyday because of the oral texture issues? And is this a problem that most parents are able to meet the need?

Thanks for giving me some time!

Michael

Hey there Michael. Welcome to SPD International . (Feel free to post in introduction in the Introductions forum.)

I am sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your daughter. I do think there is a common link here, in that many kids with SPD can easily become malnourished due to sensory sensitivities. I know I was when I was really little, and it led partly to a Failure to Thrive label. I don't believe there has been any research conducted into this area yet, but I suppose it wouldn't surprise me if many SPD kids don't get enough in their diets. I fear I don't either. This is an interesting topic, and one that I have thought of myself.

Anyhow, welcome again.

"Do many SPD kids have trouble getting their required fruits and veggies everyday because of the oral texture issues? And is this a problem that most parents are able to meet the need?"

Michael, having 7 children of my own, I think it's safe to say that it's difficult to get ANY child to take in the daily required amount of fruits and veggies. Without a doubt, more so with a child that has as much going on as your DD. However, there are some tricks you can try. Have you tried dehydrated fruits, such as apple slices or banana chips? Raisins, craisins and dried apricots, mango, and pineapple are excellent sources of vitamins. Start out slowly.. they have a habit of wreaking havoc on..... shall we say, regularity?

If she does not like the texture of dried fruits, does she like popsicles? Try freezing pure juices like Apple and Eve ( made by HonesTea), then add a little carrot juice. Just purchase plastic popsicle molds, the fill with juice and have a blast. You can also suspend frozen berries in these popsicles when they are about halfway frozen.. at the slushy point. Blueberries are a powerhouse of nutrition in one tiny little package.

Failing all that, what about jello? Cheat when making jello and use juices instead of water for a flavor pop. V8 Fusion has a LOT of fruit/veggie mixes of juice that are impressive, without a lot of added crap.[/color]

If she likes fries, make half and half fries.. this is one of my family's favorite things. Make regular potato fries with salt, then fry or bake up a batch of sweet potato fries seasoned with cinnamon sugar. It's like dessert and dinner all at once!

Think of things she likes. Even spaghetti sauce can be used to get her veggies to her... let her try spaghetti squash instead of pasta, or use very finely pureed cooked carrots in your sauce over regular pasta.

Also, let your favorite grocery store's produce section be a place she can explore. Let her choose new things to try, like neptune peaches, kiwi, or apple pears. If she is part of the process, she might be more willing to try something new, even if it IS *gasp* healthy.

Don't be afraid to puree something to death and add it to her meal in a way she won't see or taste or feel it. You can do it!!!

HTH, best of luck to you! Keep us posted!
Caryn

Michael,
I have an 8-year-old daughter with SPD, which manifests almost entirely with eating issues. She has literally never eaten a vegetable. Ever. She will eat apple slices (no skin) once in a while, and has a bite of banana maybe once a year. She likes one flavor (apple) of one particular brand of fruit leather (Fruitabu) which at least doesn't have a lot of fillers or added sugars. No other fruit. She doesn't even like fruit juice. So I feel your pain!

I have been convinced her whole life that she must be missing out on nutrients, but to be honest she seems fine so far. She is growing and developing otherwise in a normal manner. Her pediatrician is aware of her food issues but assures me that she is growing well and she is not seeing any deficiencies -- at least not yet!

We were able to find a multi-vitamin that she likes (Disney Princess Gummies!) and that makes me feel a bit better. Sorry I don't have any solutions or even suggestions for you, but hopefully you will at least feel better knowing you are not the only one out there!

Good luck!
Jennifer

Finely chopping fruits and vegetables and using them as a garish, stew, or sauce is one way to get a person more used to them.

I hate the smell and taste of califlower and brocolli, but if they are chopped up fine in a stew I can usually ignore the flavor without gagging. If the available brocolli isn't finely chopped and it is the only vegetable, I will chop it up right there as fine as possible. I then will have a lot of meat with every bite of brocolli to hide the texture.

I found rice was also good for hiding all sorts of vegetables, fruits, and lentils/beans I am not fond of. Grapes specifically improve the flavor of rice.

My daughter used to gag a lot, or partially chew stuff and spit it out. We ended up finding out that she did not have enough of the mineral zinc, which can mess with your sense of taste, leaving you to only sense for by it's texture, and after giving her a liquid zinc supplement for a couple weeks she not only started eating foods like pasta and sauce or cereal that she never would eat she also started eating salad and raw veggies and stuff that even kids without SPD have trouble eating.

I know that sun-rype's fruit bars http://www.sunrype.com/viewproduct.php?variety=23 have 2-3 servings of fruits/vegies per bar and their fruit drinks http://www.sunrype.com/viewproduct.php?line=6 have 2 servings of fruit.
That's really tough for a parent who wants their kids to eat healthy. Multi-vitamins are definitely good in this case. There are even gummy bear multi-vitamins these days so hopefully that wouldn't be too hard for them to eat. http://www.gummybearvitamins.com/