# ds throws up if he eats vegetables



## Barbee (Nov 27, 2004)

If I puree them and add them to a smoothie or somehow sneak them in, he seems to be fine. When he knows that that's what he's eating, he'll gag and throw up. I can tell that he's really trying and it doesn't seems like he's making himself throw up. I would love to see him readily eat broccoli or carrots, etc... Any suggestions?


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

You are describing my husband as a child. Guess what. He's 42 and still doesn't eat ANY veggies. Why? Because his parents pushed too hard (think classic: "you'll stay at the table until you finish those peas" battle) It's the one thing they really screwed up, as they were great parents otherwise, but they just didn't get it.

Back off. Back way way way way off. Tell him "when you're older, your taste buds will change". Find veggies with minimal flavor and a clear texture (carrots would seem to be ideal, but what do I know?) and ask him to take a taste now and then, but respect it if he says "no".

If he eats fruit, I wouldn't worry about the veggies too much.

You might consider to whether your son has some oral sensory issues. Dh has sensory processing disorder (SPD), we're 99% sure, has super sensitive taste and smell, and is extremely sensitive to texture. He won't eat LETTUCE for heaven's sake! Yes, it makes him gag.


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## akwifeandmomma (Aug 13, 2005)

I would gag and throw up certain veggies/fruits as a child. Peas, tomatoes, string beans, asparagus, yams, broccoli, applesauce... it was a texture and smell thing. I still can't smell canned peas without gagging. Blech. But I eat and love most other veggies now!

I like and use my mom's approach, asking and expecting my kids to try at least a bite of new foods, and respecting their reaction. If they are "eh" about it, but it's not actually upsetting to them, I serve it again with the same expectation that they'll try at least a bite. If they gag and/or can't stand it, I won't put it on their plates again unless they want to try it.

So far one of my kids has aversions/texture issues toward many veggies, and the other two eat almost any vegetable I put in front of them, peppers and onions excluded.


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## SweetPotato (Apr 29, 2006)

My dd was very "gaggy" when she was little (1-2yo), but now can eat jst about anything (other than appleasauce- the grittiness is still barf-worthy to her- now 3.5yo) Is his reaction the same whether the veggie is cooked versus raw? My dd used to eschew all berries because she was concerned about the seeds, but we recently read "Blueberries for Sal" and then went berry pickng ourselves. She was hesitant at first, but extremely interested in tasting the berries she was picking- now she's pretty into them (I'm so excited!!) If you haven't already tried that, maybe having help eith the gardening could get him more interested. Otherwise, I agree with pps that a sensory issue is largely out of his control (I still can't eat shredded coconut)-- I'd keep sneaking them in, making sure he's getting lots of fruits, etc. that he does like, and keep experimenting with new dishes, preparations, etc. Good luck.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

I'd just give him lots of fruit to compensate for the lack of veggies.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

Gag reflex as an effect of the texture? The dentist always commented on my ds's gag reflex but I never noticed it much because he was always so careful with food. He takes small bites and avoids some textures. He likes his food cut in small pieces (think 1/4 inch diced apple). He tends to want the skin off but I just told him after a while that when apples are cut small he can eat the skin and he accepted that (though he might not have at a younger age). You could try small carrots sliced like coins rather than sticks if he is willing to try that.

But don't get in a power struggle! You can put loads of good food in muffins if he'll eat those. Grated carrots, zucchini, apples. Ground almonds or other nuts if he isn't allergic to nuts.


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## lucyem (Apr 30, 2005)

My mom is a teacher and recently sent me this link. I thought you would find it very helpful.

http://www.sensory-processing-disord...ky-eaters.html


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## Barbee (Nov 27, 2004)

Thank you for your replies. I have pretty much been not forcing the issue, but every once and a while I worry that I could be doing more for him. I'm really excited to start reading the link lucyem sent. Thank you for that! I'm going to start researching oral sensory issues too. Thank you again. You've all been extremely helpful.







:


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## mamadebug (Dec 28, 2006)

My DS was the same as a toddler. We later learned that he does have sensory issues, which probably played a part in it. The thing that really helped for us was having his pediatrician talk to him about the importance of eating veggies. He told DS he had to try one tiny bite every time they were served. And the bites were TINY at first! Like the other poster mentioned, I would only serve things that I knew were more tolerable (carrots, celery, broccoli in our case) and wouldn't serve the things that I knew were really offensive to him (zucchini). It was very gradual, but DS now eats a regular serving of some vegetables - and so those are the ones I serve! They certainly aren't his favorite, but he does get some veggies in (and still almost gags just looking at cooked zucchini!).


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## AllisonR (May 5, 2006)

IMO, a lot of vegetables are great fresh but taste bitter and smelly cooked. For example, we eat a lot of raw carrots, cucumbers, sweet peppers, peas.... DS and DD (4 and 2) like the raw veggies, but are not too keen on anything cooked, except broccoli.

Also IMO, there is a huge difference in fresh versus frozen veggies. A bag of frozen peas is often awful, but the peas you pluck from the garden, or at least buy as pea pods and then take home, crack open, pluck out the peas and eat - they are often deliciously sweet. If you haven't tried the raw, fresh route yet, take your DS to a local farm / garden / farmers market.... and have him pick his own fruits and veggies and eat them off the vine. I wouldn't even bring up the word veggies during the visit - just see how it goes.


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## OakBerry (May 24, 2005)

My ds hasn't had a cooked vegetable since he was 3. He's almost 7.
He'll eat raw veggies (carrots, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber) and that's it.
He has an aversion to the "mushiness" and gags. In his case it's sensory, he has other mild sensory issues as well. He won't eat anything green either.

He eats lots of fruit, and I give him a multivitamin each day just to ease MY mind, lol.


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

The texture may be something that helps him throw up better. I used to gag when I ate things with a creamy texture and if that is something that triggers his gag reflex it wouldn't take a lot of effort to turn it into throwing up. Will he eat fresh veggies? Don't put it past him to be throwing up on purpose. I used to assume my dd (6) wouldn't do things like annoy people on purpose or act out to get out of doing what she didn't want to do or to get her way deliberately and knowingly (instinctually maybe but I didn't think she would know that this is what she was doing), but I have overheard her talking to other people and explaining exactly how she does this to them and how it works really well. Young kids are very smart and capable of fooling parents especially when they seem to be truly distressed or their emotions seem strong.


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## sept04mama (Mar 3, 2004)

My youngest brother was the same way. If he even SAW our veggies across the table, he'd throw up all over. None of the rest of us were picky eaters, so I really do think it's something he was born with. He is almost 20 now and starting to eat some veggies, but when my parents pushed he just threw up everything he had eaten and got really skinny. They tried it all, and finally just let him be.


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