Mom... Let Me Give You an Zample

James loves to ask questions about what he was like as a baby.  The most common topic of conversation is around food.  A lot of kids on the spectrum are picky eaters.  A lot of kids on the spectrum eat strange things.  A lot of kids on the spectrum don't eat regular portioned meals.  Lots of kids on the spectrum have sensory issues around food.  James is no exception. I can count the foods that James will eat on just over one hand (not including fruit) pizza, noodles (this includes pasta, apparently there is a difference), chicken, fish sticks, french fries, some other breaded fish but not all the time, monkey bread, and I believe that is about it.  Now, when there is a food on the table that James may like he will ask if he liked it as a baby.  I ALWAYS say "yes".  Sometimes he will sniff it and dismiss it immediately.  Sometimes he will put it in his mouth for a moment and spit it back out.  Sometimes he will actually swallow it.  The days that he swallows and concedes that he likes it again are EPIC for me.  One of the catch phrases that he uses frequently is "let me give an zample".  Typically his zample is about how as a two year old he loved to eat the dry cat food but now he doesn't like it and he attributes that to a change in taste.  However, I attribute it to getting some taste about the foods he eats!

One food group that is totally missing from his diet are vegetables, unless you count french fries and onion rings.  James also loves ketchup which is typically considered vegetable even though I am reminded it is a FRUIT every time I talk about it.  I challenge anyone to make jelly out of a tomato and spread it on their pancakes or toast in the morning!  Yeccchhh! I'd rather eat the dry cat food! James loves music so maybe if the vegetables would sing to him, he would eat them.  click here Somehow I doubt classically trained vegetables will sway his lack of enthusiasm for these crunchy treats!  Maybe going the superhero path would help him want to try more vegetables.  
I was too old to get to see Sesame Street as a young kid but loooove it now as a mum.  One of my favorite characters is Captain Vegetable click here.  He was instrumental in getting an entire generation to try new foods.  He was a superhero like Batman and Superman.  My kids both love the Cookie Monster and it doesn't matter how many songs he sings about fruits and vegetables he always goes back to his love COOKIES click here.  James is way too smart to fall for that trick so maybe we should try it in another language click here. For as we know, everything always sounds better in a foreign language!
I was always told that my job was to provide a variety of foods and James' job was to eat what he needs.  The problem with this is James runs away from the table if something is on his plate that he doesn't want.  So I decided that it was my job to cook the foods that he likes, fill him up on vitamins and get on with life.  He is a snake and eats one good meal a day and then snacks the rest of the day.  Works for him and I always know what to make for his meals.  None of this creative cooking stuff.  Keepin' it simple and the same everyday.  That is what is on the menu every day at our house.