“I don’t like vegetables,” “I don’t like fish” and “I don’t like quinoa” might be familiar phrases in your household. We tend to think of children when we reference “picky eaters,” but there are also many adults (about 26% of American adults) who are not open to what is being served at home.
In fact, there is a diagnostic term for those who meet the criteria for a selective eating disorder, called Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or ARFID.
[READ: Mediterranean Diet for People With Diabetes.]
What Is ARFID?
ARFID is a form of an eating disorder with a few characteristic signs. These can include:
— A lack of interest in eating or food.
— Avoidance based on the sensory characteristics of food.
— Concern about aversive consequences of eating food like choking or becoming ill if the food is eaten.
— Failure to meet nutritional or energy needs to maintain body weight.
[READ: How to Help Someone Who Is Struggling With an Eating Disorder Right Now.]
The Challenge of Being a Picky Eater and Having Diabetes
Your picky eater may not have this disordered eating condition, but there are certainly health concerns when someone restricts food, whether it’s an official disordered eating diagnosis or avoidance of a whole food group. Importantly for those with diabetes, blood sugar management can become more difficult with selective eating.
Part of the healthy eating lifestyle behavior for diabetes management includes eating vegetables. Many veggies are low in carbohydrates and calories, contain fiber and are a great way to fill your plate with food without spiking blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, including a variety of vegetables isn’t usually what people turn to, especially if they are selective eaters. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, data continues to show that we are not eating enough fruits and vegetables, with only 1 in 10 U.S. adults meeting the recommended servings.
[READ: Vegetables You Should Be Eating.]
How to Help Picky Eaters
As a resource for those who are caring for people with diabetes and have run into this roadblock of selective eating, here’s a set of sample menus for picky eaters with diabetes.
These five sample healthy menus for people with diabetes are calculated with 45 grams of carbohydrate per meal. A suggestion of alternatives for those foods that are more commonly avoided are listed below each meal. The healthy carbohydrate foods are spread evenly throughout the day to make this plan diabetes friendly. For recipes of many of the meals below, check out “Diabetes Meal Planning and Nutrition for Dummies,” which I co-authored with Dr. Alan Rubin in 2013 with help from chef Lindsey Singleton, also a registered dietitian nutritionist.
[READ: Best Snacks for Diabetics.]
Diabetes Menu for Picky Eaters
In order to make this revised menu a real-life scenario, I asked one of my clients, Mr. B, who is a self-proclaimed very picky eater. Mr. B took a look at the menu and crossed off items that he would not eat. My alternatives are written below the menu.
Monday
Breakfast: Egg white omelet with bell pepper, tomatoes and spinach; two slices of rye toast with margarine; 1 cup cubed cantaloupe; coffee or tea.
Reason for not eating: Mr. B is not a big fan of vegetables and does not like cooked vegetables mixed with his eggs.
— Alternatives: Instead of an omelet, prep scrambled egg whites and swap out the two slices of rye toast with two keto Cinnamon Roll Muffins by Veggies Made Great. As a bonus, these muffins contain zucchini and carrots and offer 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein per muffin. Being able to indulge in a cinnamon roll and get their veggies is a picky eater’s dream come true.
Lunch: Tuna salad on a slice of sourdough bread with sliced tomato and romaine; 3 cups popped popcorn; 3/4 cup blueberries; iced tea.
— Alternatives: Mr. B was ok with this meal.
Snack: Cheese stick and five whole-wheat crackers.
— Alternatives: This snack met Mr. B’s approval.
Dinner: Chicken with lemon; 3/4 cup rice pilaf with currants; steamed green beans; whole grain roll with margarine; iced tea.
Reason for not eating: Currants is a food he is not familiar with, so he crossed it off the menu.
— Alternatives: Explain that currants are a dried fruit that is similar to raisins. Or swap out currants for raisins in this recipe.
Tuesday
Breakfast:
One 6-ounce serving of plain Greek yogurt topped with sliced almonds, cinnamon and a 1/2 cup raspberries; 1 cup cooked oatmeal; coffee or tea.
— Alternatives: No changes needed for this breakfast according to Mr. B. However, someone does not like a particular fruit on the menu, you can simply swap it for another fruit.
Lunch: Four slices of fresh turkey on two slices of rye bread with 1 tablespoon ajvar (a red pepper spread); fresh orange sections; baby sweet bell peppers; water with sliced lime.
Reason for not eating: Mr. B does not like bell peppers, and it showed up on this menu twice.
— Alternatives: Use mustard as a spread on this sandwich. Mustard is very low in carb and a good alternative spread. Swap out the bell peppers for tomatoes. Both of these vegetables contain vitamin C, folate, potassium and vitamin K. Note: Bell peppers are higher in vitamin C than tomatoes.
Snack: Small apple with almonds.
— Alternatives: This snack requires no changes. The combination of a healthy carb that contains some fiber plus a healthy fat that also contains protein to help slow down the rise in blood sugar.
Dinner: One 5-ounce serving of teriyaki salmon with ginger and orange juice; 1 cup spaghetti squash with margarine; roasted asparagus; one whole-grain dinner roll with 1 teaspoon margarine; one sliced kiwi; flavored sparkling water.
Reason for not eating: Mr. B does not like kiwi.
— Alternatives: For those who don’t eat kiwi, it’s a missed opportunity for getting a boost of nutrition deliciously. Kiwi are packed with over 20 vitamins and minerals. They are low in glycemic index due to their fiber content, so they make for a great fruit for people with diabetes to eat. A suggested swap for kiwi is strawberries due to their nutrition profile including vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Strawberries are also low on the glycemic index. Or, try the Zespri Sungold kiwi, which are milder than green kiwi and serve as a sweet treat for people with diabetes.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Black bean breakfast bowl topped with sliced avocado; sliced fresh peach; coffee or tea.
Reason for not eating: Doesn’t like the taste or texture of avocado.
— Alternatives: Swap the avocado with a side of nuts. Nuts will provide a source of fiber and healthy fats to the meal, making it a fairly equal swap to consuming avocado.
Lunch: Natural peanut butter spread on two slices of whole-wheat bread; 1/2 cup raspberries with a dollop of whipped cream; celery sticks; one serving of dark (72% cacao) chocolate.
— Alternatives: Mr. B approved of this meal.
Snack: Cubed cheese and 17 frozen grapes.
— Alternatives: Mr. B had no changes to this snack. Again, we are combining carbohydrate with a source of protein to help blunt spikes in blood sugar.
Dinner: Grilled chicken; 1 cup baked acorn squash; roasted cauliflower; dinner roll with margarine; scoop of ice cream with chopped nuts.
Reason for not eating: Does not like cauliflower.
— Alternatives: Swap the cauliflower with another low-carb vegetable like broccoli, green beans, sugar snap peas or one-half cup of tomato juice.
Thursday
Breakfast: One 6-ounce serving of low-fat, fruited yogurt; two servings of “cheese Danish” made with 1/4 cup cottage cheese sprinkled with cinnamon and low-calorie sweetener on a slice of pumpernickel bread; almonds; coffee or tea.
— Alternatives: Mr. B approved of this breakfast, but if you have a picky eater who doesn’t like cottage cheese, you can swap out a different protein. Try sliced cheese melted on a slice of pumpernickel bread or natural almond butter bread spread on toasted wheat bread and leave out the side of almonds.
Lunch: Egg salad with sliced tomato on two slices of rye bread; fresh baby carrots; 1 cup vegetable soup; water with lemon slice.
Reason for not eating: Does not like the texture or taste of egg salad.
— Alternatives: The egg salad is the source of protein in this meal. Swap a protein that is acceptable like cheese slices, lean beef, roasted chicken slices or tuna salad (served a second time this week). Note, this client does not like chicken salad either.
Snack: 1 1/2 graham crackers with peanuts.
— Alternatives: Mr. B approved this snack.
Dinner: Spiced pork tenderloin with gala apples; medium sweet potato with margarine; cornbread; sautéed spinach with roasted garlic; water.
Reason for not eating: Doesn’t like the texture or taste of cooked spinach.
— Alternatives: Swap the sautéed spinach and roasted garlic with a Mushroom and 3 Cheese Frittata by Veggies Made Great. This is a delicious way to “sneak” vegetables into the meal. Mushrooms, kale, cauliflower and onion (remember no bell peppers for Mr. B so this swap works great) are in this particular frittata. They are low in carb (6 grams per frittata) and a source of protein (4 grams).
Friday
Breakfast: Whole English muffin topped with two egg whites and a slice of cheese; sliced tomato; baked pear; coffee or tea.
— Alternatives: Mr. B approved this meal. No changes are needed.
Lunch: Hamburger on a bun with lettuce and tomato; 1 cup baked fries; tossed salad with dressing; iced tea.
— Alternatives: Mr. B approved this menu.
Snack: Three-quarters cup fresh pineapple with almonds.
— Alternatives: No changes needed according to Mr. B.
Dinner: Flatbread cheese and vegetable pizza; tossed salad loaded with vegetables and topped with salad dressing; flavored sparkling water.
Reason for not eating: Stated, it depends on which vegetables.
— Alternatives: Choose the vegetables that will be eaten. In the case of Mr. B, the pizza can be topped with tomatoes and broccoli and the salad can’t be topped with tomatoes and carrots. When serving this meal, set up a “make your own salad bar” buffet style so that family members can choose which veggies they want to place in their salad. This avoids prepping salads for each person.
Most importantly, don’t give up eating specific food groups like vegetables. There are plenty of options to incorporate them into your eating plan.
Managing diabetes is challenging on its own. For those who are more selective about the foods they eat, there can be added stress about the enjoyment of food and the overall management of blood sugar. Start with the foods that someone is comfortable with, and try to work as a team to put a menu together and slowly broaden the food selections offered at meals.
The sample menu above can get you started with ideas about how to swap out foods and still serve a balanced meal. If someone doesn’t like a certain fruit or vegetable, remember to try different versions of that fruit or vegetable — fresh, frozen, canned or dried. You can also experiment with food prep techniques, serving fruits and vegetables, raw, cooked, steamed or grilled. Grilled peaches and grilled pineapple are delicious. Have you ever tried cooked radishes? Radishes can be boiled or steamed in the microwave. They have a similar texture to potatoes and lose their bitter taste once cooked.
Like the old saying goes, “try it, you may like it.” Bon Appetit!
The author has worked as a nutritional consultant for Veggies Made Great.
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Diabetes Meals for Picky Eaters originally appeared on usnews.com
