Anyone have kids on the Zone that are picky eaters? My daughter is 13, she loves carbs, and will only eat a few fruits and veggies. Any kids recipes you can suggest???

Well, I don't know if it helps you or not, but I just serve the meat and veggies and let them portion it out for themselves. I also keep apples, grapes, unsweetened applesauce, and other favorite fruits on hand, as well as quick proteins like string cheese.

Truthfully, I don't worry so much about "balancing" their meals. I just put the food on the table, give them the best choices that I can, but there is no pressure on them to "eat your veggies". I encourage a few bites, but then they are on their own.

BTW, my kids like broccoli because the florets look like trees. So, they get a kick out of that. They like raw carrots.

What they DON'T like are the special sauces, seasonings, etc. Pretty much like things plain and simple.

I'm hoping for some more suggestions. My 6 year old K son likes a wide variety of foods, but for some reason I have a gard time getting him to eat "balanced" (Zone) lunches at school. His class eats lunch at 11 and has a snack at about 2:30 before leaving for the day at 3:30. I have not been able to find a source of protein that he'll eat at school. He'll eat the fruit and milk and bring a lot home - occasionally eating ham &/or low-fat cheese. What do you give your kids?

My kids like string cheese for a quick protein. I have also been known to whip up a smoothie, and they really enjoy this!

Yesterday, I found a recipe online for some bars, and I am going to try them out. I know that they probably won't work for me, but may work pretty well for kids. And, from the list of ingredients, it would be better than a candy bar, or something with artificial ingredients.

Oh, another idea, as I was paging through one of my books yesterday, I noticed that ZONE MEALS IN SECONDS has a section devoted to feeding kids, with some more suggestions. Do you have access to this book?

I dont have that book. Seems I have almost every other book though.

Your suggestion is pretty much what I do but she is addicted to things like goldfish crackers, which I know if horrible because of the MSG. I've been trying to wean her off that stuff. She is about 20 lbs overweight and Im trying to get her to eat more Zone balanced meals.

Ah, the goldfish crackers!

I wonder if you could at least substitute some Cheerios or something. Not zoned, but at least it gets her off of the crackers.

It will take some time, but you could just buy less of them each week, and then sometimes not buy them at all.

I had to sit down with my kids, and let them tell me what veggies that they liked (it changes). They agreed to eat veggies, if I make the ones that they like. We have to go through this every so often.

Well this week Ive been able to get her to eat an apple at night. Woohoo! And I didnt buy crackers last week, bought pretzels. Yes, cheerios is a good option. Thanks.

Glad you are making progress!

Just to clarify, I think cheerios is a good "stepping stone" to get her off of the crackers. They are not a zone-favorable carb, though. So, depending on what your goals are for her, you may want to consider that.

:-)