DD Hates Noodles/pasta - Will She Ever Learn to like Them?

Pasta is such a none issue for food. It is just starchy, no real nutritional value.
It is like not liking sugar.. Good!

Does she like cooked squash?

We love steamed squash with spaghetti sauce,, Spaghetti Squash.. With sauce on top.. Eggplant lasagna. Or a zucchini Lasagna..

I would just allow her to eat something else like you do with the spicy food..

I'd be thrilled if my son didn't like pasta. I wish *I* didn't like pasta! It's just dough. There's really nothing good about it as a meal (not judging - we eat a lot of pasta too). We try really hard these days to have pasta as a side and have a good protein and veggies. Give her something else. Keep a store bought rotisserie chicken around for when you're having pasta as a meal. Or let her have a bowl of cereal, or oatmeal, or peanut butter. But tell her to make it herself.

As to when it's a side dish, I would just leave that off her plate and let her have the protein and veggies.

I mean really? Pasta does not have very many nutritional benefits so I wouldn't push it. Give her extra vegetables she likes or a peice of whole wheat bread. My son does not like potatoes in any way. I never make him eat them because he eats the other things being served adn he is not missing out on anything by not eating the potatoes. As a family, we now eat a lot less potatoes and it's better for all of us.

Does she really need the starch at dinner time?
If she is eating the protiens, veggies, fruits - let her skip the starch.
Have the pasta, noddles, rice, etc. available. Put a spoonful on her plate, then let her be. If she eats everything else, missing the starchy side will not hurt her.

Oh, and skip the Spaghettios - they are just chemicals :)

I would suggest that you count your blessings and stop trying to make her like pasta. From a nutritional standpoint pasta is a TERRIBLE food option. I mean I LOVE pasta... but really it's just not good for you in the amounts we eat it. It's supposed to be a starchy side and we tend to eat it as a meal...

Anyways, just give her something else instead: a piece of whole grain bread even, or some veggies and call it good.

Hi! This girl (100% Italian, first generation American) is here to tell you spaghetti, pasta, noodles, or whatever you call that flour and water stuff is the most vile food on the planet. Seriously folks, it's flour and water! You can do great things with flour and water but pasta isn't one of them. She probably likes the canned stuff 'cos it's heavy on sugar and sauce. Have you tried letting her have just the sauce that she can sop up with bread? How about cheese with that rice, it's pretty boring too, But I totally don't get the infatuation with pasta. She can come have dinner with me, I promise it will never be pasta.

Okay, first of all, at five years old if she whines and says she's "too tired" to make a PB sandwich? I would just say, "oh that's too bad sweetie, maybe you should go lay down."
Seriously. Don't go there. I never made my kids eat ANYTHING they didn't want to eat, but I also expected them to get up and help themselves if they wanted something else. I wasn't a short order cook or a waitress. At five she is ABSOLUTELY capable.
On to the noodle question. It's weird, but I have a kid who doesn't like pizza, even at 17 she doesn't like pizza, how weird is that, I mean who doesn't like pizza?! And when I was a kid I hated rice, even white rice. I could never explain it, I just didn't like it. I could explain why I didn't like mushrooms, "slimy, it's fungus, ewww" but other things, like rice, who knows?
Try not to worry about it. My kids grew out of most of their pickiness, and as teens they now eat a very wide variety of food, so it all works out.
It worked out for me too, though I still HATE mushrooms.
On pasta nights, your daughter can have a sandwich, an apple, some trail mix and a cheese stick, a bowl of cereal or she can reheat a plate of leftovers from another night in the microwave, no big deal. Lots of easy, healthy options she can do for herself :-)

Only thing I know for sure, the one thing that cures any and all childhood food hang-ups is being a broke hungry college freshman living on campus.

Meanwhile, one thing I noticed cured the pickies when they were younger was being served the offending food at someone else's house.

Can't tell you how many times one of my sisters or my mother said, "What do you mean they don't like tomatoes, olives, fish, etc. They ate a plateful at my house last night!"

Argh.

:(

You know, I am 30 years old and I have never liked pasta. I have tried all kinds of pastas my whole life. I just don't like it. The pastas, the sauces, plain...it's just not my thing. People just sometimes don't like things. I will eat just about anything ever, besides pasta. I can't really articulate why I don't care for pasta, I just really don't. I'm not opposed to trying any pasta, and I do. I have never liked any.

My son never like pasta and has recently come around to loving spaghetti. Your daughter could come along, and she could remain not having a taste for it. I just learned to make my own meals on pasta nights. My parents never forced me to eat it, because I genuinely didn't like it. I make it for my husband and son, and fix myself something else!

I agree with others who suggest just substituting the pasta with veggies and good whole grain bread. My son *hates* any form of potato. We consider it a blessing. We don't want him to develop poor eating habits, so we limit mac-n-cheese to one box a week and otherwise, he often has good bread and fresh veggies. It's a win/win for us. He eats a very healthy diet and we know he's getting something decent in his stomach without any real fuss or extra work.

it's not such a bad thing that she doesn't like pasta. It's not very good for you anyway. My son who is also 5 will not eat pasta, bread or cheese! I wouldn't force it on her. You could always offer it to her on her plate (just a little) and maybe someday she will try it.

Sometimes people just don't like certain foods. They can't necessarily articulate why, they just don't. She has tried it several different ways and still doesn't like it. You can't say she hasn't given it a chance. On nights when you have pasta, let her have extra of the other foods and skip the noodles. If you're having pasta with sauce as a main dish, ladle some sauce over a chunk of garlic bread for her.

Pasta sounds like an awesome, healthy, wonderful thing to NOT love. Good for her! It's just full of simple carbs that have no nutritional value. Perhaps try to rotate that out of your menu. Pasta should really never be more than a side dish. It's not a meal. So if your go-to is spaghetti and meatballs, for example, just serve her the meatballs with veggies and a slice of bread if she's still hungry.

Most of my kids don't eat potatoes, which is a little odd for kids who are Irish and Jewish but they hate them. Given that most potato dishes aren't healthy anyway, it's been a great way to keep unhealthy dishes like mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, scalloped potatoes etc. off of our menu. Sometimes in the summer my husband and I will grill some potatoes with rosemary and garlic as a side for ourselves and we'll serve the kids some bread.

She may never like pasta, or she may come around to it, but I wouldn't push it because it's a cheap, junky, filler food anyway.

My son who is 6 has a self-imposed restricted diet. He is autistic with several other diagnoses. Anyhow, food is an issue for him. He didn't like eating string cheese unless it was already pre-strung. Now, no that's not a huge issue but he eventually has moved onto just eating the string cheese and cheese sticks albeit he does not eat cheese off the block. He has also moved onto eat things other than his traditional six.

Don't force your child to eat something they do not care for but you must offer things beyond just a few times and allow your child to or not to try it. I always offer my son whatever we're eating for dinner/any meals and snacks for that matter. Allow your child the ability to learn how to like and enjoy foods beyond her current scope but never make it a battle nor a negotiation. A food that is normal or typical to many adults are often not kid-friendly to some for one reason or another.

It's probably a texture thing.
As for the Spaghettios? I think the "like" button for those is automatically switched OFF upon entering adulthood! Lol Aren't they gross? The smell makes me gag. Loved 'em as a kid, though.
Anyway, when we have pasta, we usually have bread & a green salad. Age 5 was when my son started really loving salads, so I'd let her have bread (or garlic bread) & salad. You can always throw some pre cooked chicken strips in the salad.
As for egg noodles nights? Protein & veggies is fine. We could probably all benefit from less carbs.
We used to call my son "Atkins" because he didn't care for any "white stuff" (potatoes, rice, noodles). He preferred meat & veggies. He's now 10 & ears all of that now. So, there IS hope!

If you think about it pasta is pretty tasteless and gooey/sticky. I can imagine a kid not liking it. I think you need to let this go and make sure you fix enough other stuff in the meal that she'll have stuff to eat.

If there are other things with the meal besides pasta will she eat those things? Would it be ok with you if she just ate those things? I wish my family did not like pasta as much as they do because I think it's so bad for you. I LOVE pasta but I am diabetic and it is one of the worst things I could eat. I'm guessing she simply does not like pasta. I know kids taste buds change often so mabey wait a while (a month or three) and then offer a pasta dish or side and see if that changes.

I haven't read all the responses, so this might be a repeat, but ...

I know noodles/pasta are easy, but they're a pure starch. Even the spinach kind has basically zero nutritional value.

With something like vegetables, yes, a kid has got to learn to eat something green.

But pasta is a bunch of empty carbs and calories. I would really recommend expending your "come on, try it" energy on something healthier.

That said, my 6-year-old will not touch rice no matter what, and I find it both inconvenient and bewildering. It's rice! How bad could it possibly be? But I don't push it with him. I pick my battles, and veggies are the food battle I pick.

I would just let her keep up NOT liking pasta.. I don't think it's a big deal. Actually, how lucky that she doesn't like pasta since (for many) it's something that some people eat way too much of and is also something that drives a person's insulin way up...and well, then you've got the belly fat issue..

This situation is like those who say, my child doesn't like milk, not even ice cream.. To that I also say YAY.. how lucky.. since the myth that you need milk for vitamin, when in fact you cat get it elsewhere..

If you feel your child should eat something like a grain or pasta, there are other things like Couscous (not nearly as slimy) Wild Rice, Quinoa... OR just don't worry about her not liking pasta..

My husband's cousin never liked mashed potatoes or mushrooms and still doesn't... but believe me, he eats enough of other things where it's really no big deal.. Also, when I was little I couldn't stand avocados because of the texture, now I love them!

I know there are cases where some people are extreme eaters.. but I wouldn't base a texture issue on one type of food alone... she does eat other SOFT items (like peanut butter) so for now, I wouldn't press her to eat pasta...

Would it be possible to serve her the same meal as everyone else, but simply leave out the noodles? My husband has a restricted diet, but loves pasta, so we've been substituting other things for the noodles in our favorite pasta meals, and it turns out that the whole house enjoys them. Red sauce over cauliflower, shredded kale, zucchini or garbanzo beans is fantastic. Alfredo sauce is beautiful with chicken, shrimp, or smoked salmon, plus peas or broccoli. Much healthier than a pasta meal, and still just as tasty! Spaghetti squash is an excellent stand-in for noodles, and the texture may be just different enough to suit you daughter.

If you want the carbohydrates, red sauce is also brilliant with polenta. Couscous, quinoa or rice are good subs for noodles. Of course the texture of the meal will be different, but the flavors will be similar to pasta. And based on what you've described, it is likely that the texture of the pasta is the part your daughter is having trouble with.

you can't really help what you like.
just find something plain and easy for you to give her on pasta nights. maybe she can have the sauce over steamed carrots, or mashed potatoes.
or just have cheese and crackers on pasta night.
khairete
S.

I'm betting that it is a texture thing. Any sort of "regular" pasta has a COMPLETELY different feel on the tongue than spagettios. The "o"s are also much smaller. Perhaps you can check out the different shapes of pasta and find something close to the "o"s. There is something called Pastina, which are tiny pasta stars. They may work if the big pasta doesn't.

My dad, who is 87, only likes thin spaghetti. Not linguini, not elbow, nothing else but thin spaghetti. He says the other stuff just doesn't taste right. It's a texture thing.

Here is a website that has a list of different pasta shapes - the list it for crafts (LOL) but maybe one of the shapes will work?

http://scribbles-corry.blogspot.com/2010/09/various-pasta...

See if she'll eat the spaghetti cut up. It might simply be a texture thing and if she doesn't like it, she's allowed a peanut butter sandwich, right? So let her make one.

I'm assuming you also have bread when you have pasta. Truly, if you have ever made pasta from scratch, you know it's just a soggy form of bread. Same basic ingredients. I would allow her to replace her pasta with bread and eat whatever other food is there. For example -- meat sauce? Scoop it or layer it on bread. Meatballs? Meatball sandwich. Or even just plain sauce, allow her to dip bread instead. I'm half sicilian, so we had pasta all the time - of course, now I'm gluten free, so that's a little harder.

I would agree texture maybe. Have you tried different shapes or colors. Letting her pick out a box. What about something like baked ziti, ravioli, or lasagna? What about a white sauce- cheese, afredo? Maybe see if she sees one she likes the looks of or sound of and have her help cook some.

I feel your pain, pasta is such an easy and quick meal around here too. I know there are certain things I still don't like as adult, but some got better. Good luck and hope she likes it one day!

I understand it could be baffling when kids dislike/hate food we like/love/find ok. I think you're daughter is fine and even if she grows up to not like pasta that'll be fine too. :)

My son (now 2) used to not like yogurt. He loves them now and would have yogurt over milk any day. He also used to love stew carrots, now he won't touch them.

I used to not like rice when I was a kid but I would eat a ton of it because that was the staple in my family's diet. Now, I still don't like rice and would only eat it occasionally. The texture and taste are fine. I think it goes great with a lot of food but I guess I'm just not a fan.

My kids are picky, but have become less so with age. Both of my kids like pasta, however neither would eat it with any type of sauce, just butter. My ten year old just this year decided he will eat pasta with meat sauce, so he now eats spaghetti with meat sauce and lasagna. My eight year old recently tried fettuccine with alfredo sauce and liked it. She may or may not grow out of not liking pasta, but in the mean time I think it is fine to let her have a peanut butter sandwich when you are having pasta, or bread and butter instead of a side of pasta. Have you tried her with perogies?

You could give rice noodles a try.

When there are foods my 5 year old does not like at all, I make her an alternative and I don't expect her at 5 to make it herself.
Mine would not touch pizza, mac and cheese, or any pasta with a sauce. And yes she has come around (on the pizza). I see the frustration of that one go to meal that the whole family could eat (mine was pizza), but they just wouldn't like it like every other child in America! But she is consistent, so just make her the peanut butter sandwich.

She's 5.

I didn't eat tomatoes till I was 26. Taste buds change at different times. Before college you couldn't get me to eat an egg salad sandwich. All of a sudden, one day it was all I could think about having.

Your kid is playing you big time. Too tired to make a PB sandwich, but doesn't want to eat dinner, all of a sudden she's tired at bedtime. Keep it up and she'll have you jumping through hoops too!

She's being picky about everything. Face it. She gets no special treatment unless she has a serious allergy to it. Nip this in the bud now.

My 7 yr old son will not eat any type of pasta. He actually gags when it's near him. I think it's a texture thing. With mac and cheese it's both texture and smell. He can't even be at the table if the other kids are having mac and cheese.

I know about the frustration caused by picky eaters. My son (4.5) will eat spaghetti with tomato sauce once in a while. He won't touch any other pasta no matter what. He hates mac and cheese, especially cheese. He makes us remove the cheese from his pizza. He won't touch veggies. If he will eat whatever meat we are having and some fruit, I call it a day. My daughter was really picky at this age too. But, she is coming around now at 7. When I see her voluntarily eating vegetables and fruit I want to burst into song and dance. ;) I just mention that so you know it does eventually get better. I've seen a few food posts from you, so I get how worried you are about it. My experience with my daughter is the only thing helping me not freak out over my son's limited food intake.

Also, that "too tired" thing gets better too. I remember that phase and was glad to see it go! I still occasionally fall into the short order cook trap and I have to work hard to restrain that impulse and tell them if they don't like what we are having for dinner, they are on their own. I only cook one meal now. They can make toast or cereal, but I am not getting up from the table until I'm done with my own dinner.