annoying but what can I do

well it's not really annoying but it is kind of frustrating.

One of my children refuses to eat meatloaf. No matter how it is made, what seasonings or what toppings. As soon as the meatloaf goes in the mouth a gag reflex happens and it can sometimes even go as far as vomiting. We can make hamburgers and meat balls the same way (meatloaf seasoning mix) and all is fine. No gaging in the slightest bit. I am fully willing to keep making meatballs or hamburgers but it just seems crazy to me.

One day my child will realize (hopefully) that a meatloaf is made of the exact same thing as our meatballs. I just hope they do not stop eating meatballs at that time.

Anyone else with a child with a strange way of liking one thing and totally hating or inability to eat it in another form.

 

I hate meatloaf, so you might have just described me.

My sister can not and will not eat mashed potatoes. All other potato products are good (fries, chips, baked, etc) but mashed makes her gag. Some people have texture aversions.

 

You did just describe me :laughing: I can. not. stand. meatloaf :bad:

My dh loves it so I make it every couple months and it just totally grosses me out! :lol:

 

Dawson HATES cheese. He despises Mac n cheese, will not touch a cheeseburger, no cheese dip of any kind, if I cook with cheese he will refuse what I have cooked but the kid LOVES. Pizza and prefers straight up cheese pizza what is up with that???

Kids are strange little creatures sometimes!!

 

I gave you a point because me and Dawson are the same! I don't like the flavour or texture of cheese, but when it's baked onto something with a lot of sauce it gets lost in there.

 

That is DS, texture aversions, and I often wonder if it is due to his food allergies. His first year it was a trial and error process to figure out he was allergic to cow's milk, butter, whey, cheese, and the protein from milk until we realized he had so many food allergies. I think all his hive reactions and vomiting from eating an allergen caused him to be very aware of what he eats on a normal basis. We have about 4 or 5 foods that he will eat for each different meal. He will not deviate from them like he will eat baked breaded chicken or cod, but not unbreaded cooked on the BBQ. I pray that one day he will start trying everything like DD.

 

I can understand the potato thing. Especially if the potato is cooked different ways. The texture is totally different and the taste can be also. The meat loaf has the same (imo) texture and taste as the meatball.. This same child has issues with sweet potato but interestingly will eat it if I put baby marshmallows on top as I bake it. I would think this one was a fake out to get the marshmallows but the same gaging happens.

I know I cannot get myself to chew lobster in any form. It is just impossible for me to. I guess I am glad I can make meat balls and everyone will eat and be happy

 

I never could choke down meatloaf, no matter what my mom let me do to disguise it. I have a child who is like that about pork. We let her put ketchup or whatever else she wants on it and only give her a tiny serving.

 

Thank you for explaining it to me!!! I also thought he was the only one LOL! How can you 2 not like cheese? LOL!!!!

 

Zoe has extreme texture issues. I just thought she was being picky (which she probably is a bit) however it is just easier to make her something else. Easy mac, a sandwich etc.

I remember when I was a kid and my grandma would make me eat certain foods that I did not like

 

I have texture issues. I thought I was picky- it was my DH who showed me it was really the texture that bothered me, not the taste.

I also hate meatloaf but love meatballs and burgers. The difference as far as I can tell is that meatloaf is softer than burgers and meatballs, if that makes any sense. It's texturally unpleasant to me. You can do what a friend of mine does and grill it- it tastes more like a burger and is less greasy.

Don't worry if s/he doesn't like meatloaf. It really hasn't harmed me significantly.

 

Jessy is the same way. She loves hamburgers hates meatloaf. :umm:

 

That's DS -- he's picky about foods, but ALWAYS hates chicken except ground chicken. No matter how chicken is cooked, he askske "What smells so good?" or like the looks of some dish, but if he even suspects it's got chicken in it, he hates it on sight.
Maye it is texture aversion. I trace it all back to an early Thanksgiving when FIL made him eat all his turkey, and DS ate it all and but got so upset doing it, he threw it up on FIL. I considered that poetic justice!

 

This is me. The texture is totally different in a meatloaf than a meatball or burger. It's wetter, softer, and mushier to me. Makes me gag, but a meatball or burger doesn't. It's not the flavor, but the texture for me.

 

Meatloaf is mushy and moist. Meatballs and burgers are not mushy and moist. That's the difference for me. I love cheeseburgers, meatballs, etc. - but I cannot handle meatloaf. I gag as soon as I start trying to chew and swallow it. :bad:

 

Ana is the same way. She loves burgers and meatballs, but hates meatloaf. I tried to trick her once and told her I cut up meatballs, but she didn't believe me. I just make sure to over cook the meatloaf a little and only give her a little. Thankfully she loves veggies so if thats all she wants to eat for dinner, I'm fine with that

 

I love apple pie, baked apples, anything with apples, except applesauce. You can't pay me to eat it. It makes me gag.

 

tonight DH is making burgers on the grill with the meatloaf seasoning in the burger meat. Last week the meatballs were a BIG hit.

 

I, too, think it's the texture. When I make a meatloaf it's big and never gets packed nearly as tight as meatballs and burgers. Meatballs and burgers are also able to drain the fat off, meatloaf is thick enough that it retains a good deal. I know it would be an inconvenience but could you try making slightly oversized meatballs that are still well packed to serve instead of meatloaf? While typing this I just got another thought. I bake ketchup onto my meatloaf but not on meatballs or burgers...do you do this? I know it has a different texture too, maybe this adds to it. An idea to deal with it would be to just hold a little of the meat to the side and make her a few meatballs instead of the meatloaf.

I do know that I had/have aversions to certain foods and it really does no good to force it. I find ways to be polite about it in public but after the "Clean your plate at all costs" mentality when I was little I'm certainly NOT doing it to myself now, nor will I do it to my children.

 

AMEN!

 

I agree its probably a texture thing. But, if he/she does not like meatloaf, and gags when tryign to eat it, I would not force it. When I was younger I didn't care for mushrooms. I had a babysitter who put mushrooms in the mac and cheese for lunch one day and when I told her I did not like mushrooms she FORCED me to eat ONE mushroom. I gagged and got pretty upset. Now, I still can't stand mushrooms. Even the tiniest specks I will pick out of food. There are other things I didn't like when I was a kid that I do eat now, but I really think that experience had a huge impact on not liking mushrooms now. I'm not going to say I was scarred for life or anything, but it definitely had an impact on me as a child.

 

yes as I stated earlier it is crazy to me but we are willing to make the "meatloaf" in different forms like meatballs or burgers rather than i the loaf form.

Last night we made burgers with the meatloaf seasoning. During the meal, during the time he was eating the burger one of his sisters said "Daddy I love this meatloaf" He turned looked at her and with a very serious tone said "this is not meatloaf" and kept eating. Thankfully his sister did not push the statement. After he finished he asked for a second burger because "It tastes so good". When he was just about finished his second burger Daddy asked him what he liked about his meal and he said he thought it tasted very good. So last nights hamburgers were a HUGE hit. I do believe it is a texture thing and not a taste or flavor thing.

I have another child that does not like the crust on top of a chicken pie. To me this is the best part so I am fine with her not liking it. More for me. But I do sometimes make the chicken pie with mashed potatoes on top rather than the crust and they ALL love it that way.

 

Ha ha, that is my favorite part too so I would be fine with somebody else not liking it!

 

This is so interesting to me! Camden (age 6) is the same way! He gags when he eats certain things. Maybe it is the texture instead of the taste. For example, on Sunday we made steak and baked potatoes. I have been trying to get him to eat baked potatoes forever. He loves mashed potatoes and he loves butter and sour cream. I mashed up the baked potatoe for him and put butter and sour cream. The moment he tried it..he started gagging and sometime he will end up throwing up in his napkin! He does this with some other foods too!

The worst part is..I can't get him to eat much veggies with his gag reflex.

 

Is it just the meatloaf or is he very picky all around? If just the meatloaf, I'd count your blessings and let it slide! Make meatloaf for the family, and form a few meatballs or meatloaf patty for him on the side.

 

He is not an ALL around picky eater but he does have his strong dislikes for certain foods. He will not eat meatloaf in the form of a loaf. He will not eat sweet potato. He will not eat lasagna. He will eat ground beef with the same meatloaf seasoning in it formed in burger and meatball shapes. He will eat sweet potato blended like baby food or baked but only with tiny marshmallows and he will eat pasta with sauce but not in a form of lasagna.

We can live with this. I just hope he can grow out of these dislikes or sensitivities.

 

I betcha it's all textural. Sweet potato in a puree is way different from it normally- it tastes almost gritty when au natural. Pasta with sauce isn't as dense as lasagna- when I was kid I also disliked the ricotta cheese in it, too. Now as an adult, I mix the ricotta with an egg which makes it less clumpy.