Groceries, stress and picky eaters

Tomorrow I'm going grocery shopping. It's what I do every Monday morning and what I have done every Monday morning for over 14 years. And every Monday morning I feel my stomach turn itself into knots.  

Because grocery shopping is stressful.  

It's probably true that most people find grocery shopping boring, difficult, annoying or slightly fraught. There are lots of factors involved and it affects people differently. 

I find it particularly difficult. And it's mostly because *all* my children, and I have four (4!) of them, are really picky eaters.  They also have multiple food intolerances. So not only do I have to read every single label and eliminate every single item that includes dairy, soy and preservatives (and that's not even focusing on the gluten free child or the fact that some of them are intolerant of malt and others can't have brewers yeast yada yada yada) but I also  have to think, "Will they actually eat this? Will I bother buying it?"

I've got my head around the allergies. With my thermomix at hand and a host of really great recipes and amazing ideas for substitutions, I could cook and serve fantastic, nutritious, tasty meals every single night. But who would eat them?

Almost every single day someone has a fight with me about the food. If Child #3 loves the chicken soup, Child #1 makes an excuse as to why she can't eat it and Child #4 pushes it away. (She's only 3. She's learning manners.) And forget Child #2 eating anything  except for whatever his current fad is. If a bacon and tomato sauce toasted sandwich doesn't turn up on his plate he is distraught beyond comfort.  (He's the one with ASD. We give him his bacon and tomato sauce sandwich.)

My nutritional knowledge is outstanding. I am well aware of the benefits of bone broths, fermented pro-biotic foods, vegetables, meat and whole grains. I know that eggs and berries are super-foods. I juice green smoothies for myself and try to eat protein for breakfast. 

I eat amazingly well. It's just I can't get   them  to eat proper food.

Don't judge me. Lots of people have children who are a little bit fussy and some refuse to eat certain things. I avoided bananas my whole life. (Still hate them, btw.) 

But it takes someone with pathologically fussy eaters, on the autistic spectrum mostly, to understand someone else who struggles daily with every bite her children put in their mouths. 

And when I go shopping, it's like a fresh reminder every time that my children don't eat right  and therefore I must be a failure as a mother  and how am I ever going to solve this problem? 

So, lucky me. I get to go shopping again tomorrow. Another week of mental gymnastics about 'what should I buy?' and 'what can I cook?' and 'how am I going to get them to eat it?'

Anyone else have the same troubles?