We’ve allowed our five year old to develop unhealthy eating habits; how do we get him back on track?

My son has developed some really bad eating habits. He refuses to eat most things and will only do so if he knows he’s getting a dessert at the end. I know it’s normal for kids to dislike veggies and new foods, but every meal is a chore and an unpleasant experience because of his whining, demands for a treat, and general negativity in regards to the meal.Here’s an example of his daily meals, which are often the exact same every day:Breakfast: Fruity Cheerios with half a banana (he’ll often refuse to finish the banana because he’s full). Offer him something else to eat? He won’t eat it and I can’t be late for work because he’s not eating.School Lunch/Snack: plain ham and cheese sandwich (he’ll eat about 1/2 of it); GoGurt; Cheetos; blackberries; fruit snacks; apple sauceDinner: whatever we’re having but his is often deconstructed to be a protein with dip (say chicken breast cut into strips with one of our extra CFA sauces); veggie with some kind of sweetener (sweet potato with marshmallows); fruitDessert: whatever we have in the houseBig Issue 1: His diet is very carb heavy. If I pack a healthier lunch for him, he just won’t eat it at school. If we try to give him healthier dinners and not give him things like marshmallows for his vegetables, he won’t eat it. When it gets to the point where we take away dessert for not eating his dinner, he throws a fit.Big Issue 2: the bigger issue really - I feel held hostage by his behaviors during eating. I mean, it’s a daily struggle to get him to eat and the threat of the tantrum is always there. My wife is more lenient on him because she cares more about him getting food in his stomach (though she’ll take away his dessert when necessary). I’m to the point where I want to tell him he can leave the dinner table when he’s disrupting everyone and that he can eat his dinner later or go to bed hungry.My wife and I are kind of health nuts and eat mostly protein and veggies with some carbs. We eat desserts sparingly. It’s difficult to see him eating an unhealthy diet when we’re doing well for ourselves. Feels selfish. Worse, discipline and authority is being challenged and I’m not sure what to do.**Feel like I should note the kid has never been in trouble at school or elsewhere once. Not once. Just challenges our parental authority at home sometimes. I know that’s typical, but I didn’t want anyone thinking he’s this problem kid all day long. Mostly during eating times. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2FG3IK9