My (almost) 8-year-old son has an extremely high metabolism. He is tall and very thin. At his regular pediatric check ups, his weight is always an issue because he continues to grow tall but does not gain weight. In addition to his high metabolism, he is also a picky eater and only likes to eat very healthy food,...which is probably every mother's dream, but is currently my largest frustration! He likes veggies and fruit but doesn't really eat meat, carbs or sweets. I have to really bribe him to eat what most kids beg for. I applaud his healthy choices, but at this point he really needs to be eating something more substantial. Do any of you struggle with this issue? Do you have any suggestions for snacks he may enjoy and may put a little meat on his bones?
Have you tried avocados? They are full of good fats. Perhaps a nice taco or fajita meal with slices of avocado in the main dish.
The first thing I though of were peanut butter, butter, Cheese, instant breakfast mix, granola bars, beef jerkey/Slim Jims. Fruits are a good source of carbs. Maybe sneak in O. extra small meal per day and an extra snack? Will he eat his cooked veggies with cheese sauce? Can you add extra parmesan to pasta? Add Carnation instant breakfast to his milk.
If he is genetically predisposed to be tall and thin, take that into consideration as well.
Also, research "deceptive 'diet' foods" that people THINK are lo cal but are not (Ex. popcorn and BUTTER)
More ideas from eHow:
Meal Frequency
1. Since a child's stomach is relatively small, you cannot expect him to consume an adequate amount of calories in just three meals per day. Thus, increase his daily meals to five or six in order to keep calories high without having to resort to force-feeding. Three main meals and two or three substantial snacks throughout the day will help your child add calories.
Food Choices
2. Do not make the mistake of increasing calories by adding pure junk foods. Feed your child lean meats such as chicken, fish, lean cuts of beef and turkey. Supplement this with dairy products, fruit and vegetables. If you need additional flavoring to convince your child to eat certain foods, do not be afraid to use butter, gravies or other condiments as long as the core of the meal consists of natural, unprocessed foods.
High-Calorie Foods
3. Stack the calorie deck by serving mainly high-calorie foods: peanut butter, healthy oils (flax, fish, olive, coconut and macadamia nut), whole milk, and red meats typically contain more calories per serving than comparable alternatives. Cheese sticks, beef jerky and mixed nuts (depending on the age of your child) make relatively high-calorie snacks.
Tricks of the Trade
4. Increase the calories of other food items with these little tricks: Spread peanut butter on toast, bagels, pretzels, celery and crackers. Add tablespoons of condensed milk to puddings and milkshakes. Consider adding instant-breakfast mixes to milk or milkshakes. Add tablespoons of olive oil to vegetables, and add high-calorie condiments (like mayo) to sandwiches. Following these simple suggestions can boost daily caloric intake by the hundreds with minimal effort and minimal meal changes.
Suggested Meal Plan
5. For breakfast, make your child french toast (using extra eggs in the batter) with liberal amounts of butter and syrup. Serve this with a favorite fruit and a glass of milk mixed with scoops of powdered milk or flavored instant breakfast mix. As a mid-day snack, give your child some peanut butter toast or peanut butter and celery. For lunch, prepare a chicken or turkey sandwich with bacon and a generous helping of mayo, alongside O. of his favorite veggies (with olive oil added). As a mid-afternoon snack, offer cheese sticks or beef jerky. Then for dinner, serve meat loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, with another vegetable (and more olive oil).
Most of my answers have already been given (nuts, PB, cheese), but avocado is another really good fatty choice that lots of kids like (maybe in the form of guac if nothing else--I can send a recipe if you need one). Grilled cheese (with real cheese, like cheddar) on whole grain bread is another option. Salad dressing made w/mayo or olive oil also has lots of healthy fat if he's a salad eater. My daughter's is much more into produce than meat (or even potatoes!), too. If you do try to plump him up w/dessert-y kind of stuff, leaning towards foods like custard, milkshakes, and homemade pudding or oatmeal raisin cookies keeps the nutrition higher, so you're not just adding empty calories. :)
Good luck!
We have a similar problem with a picky eater, only he won't eat many healthy foods. He's getting taller but not gaining enough. One of the things we've done to help him gain weight is give him Slim Fast drinks. These actually have a lot of calories for a kid (around 230) and we get the generic ones available at Costco (not part of the Slim Fast recall recently). Costco's are only in chocolate, but I believe Target's generics come in other flavors, so maybe he'd go for strawberry? These are good for adding to school lunches because they're so portable. At home, you could make the smoothies recommended below for a similar flavor.
Good luck!
Some good suggestions above, though I would agree to try to encourage the healthy eating and try to find some more caloric ways to get them (ie, natural peanut butter, coconut, nuts: good; slim jims, chips, etc: bad)
A couple thoughts: avocado. Would he eat guacamole? Whole milk yogurt. You can make a dip, smoothie, or mix with fruit.
Is his Dr. worried about his weight? and is he growing at a normal rate? My son is just like this. Than one day at about ten he started eating everything he could put his hands on. Children have a way of only eating when they need to.
Some of the things I always keep on hand is cheese, fresh fruit and veggies
Take him to the store and let him pick out some things he might like. Talk to him about this. Not at him. Let him have choices what ever you do not make it about you.
Good luck,
God Bless,
T.
My best recommendation is to make an appointment with a dietician (insurance should cover the cost - but, you should verify).
Usually, they have the opposite conversations with people. But, they may be able to work with both your son and you on how to find foods he likes, create meals he's willing to eat, and increase his caloric intake.
Just remember that most foods that are "low carb" are usually high fat. Almost all cream-based pastas are highly fatty and caloric - fettucini alfredo, etc. Cheeses are usually healthy but very fatty and caloric. You can switch to regular yogurt (fruit on the bottom) which is higher calorie.
Be careful of prepackaged meals, though, they tend to be very high in sodium which is not advisable for cardiovascular reasons.
Sorry I can't help more. But, since I'm not an expert, I'd recommend seeking the advice of someone who is - a dietician.
My son is the exact same way and peanut butter was his most fattening thing that I think saved us. He loves fruits and veges and will hardly snack on much else. Peanut butter crackers, pb on slices of apples, even plain pb in a spoon. He loved pb. He finally filled out a little around the age of 12-13 but then by the time he was 16, taller and skinny again. Now he's in to rock climbing and being slim is to his advantage. That's just your son's body type and I wouldn't do too much to fatten him up. As long as he's eating healthy and is growing, even in the lower percentile of his age group, he's good.
I would suggest a trail mix that I make and I really have to watch how much I eat. I put on 20 pounds in about 2 weeks once....
Granola with a variety of dried fruit and nuts. Very healthy, very delicious and very high calorie. Good luck!
hi -
Here are some thoughts...
* Dried fruit - raisins, fruit leathers, and dried bananas
* Higher calories vegetables include peas, corn, potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes.
* mashed potatoes/other veggies with butter and cream
* add a carnation instant breakfast drink each day
* will he eat peanut butter? If so dip fruit or veggies in it
Other calorie-Dense Combinations:
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
- Crackers with hummus
- Fruit smoothies made with yogurt
- Baked potato with broccoli and cheese
- Beef and barley soup and cornbread
- French toast or pancakes with ham and fruit (if he wont eat ham will he eat fresh whip cream?
other info can be found on: http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/348/348-271/348-271.html
good luck!
Lots of great posts!! The one thing that comes to mind is a protein shake with great fiber too. Mix in some fresh or frozen fruit for a smoothie or like a 'milkshake." This would be great for kids in school for breakfast and easy. When kids eat carbs for breakfast (like waffles, poptarts...) then they crash with the sugar levels. By having a protein shake they are getting the nutrition they need and stabilizing their sugar/glucose levels. Shaklee has 2 shakes to choose from. One is a general meal shake, but another one has even more protein, fiber and an muscle building amino acid called leucine (safe for all ages). I have used this for my kids (8 and 10) for years. They love the taste and it is so good for them. Here is a link to check it out. http://kellyk.myshaklee.com/us/en/category.php?main_cat=N... or http://kellyk.myshaklee.com/us/en/category.php?main_cat=W... The Cinch shake is the one I would recommend the most, lots of flavors too (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and cafe latte- they taste good mixing them too) Hope that helps! K.
Coconut products. Coconut oil is so healthy and will help. If by healthy choices you mean low-fat, that's actually not healthy for kids. They need fat for their brain development! You said he doesn't like sweets, but you can add coconut milk to savory dishes as well.
Does he like nuts? Almonds, peanuts, walnuts.....If your grocery store has bins he can scoop them himself and try new things out. Also, what about something like Ensure or Boost?
