For those of you out there with kids that don't eat a lot of meat, or even vegetarian kids, what kinds of things do you feed them to get enough protein? My 17 month old is a really good eater, but prefers most things over meat. We had shrimp tonight and he only ate the salad and bread...I thought it was funny because my daughter LOVED the shrimp and said I needed to make it more often. Anyway, every once in a while he will eat a little bit of chicken or beef. Most of his protein comes from yogurt (which he loves), some cheese, Barilla pasta, and sometimes beans, and very infrequently eggs. He is at that stage where he likes stuff on and off so I never know what will be the foods of the week. Anyway, he is not picky by any means, so I am not worried about that. I just wanted to see what others feed their kids to make sure they get enough protein. No tofu though--I feel like it is a little too processed.
Okay...so I forgot about some of the items posted. We do eat tuna at least once a week (Lent). Ketchup and bbq help as dippers, but he REALLY loves the sauces so sometimes just ends up eating those...thank goodness they are at least without high fructose corn syrup. His love of spooning up ketchup actually led me to making lots of tomato soup for him. For some reason I haven't used peanut butter in a while. Most of the time he likes it in a sandwich or as a dip, so I will have to make that again. He picks the tiny pieces of beef or chicken out of his soup and in a sandwich he will dissect if and eat either the bread or sometimes the turkey. I didn't know about Thomas bagels so I will have to get those during my next trip to the store. Anyway, your responses helped tremendously. They made me realize that he probably IS getting enough protein from other things, but I also learned new items to try. We are always up for trying1
My 2.5 year old loves hummus (chick peas) and sunflower butter. He loves when I cut up apples and give him sunflower butter for dipping. We had refried beans tonight with some tacos, and he liked those too. He also likes lentil soup. There's tons of protein options! How about eggs? Scrambled, hard boiled, fried, poached?
T.
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www.ReadandGrow.com
Hi C. (love your name!)
You can find edamame (soy beans) in the freezer section at your local market. He can eat them hot or cold...kids love then a lot of times because of their texture...Hope this helps!
My boys have never been big meat eaters. They just now (at 3 and 5) starting to enjoy and request things like chicken.
We mostly get out protein (for them anyway) from yogurt, peanut butter and eggs. Sometimes if I'm feeling especially like cleaning I'll make smoothies with protein powder. Our pediatrician said that this was fine. It all evens out.
Tofu and beans are good sources of protein. Plus, try chicken, beef, pork and fish with different sauces on them. The sauce might make it more appealing. At that age, my son loved to dip, so I'd always put the sauce on the side.
Kids as a whole, like carbs. It fuels their constant energy and hunger.
Try eggs... all kinds of ways. My daughter likes over easy or poached. My son likes scrambled, or deviled eggs.
try Hummus
try beans... different ways, or in a casserole
try soups... with the "meat" minced up real small and cook the soup so that the meat(s) gets cooked down real soft.
Try smoothies...
Try meats but made differently.... shish-kebobs, nuggets, marinated in teriyaki cause, BBQ'd etc.
Soy beans
Fish
try Chicken apple sausages. I either heat them in the toaster oven or the Micro as they come precooked. The little bits of apple inside make them appealing to my 2 toddlers. I peel the casing off and cut them into really small bits to make it easier to digest and less likely a choking hazard.
I agree w/ the other Poster about dipping...we call all dips "dippies." My kids are really into anything they can dredge their food through.
We too do eggs in many fashions. Yogurt is a strong staple here but be cautious with the sugar content. I buy plain organic yogurt and add a little agave syrup or maple syrup or honey so that I can control the amount of sugar a little better...or dilute a preflavored yogurt with a bit of the plain. We eat cheese too, but too much cheese and yogurt causes constipation with my two so I am always careful to balance hydration, fiber, and exercise to prevent an issue.
I put sunflower seed butter on toast instead of PButter sometimes since our Pediatritian advises to wait until my son is 3 to do p.b. It doesn't offer as much protein as PB, but it does add some.
We too do soups with beans and/or meat diced small. We have recently added hummus as a "dippy" with broken up pieces of pita or crackers.
I personally try to avoid Soy products while my children are so young and developing. My youngest is allergic to it which openned my eyes to the negs. I allow my daughter who is not allergic- things w/ insignificant ammounts but still think it probably benefits her to avoid it right now too. There is controversy still on the effects of the hormone interuption on small children since soy is a phyto (plant) estrogen. Soy, while sought after for being the only plant based complete protein, has been turning up as having so many suspected problems- hindering calcium absorbsion also...not good for a little ones developing bones. Soy has also climbed onto the list as being in the top 8 food allergies. There seems to be a coorelation to an increase in sensitivity and the routine use of the genetically modified varieties. I used to hold it in such high esteem and eat it as much as possible until I learned more about it. Now I am leary and my whole family uses it in moderation at best.
My husband makes little turkey meatballs with pasta sauce...battered cod, hamburger, and rotisserie chicken for them.
I feed my daughter, 1/2 of a Thomas's hearty grain bagel...with cream cheese or toasted with a little bit of butter, as 1/2 the bagel has 5g protein.
I use beef or chicken broth cut into the water required for things like mashed potatoes or whole grain rice. Perhaps doing this may get your son a little more amenable to the taste of meat in a gentle fashion?
I feel like I spend a lot of time and energy each day thinking about what to serve next to keep the food groups balanced! ...but those are mostly our protein sources.
Disguise it! Shred some chicken into applesauce, bits of ham in mac'n'cheese. Sometimes I make grilled cheese and put slice turkey in between the cheese slices. It should get some protein in him until meat is back on his list.
Hi C.,
When my boys were toddler until their later teens, I gave them Shaklee's Meal Shakes. You can find them at http://www.shaklee.net/healthforlife
Those are considered meal replacements. If you just want to supplement, the Energyzing Soy Protein is a great option. The flavors are much improved from what was available when my boys were young. Also, these products are not genetically altered.
Victoria
My daughter always loved cashews and almonds. I took them everywhere. Almonds have the benefit of fiber too to counter the cheese. :)
