Hi moms. My 23 month old daughter doesn't eat much lean protein. She has milk, egg, and peanut allergies as well. She will eat hot dog, ground beef, chix nugs with no problem but these are not the healthiest of meats. Do yours do the same? I am just worried she is getting too much cholesterol. She also eats sunbutter, black and pinto beans, and deli ham. I am sure i am not the only mom who feeds her child chix nugg more than 1x a week, am I? It's the tyson kind, we don't eat out really. I am not supposed to introduce fish until after her second bday bc of her allergies. Any other suggestions? Thx ladies!
PS I have tried turkey, pork chop, and baked chix but she will not eat a bite. And she will not eat food together, each one has to be separate!
You actually WANT infant and toddler diets to be high in fat. Avoid avoid avoid "lowfat/nonfat" adult stuff until age 5 at the earliest. They need the fats for the mylenization of the nerves and for brain growth and development and immune system development. (The brain is actually *mostly* fats, as is the immune system.)
I agre with the previous post about tofu..I gave it to my son for a long time and you can ccok it in many ways because it's basically tasteless. But what about ground turkey (you can make meatballs or hamburgers), veal and chicken scaloppini (super yummy and super lean)? Chicken doesn't come only in breaded, pre-fried, fatty nuggets, if you ask your butcher to make a cutlet of a chicken breast you can grill, it, you can sautee it etc.... Also veal is VERY healthy and easy to digest. I make these meats in ,many ways, let know if you need easy and fast recipes italian style!
sounds like a normal toddler diet to me.. mine will eat chic nuggests, burgers, cold cuts, fried or broasted chicken legs... they really cant chew pork chops yet. one will eat steak.. the other one wont..
I wouldnt worry about cholesteral.. babies need cholesterol.
just make suer that she gets fruits and veggies - mine will eat any fruit and most veggies..
The fats are good for her.
Foods that have fats in them help with brain development. Which is why they tell you to give them whole milk.
I wouldn't worry
Tofu. Beans. Whole wheat bread. Whole grains. Nuts and seeds! These things have all the required protein she needs, and they are heathy.
All those other things you mentioned, you're right. Too much cholesterol. Nuts lower cholesteral and give her the natural good fat. Go to a health food store and buy whole flaxseed and grind them in a coffee grinder, add a Tbl. to pancakes, muffins, homemade bread, add smaller amounts to grits or cereals. She'll never know it and you'll be giving her omega-3's.
You can also buy ground flax at walmart. It comes in a brown box and it's in the flour/baking aisle. An easy way to make tofu tasty for young kids, cut it in cubes. Put it in a frying pan and add a tsp. of salt, (if you're doing the whole Lb.) a little onion powder, tumeric (very little, only a sprinkle) nutritional yeast flakes, and flip it here and there until it's brown slightly. Serve. Little ones love this! Or season it how you want. But it needs seasoning, don't serve it plain. It's PACKED with protein.
One other thought just let you know, kids these days are getting too much protein. If she got a few beans, some peanut butter (on banana or whole wheate bread) she's probably going to get enough. There is protein in more things than you realize. Brown rice is another one! all whole grains have protein. Pasta as well. She's small. She's not at the gym. She doesn't need too much.
One last thought, consider your meat carefully if you do feed it to her. Most meet is loaded with hormones which are very harmful to children these days. It is making puberty set on at an early age with girls as young as 8 -9 years old staring their peiod and developing breasts. These hormones are also in dairy (eggs, cheese, milk). Substitutes for these things are tofu, soy milk (which kids love) soy ice cream, soy cheese (found at most grocery stores - publix, ingles - there are several veggie meats that are good with protein, but no animal fat, cholesterol and hormoes). You can get veggie meats in the Morning Star brand. The box is green and you can find them in the fridge at walmart under the breakfast area. They have corndogs and chicken nuggets and veggie patties. My kids like all of these. there is "sausage" and "bacon strips" too, along with several other things. Check them out for a healthier alternitive.
All the best to you!
If you can afford it, I would try to give her meat and chicken that is hormone free. Tyson is not the best for that. Otherwise, beans are just fine...she doesn't need animal proteins to be healthy. It also sounds like she has some sensory issues that make her not like the taste and texture of things. It can be pretty normal at this age but you might want to ask her doctor. I have a lot of good friends whose kids were the same...and with a little work they came around to eat more things. Either way, I am sure your daughter is healthy and fine on what she eats now. Fats are good for them. Do you give her any supplemental vitamins? We give our kids a liquid that they love. Also, if giving tofu, again, try to do organic if possible. 99% of soy is genetically modified and heavily sprayed with pesticides.
Hi, M.. My little one eats chicken nuggets just about everyday! He refuses to eat sausage, fish, beans, and tofu. I'm wary of deli meat because of the sodium content. He will sometimes eat meatballs made of pork and beef mixed with breading or sweet potatos. So, I'm in the same chicken boat as you!
have you tried turkey meat ..u can get it like hamburger..i Use it sometimes instead of hamburger all the time
You need to get her digestion fixed first, she probley has a majority of the allergies from Vaccines and Genetically Modeifed Foods she has been fed... Keep her off of all Soy and all GMO foods it will only exacerbate her allergies.
Once you fix her gut she will be able to eat a wider range of foods.
A great place to start on what to feed kids is here:
http://www.westonaprice.org/Children-s-Health/
Another great source is Real Food by Nina Planck
I would start her on homemade Bone Broth, made from bones from Healthy Animals on Pasture, this is a huge start to repairing some of her issues.
Check this out to restore your child back to health.
Gut and Psychology Syndrome and GAPS Guide (2 Books) (Paperback)
~ Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride & Baden Lashkov (Author)
Please read the ingredients in the foods you are feeding her, they are loaded with antibiotics, hormones, MSG and other Chemicals.
Get some Hormone antibiotic Free Chicken cut into strips, add Sea Salt, Pepper and bake on a stainless steel cookie sheet with olive oil. Voila homemade chicken strips, make extra they freeze well.
Hope this helps
H.
www.trulyhealthybaby.com
My 3 1/2-year-old loves tofu and has since we introduced it around 12 months. It is very mild tasting, so you can flavor it with anything. It has consistency that is very easy for kids to chew. As for making it tasty for adults, I chop it into cubes, drain it, and splash it with a little soy sauce and then saute it over medium high heat in a little peanut or canola oil till it is golden. You also can find many recipes for cooking with tofu. It can be prepared to have different textures and about any taste, but also can be pureed and snuck into many different dishes.
my son is a picky eater as well, but he loves to eat wraps. grilled chicken cut up and wrapped up in a nice soft tortilla wrap with melted cheese. You can add beans and rice. Or you can make a chicken salad wrap with grapes, craisins, mayonaise, cheese etc. Even a taco wrap, add beans, chili peppers, etc. For some reason he loves eating this way. I think you are doing fine. Just keep introducing new foods. If you do eat hotdogs just buy the one without the nitrates. Stop and Shop brand Nature's promise has them. Freeze them after you open them so they last longer.
My 20 month old eats chicken nuggets like crazy! She loves them!
We recently got a George Foreman grill. I made some grilled chicken on it and she LOVED it! Now I grill her chicken breasts regularly.
It's quick too (cooks in 8 minutes). That's the same time it takes me to cook chicken nuggets and it's so much healthy for her.
chicken is a great source of protein as well. i make drummettes (sauteed on stovetop) then take meat off bone and give to him with brown rice or quinoa and a veggie, like steamed broccoli and cauliflower. i also buy a whole chicken at trader joe's, season, and put in the oven for about one and a half hours to two hours. very tender - he can eat this with whole wheat pasta, brown rice, or any other grains, along with a veggie. I cut it all up an mix so he can't take veggies out.
i also make soups from water and organic/low sodium chicken broth. throw in slioghtly cooked chicken, veggies, and lentils. yummie.
