I have two girls almost 3 years and 1 1/2 years old. They don't seem to like meat at all. Occaisonally they will eat chicken, (nothing else not even chicken nuggets) but mostly fruit, veggies, dairy and breads (carbs). I don't really mind this but I sure am sick or making mac n cheese every day. Any suggestions? Will they ever grow out of this stage and eat like normal kids?
All of this has been extremely helpful. I will do some research online and see if there is anything else I can find. My girls do like eggs and cheese so that is a plus. I will try beans and fish. Thanks everyone for such great ideas.
A.--eating beans and rice together make a complete protein. Also, usually kids who don't like meat will often eat cheese and eggs. I have 3 and 1 is a carb eater, 1 is a meat eater, and 1 will eat anything.
Beans, tofu, cheese, etc. can be good protein substitutes. Do a search on raising/feeding veg children and you should find a lot of stuff. Plenty of children grow up veg world wide and they're ok.
I'm a meat eater, so I don't know the exact websites, but you might want to go to some of the vegetarian/vegan websites and see the foods that they like to eat. The big thing you want to make sure of is that your children get the protein they need for proper muscle development and growth. If you're not sure about the correct nutritional information you're getting from the websites, you might ask your pediatrician for a consult with a nutritionist regarding your children's diets. Insurance usually covers the cost of the visit with a referral from the dr. Also, make sure your daughters are getting enough fat in their diet to promote brain development. I'd be very happy to discuss some supplement options with you, if you'd like. (I grew up in a family of food allergies and diabetes. I also participated in and judged 4-H Food competitions.)
Feel free to email me!
~J.~
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We do a lot of fish. Tilapia has a very mild taste. My boys also love shrimp. I buy the frozen kind (uncooked and deveined) and then season it mildly and shallow fry on a skillet. You can also grill any fish.
This sounds like my little girl. I eat a lot of vegetarian myself, but she's so picky that I pull my hair out. The thing that's been a life saver for my is smoothies. I buy the big bags of frozen strawberries at Sam's or Target (much more affordable)and chop bananas into chunks to put in a big zipper bag. I get the giant container of 100% protein at Whole Foods, which has no sweeteners, but with the fruit you don't need it, and that way you have no extra calories or artificial sweeteners. One strawberry, one chunk of banana, half a scoop of protein and cover with milk. Blend like crazy and she thinks I went to Jamba Juice. I make sure I have whey protein so that she's not regularly getting all the phytoestrogens from soy.
I have two girls (5 & 9). My 5-year-old loves fruits, veggies and salad. She doesn't like meat accept for fish and shrimp. Oh, she does like these meatballs I make every Christmas and they are mostly appetizers, but she requested I make them on Valentine's day last week. She eats them up like crazy.
My 9-year-old is a carb eater. She prefers potatoes, french fries, chips, bread, pasta, etc. I really have to work at getting her to eat healthy.
Both of them, however, love fish and beans...especially Ranch Style beans, so I buy them a lot. Eventhough they don't like certain things I continue to cook and offer a variety of foods. I finally got my 9-year-old eating salads as long as I put Ranch dressing on it.
My pediatrician suggested that I continue offering these foods even if they don't like them now. Eventually, she said, they will develop a taste for more sofisticated foods.
Good luck!
My 2 y.o. son is the same way. He loves baked beans though and they are a great source of protein. They also make it easy to get him extra veggies because I just mix in a can of mixed veggies and a can of baked beans, and I have a great meal for him! I get the Bush's Beans for a variety of flavors.
