Healthy foods that will help a child gain weight

[houseofkids&pets]

Dd just went for her 12 year old check up earlier this weeek. She weighed in at 54 pounds, while her twin brother was 117!! I have expressed concerns in the past to the doctor, but she wasn't really worried. Now, however, she has become concerned and wants another weight check in 3 months. She has no body fat whatsoever, and the doctor feels that her overall growth is being affected by her low weight (height tapered off, no where near ready to start puberty).

 

Anyone who has BTDT have any food suggestions that are "healthy", but will help a girl gain weight? She isn't really finicky, she just really eats like a bird. She will eat fruits and veggies, but will only eat junk food in moderation (doesn't like pizza or subs like the rest of us around here:)). I need ideas to help her gain weight, but that are not junk food type of snacks.

 

Thanks!

[JumpyTheFrog]

Protein and healthy fats, like coconut milk and oil.

[swellmomma]

DD turns 13 in July and only weighs 62.5 lbs. The ped has not been concerned at all. She is slowly starting puberty (has little breast buds now but nothing else). My ds13 weighs 130lbs and is still in the early stages of puberty so I would *not connect being underweight with the start of puberty, it could just be that she was "programmed" to start later.

 

For healthy fatty foods I would do things like nuts, hummus, avocado.

Edited March 30, 2012 by swellmomma

[Calendula]

Guacamole! Yum. Or just slice up avocado and sprnkle with salt.

 

Nuts, granola, etc.

[Slipper]

Wow, that is small. My daughter will turn 11 in August and weighs 51 and is considered underweight. I'll be honest and tell you that I would want some testing to make sure that there are not other health concerns going on (celiac, cystic fibrosis, crohn's, etc).

 

We used a product called scandi-shake (I don't sell it, but I liked it) to add some extra calories. You could also do that on a lesser scale with products like Instant Breakfast, etc added to milk. Milkshakes were fun for our whole family.

 

I also keep her physically busy (soccer, karate, outside playing) on the theory that exercise should make her hungrier. :) I saw that your daughter is in public school, ask them if she can take a quick break during PE or some other class to fit in a small snack (trail mix with lots of nuts, like almonds) to get an extra snack in. If possible, extra time at lunch (and encouragement from the teacher to socialize less and eat more ;).

 

Good luck! I hope you find what works for you. My daughter is simply small even with her celiac diagnosis, but our doctor did send her for bone scans (super easy) to make sure that this wouldn't affect her overall growth and puberty. I think a good GI pediatric doc would give you some peace of mind as to whether this is normal "for your child".

[Calendula]

LOL, no see that makes me lose weight. :D

 

Does it bring you closer to a healthy weight?? Or are you underweight to begin with. I would think the right amount of healthy food would bring a person closer to a healthy weight (in whatever directn that may be).

[JumpyTheFrog]

LOL, no see that makes me lose weight. :D

 

Well, yeah it might make overweight people lose weight, but protein is needed to grow taller and build muscle. The OP said her daughter "eats like a bird." We don't just want a fatter version of the girl. I imagine the mom would like her to gain some muscle as well. At least, I would.

 

Eggs would be good too.

 

Does she have any symptoms or digestive troubles? Anything that might indicate celiac or another problem?

[houseofkids&pets]

Oooo, she does like guacamole and chips (unfortuantely, so do I....way too much. And I don't need to gain weight, that's for sure:)). Thanks for the responses so far. I appreciate the info. Special thanks to Swellmomma. Your post about your dc has definitely decreased my anxiety over this whole thing. The thing is, dd just doesn't eat. We can't force her and we don't want this to turn into a full blown eating disorder, so we are trying to approach this carefully.

[JumpyTheFrog]

So the problem is she no has appetite? Maybe we need to consider causes of a lack of appetite. It seems like I read once that a B12 deficiency can lead to a lack of appetite...but maybe it was something else.

 

How is her digestion? If many foods make her feel sick or don't digest well, than I can see why she wouldn't want to eat.

 

Or is the problem that she is a picky eater?

[houseofkids&pets]

HoppyTheToad, no, she does not have any digestive problems or food allergies. She is just very "particular" about what she eats and how much. There are other issues going on with her, like anxiety and OCD type of behaviors that seem to affect her appetite. If you even breathe too close to her food, she thinks it is disgusting and will not eat it. You are correct about weight gain. We want a healthy way to add weight and muscle. I was a super thin kid (nicknamed Olive Oil from Popeye), so part of it is maybe genetics. However, I ate like a horse and was a very active tomboy. She really eats teeny, tiny amounts.

[JumpyTheFrog]

Well, it sounds like being underweight is a side effect of her anxiety and OCD problems. Maybe you can concentrate on helping her with those. I haven't dealt with either, so I have no ideas...except that not eating enough might lead to deficiences that make the anxiety worse. I hope someone else has ideas about how to break the cycle.

[houseofkids&pets]

Slipper, they still have "snack time" in 6th grade ps:). She will sometimes eat her snack, but not always. Also, she does not like to eat the school lunches at all. The problem is, when she packs a lunch to take to school, she barely eats it. She thinks that it doesn't taste right after sitting in a lunch bag with an ice pack. BTW, we are in the process of trying to find a good counselor or child psychologist to address other issues and anxieties, so I am hoping that will help with the eating too.

[Mrs Mungo]

We are at ukulele lessons right now or I would type more. :) But, I have posted about this before and got some help. You see if you can find those threads. One of the main things? Add a bit of fat to everything. Cream instead of milk, add cheese to eggs, etc.

 

We also do the scandishakes with my son. ETA: these are more high-calorie shakes than your typical protein shakes. Protein shakes made for adults often have too much protein for kids.

Edited March 30, 2012 by Mrs Mungo

[swellmomma]

Oooo, she does like guacamole and chips (unfortuantely, so do I....way too much. And I don't need to gain weight, that's for sure:)). Thanks for the responses so far. I appreciate the info. Special thanks to Swellmomma. Your post about your dc has definitely decreased my anxiety over this whole thing. The thing is, dd just doesn't eat. We can't force her and we don't want this to turn into a full blown eating disorder, so we are trying to approach this carefully.

 

DD is a light eater too. Sometimes that is good when a small serving is appropriate (something ds and I tend to struggle with), but can also pose a problem at times.

 

Sometimes it is the little switches, like serving her whole milk or 2% instead of the skim the rest of us drink(though I have started giving her more chocolate almond milk because she will happily drink that and it has a good amount of protein in it) , or serving her a cream based soup rather than a typical broth based one. Breakfast shakes are good because you can add protein powders and such and the kids just think mom has gone nuts and is giving treats for breakfast.

 

I agree with not forcing her, that can very much cause bigger issues. You are very smart to be considering that. I would just offer more high protein, high fat snacks. Keep a bowl of pecans or alonds to snack out for her to snack on as she is around. guacamole with chips since she likes it can make a good after school snack.

 

If you don't require her to eat a lot, but let's say she is instructed to eat something small every 2 hours, she may increase her caloric intake without noticing it. Snack breaks would have to be worked out with the school but if she has a short break between 2nd and 3rd period in the am and again mid afternoon it should work out.

 

So a protein breakfast shake

 

2 hours later a mid morning snack of a few almond or pecans and a slice of cheese

 

Lunch something you know she will eat, (my preferences would be to send a roast beef sandwich with avocado slices on it, or egg salad, or tuna salad -both using full fat mayo) GEtting her protein content up and fats. Of course if she doesn't like sandwiches or are worried about the mayo at school you will have to figure out what works best.

 

Mid afternoon-another small but higher fat snack, maybe a couple oz of hummus and a few carrot sticks.

 

Afterschool snack, guac and chips

 

Dinner with family

 

bedtime snack peanut butter toast works well

 

You may find if she is eating tiny amount like that often her metabolism will pick up enough to eat more at the regular settings. Keeping her physically active so that it is a healthy muscle gaining weight gain and not just plumping her up would also be something to keep in mind.

 

ETA I see more info was added while I was typing. So feel free to throw all the above away lol I can see how her OCD/anxieties can be impacting her. If she doesn't like how lunches taste after sitting in a bag with an ice pack is there items you can send that do not need to be chilled that she would still eat? It is everything in her lunch sack or just the chilled items?

 

Is there anyway for her to come home for lunch instead of eating at school?

Edited March 30, 2012 by swellmomma

[houseofkids&pets]

Thanks Hoppy. That is my gut feeling. The food issues are all part of her anxiety, but it is getting worse.

 

She does like pasta, guacamole, nuts, so I will try to encourage her to eat more of these types of foods. I wasn't sure about adding in things like protein shakes, or just focus on trying to increase her food intake.

[Slipper]

Slipper, they still have "snack time" in 6th grade ps:). She will sometimes eat her snack, but not always. Also, she does not like to eat the school lunches at all. The problem is, when she packs a lunch to take to school, she barely eats it. She thinks that it doesn't taste right after sitting in a lunch bag with an ice pack. BTW, we are in the process of trying to find a good counselor or child psychologist to address other issues and anxieties, so I am hoping that will help with the eating too.

 

I meant for her to have two snack times under the theory that lots of small fatty snacks might help. :) During the time of diagnosing my daughter, they wanted her to have three meals and four snacks a day. It was a bit insane.

 

Depending on how the psychologist works out, it might be worth working with the cafeteria as well to have specific food cooked for her. That would be covered under a 504 plan as long as your doctor writes a note. Good luck :)

[Susan in TN]

We are at ukulele lessons right now or I would type more. :) But, I have posted about this before and got some help. You see if you can find those threads. One of the main things? Add a bit of fat to everything. Cream instead of milk, add cheese to eggs, etc.

 

We also do the scandishakes with my son.

 

This is what we do - extra cream for her oatmeal, extra butter on her toast, extra cheese and mayo on her sandwich, extra (whatever) on whatever she is eating. We try to get her to eat fats with protein with carbs as much as possible. She's still underweight for her height, but she is steadily gaining, albeit slowly.

 

Nutritional suppliments and digestive enzymes might also help - both with weight gain and the anxiety.

Edited March 30, 2012 by Susan in TN

[houseofkids&pets]

Swellmomma, do you know of a protein powder that is ok for kids? Something that you can't taste when it is mixed in? She doesn't like anything like a Carnation Instant Breakfast or a PediaSure. We have tried those in the past. She does like the chocolate almond milk from Silk.

 

Both you and Slipper recommended more snacks during the day. I know that there is one designated snack time, but I am sure that her teacher would allow her a second snack. The difficult part is getting her to actually eat it.

 

When the dc get Halloween or Easter candy, my boys eat about 10 pounds in 2 days:tongue_smilie:. Dd saves it until it is so hard and nasty that she throws it out. Dh cannot understand a kid who likes candy, but who eats in such small amounts that she can make it last an entire year. Well, not actually an entire year. I always find her hidden stash and eat every KitKat, Snickers, and Reeses!!

[houseofkids&pets]

Thanks Mrs. Mungo. I will search for the other threads.

[swellmomma]

Swellmomma, do you know of a protein powder that is ok for kids? Something that you can't taste when it is mixed in? She doesn't like anything like a Carnation Instant Breakfast or a PediaSure. We have tried those in the past. She does like the chocolate almond milk from Silk.

 

Both you and Slipper recommended more snacks during the day. I know that there is one designated snack time, but I am sure that her teacher would allow her a second snack. The difficult part is getting her to actually eat it.

 

When the dc get Halloween or Easter candy, my boys eat about 10 pounds in 2 days:tongue_smilie:. Dd saves it until it is so hard and nasty that she throws it out. Dh cannot understand a kid who likes candy, but who eats in such small amounts that she can make it last an entire year. Well, not actually an entire year. I always find her hidden stash and eat every KitKat, Snickers, and Reeses!!

 

:lol: Your dd and mine should hang out. I am sure that in a bag on her bed is still some halloween candy and in a week will be her easter treats. That said she loved o henry bars and those won't be saved for a year. But my boys are candy free in less than 48 hours so it is weird.

 

This site had information about safe use of protein powders with kids. It does mention protein overdose in kids which is not something I have ever heard off. I can see if they are not getting it balanced with carbs and fats it would be a risk, but if you balance the meals it should be fine.

 

I have a friend that used Boost drinks for her daughter with CF. Her daughter has issues with needing to gain weight and the boost drinks help. She usually has 1 with/for breakfast daily and then if she is having a bad eating day she will have another 1 before bed. THe key is to boost the calorie intake one way or another. Yes through diet is ideal but if she is not eating you still need to boost the calories in someway and shakes or things like boost can help.

[mudboots]

She sounds very similar to the way I was. Even if you don't turn it into a big deal, you can't stop other people from making comments about how tiny she is.

 

I didn't get good help for it. I did have a family practice doctor, finally, who recommended "Dr. Reuben's Quick Weight Gain" book (here). (I sought help as an adult because I couldn't have kids.) I'm not sure Reuben's book is the best for healthy weight gain, but it snapped me out of my obsessiveness about healthy foods. After reading Dr. Reuben's book, I just tried to get enough calories to put on some weight (lots of Ranch dressing). Emotionally, that was very good for me. Now I eat healthfully again, but my weight is normal.

 

I don't know that Dr. Reuben's book is the best, especially for a younger girl. But maybe a similar resource could help her see the importance of eating heartily? (Or it could give you some ideas for her.)

 

Also, have you asked her how she feels about eating at school? Would she tell you? I was extremely nervous about eating in front of my friends, so I'd skip lunches. I don't know if I could have verbalized that. I would have done far better at home, but that wasn't seen as an option back then.

[houseofkids&pets]

Mudboots, thank you for sharing that info. I do feel that there is more going on with her than just not eating. That is just one symptom of whatever it is. I was just frightened this week when the pediatrician finally expressed concerns about dd since she "fell off" the growth chart last year and now really isn't growing. The way it came across just made me so alarmed.

 

Now, dd has a weight check at the doctor's office looming over her head. We have to take her back at the end of June. She is a perfectionist, so I am sure that she looks at this like a test that she doesn't want to fail. Maybe that will encourage her to eat.

 

Swellmomma, I read some conflicting info on giving protein powder to kids, so I wondered if there was anything out there that was safe and effective.

[justLisa]

I'm saying this gently, so please don't get upset for bringing up a different side of this...

 

I was a competitive figure skater until I threw my back at 16. Around your DD's age, I started hearing that smaller means, jumping higher, looking more graceful, etc. I was OCD and obsessive about eating/drinking anything. I always had muscular legs so I always worried about gaining any weight. I really struggled with an eating disorder through high school and college.

 

Again, I am totally not implying your DD could actually be concerned with her looks/weight at this age, but does she have any influence or sports involvement that could possibly contribute to her feeling she needs to eat a certain way?

 

ETA: about foods. Does she like eggs? You can cook them in some coconut oil and add a little cheese. I like to make homemade custards. High in fat, low in sugar for a treat. We also do smoothies with nuts, and whole milk yogurt/buttermilk

Edited March 30, 2012 by 425lisamarie

[houseofkids&pets]

No lisamarie, but I do worry about an eating disorder. She is not a "girly girl" who worries about her looks, not interested in boys, and not into sports of any kind. She used to play softball, but honestly, I think she became self conscious because she was smaller than all of her peers. Her arms and legs are literally like toothpicks. The bat was almost too heavy for her to hold up. That said, she knows that she is smaller than all of her friends and neighbors, but she does sometimes comment that her butt and thighs are big.

 

I have a close friend who struggled with anorexia as a teen (she was a dancer), so we have discussed this at length. At this point, I am thinking it is part of her anxiety.

 

Full disclosure: The rest of us here love junk food. Tonight is what I always call "Friday Night, Pizza Night". We have chips in the cupboard (fruit too:)), popsicles in the freezer, and I baked cookies. She will eat a bit of everything (except the pizza), but it is literally.tiny.bites. A family member said she just needs to eat more and it will stretch out her stomach and increase her appetite. Is that true??

[houseofkids&pets]

I have read so much about coconut oil and milk on here lately. I have never tried it, but definitely will buy some this weekend.

[Lolly]

Suggestion: don't get too worked up over it. I would let her be more in control of her food instead of trying to take it from her. She prepares her food/snacks if she doesn't like what is served. Yes, don't make her eat what everyone else is eating/let her do her own thing. Make sure no one breathes on it! ;) Let her snack eat around the clock. Take her with you to the grocery and pick out her own foods.

 

The growth chart: if she is not hitting puberty at the average age, she WILL fall off of it if she was on the small side to start with. When she hits puberty, she will go back to where she was. If most girls start growing taller/gaining weight quickly at 11 or 12, the ones who don't seem to stop growing. I had a dd who fell off the charts at 11 or 12. She is now 17 and quite tall! She is still thin as a rail with no body fat. I have an odd feeling that will resolve itself at around 35 like it did for her mama.;)

[MrsBasil]

Swellmomma, do you know of a protein powder that is ok for kids? Something that you can't taste when it is mixed in? She doesn't like anything like a Carnation Instant Breakfast or a PediaSure. We have tried those in the past. She does like the chocolate almond milk from Silk.

 

 

My DS(who is a toddler so grain of salt) likes Boost OK. It's not a mix, it comes in a juice box type pack. They have vanilla, strawberry and chocolate and you can keep them in the fridge. We've had to doctor his with chocolate syrup and mix well, it's thicker than whole milk, but blends a lot better than Carnation Breakfast which is what we used to use.

 

Does she like peanut butter? I've had good luck with peanut butter on apples for DS.

[Snickerdoodle]

She will eat a bit of everything (except the pizza), but it is literally.tiny.bites. A family member said she just needs to eat more and it will stretch out her stomach and increase her appetite. Is that true??

I think constantly commenting on how much she is eating is just going to focus too much energy on how much she is eating. It may turn into a bit of a power struggle.

[mudboots]

She is a perfectionist, so I am sure that she looks at this like a test that she doesn't want to fail.

 

Great!

 

Will she eat yogurt? That can be a soothing food for an "anxious" digestive system. It should have active cultures. [ETA: The all-natural, plain variety, or some of the "Greek" brands will have all the fat in them. Mix in frozen berries or juice concentrates for better flavor.]

 

Guacamole and chips are a fantastic suggestion. You can add more fat with sour cream.

 

Ritz crackers are pretty high fat. There's a whole wheat variety, if she'd be more likely to eat those.

 

I second the idea of adding cream, butter, Ranch dressing, etc. to any food possible.

 

Take advantage of other soothing favorites (hot tea?), to find ways to add some calories.

 

My parents tried protein powder at one point. I tried it for a while but internally turned up my nose at it. I needed a different attitude about food, but it sounds like you're working on that!

 

I would let her be more in control of her food instead of trying to take it from her. She prepares her food/snacks if she doesn't like what is served. Yes, don't make her eat what everyone else is eating/let her do her own thing. Make sure no one breathes on it! ;) Let her snack eat around the clock. Take her with you to the grocery and pick out her own foods.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Responsibility for herself is a good thing.

Edited March 30, 2012 by mudboots