High (healthy) fat, high (vegetarian) protein options for low weight dd?

[Veritaserum]

My daughter had her 12yo check-up yesterday. She dropped from 3rd percentile down to 1st percentile for weight. She has always been at the the low end of the charts. She did gain a few pounds over last year, but she is really thin. She eats a lot (3 meals plus 3 snacks). We've checked thyroid and other things. She's just very thin. As long as she's been on the chart with a positive growth curve and has been meeting milestones, her doctors haven't been terribly concerned.

 

We are going to look into ways to increase her fat and protein intake. She doesn't like meat. I'm going to try a cashew coconut milk smoothie with her this morning, but I would love some other ideas--especially things that can be made ahead (or purchased) in large batches so she can just grab them as desired. I'd rather not use Pediasure or Carnation as supplements because of all the poor ingredients.

[elfgivas]

my first thought is that she is just at that age where her hormones will change what her body does with extra food intake.  

ie.  she may not thank you six months from now.

 

in the meantime, adding fresh avocado to just about anything is a lovely way to get extra healthy fat and calories.

 

there were two years in one dds life where she got a milk shake every single day.

 

yoghurt parfaits are yummy, and you can buy them "ready to go".

 

hmmm.... nuts in a bowl to snack on?  

trader joes has some "to die for" individual trail mix packets.

 

hth,

ann

[redsquirrel]

I have a skinny dancer boy and I am always trying to keep the weight on him.

 

Smoothies are a great idea. Try using coconut milk as some of the liquid.  I buy a couple pounds of raw almonds and roast them at home and then bag them up into 1oz servings. He grabs one quite often. I do make him bring the little bags back so we can reuse them.  Avocados are great. Roll ups with refried beans, salsa and avocado are a big hit. Try a big bowl of rice topped with black beans, grated cheese, sliced avocado and salsa.  Make oatmeal with whole milk for breakfast, top with a sliced banana and a nice dollop of Greek yogurt. Don't forget pasta. A bowl of pasta has a lot of caloric value and can be a big help.

 

On the go for him means a couple of ballet classes in a row, so for him that means a Cliff bar or a Builder's bar and some water. Sometimes it just has to be super portable and mess free.

 

Is her appetite low or does she just burn through her food? Due to ballet I am used to being around lots of thin but super healthy teens. They all eat like horses but they burn it off. They don't shy away from the carbs (lots of pasta and breads) and I see lots of full fat yogurt, nuts etc.

[FaithManor]

Avocado, coconut oil, peanut butter or other nut butters, macadamia nuts (60 calories a piece, lovely flavor, high fat, very nutrient dense), I'd let her have as much nutrient dense complex carbs as she wants...oats, whole grain pasta, brown rice, etc., and then make smoothies. If you make spaghetti, get it as dense as possible by running it through the blender with extra veggies and olive oil to increase and if she'll eat cheese use ricotta made from whole milk. Ricotta can be added to a lot of different sauces, even alfredo sauce...cream cheese too. If she likes celery sticks, slather with cream cheese, and when she eats cooked vegetables, add butter if again, she eats dairy products. Full fat dressings for dips for carrots and other fresh veggies. Stuffed mushrooms and peppers using cream cheese and ricotta works great too.

 

Ds burns through calories like a wildfire in drought season. It's nuts! Some kids are just like that. So, if you are feeding her well and she's eating a good variety, not avoiding nutrient dense foods, or fats and proteins, then I'd probably try not to worry too much and just keep doing your best. You might want to keep a food journal for a couple of months to show the doctor next time. It helped our endocrinologist see that Ds was indeed eating well, and sticking to a weight gaining diet, but wasn't gaining and that's a genetic thing for him which he may battle his whole life. Plus, he's just crazy active and that takes a lot of calories too.

[HappyLady]

You're gotten a lot of good suggestions so far.  Another good one is to add hemp seeds to foods.  If you're going to do a smoothie they can be added in there, you can add them to yogurt or even ice cream.  I sprinkle them on oatmeal and cereal (and salads).  I don't think they have much of a taste so you can get creative with them.  Three tablespoons have 14g of fat and 10g of protein. 

 

Here's a breakfast/snack I really like.  You can mix it up and get creative with it.  You can also add hemp seeds to this as well.

 

http://uncooking101.com/site/raw-food-recipe/raw-vegan-berry-breakfast-bombs/

[foxbridgeacademy]

Avocado Brownies made with bean flour, no really, they're good.  I don't have the recipe, someone, I don't really know, made them for a garden group I used to belong to. They were think and super dark chocolate.

My kids love Kale Chips. Toss in EVOO sprinkle with salt, cook at maybe 325.  Watch that they don't burn.  You can pull them out when they're still chewy(my fave) or wait till they get crispy.  We put garlic powder on them.  

Of course nuts are great for protein and fat. You could chop them fine then put on yogurt with granola and fruit (we add a little honey too). Nut-butter(almond preferred) oatmeal cookies with dried fruit.  We call them "Mom's kitchen sink cookies".  I'll put dried cherries, blueberries, dates, raisins, pepitas, almonds, pecans, hemp seed, millet, flax,... you get the idea.  I grind it all really fine so they can't tell the difference between the "stuff" and the oatmeal.  You can sub Coconut oil for olive in your cooking too.  We prefer it in fact, much lighter in flavor IMO.

Hmmmm, I think I must be craving sweets... Good thing DH made over a 100 PB cookies yesterday (and no I don't think he realized that doubling the recipe would turn out so many of the darn things). 

 

[MBM]

Full fat Greek yogurt will have a good amount of fat and a lot of protein. My son loves it with just a bit of honey.

 

One cup of Fage Total (the full fat kind) has

 

220 calories

100 calories from fat (11g total fat of which 8 are sat fat)

20g of protein

9 g of carbs

25% of calcium RDA

 

I think as long as your daughter is getting the nutrition she needs, she will probably be fine. I have friends who were maybe 90 pounds soaking wet in college and are still 90 pounds soaking wet at about age 50 -- without dieting at all. One of my friends has a very difficult time putting weight on. My husband is like that, too.

[Greta]

Will she eat eggs and/or dairy?  Animal sources are more bioavailable and more complete proteins that vegetable sources.  If she won't eat meat, I would try to increase her intake of eggs, cheese, creme fraiche, full-fat yogurt, etc.  Eggs are pretty versatile, so hopefully you can find some way to prepare them that she will enjoy -- I generally hesitate to recommend sweets, but there's nothing wrong with custard or creme brûlée if you sweeten it with stevia instead of sugar.

 

I know processed foods are not preferred, but if all else fails, I would make her whey protein smoothies.  Whey protein is complete, and has a bioavailability that is off the charts.

 

 

[Lolly]

Know what? Well, first be advised that you may want to just skip this post because it isn't what you were asking for...

 

 

Know what? I would advise you to not worry about it. Seriously. She is 12. She is growing. She probably grew and hasn't caught up to her normal 3% on her weight versus her height. Try to just let her know how gorgeous she is. I don't care if you think she is or not. (It just isn't politically correct to think skinny is beautiful.) Try to take the focus off of food. Let her eat without over thinking it. As long as she is eating, and she isn't throwing it up, don't worry about it so much. Yes, I do know where you are. I have one of those dd's myself. The only point I took over her diet and pushed food was when she was recovering from mono. She had lost a lot of weight and almost stopped eating from lack of hunger due to the disease. She is now 19 and still supremely thin. It is her body type. It is who she is and she needs to learn to love it. It is harder in many ways to be thing in today's society. People don't see anything wrong with making derogatory comments about the thin body type that they would never make about someone who is fat. Then again, my dd does and has always (with the mono exception) eaten well. She also doesn't care for meat a whole lot, but does eat it. 

[umsami]

How is her height?   Because if she continues to grow in height, I probably wouldn't be as concerned.

Also, if you chart your weight percentile over time on a graph, has she always been around the 5th percentile? Or was there a recent drop?

 

 

What foods does she like to eat? Are there ways you can up their calories..such as making a milkshake with Haagen Dazs vs. normal fat ice cream.  (IMHO A Haagen-Dazs milkshake is healthier than Pediasure, because you can pronounce everything.)

 

Add in avocado, coconut, etc.  Use full-fat milk and dairy products.  Buy whole milk yogurt.  There's a brand called Liberte which I've seen at Target and my normal grocery store that is regularly 200 calories +/container.

 

You can make a yummy pudding using avocado.

 

You can add in coconut to baked goods.

 

You can add in nuts to rice to add calories…almonds, pistachios, and pine nuts are all good.

 

What about adding in weight lifting?

 

Honestly, I'd just try to encourage her to eat to her appetite and be healthy…assuming you don't suspect anything else is going on regarding EDs, etc.  (Has your dentist checked her teeth to make sure that there aren't any bulimia signs?)

[lewber]

I have a thin son and I appreciate what Lolly said above. In my attempt to get him to eat more I  need to be more careful with the skinny wording. Mine is naturally thin, but also just not interested in eating. Definitely did not get either trait from me :crying: Thank you for mentioning that.

 

Mine is very picky and nut allergic, but one thing I am successful with is whipping cream instead of milk in pancakes, waffles, mac and cheese, etc. Olive oil or extra butter added to anything we can, and full fat ice cream or milk shakes after dinner.  Every so often I add up all the calories he ate in a day just to see where we are.

 

 

[Unicorn.]

Know what? Well, first be advised that you may want to just skip this post because it isn't what you were asking for...

 

 

Know what? I would advise you to not worry about it. Seriously. She is 12. She is growing. She probably grew and hasn't caught up to her normal 3% on her weight versus her height. Try to just let her know how gorgeous she is. I don't care if you think she is or not. (It just isn't politically correct to think skinny is beautiful.) Try to take the focus off of food. Let her eat without over thinking it. As long as she is eating, and she isn't throwing it up, don't worry about it so much. Yes, I do know where you are. I have one of those dd's myself. The only point I took over her diet and pushed food was when she was recovering from mono. She had lost a lot of weight and almost stopped eating from lack of hunger due to the disease. She is now 19 and still supremely thin. It is her body type. It is who she is and she needs to learn to love it. It is harder in many ways to be thing in today's society. People don't see anything wrong with making derogatory comments about the thin body type that they would never make about someone who is fat. Then again, my dd does and has always (with the mono exception) eaten well. She also doesn't care for meat a whole lot, but does eat it. 

 

To the bolded.. are you kidding?  Society in general and the media, make girls think they need to be anorexically thin, in order to be beautiful.  They call girls/women w/ healthy size 10 bodies "plus size models".  My girls are neither thin nor fat, and get derogatory remarks all the time.  One of dd's friends who is a bit overweight is brutally made fun of.  Their peers all buy in to the "must be stick thin" to be beautiful, and every single teen girl I know who isn't naturally stick thin has some sort of eating issue.  I do know for skinny girls, some of them have issue w/ it, but they don't receive the criticism  that girls w/ curves get.

 

I DO, however, agree w/ you, that mom should just let it go, and let her be who she is.  Unless there is a real reason to increase her fat/protein content, such as adding weight after an illness.  I think your post was spot on in that regard!

 

[Lolly]

To the bolded.. are you kidding?  Society in general and the media, make girls think they need to be anorexically thin, in order to be beautiful.  They call girls/women w/ healthy size 10 bodies "plus size models".  My girls are neither thin nor fat, and get derogatory remarks all the time.  One of dd's friends who is a bit overweight is brutally made fun of.  Their peers all buy in to the "must be stick thin" to be beautiful, and every single teen girl I know who isn't naturally stick thin has some sort of eating issue.  I do know for skinny girls, some of them have issue w/ it, but they don't receive the criticism  that girls w/ curves get.

 

I DO, however, agree w/ you, that mom should just let it go, and let her be who she is.  Unless there is a real reason to increase her fat/protein content, such as adding weight after an illness.  I think your post was spot on in that regard!

 

 

Nope. STanding by it. When someone makes a comment about someone who is overweight, everyone around tends to get uncomfortable and knows a line has been crossed. Does it mean the comments aren't made? no. It means people know it is wrong to make them. People make the same comment in the opposite about someone who is thin, and no one realizes how wrong, insulting, and hurtful it is to the person. Your response actually proves my point. 

[Veritaserum]

Her height dropped off, too (35th percentile to 23rd percentile). Dh and I are both taller than average (over 97th percentile for him and 85th percentile for me), so it's unexpected for her to be this tiny. When I was her age I was slim (probably about 20th percentile), but nowhere near as thin as she is. Mostly I'm worried that she's falling off her previous growth curve (and might fall off the bottom of the chart for weight). I am nervous that people will make stupid comments about her size. She has no signs of an eating disorder.

 

She does eat dairy and eggs. She will sometimes eat chicken. I will look into the options suggested here. Thanks! :)

[Lolly]

Her height dropped off, too (35th percentile to 23rd percentile). Dh and I are both taller than average (over 97th percentile for him and 85th percentile for me), so it's unexpected for her to be this tiny. When I was her age I was slim (probably about 20th percentile), but nowhere near as thin as she is. Mostly I'm worried that she's falling off her previous growth curve (and might fall off the bottom of the chart for weight). I am nervous that people will make stupid comments about her size. She has no signs of an eating disorder.

 

She does eat dairy and eggs. She will sometimes eat chicken. I will look into the options suggested here. Thanks! :)

 

 

Question: Is her doctor concerned? Around 12 you have girls start having hugely different growth patterns which makes the percentiles less accurate/more likely for the kids to change percentile. Some girls will have pretty much be at their adult heights because they have grown early and they will suddenly shoot up in percentiles. Some haven't even started their teen growth spurt and will suddenly drop percentiles. If your dd hasn't started her teen growth spurts, it would be "normal" for her to drop percentiles. My thin girl hit her main growth spurt at 14. She was well above average in height until about 10, dropped down below around 12, and went well above by 15. Her weight was below the chart the entire time, but tremendously so right at 14 right after she grew. (5'7" and 80lb.) Her twin barely grew after age 12. She was below average before 10, right about average at 12, and slightly below as an adult. Her weight fluctuated from average to obese (which was absolutely ridiculous if you ask me) at 11. She did the pudgy preteen, though she was in excellent shape and was nowhere near fat.

 

But, it sounds like you have concerns about her growth are longstanding based on genetics. Do you have any closet short people in the families? Dh and I are both slightly above average in height, but it looked like most of our kids were all going to be quite petite. I was even warned by a pediatrician that ds would probably be below 5'5" when fully grown when he was a toddler. The possibility of his being short was definitely there, he has a couple of short grandparents. As he has now passed 6'1" and still has open growth plates, I am laughing my @ss off. FOrtunately, he was #4 and I knew my kids did not follow a "normal" growth pattern. Sure enough, when he turned 3 he took off and went from under 5th percentile to above 95th. The truth, I truly believe that for most kids those charts are useless, pointless, and just cause parents unnecessary anxiety. So, if your pediatrician isn't concerned, try not to be. 

[Unicorn.]

Nope. STanding by it. When someone makes a comment about someone who is overweight, everyone around tends to get uncomfortable and knows a line has been crossed. Does it mean the comments aren't made? no. It means people know it is wrong to make them. People make the same comment in the opposite about someone who is thin, and no one realizes how wrong, insulting, and hurtful it is to the person. Your response actually proves my point. 

 

This makes sense, in your original post, you said  {quote}  that they would never make about someone who is fat {end quote}

 

and I read it as people would never make a derogatory comment about someone who is fat. 

 

Actually, I do understand the comments about skinny people not being okay.  I wish everyone could be happy w/ their body, and the rest of the world would just accept everyone for who they are, and stop thinking everyone has to fit into some media or govt imposed mold.

 

Sorry I read your first post wrong... 

 

[MistyMountain]

Nope. STanding by it. When someone makes a comment about someone who is overweight, everyone around tends to get uncomfortable and knows a line has been crossed. Does it mean the comments aren't made? no. It means people know it is wrong to make them. People make the same comment in the opposite about someone who is thin, and no one realizes how wrong, insulting, and hurtful it is to the person. Your response actually proves my point.

I agree with this. People don't really go by fashion magazines for the ideal weight. I am naturally skinny and I went through hell in school because of it. No one envied my weight. They called me disgusting and anorexic while I was eating my fatty lunch. I had people tell me that being skinny is so disgusting and no guy will ever want to be with a stick figure. Every day I heard comments like you are so skinny the wind will blow you over. Are you anorexic or bulimic? Whenever those memes go around with the skinny model and then marilyn monroe there are always comments on how disgusting and unnatural the skinny model is. It isn't right to make comments on people's size period but some people think there is nothing wrong with making comments about being too skinny when they know it is wrong to make comments in the other direction. I know it happens both ways and that the media perspective is way off. I know that people have trouble with interviews and that people definitely judge people who are over a certain bmi but lots of people do make comments when you are very skinny too. I think we should show models in all shapes and sizes.

[Greta]

MistyMountain, I know exactly what you mean. I have been with my best friend in a store or other public place when perfect strangers would make comments to her about how "disgusting" she is. And she has been badgered by co-workers for being "anorexic" (which is funny in a way, considering what a foodie she actually is). There's definitely something wrong when people think that is acceptable behavior.

[Veritaserum]

Her doctor was a little bit worried and suggested increasing fat and protein.

[Anne in CA]

People used to call me Ann-orexic as a joke for years. It is not funny. I was working several jobs while my dh was in college and trying to take care of my oldest, who is my step dd and came to live with us unexpectedly at the age of four. I couldn't keep weight on because I didn't have the time/ money to eat well, and I was working sixty hours a week sometimes. People do not feel bad to call someone who is too slender names or make mean comments. And to top it off overweight jealous people can be HORRIBLE to a really skinny person.

[umsami]

Her height dropped off, too (35th percentile to 23rd percentile). Dh and I are both taller than average (over 97th percentile for him and 85th percentile for me), so it's unexpected for her to be this tiny. When I was her age I was slim (probably about 20th percentile), but nowhere near as thin as she is. Mostly I'm worried that she's falling off her previous growth curve (and might fall off the bottom of the chart for weight). I am nervous that people will make stupid comments about her size. She has no signs of an eating disorder.

 

She does eat dairy and eggs. She will sometimes eat chicken. I will look into the options suggested here. Thanks! :)

 

If she eats dairy and eggs, then you can use cream or half-and-half insead of regular milk in recipes.  Add in extra egg yolks.  You can make little breakfast egg cups/souffles/what not using mainly egg yolks and cream.  Google egg muffin cups for ideas too.  

 

Eggs baked in avocado are good too.

 

The height and weight drop together would worry me.  What does your ped say other than eating more?

[Susan C.]

Dd's friend growing up was really tiny, and both of her parents are tall. She ended up being low thyroid, and when she started taking thyroid medication, she grew and grew and grew and now is taller than I am! Celiac would also slow nutrient absorption.

 

If it is none of the above, I agree w/coconut oil and milk, avocado, nut butters, high fat yogurt and dairy. We don't eat premade sweetened yogurt as it is very high in sugar. I add a bit of honey, syrup, or jam to plain FAGE total.

 

Quinoa is also quite filling and is a great protein substitute. You could also add this to smoothies:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Lakes-Gelatin-Hydrolysate-individuals/dp/B005KG7EDU

 

Best wishes.