Toddler doesn't eat meat

[joannqn]

I've always been a little concerned about my 2yo's eating but with him getting older (and thinner) and nursing less, my concern has increased a bit.

 

He won't eat meat, or most other forms of protein. Just about the only protein he gets is milk and what's in bread and cereals.

 

He won't eat any meat that's on it's own...beef, chicken, pork. He picks around it to eat everything else and leaves all the meat pieces in his bowl or on his plate. I try to cut it up tiny and mix it in to, say, mashed potatoes. He'll use his fingers to pinch all of the mashed potatoes off the meat and eat any of the vegetables.

 

He also won't eat typically kid-friendly protein foods. Won't touch chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hot dogs (he eats the bun only), etc.

 

Very occasionally, I can get him to eat a hamburger. Most of the time, he won't. Occasionally, I can get him to eat a sandwich with tuna or deli meat. Again, often he won't. He doesn't usually eat eggs. Won't eat a lot of peanut butter. He won't eat beans unless they are refried in a burrito.

 

It boils down to most days, he lives off of cereal, bread, starches, some vegetables (corn & peas mostly), some fruit (mostly bananas), and milk.

 

Any suggestions?

[Jennifer in MI]

My oldest was like this for a while. Luckily mine ate quite a bit of veggies though.

 

Some ideas that he liked:

 

yogurt (plain, full fat, sweetened with all fruit jelly or some honey and vanilla)

 

Any sort of dip - hummus, black bean, yogurt/dill, cream cheese, etc. with carrot sticks, apples, pita bread, broccoli, fresh green beans, strawberries, etc. We used to leave out a number of these things on the table and they'd come back during the day.

 

Peanut butter on wheat bread

 

Avacado

 

Nuts/seeds (if no allergies, of course!)

 

There's more, but I forget some of it now!

 

Good luck!

 

ETA: I don't think that kids need meat to survive. So, I wasn't too concerned about this one's eating habits. He does now eat meat, but he's a VERY tall and thin kid to this day!

[Andie]

My second daughter was like this. She outgrew it, slowly, as she got older. It was *maddening*! Keep plugging at it. Puree and hide whenever you can, and keep pushing other protein. Good luck!

[stripe]

Have you tried bean flours? You could potentially put them in baked goods or make things from Indian food (using besan, made from chickpeas) like bhajias or some kinds of sweets (yes, sweets).

 

What if you mixed meat in things, various kinds of stew or something like chili, where there is ground meat that is is well-flavored instead of plain, does he like that better? One of my kids likes very plain food while the other likes wetter, stewier foods with more flavor, and I personally don't enjoy the sensation of chewing on a chunk of stringy meat.

[Unicorn.]

My dd was like that at 2. I used to say she would be my vegetarian that only ate bread and cheese! She doesn't have that problem anymore, now she eats anything. She does still refer to everything as chicken though. My dc loved Great Northern beans at that age, but not other beans.

 

I wouldn't worry about it if he's eating vegies/cheese/milk and some beans. I would just keep trying different things, and not worry too much. I've seen friends kids survive on pasta and bread. Seriously. hth

[newlifemom]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:What a tag:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Susan in KY]

I've always been a little concerned about my 2yo's eating but with him getting older (and thinner) and nursing less, my concern has increased a bit....

 

Any suggestions?

 

Well, dd is a bit like this, and I was concerned until I read a book called Eat Right for your Type, which is about how blood type is related to the sorts of foods our bodies do best on. Some folks need more meat, some more veggies.

 

So, I decided to let it alone and began cooking more with beans and use meat as a flavoring. I don't always do that, but she lets me know when she craves meat. When she does, the redder the better. (She's sitting next to me saying, "I like steak!")

 

She loves veggies and will pick them out to eat them.

 

I figure most of the time, her body will let her know what it wants. I do intervene when it wants only sugar. :tongue_smilie:

[Rosie_0801]

Will he eat red lentils? They're pretty inoffensive. Have you tried chilli sauce on the beans, lol? My tot likes them FAR better that way, but this is the kid who stole wasabi peas out of the pantry and scoffed them down...

 

:)

Rosie- with healthy little vegan kids.

[Mommyof4ks]

My kids all went through that too where they just would not eat meat, but they love yogurt, so that worked for two of them. My youngest needed more protein than that to help his rbc count, so the doc told us to give him whey protein in milk. We bought it at the health food store, and it did help some until he wanted to eat meat. They have all grown out of it, and my youngest is 3 so there is hope lol. Maybe protein bars would help? They make them for kids in chocolate.

[Guest Katia]

I've always been a little concerned about my 2yo's eating but with him getting older (and thinner) and nursing less, my concern has increased a bit.

 

He won't eat meat, or most other forms of protein. Just about the only protein he gets is milk and what's in bread and cereals.

 

He won't eat any meat that's on it's own...beef, chicken, pork. He picks around it to eat everything else and leaves all the meat pieces in his bowl or on his plate. I try to cut it up tiny and mix it in to, say, mashed potatoes. He'll use his fingers to pinch all of the mashed potatoes off the meat and eat any of the vegetables.

 

He also won't eat typically kid-friendly protein foods. Won't touch chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hot dogs (he eats the bun only), etc.

 

Very occasionally, I can get him to eat a hamburger. Most of the time, he won't. Occasionally, I can get him to eat a sandwich with tuna or deli meat. Again, often he won't. He doesn't usually eat eggs. Won't eat a lot of peanut butter. He won't eat beans unless they are refried in a burrito.

 

It boils down to most days, he lives off of cereal, bread, starches, some vegetables (corn & peas mostly), some fruit (mostly bananas), and milk.

 

Any suggestions?

 

I say: Good for him! If he doesn't want meat, why push it? Sounds to me like he's eating just fine. Maybe try peanut butter on 100% whole wheat bread or beans.

 

My dd is 16yo and she's never eaten meat. She just can't stand it. She is very healthy. The rest of our family eats meat, but that is no reason for her to. Let your ds decide when and if he is ready but there is no reason to push it on him or disguise it in his foods. It's just not an essential food.

[Lizzie in Ma]

The kid would love on bread, rolls, pasta, pizza, popcorn and oatmeal.

 

At this point I am sick of cooking her separate meals and she has to try what I am making. (unless it is red meat)

 

There is hope and there are tricks. :)

 

V8 Fusion is a Godsend and Walmart sells it for half the price as the grocery stores.

 

I do make her eat chicken. She drowns it all in ketchup but that doesn't bother me in the slightest.

 

She finally eats peanut butter sandwiches if I make it with Marshmallow Fluff. (what can I say, life is a compromise)

 

She loves cheese but shouldn't have it, she is intolerant to dairy. Cheese sticks are an emergency staple.

 

She will eat scrambled eggs without protest too.

 

I make her our favorite dip (Hidden Valley Ranch) from a dairy free sour cream and she will eat lots of raw veggies if she has it to dip into. I an throw whey protein in that too.

 

I puree pepper, onions, garlic, tomatoes, whey protein, and spinach to make a homemade pizza sauce that she loves. Thank the Lord for frozen veggies, I pull them right out and whip it up anytime she likes. I add salt, pepper, a little parmesan, some olive oil & some oregano. Sometimes I make homemade dough, sometimes I throw it on a tortilla, sometimes on a bagel, whatever is handy.

 

I make superfood pancakes that she will eat all day.

2 1/2 C wheat flour

6 scoops whey protein

1 C yogurt

1/2 C applesauce

4 mashed bananas

rice milk til it is pancake consistency

1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp soda

a little sugar and 1/2 tsp salt

chocolate chips (again, life is a compromise)

 

I am sure you will get tons of great ideas here. Good luck!

[Danestress]

We do eat some meat in this family, but I can't think of one good reason to try to make a child who doesn't like meat eat it anyway. He can get plenty of protein from dairy products and legumes, and there are many protein enriched grains on the market too.

 

I wouldn't worry about it at all.

[jojomojo]

My 5 year old is like that. I don't see him growing out of it either.

 

Does he like quinoa? You can use that in place of rice, add it to soups, make a hot cereal out of it, etc. It's a pretty good source of protein.

 

Check out http://www.nutritiondata.com - they have a nutrient search tool that might be helpful.

[joannqn]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll look into the ideas that I've not tried. I've never eating quinoa, for example.

 

He doesn't eat legumes either, so his only protein source on most days is milk and cheddar cheese. I know that isn't an adequate source of complete protein which is partly why I'm concerned. I'm also worried about what the constant carb load will do to his system over time, especially when it isn't offset by protein. He eats constantly since carbs digest so quickly.

[Joanne]

It's possible that the dairy and starch base of his diet is actually working against him having a range for a palate.

 

If this is a hill you want to take a stand on, you can made radical choices.

 

If not, it's likely he'll grow out of it.

 

Ellen Satter's books on kids and eating are good.

[TKDmom]

You didn't mention it, but will he eat ham? My kids love ham. It's so salty and it has an easier texture to chew than the other types of meat.

[Mama Anna]

My 2.5 yo is like this. It's frustrating for me because, on our budget, meat is such a luxury. And some things slip through - she'll eat them without noticing. Then she'll just totally refuse something that cost (for us) a "lot" and I spent tons of time on . . . Sounds like typical cost of cooking for kids, right?:001_huh:

 

Anyway, I've discovered that she loves stronger tastes. She'll eat anything that I douse with homemade raspberry viniagrette (sp?) dressing. It seems the stronger, the better. Would adding "taste" help?

 

HTH!

 

Mama Anna

[phathui5]

My kids didn't have meat for six years (and rarely eat it now) and are very healthy.

 

Some good protein foods:

 

chickpeas

hummus

lentils

cheese

yogurt

peanut butter

cashew butter (mmmm)

nuts

beans & rice

[stripe]

Anyway, I've discovered that she loves stronger tastes. She'll eat anything that I douse with homemade raspberry viniagrette (sp?) dressing. It seems the stronger, the better. Would adding "taste" help?

 

I agree with Mama Anna. That's why I was suggesting you look at ways to cook legumes and meats in different ways. I spent my childhood branded as a "picky eater" because I didn't like chunks of plain, broiled/baked meat on my plate. Since getting married to someone from a different culinary culture, I've discovered I just like totally different food than my family!

 

I really like this cookbook: "Miracle foods for kids : 25 super-nutritious foods to keep your children in great health" by Juliette Kellow ; recipes by Sunil Vijayakar. You can look inside at Amazon.

[mrsdash]

I wouldn't push it . My dd, at 3, stopped eating meat. She said "it hurts my heart" and that was it, she never ate meat again. She's 14 now and is a great eater. He'll be fine :)

[Haiku]

I think it's actually a good thing that your child avoids meat; animal products have unhealthy amounts of saturated fats in them. I would focus on providing your child with healthier fats. Nuts, beans, seeds, and avocados all contain good fats. You can gring beans to make flours that you add to foods. Hummus is often a toddler favorite, and my kids really enjoy avocado and banana sandwiches. Almond milk also has a lot of protein in it. You could also give your child cubed baked tofu and soy yogurt.

 

Tara

[Karen sn]

And some foods are loaded with amino acids - like carrots - that are the building blocks of protein. Go online and search vegetarian kid recipes.

I absolutely would not try to disguise meat in his food. At this age he is listening to his body. Maybe meat is bad for him right now. What seeds/nuts does he like?

[stripe]

I am not an advocate for sneaking things into kids (spinach in brownies, etc), and I also don't personally think cooking meat in a flavorful sauce should be considered "disguising it." I say this because I dislike the taste of plain meat/fish but enjoy it when cooked in a some sort of tasty sauce. Visualize the different culinary approaches in Japanese food and Indian -- one values the plain, unadulterated taste of food in its natural state, the other enjoys liberally playing with food and radically altering the taste with changes of herbs, spices and other aromatics. The "Miracle Foods for Kids" book is nice because it gives three ways to serve the foods in question -- basically plain, dressed up, and then transformed -- and it's got all categories of food.

[Danestress]

I'm also worried about what the constant carb load will do to his system over time, especially when it isn't offset by protein. He eats constantly since carbs digest so quickly.

 

Have you tried protein enriched carbs? My sliced, grocery store bread (the pieces are small) have 3 grams of protein per slice. According to the National Academy of Sciences, total caloric intake and the RDA of protein a two year old is 1300 calories and 16 grams of protein. So two slices of this bread (which isn't even protein enriched) is more than 1/3 of his need for the whole day. A cup of milk would give him 8 more grams, so that brings him close to all he needs for the whole day. I know protein enriched bread would have more, and I have seen (but not bought) protein enriched pastas. I should think you could also sneak some protein powder into things like pancakes, bread, and muffins.

 

Millions of kids (not mine, though) are raised very very healthy with no meat or dairy. I would try to sneak it in here and there, but I would try not to worry too much and just make sure that his carbs are very high quality and higher in protein.

 

HTH

[Laura Corin]

Lentils are good: they can be pureed into a texture that is similar to mashed potato, but they have protein. Dried beans can also be pureed. Make sure to add in healthy oils for the calories: I use olive oil with my skinny sons.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[KidsHappen]

Have you tried protein enriched carbs? My sliced, grocery store bread (the pieces are small) have 3 grams of protein per slice. According to the National Academy of Sciences, total caloric intake and the RDA of protein a two year old is 1300 calories and 16 grams of protein. So two slices of this bread (which isn't even protein enriched) is more than 1/3 of his need for the whole day. A cup of milk would give him 8 more grams, so that brings him close to all he needs for the whole day. I know protein enriched bread would have more, and I have seen (but not bought) protein enriched pastas. I should think you could also sneak some protein powder into things like pancakes, bread, and muffins.

 

Millions of kids (not mine, though) are raised very very healthy with no meat or dairy. I would try to sneak it in here and there, but I would try not to worry too much and just make sure that his carbs are very high quality and higher in protein.

 

HTH

 

 

I second this. I buy protein enriched pasta and bread both of which are also high in fiber. WHey Protein powder is also an excellent resource for getting protein into children. Added to milk it tasts like a shake. You can make smoothies with it. I could also get my children to eat protein bars. Plus they loved cheeses, peanut butter, yogurt, and such. They are 12 and 16 now and pretty darn healthy.

[oceandaughter]

will he eat tofu?

[Jill]

My ds is almost vegetarian and has always preferred eating that way. These muffins have a good dose of protein from beans and I don't add the extra toppings/sugars:

http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/diabetic-recipes/High-Energy-Muffins/r8716.html

My ds will eat Yves brand Tofu Dogs. I also make a lot of pancakes - a lá Nate the Great - that are a homemade multi-grain mix and include powdered milk and a little soy flour. I'd be happy to share that. Pancakes have egg and milk and grain proteins so I feel ok with those. He also may eat nachos for a meal sometimes. I don't remember at what age we didn't worry about him with the little crunchy chips. When you get there, use the blue chips as they have a bit more protein and the blue in them is like the blue in blueberries - good flavonoid (anthocyanin).

[dcjlkplus3]

my suggestions for adding protein are:

peanut butter

cheese sticks

yogurt

fruit smoothies with a powdered protein added

good luck

[Amie]

These are all great suggestions. I agree with trying to make different "dips"--like with mashed beans, avacado, etc. Lots of toddlers have fun with dip. I don't really have anything to add except to encourage you to keep offering things to him--he may grow into certain foods. My two-year-old would not eat any meat, but I have continued to offer it to him in different forms--he is finally eating it a little (and slowly increasing his intake). It is still erratic though--he'll eat a huge helping of something one day (like roast) and then refuse to touch the exact same thing another day. I just keep putting it on his plate... (good luck!)