Any child nutrition experts?

[tonilea]

I warn you this is going to sound odd, but I am concerned that my son isn't eating enough meat. I worry that he won't get enough iron.

Right now he is in the 87th percentile for height, 67th for weight. So he is tall and slim for his age. BMI = 15.5

The kid loves veggies, eats broccoli like it is going out of style, begged for peas - for dessert. Eats fruit, last week he ate two pounds of grapes, six bananas, a couple oranges and some apples. Milk - no problem, loves the stuff, white only - thinks chocolate milk is toxic. lol He likes cheese as well.

He also loves grains, breads, pastas and so forth. Won't eat much crereal, especially if it has milk on it. Refuses oatmeal as well.

But alot of times, he just won't eat meat. He likes chicken in various forms, pork chops or steaks and beef steak. No hamburger and he won't eat "mixed" foods like cassaroles.

He absolutely will not take vitamins. He refuses any type of candy except plain dark or milk chocolate and m&ms. He cannot be enticed with "candy" type vitamins. And I can't force them down him, he will vomit. I can't get meds down him either, if he gets sick (and he hasn't had to go to the doctor in over a year) he must have suppositories or shots.

Am I doing okay? Does he really NEED the meat?

 

[gibsontrio]

I'm no expert but you have described my 2 yr old DD to a T !! The doctor reassured me that it is perfectly normal and he is getting plenty of vitamins ( at least yours will eat chicken!!)
Have you tried those nutrapals granola bars?? They have a whole line of foods that suppliment if you dont think they are getting enough. Also try health food stores, they have chocolate covered nuts which would be a perfect source of healthy fats, iron and protien!

 

[jetprincess]

I imagine that the doctor checks his hemoglobin, right? If it were low, I'm pretty sure they would have mentioned it. They did with my DD!

 

[TaraZ]

I've got a vegetarian 2 y.o. as well! She almost never eats meat-- on occasion she will eat a meatbal-- but ONLY if my DH makes it! Crazy!

But otherwise it sounds like your DS is a healthy eater-- in fact when I told my Dr that I thought DD was a picky eater, then outlined what she will eat, the Dr said she was a GREAT eater!

As long as he is healthy, not losing weight, growing and meeting milestones, I wouldn't be worried. But if you are really concerned, call your dr!

 

[carissanboys]

I can tell you that my son (who is almost 4) has never eaten much meat. He'll eat McDonald's chicken nuggets and that's about it (if you want to call that meat ). He does drink milk and eat cheese and yogurt. He loves fruit but doesn't eat any veggies. He mainly lives on peanut butter and jelly on 100% whole wheat bread.

His iron levels were checked recently (he has bowel issues) and they were fine. I was astonished. He refuses to take a vitamin as well. He also doesn't eat very much.

It sounds like your son is actually eating some meat (but you know that even if he didn't eat meat, he'd still be getting enough iron). I'm sure he's fine

 

[tonilea]

I'm no expert but you have described my 2 yr old DD to a T !! The doctor reassured me that it is perfectly normal and he is getting plenty of vitamins ( at least yours will eat chicken!!)
Have you tried those nutrapals granola bars?? They have a whole line of foods that suppliment if you dont think they are getting enough. Also try health food stores, they have chocolate covered nuts which would be a perfect source of healthy fats, iron and protien!

He won't touch granola bars or nuts, especially chocolate covered nuts.

 

[tonilea]

I imagine that the doctor checks his hemoglobin, right? If it were low, I'm pretty sure they would have mentioned it. They did with my DD!

It was low when he was a baby, but they never really acted like it was a big deal.

Maybe, I am just trying to borrow trouble.

 

[carissanboys]

It was low when he was a baby, but they never really acted like it was a big deal.

Maybe, I am just trying to borrow trouble.

I think as moms we always worry about our kids, especially when it comes to food My son's levels were low when he was a baby as well (he was breastfed and wasn't eating much for solids when he was tested around 9 months). But, they're fine now.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well my kid IS vegetarian (as are we) and he's just fine. Meat is not the only place for iron.

If you ARE concerned, however, find a nutritionist with a solid background in pediatrics, and for extra knowledge, one who knows about vegetarian diets. If I ever had questions about DS's diet, that's the sort of professional I would seek out immediately!

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

Milk - no problem, loves the stuff, white only - thinks chocolate milk is toxic. lol

But alot of times, he just won't eat meat. He likes chicken in various forms, pork chops or steaks and beef steak. No hamburger and he won't eat "mixed" foods like cassaroles.

That's cute I wish my dd felt that way.

I wouldn't worry about the casseroles thing that's probably a texture issue. I love casseroles but there are certain meals/mixtures of meals that I will not eat b/c of the texture. As far as hamburgers my dd7 has just started eating them.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

My oldest daughter hasn't eaten meat since she was 2, she is now 11. The other five of us aren't vegetarians, just her because she says she doesn't like the taste of meat. Our pediatrician said it was no big deal, as long as she ate plenty of dairy and peanut butter, and she does. I don't even think about it anymore as she is quite healthy.

 

[becky_AK]

This sounds a lot like my son too. No matter how hard we try he won't touch meat. I don't want to force him to eat it if he doesn't like it, but at the same time I'm a little worried. He's very healthy though and does eat/drink a lot of dairy throughout the day. I guess until the Dr. shows some concern I shouldn't stress about it too much

 

[Tam1067]

My DS never eats meat. He chooses not to, and that's fine with me (though my MIL thinks it's horrible). He's healthy. Don't worry about it. Lots of people shun meat, and they do just fine.

 

[cheshire1013]

Your DS Sounds just like my DD! haha. Im a vegetarian and so is my DD, I do offer her meat, but she always spits it out! She loves beans and tofu and other meat subs. Shes 16months and 27 lbs and about 32inches. Shes a big for her age and growing like a weed. She has a larger vocabulary than most 18 month olds. I hate to brag! haha. I think that a vegatarian diet is better than a meat eaters! As long as hes eating fruits and veggies, peanutbutter is great protein, he should be fine! As long as hes growing and developing as he should then I wouldn't worry. Meat has tons of horomones and and pestacides, yuck! I usually buy my dd organic milk and anything else organic I can. your son sounds wonderful! Don't force things he dosen't care for!

 

[tonilea]

Your DS Sounds just like my DD! haha. Im a vegetarian and so is my DD, I do offer her meat, but she always spits it out! She loves beans and tofu and other meat subs. Shes 16months and 27 lbs and about 32inches. Shes a big for her age and growing like a weed. She has a larger vocabulary than most 18 month olds. I hate to brag! haha. I think that a vegatarian diet is better than a meat eaters! As long as hes eating fruits and veggies, peanutbutter is great protein, he should be fine! As long as hes growing and developing as he should then I wouldn't worry. Meat has tons of horomones and and pestacides, yuck! I usually buy my dd organic milk and anything else organic I can. your son sounds wonderful! Don't force things he dosen't care for!

He doesn't eat peanut butter or beans either. Which, I think, is part of what worries me.

I suppose he wouldn't be as healthy as he is or growing as well, if he was malnourished.

 

[brergnat]

I wouldn't worry. My son is 3.5, 39 inches tall and only weighs 30 pounds. He's very skinny, and not really tall either. He's our peanut. He's only in the 15th percentile for weight for age but he's very healthy.

He eats only chicken. I have to "trick" him into eating other meats. He loves vanilla ice cream, so he will pretty much eat anything if we tell him he will get vanilla ice cream for dessert (Pediatrician recommended this, to get him to eat and gain some weight/fat). This has worked for steak, pork chops, hamburger, and ground turkey.

My son is also autistic and has issues with textures. He does a lot of gagging and vomiting if food "feels funny" on his tongue. I feel bad for him.

Luckily, I don't worry about iron or vitamin deficiencies, as he pretty much eats just like your son (LOVES veggies and fruits and whole wheat breads and tortillas, yogurt, cheese, and milk). He also loves oatmeal, but will only eat BABY oatmeal. The regular one makes him gag. He also loves flintstones vitamins, but hates candy.

Have you tried baby oatmeal? It's super fortified with iron. Or, regular cream of wheat? You can make it with water or milk.

Have you tried PEANUT m&m's? We got DS to eat those by cutting them in half first, so they wouldn't be so big. Stop buying regular m&m's...just buy peanut and tell him this is all they had at the store. He might try them.

One final tip: Have him HELP YOU COOK! My son is very picky about what he will eat (he eats the same things week after week after week). Lately, he has been wanting to help me cook, and when he does, HE EATS WHAT WE MAKE! Last night, I made italian sausage and peppers with tomato sauce and tortellini. Normally, he's only eat the cheese tortellini, but he ate a bunch of sausage, because HE helped cook it. Worth a try! Good luck!

 

[tonilea]

Have you tried baby oatmeal? It's super fortified with iron. Or, regular cream of wheat? You can make it with water or milk.

Have you tried PEANUT m&m's? We got DS to eat those by cutting them in half first, so they wouldn't be so big. Stop buying regular m&m's...just buy peanut and tell him this is all they had at the store. He might try them.

One final tip: Have him HELP YOU COOK! My son is very picky about what he will eat (he eats the same things week after week after week). Lately, he has been wanting to help me cook, and when he does, HE EATS WHAT WE MAKE! Last night, I made italian sausage and peppers with tomato sauce and tortellini. Normally, he's only eat the cheese tortellini, but he ate a bunch of sausage, because HE helped cook it. Worth a try! Good luck!

I love the idea of letting him help me cook.

DS wouldn't eat baby cereals (of any type) even when he was a baby. He refused most baby food too. I could only get him to eat things he could feed himself. Bits of avocado, cooked veggies, fruit.... stuff like that.

I don't normally buy candy, but at Christmas he got some Hershey kisses in his stocking. He opened an almond one and ended up spitting it everywhere! Same when he tried the 'big' m&ms.