Help me figure out a menu for my picky and allergic son- 4y

amother

Wheat

Sun, Jun 28 2015, 4:12 pm

I've been getting nervous lately, that I'm not feeding him nutritious food, he isn't getting the vitamins he needs.
I'd like to post his daily food schedule here, and would posters please help me figure out where I can improve? what I can add?

His allergies -
milk (not severe- he can have a bit of butter or processed american cheese but nothing healthier like yogurt, milk or cottage cheese)
sesame
peanuts
tree nuts
soy- only if concentrated, like milk or yogurt

he won't touch fish. He is picky about veggies- yes to cukes, tomatoes, red peppers. He'll eat most fruit but I'm limited in what I can find in Israel.

This is what his day looks like-

breakfast - cornflakes with rice milk (added calcium but only 120 mg per 120 ml) - this is not really open to change because I'm at work and dh serves breakfast , so it needs to be easy. Anything I can make in advance is fine, but he can't start cooking up oatmeal or eggs or whatever. (Maybe I can make hard boiled eggs and leave them in the fridge.?)

he takes a sandwich to gan- only white bread. What healthy spread can I give him? he usually takes butter.
If I send a cucumber or fruit it usually comes back home- I think he doesn't have enough time.

He gets a hot chicken or meat lunch in gan- once a week they have soy burgers or patties. I think he eats it nicely, plus pasta/rice/couscous. They serve a hot veggie which I cannot imagine he eats but the ganenet seems to think he does.

When I pick him up they give out a fruit which he eats on the way home.

at home- as soon as we walk in he wants an ice- I used to have "igloos", but I decided that he doesn't need the sugar, so I make homemade sugar free ices (apple juice or orange juice) and that's fine.
He'll also ask for pretzels/rice cakes/whatever else we have around. What is a good snack?

supper is either chicken/meat leftovers, but usually eggs or a sandwich or corn shnitzel.

He isn't get any calcium, and very little fresh fruit and vegetables.
any ideas?

I give him a vitamin C supplement

Scrabble123

Sun, Jun 28 2015, 8:26 pm

Many drinks are fortified with calcium. Leafy greens also contain calcium. Don't take calcium supplements without speaking to your child's pediatrician first.

If he is eating a large, filling lunch, then a large, filling supper seems superfluous. You can give him fruits & veggies with tehina for supper or eggs, avocado and grapefruit, or oatmeal. Also, why does he need to take a sandwich to gan if they serve him a complete lunch? Is the sandwich a snack? You can send fruit like kiwi, mango, and apples or veggies like carrots and celery as a snack to supplement for the lack of veggies you are concerned about. Would he eat fish balls or fish patties (they don't taste like typical fish and are a little more kid friendly)? Good luck!

yOungM0mmy

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 12:17 pm

Chummous (homemade will guarantee it's sesame free) or lentils are good, he can dip his rice cakes/pretzels or cut veggies into them, or have with pita as a snack/light supper. In order to get my kids to eat fresh fruit, I sometimes offer them to dip cut apple or bananas into chocolate spread (the one with the yellow lid is nut free) or you can drizzle honey over them. I always serve a plate of cut veg (my kids wont eat salad, but will pick up chunky veg sticks when they're all separate and undressed) at every meal, and the kids know they have to take at least one kind.
White beans have high calcium levels, you can make a bean soup or white bean dip similar to chummous.

sv9506

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 12:38 pm

My son likes sunflower seed butter as a spread (he likes peanut butter but cant have it at school since it is nut free) so that might be an option for you. If you cannot get it in Israel then maybe someone can bring it from America. I get mine at Target and it seems as nutritious as peanut butter based on the side label.

Can you add some veggies hidden into things like meatballs or chicken patties?

Also instead of giving frozen apple/orange juice, I would make a puree of real fruits and freeze that to give after school.

Also add some veggie soups.