Child eats nearly 0 protein :(

amother

Mon, May 20 2019, 2:38 pm

I have a very very picky 7 year old. He will eat almost all fruits and some veg.
but literally NO eggs (unless they are in cookies/cakes), meat, chicken, fish, legumes, or cheese (unless it's a tiny bit on store bought pizza). He likes 1-2 cups of milk or chocolate milk or pudding. No yogurts.
I do use ww flour in cakes/cookies. But other than that and fruits/veg, he eats a lot of junk/bland food (pretzels, rice cakes, ww pasta w/o any sauce, rice without anything...)
I've tried dozens of things and he really won't even try any.

My question is - is this ok?
I'm worried about him.
I went to the Dr last year and she suggested doing a blood test but he absolutely refused and tried to run away and was not sitting still. I was expecting and had no strength to take him another time to try.

aliavi

Mon, May 20 2019, 2:47 pm

Sounds like you need to work on your parenting and becoming okay with boundaries and consequences. Be willing to address this as the problem it is and get some support. You are doing him no favors. It’s tough to be a parent.

southernbubby

Mon, May 20 2019, 2:47 pm

It may be that he does get enough but CVS pharmacy sells a protein shake powder that is kosher and parve and maybe he would let you sneak some info his cookies or add some to his milk.

MiracleMama

Mon, May 20 2019, 2:51 pm

I'd find some tasty protein powder and give him "milkshakes" made with it.

I don't know if that's a long term solution but at least you'll get something in.

amother

Mon, May 20 2019, 2:57 pm

Did anyone have this issue with their child?
I am wondering how it worked out... I am really hoping that one day he will just decide to start trying and liking more foods. Is that naive?

amother

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:01 pm

simba wrote:

How is his weight? Energy levels?
I think protein is over rated. Healthy fats and good carbs should be fine.

He has A LOT of energy. Just today he rode his bike for over an hour (we have a large outdoor space). He also jumps a lot on the trampoline and likes to run around with his friends in school. Sometimes I wonder where on earth he gets it from since he eats so little...
a typical days schedule is breakfast - cookies and milk (I aim for ww cookies...does not always happen), lunch is pretzels, cucumber, and milk. snack 1 is a banana and sometimes ricecakes. Snack 2 is a peach. He often refuses dinner (I always serve a carb, protein, and veg) and eats just the carb (pasta, rice, orzo...) and maybe a cucumber or tomato.

southernbubby

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:02 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Did anyone have this issue with their child?
I am wondering how it worked out... I am really hoping that one day he will just decide to start trying and liking more foods. Is that naive?

He probably will when he outgrows the power struggle but he needs to be in the driver's seat and feel like he has some control.

amother

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:03 pm

He is quite tall and weighs 46 lbs. He does gain some weight each year (as per his yearly check up.)
I am not concerned about the weight because well, weight can be gained also from junk and carbs. I am concerned about his protein level and general health. I don't know any other child like this - who refuses so many types of protein.

amother

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:05 pm

southernbubby wrote:

He probably will when he outgrows the power struggle but he needs to be in the driver's seat and feel like he has some control.

How can I encourage this?

I often do give choices and he nixes both of them.
For ex, there is an omelet or chicken breast for dinner) and he will respond "I don't like any of those. I just want pasta or bread."
If I say the latter is not an option, he will skip dinner. He is very stubborn about this and has gone over a week with skipping dinner when dh and I were strict about it.

amother

Mauve

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:06 pm

Pasta does have a significant amount of protein. Try tracking his food intake for a day using a food calculator and you'll have a better idea of if and how much he is actually deficient.

oneofakind

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:13 pm

Peanut butter? on rice cakes, in homemade cookies. Don't know what blood test would tell you...his energy and growth is great...milk has protein. I don't know of any parent who battled over food and won.

mha3484

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:13 pm

I really like Ellyn Satters concept called the Division of Responsibility. https://www.ellynsatterinstitu.....6.pdf

I use this with my kids and my mom used it with me (she didnt realize it had a name it was more just what was intuitive to her). I was a horrible eater as a kid and now I pretty much eat anything as an adult.

momsrus

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:15 pm

aliavi wrote:

Wow

Someone’s judgmental.

I hope you’re perfect.

southernbubby

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:17 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I would say to always have bread and pasta available and never even mention or offer any thing else. He needs to see that you are giving up trying to pressure him.

amother

Ecru

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:20 pm

Kids have all kinds of eating phases, and likely it will pass. I would try to get some more protein into him, the powder southernbubby recommend can be added to baked goods as well.
Peanut butter and nuts (while it can't go to school) is also a great protein source. There is also high protein pancake and waffle mix, high protein ice-cream (doubt it is CY -don't know your holdings) high protein cookies, and nasty syrup-which looks and tastes like Robitussin (some will acquiescence to "medicine"). Will he eat edamame? In the shells they are fun to eat. Microwave the bag, salt them and eat with fingers. They make high protein pasta-Barilla ProteinPlus. Will he eat arbis or hummus? Protein bars? ..... there are many creative ways to get protein into him. Additionally, he needs a lot less protein that you probably think. He probably only needs about 1gram per kg (weight in lb divided by 2.2) body weight.
Hope this helps.
-amother MS,RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist)

keym

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:22 pm

There are some pastas with additional protein added. (Pea protein added).
What about nuts? They can be added to oatmeal cookies or granola?
Almond flour?
Does he eat cholent? One of my kids was very picky but would eat parve cholent-potatoes, and lots of beans.
Does he eat soup at all? You can add protein in that.

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:25 pm

You can buy pasta that is high fiber or high protein. The high fiber looks like regular pasta, but the high protein looks different. Depending on how observant it is, he might not notice if you put sauce on it.

Will he eat wraps, even just plain? My son went through a stage where he wanted wraps with ketchup every night. I bought high protein wraps (Fiber 1, and some other brand that we liked) and that's what he ate most nights for a long time, often with a fresh fruit or vegetable. Those wraps have as much protein as a small piece of chicken, and he felt he was in control of his choices, and it all worked out.

amother

Mon, May 20 2019, 3:33 pm

There are so many wonderful suggestions here. Thank you ladies!
The truth is that I have tried most of these (with the exception of protein powder, edamame beans, and ww wraps). I think the main issue is that he does not even agree to TASTE something new. I often tell him to just taste and if he does not like it, he does not need to eat it!
He does agree to ww pasta. I live in Israel and have not seen any type of protein plus pasta.

I really appreciate all of your insights. If anyone has any more ideas, please post.