(no subject)

[the_rck]

Scott and I are trying to figure out what to do about Cordelia and protein. She says she hates chicken and pork, and she's iffy on ground turkey (it depends on what we do with it). She's really reluctant to eat fish (I was extremely surprised she ate the salmon the other night). Every type of beans I've tried with her, she's rejected after just a bite or two. She'll eat cheese as long as it's cheddar. She'll eat some forms of lunchmeat, mainly sweet ham, but we can't serve a meal of ham because I can't eat it. She used to eat hotdogs and bratwurst, but she's been unwilling to touch those for the last year or two. She refuses even to try tofu or edamame. Beef is out because of Scott's severe allergy. She rejects almost all sauces, from soy sauce to barbecue to ranch dressing, so we can't disguise anything with a sauce. The only one she'll tolerate is an Alfredo sauce on ground turkey or on a pizza.

Comments

[loligo]

You have my sympathy -- protein is a big issue for my picky eater too. He has decided that he's a vegetarian like dad, which I'm not feeling great about, given that I tried it for 15 years and it was really not a healthy choice for me. Plus the veggie protein sources he likes the best are the massively processed ones like veggie burgers. He likes cheese and refried beans. He won't eat eggs unless they're disguised, and he likes yogurt but it seems to make him much more likely to wet the bed.

What about smoothies with protein powder? We had a good run this spring of Clark having breakfast smoothies made from banana, milk or coconut milk, protein powder (either whey or gelatin) and a rotating variety of other fruits. He got bored with that, though.

[the_rck]

Smoothies might be an option. She likes those. I just have to decide if the work and clean up is worthwhile. Then again, she's eleven. She could do some of the work.

I wish I could get her to eat eggs. I forgot to list them in my paragraph above. I taught her how to make scrambled eggs a few months ago, and the novelty of that had her eating them for about a week.

We haven't had any rumblings of vegetarianism so far. She's just tired of chicken and pork. (One of our nieces decided a couple of years ago that she won't eat mammals. That requires careful planning when she visits.)

[kyrielle]

How were the eggs made? Has she tried a lot of variety in spicing? I was surprised by how much a few spices can do to plain scrambled eggs when I read a book that had me start messing with that....

Would omelets be a possibility?

[kyrielle]

Are nuts an option for her? What about things made with nut, soy, etc., flours? Has she tried hummus?

I see you say cheese is welcome, so that's something - other dairy, such as yogurt or milk?

[the_rck]

Some nuts are an option. I'm allergic to peanuts and walnuts, so we don't have them in the house. We pretty much always have almonds (though Scott bought raw almonds last time, and it's too hot for me to want to roast them) and almond butter. Cordelia will sometimes eat those but mostly not.

She'll eat yogurt occasionally. Mostly, she starts it and decides that it's awful and then throws it away. We don't generally buy milk. It's a habit left over from when Cordelia was allergic to dairy.

She doesn't like hummus. Scott buys it and eats it. Cordelia thinks it's icky.

[kyrielle]

Hmmm. Almond flour? I wouldn't try to substitute for bread-like things she already eats, because they'd be too different, but ... maybe if there's something novel to do with it. I'm not sure. :|

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

These are different sorts of answers.

1. Can she eat eggs? Are they allergy safe, and is she willing to eat them in any form? Plain, or mixed with stuff she might find more interesting?

2. How about vegetarian protein sources designed to have a taste and texture unlike their source material? Boca burgers are made of soy, but don't feel like tofu or edamame. Quorn is made from mushrooms, but has a completely different taste and texture.

3. Does she know anything about nutrition? Is this a good time for her to learn? I've seen books about various combinations of health, fitness, nutrition, and cooking aimed at kids her age. (The girl scout version now seems to be focused on "healthy weight" rather than making sure girls get enough vitamins, protein, fiber, etc. But there must be others.) If she understood the problem, would she be willing to help solve it? If she could help with the brainstorming, and maybe some of the cooking, she's more likely to find things she likes.

[the_rck]

She can eat eggs. She just refuses to most of the time. I'm always thrilled when I can get her to eat one. I taught her how to make her own scrambled egg about six months ago, and for about a week, the novelty of that had her eating eggs.

We haven't tried boca burgers or quorn. I'll look into them.

She knows something about nutrition, not a lot, but some. Thanks for the warning on the Girl Scout book. I'll avoid that. I'll see what I can find for her.

So far, she's been unwilling to help brainstorm solutions or to help with the cooking. I've tried to get her involved. I know she doesn't need a vast amount of protein, but I'd like her to get some. Her breakfasts are pretty awful-- just a bagel most of the time. I've tried to get her to add fruit or an egg, but...

[stfg.livejournal.com]

How about nuts and seeds? Like maybe sunflower seeds or walnuts?

Maybe peanuts or peanut butter?

Other forms of dairy? Even if she won't eat much cheese, she might eat yoguhrt or cottage cheese. How about drinking milk? Ice cream is dairy of course, but probably not the best nutritional choice.

I've been told that americans eat too much protein anyway, though I can't source that statement. :) Maybe a serving or two a day of something protein would be enough.

[the_rck]

Walnuts and peanuts are out because I'm allergic to them. We do keep almonds around the house and have almond butter available. Sometimes she's willing to eat that if it's mixed with honey. Sunflower seeds are more fat than protein according to what I've read.

I'm trying for two small servings of protein a day. She'll generally eat whatever we serve for dinner. She just complains and sulks about it. Lunch is usually lunchmeat or a quesadilla and some fruit, so that's something. It's dinner that gets sticky.

[chorus-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I'm no help here, law was when I was growing up you ate whatever mom decided to cook or you went hungry...which was a real awful experience for me because of food allergies until I got allergy testing and found out that I couldn't eat nightshade order plants or cruciferous veggies (which my mom grew all of in the garden and therefor were in almost every meal, prompting severe vomiting and other problems for me.) thank god I grew out of those allergies. I keep wondering if Cordelia has maybe texture issues with food and doesn't like the way meat feels in her mouth, though that doesn't explain the sauce dislike. Maybe your doctor could recommend a nutritionist to talk to her and who might be able to come up with some recipes that would work for the whole family? You have my sympathy, between your tummy troubles, Scotts food allergies and Cordelias dislikes you must want to pull your hair out.