How can I get my picky eater to eat lean protein?

[susanr613]

I know there are a lot of experienced parents on the board, so I hope you can help. DS is 12 and is a very picky eater, especially at my house (his dad and I are divorced). I tried the Asian Pork and Noodle skillet yesterday, and the Chicken penne al Fresco today. He liked the carb part (noodles, pasta) but gagged on the meat. I used turkey tenderloin in the asian noodle skillet and white meat chicken on the penne al fresco. He will eat salad with grilled chicken at his dad's house.

He has never been much of a beef eater, and loves the usual kid stuff, pizza, hot dogs, tacos.

My challenge then is to get lean protein into his meals....any tips? I am very frustrated and hate fighting with him or bribing him to eat.

Thanks much -

 

[Crystal Patton]

You are preachin' to the choir! My 6 year old has not injested a green vegatable in his whole life. LOL Sorry I couldn't be more help. Good luck!

 

[tlag1986]

We have always been more old fashioned. If our kids didn't want what was on the table they wouldn't eat much. Now people are more concerned on what their kids want rather than what is good for them. I guess living out in a rural area we are more of an unusual family.I'm not saying anyone here is giving their kids what they want, but just saying what we did. Please do not take offense to anything I have posted. I did not post to offend anyone. I am just very old fashioned shoot we still butcher our own animals.

 

[Crystal Patton]

We have always been more old fashioned. If our kids didn't want what was on the table they wouldn't eat much.

Now people are more concerned on what their kids want rather than what is good for them. I guess living out in a rural area we are more of an unusual family.

I'm not saying anyone here is giving their kids what they want, but just saying what we did. Please do not take offense to anything I have posted. I did not post to offend anyone. I am just very old fashioned shoot we still butcher our own animals.[/QUOTE]

That is soo cool. We do too, at least when we get drawn. LOL

 

[susanr613]

Lisa, I am not at all offended by your post, especially as I am guilty of giving in to what DS wants and trying to cater to him. I am still on a quest for ways to sneak in lean protein though ;-)

 

[tlag1986]

We butcher pig, beef, chicken, and rabbit on a regular basis. So as you may see I don't buy much of any meat. It is a great deal of work, but it is worth it for us.

 

[Jules711]

Maybe he doesn't like "wet" meat? So if it's drier (like simply grilled) vs cooked IN something, he may like it better? In that case, you could do something slightly separate? I appreciated that my mom never forced me to eat anything I didn't like. We do the same. She DOES have to try it though. She used to HATE chicken and now it's on of her favorite meals (simply with the italian seasoning sprinkled...okay heavily covering it).She'd choose not to eat veggies, but I let her dip them in ketchup if she needs to. She's 5...what can I say.Does he help? I found that she started eating more when she got to choose (b/t two options I GAVE her) and helped prepare the food (even if all she can do it hold me up so I don't fall...a job she does proudly and feels involved...I really CAN stand on my own ).

 

[tlag1986]

I make a great deal of baked chicken, then take the meat off the bone for other types of meals.

 

[tlag1986]

My niece is very picky and finicky, but she wants to be a chef. We have tried to get her to understand that she truly needs to try new and unusual foods. She has gotten much better in the last year or so.

 

[ChefLoriG]

Have your son help prepare the meals, pick out the menu, but have it be structured, so much protien, carb, veggie, etc. From what I've read, the more they are involved, the more likely they are to eat it.

 

[candiejayne]

Have your son help prepare the meals, pick out the menu, but have it be structured, so much protien, carb, veggie, etc. From what I've read, the more they are involved, the more likely they are to eat it.

I agree with this. My BFs 3 yo daughter is one of the pickiest people I have ever met. When I have her help me cook, I get her to try new things because I tell her it's the chef's job to taste it to see if it is good enough to serve. She eats things she normally hates... this might not work exactly that way with a 12 yo though.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

My son is 4.5, so I have no idea how he'll be when he's 12, but from the time he was able to eat solids, he hasn't liked meat. He is NOT a picky eater, and is always willing to try new foods, but he has real issues with meat. Even if he likes the flavor of it, there is something about that texture that makes him gag if he tries to swallow it. He can eat ground beef if it's finely chopped in a sauce of some kind (thank goodness for the mix n chop!).
He likes a little chicken - like in chicken nuggets, or shredded in something....he likes it as shredded BBQ too. He loves fish, so there isn't a issue with fish.

But, my biggest concern too, is making sure he is getting enough protein. Like I said, he isn't a picky eater - he'll eat almost every fruit and vegetable (doesn't like visible onions or peppers though), so he's covered there. Fortunately, he likes beans too, and all grains and starches. He also loves dairy. So I try to make sure with meals that there is an "alternative" protein included if the meat we are having is something he can't/won't eat. For instance, if we are having baked chicken, I'll also make baked beans. If I am doing beef and bean burritos - I'll make one for him that is just beans and cheese. If we are having a hamburgers, I'll do a macaroni and cheese dish also....that kind of thing. I also let him have nuts and cheese sticks as snacks during the day, pairing them with a fruit (he loves nuts, cheese and fruit together) Breakfast is a big issue for us, because he just doesn't like to eat in the morning - but I feel like I'm being a bad mom o) if he doesn't eat before he goes to school. So, I've been having him drink a smoothie made with yogurt, fruit, and juice. Or sometimes he'll have a banana w/ peanut butter or an apple w/ peanut butter.
So, I guess I just try to make sure he is eating alternative forms of protein :

Cheese
Yogurt
Nuts and Nut butters
Beans and Bean dips
Eggs

He likes all of these things, so that makes it a little easier to make sure he is getting protein. When he was a week old, he had to spend a week in the hospital, because he was born a month early, and he fooled the Drs and Nurses into believing that he knew how to suck and was eating. So, being a first time mom (breastfeeding) I had no idea he wasn't eating either.....he lost over a pound that first week, and wouldn't wake up......anyway, after that scare, and almost losing him - I have been paranoid ever since about what he eats, and how much. I'm such a goof. I still give DH reports of what he's eaten throughout the day when he gets home from work.

 

[nicki25]

I have a very picky almost 10 year old. He has never liked the taste of any meat. We have "made" him eat it (drowned in ketchup) but he still doesn't like it. We have decided that he must really not like it, so I don't worry about that so much anymore. He drinks a lot of milk. I also get protein in him through french toast made with eggs (he won't eat eggs just cooked). We also found that he loves soft pretzels and the ones that we buy at the store have 7 grams of protein in each one. So, he will eat them for snacks. He eats veggies and lots of fruits and lots of other things that are good for him, so I try not to worry to much about the meat anymore. Now, my mother in law worries about it everytime we are out there to eat. She is always trying to mix in some of the protein drinks with his milk.
He is not overweight and is growing just like a 10 year old would be and he measures right everytime we are at the doctors.

 

[gailz2]

Kids do seem to go through various stages. I say keep offering your protein choices, in various forms, until he hits on some he likes. Does he like the sweeter stuff? Try some BBQ sauces on chicken -- you may find you don't like the sweetness, but this is what my niece loved, along with coating lots of foods with ketchup -- well into her late teens. Today she has a nice healthy baby girl who eats anything and everything. She did change around herself.

 

[candiejayne]

This is gauged towards you Susan, but my biggest pet peeve with my BFs daughter's mom is that she is a very picky eater, and because she doesn't like something, she assumes her daughter won't like it either and doesn't let her try new things. I'm not kidding when I say they only eat chicken, macaroni and cheese, and a few other things. We have the hardest time getting her to just try something because her mom has drilled it into her head that she won't like it. The poor girl goes hungry when she is here at dinner because I cook with lots of ingredients and more from scratch then prepackaged foods like hamburger helper.

Example, last night we had a Boston Butt Roast on the grill for the adults and grilled chicken legs for the kids (we had family over and the roast wasn't big enough for all) for sides we had a pasta salad with italian dressing, and TONS of veggies in it, and some cheezy potoates topped with cornflakes. She ate a couple bites of chicken, but not until my dad cut it off of the bone for her, and the pasta out of the salad, she wouldn't even try the potatoes or touch any of the veggies. We try to get her main meal in at lunch since we know she won't eat dinner. She loves peanut butter sandwiches and fresh fruit, so we try to make sure she gets a good lunch in to prepare for a non eating dinner.

 

[susanr613]

Wow Andrea I wish I was at your place last night for dinner! Both DS dad and I are always encouraging him to try new things, so thank goodness I don't have the problem you have with your BF's daughter. What a shame she's being raised to be afraid of food.

I am going to try the dry meat idea and just telling DS that if he doesn't like what I have cooked, he can have a piece of fruit or go hungry.

 

[candiejayne]

It was sooo good, it took almost 2 hours for the roast on the grill, but it was worth it, it was tender and juicey and since it was done on really low heat it was more like smoked then grilled! Kids just don't know what they are missing. My sister was one of the pickiest eaters, then she went to culinary school and learned about foods from all over. She LOVES all foods now.

 

[chefann]

I am going to try the dry meat idea and just telling DS that if he doesn't like what I have cooked, he can have a piece of fruit or go hungry.

That was always the rule in my parents' house when I was growing up. Everyone had to have at least a small amount of everything that was served, and if it was on your plate, you had to eat it.

 

[pamperedalf]

I struggle w/ my 4 1/2 year old ds all the time. But I'm not a caterer, so I have the old fashioned rule, you must try everything on your plate no matter what. If not you go hungry, I don't offer the fruit. I have found w/ ds he will eat meat off the bbq, but won't touch it on his plate. Lately I have been on a kick of trying the new recipes for the season & he asked me to throw out my recipes because he doesn't like them.So what I do w/ him, is we make a desert that he likes together & use it as a bribery. Also his favorite meal is BBQ chicken, mac n ches (not my homemade version, blue box), raw califlower w/ ranch, & garlic bread. So when I see him not eating well i will throw that it in for dinner. Then he will eat well for a few days. Not sure if that would work for a 12 year old as we are not there yet.

 

[BettieC]

My son is 3 and will not eat meat! The closest thing he eats that's meat is MCD's nuggets....lol.

Technically you really don't need meat or poultry in a diet, just the protein and iron that comes from the meat.

My son loves PB so he gets alot of protein that way. I can get him to eat an egg by making french toast...lol


Greek yogurt is an EXCELLENT source of protein!! I think the full fat one has like 20g of protein per serving!