How do I get LO to eat protein and veggies?

jcrising · August 2014

DD is almost 2 and hardly ever eats meat or veggies. We don't believe in threats or punishment for not eating, so we generally put the food on her plate and let her eat what she wants and then if she's done, she gets nothing else. I thought this would get her hungry enough to eat the nutritious things on her plate, but even if all she has is chicken and veggies, she just pushes it around and won't eat it. I don't want her to be malnourished, so at snack time or another meal she will get pouches of veggie puree (which she will usually eat) and yogurt for protein (which she loves) but I am concerned that she hasn't taken to solid veggies or meat. Any advice?

ashiscute · August 2014

You already got some great advice. At meal time I always offer one thing I know my kids will eat (apple sauce, a banana, string cheese) plus whatever we are already having. What they eat is up to them. They get to choose their breakfast and lunch to some extent but not really dinner. They usually get to choose snacks. I would honestly ditch the puree pouches since they are a crutch.

Thing about all of the things that contain protein and don't get hung up on meat. I don't care for meat still and neither does my DS. He will eat chicken nuggets from Chick Fil A, meatballs, and bacon for meat. But he also loves cheese, milk, yogurt, black beans, peanut butter, etc. Just try to think outside the box and be creative. My kids are more likely to eat food if they can dip (ranch, ketchup, hummus).

If you are really concerned about her being malnourished then I'd schedule an appt with a nutrionist. They will help you get a good picture of what your LO is eating and how to make improvements to their overall diet.

fusionbride · August 2014

give the things she likes least first, in hopes that hunger might be on your side. And play around with textures, sizes and sauces of evertyhing-- try it all in a stir fry, try al-dente or overly mushy etc, try ground meat versus sliced,

have you tried corn on the cob?

We also use terriyaki sauce or ketchup as a dip for some things if LO didn't eat it the first or 2nd time it was offered, on the 3rd time I'll let her try it with a dip, which sometimes (but not always) helps

pb_bride · August 2014

I also 2nd the suggestion of changing things up in terms of how you prepare the meat/veggie, and the type of meat & veggies. DS usually eats poached chicken drumsticks, pulled pork, ground beef or ground pork, and I even cook goat meat stew sometimes and he eats that. He also likes roast duck and roast BBQ pork from Chinatown. However, he doesn't like deli meat such as chicken or turkey breast, or roast beef. Ham is miss or than hit. He likes pan-fried firm tofu. Fish is still a challenge, however.

As for veggies, try different colored veggies and different preparation. DS's favorite is roasted sweet potatoes (I toss with cinnamon and maple syrup; but he also eats them plain roasted). He'll eat chopped spinach if it's mixed in pasta. He likes roasted beets. He doesn't eat broccoli and not a fan of carrots, so I "sneak" them in by steaming & pureeing them, then mix in mac and cheese. Last week I made an eggplant & pork stir fry and he avoided all the eggplant. I made it again a week later and diced the eggplant much smaller. He ended up eating them the second time.

Good luck. it is not easy but you just have to keep offering (in various ways). Must admit that I've become much more creative in cooking these days!

How do I get LO to eat protein and veggies?

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