Question about my 5 year old son, and protein

spingirl605
spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, so my son is 5 (as stated in the title...lol). I have a major issue with his nutrition. He is a very picky eater and doesn't eat meat. I hide veggies in his food and he eats a lot of fruit. What he is lacking is protein. Last night when I got home from the gym, I made myself a protein shake and he asked if he could have a sip. I let him, and he said it was really good and he wanted more. I gave him a couple more sips. So my question is...
The protein powders that we generally use, are they safe for children??
What is a safe amount (1/4 scoop, 1/8 scoop)??
Do they make protein powders for children??
I know that they sell Ensure and things like that for kids, and I do buy them occaisionally, I just thought the powder might be a more cost effective way to get some protein into the child...He's quite thin, and has recently started playing hockey.

Anyway, if anyone has an relevant info that could help me, please share!!
Thanks in advance...

Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    if it's plain protein powder- then it's just whey. if he is fine drinking milk- then he has no issue with whey protein you're fine.

  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
    I'm sure its fine, but if you don't feel comfortable with it, you can always just give him a glass of milk with every meal. Since he doesn't have a problem with veggies, give him the ones with the most protein...broccoli, spinach, etc. Kids go through phases. Mine do allllll the time and it so frustrating sometimes. All of a sudden, my oldest decided that she doesn't like turkey meatballs anymore. She used to literally CHEER when I made them lol.
  • pinkiezoom
    pinkiezoom Posts: 409 Member
    This is not medical advice or anything like that, but when my son was younger, and terribly underweight due to being a picky eater, my doc told me to make sure he was on full fat milk, as their bones need it until they are about 12 (greenstick bone or something sticks in my mind ) and to also give him complan mean replacements on top of what little he was eating, but i actually gave him slimfast, as it had more nutrients in than the complan, and also he preferred the taste, now this is going back 11 years so things may have changed, as they always do. But just thought i would share my experience with you. My son was 7 at the time.
    Best of luck.
  • spingirl605
    spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
    Thanks guys! I never thought about giving him full fat milk. He does drink milk everyday, so I could probably easily switch it up. Especially if I'm making him fruit smoothies!
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    I think this livestrong article might give you a decent idea of the safety and whether it's necessary. http://www.livestrong.com/article/286107-protein-powder-for-kids/

    Remember that children have vastly different nutrition needs than adults and that meeting with a nutritionist might be a better approach for your child. Whole foods will always provide better learning on how to properly give yourself nutrition. I remember for a project I completed in my final year of university which was related to this topic that multiple studies demonstrated that children who were given supplements like protein powder were drastically more likely to continue to use them in other stages of their life, regardless of whether they continued to be physically active or not.
  • spingirl605
    spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
    365andstillalive wrote: »
    I think this livestrong article might give you a decent idea of the safety and whether it's necessary. http://www.livestrong.com/article/286107-protein-powder-for-kids/

    This is exactly the type of info I was looking for! Thank you for sharing the link...
  • spingirl605
    spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
    Very interesting article...I will not be giving him my protein powder...Thanks!
    Smoothies with peanut butter, much better option!
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
    I go through the same thing with my 6 year old daughter. Over the last year though we have gotten her to eat more protien, she enjoys chicken breasts, pork chops and ground beef (except in hamburger form). We instituted a one bite rule, she must try at least one bite of everything on her plate. And probably about 80% of the time she will go on to eat all of the new food. For the foods she doesn't like, it goes on a list and she doesn't "have" to try them again, though we will continue to offer it to her. Just last week, after a year of this we finally got her to eat rice, and she actually enjoys it!
  • brightsideofpink
    brightsideofpink Posts: 1,018 Member
    Both of my kids are in the 1-3%iles for weight. One hates most meat. Our go-to's for protein include peanut butter (you could do nuts or nut butters, but my older son is allergic to tree nuts), cheese (there is more protein in 100g of most cheeses than the equivalent weight in many meats; parmesan and mozzarella are tops of the list), baked beans, and eggs. For fun, try pumpkin seeds, or add unsweetened cocoa powder to milk- chocolate has protein :)
  • spingirl605
    spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
    I do the "at least one bite rule" to, and it usually ends with him sticking out his tongue and "scraping" at it, and downing a big drink of water...lol...It's quite comical, but saddening at the same time...
  • kimlight2
    kimlight2 Posts: 483 Member
    My son is 11 and is taking medicine for ADHD so getting him to eat anything is a struggle. One before bed treat that he loves is a tbs of peanutbutter mixed with a tbs of whipped cream. He is also very picky about what he eats and has gotten better about eating meat as he has gotten older. He is all muscle and bone, almost no fat, and he plays a hockey at a high level for his age group.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    spingirl605 wrote: »
    365andstillalive wrote: »
    I think this livestrong article might give you a decent idea of the safety and whether it's necessary. http://www.livestrong.com/article/286107-protein-powder-for-kids/

    This is exactly the type of info I was looking for! Thank you for sharing the link...

    I would take what I read on livestrong with a grain of salt.
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
    I know the feeling. We end up with her bawling quite often. But we gotta be tough sometimes. It may also help if he is allowed to pick dinner, that's how we got her to start with the ground beef (or ground turkey, she can't tell the difference usually). I'm not sure if it is available to you, but I had her pick a box of Hamburger Helper; seeing the meat in picture she knew to expect it, and being the one to decide dinner she didn't have a good reason to refuse it when it was time to eat
  • scraver2003
    scraver2003 Posts: 526 Member
    OMG. Five year olds. I hear ya. Mine will eat pepperoni, bacon, and slim jims - on occassion. He will eat dino chicken nuggets, but only the one brand. Every once in a while, I can get him to eat a hot dog - though, how "healthy" are those. That is IT for meat. And I can't get him to eat ANY nuts or beans.
    -
    - He does GREAT with dairy. Stoneyfield smoothie yogurt drinks and their squeeze tubes. He eats american cheese. Whole milk. I made a green smoothie the other day for myself, with Chobani plain greek yogurt and he actually really liked it. I think mine is low or no fat - you could try to get a full fat one? Stoneyfield does a full fat chocolate yogurt that is yummy.
    -
    - Will he eat eggs? (mine won't. ugh) Maybe some cheesy scrambled eggs.
  • spingirl605
    spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
    He won't eat eggs, meat, or veggies (unless they're hidden in applesauce, or juice, or spaghetti sauce). His diet consists of mostly carbs, although he does eat chicken nuggets. He also eats a lot of cheese, yogurt, drinks milk and puts about 5lbs of Parmesan cheese on his spaghetti. If I let him, he would eat kraft dinner, morning noon and night everyday! Ugh...Such a struggle!!
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    Add some non-fat greek yogurt to his smoothies. This will add a little more tartness, but also smoothness, with some added protein.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    I add chia seeds to my picky 6 year old's smoothies. She doesn't notice them with the strawberry seeds and it adds some extra protein and calcium and other good stuff. Unfortunately, she can't drink milk because it causes her eczema to flare up and she hates peanut butter.

    I hear you on the frustration of picky kids. We mainly go with the one bite rule. And it had to be a real bite. None of that licking it or taking a teeny tiny nibble. But some things we insist she eats a reasonable amount of (usually the main dish) and I try to ensure there's at least one thing on the plate she likes.
  • dannyxtyler
    dannyxtyler Posts: 72 Member
    edited October 2014
    I would research every ingredient first. I know there's a lot of stuff in some of the powders that I would never feed my children. There are nutrition shakes for kids like Boost Kid Essentials and Pediasure. I personally have not used or researched them, though. I keep trying new recipes until I find things my kid(s) likes.

    My kids won't eat chicken, but if I grind it up and form it into a chicken nugget (even grilled) and pair it with a tasty sauce (a homemade peach or BBQ sauce), they can't get enough. My 2-year-old won't eat scrambled eggs, but he loves a runny yolk, so I make over easy and chop them up so they're all gooey (and IMO healthier than a scrambled egg but it's your call if you do or don't want your child eating undercooked eggs as always, do your research). They love peanut butter sandwiches, although I use almond or sunflower butter most of the time and throw chia seeds into the sandwich as well. My 2-year-old also hates produce that isn't sweet, but if I use a spiralizer (zucchini, squash, sweet potatoes, whatever fits into the thing) and make it into "spaghetti", he loves it (raw or very lightly sauteed). I make "paleo fruit snacks" with gelatin, pureed fruit, fruit juice and throw in some green leafy vegetables, and they're my kids' favorite.

    I also do the one-bite rule, and I refuse to make extra dinners for my kids. (Within reason. If I'm cooking steaks for dinner, my toddlers cannot chew it, so I WILL make them something different.)

    Edit: I also wanna put my vote in for Greek yogurt. My kids love it!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I don't think it's necessary, really. As long as he drinks milk, two cups is half the protein he needs already.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    dont worry, my kid has a limited diet due to sensory issues, and he gets enough. He eats no meat,fish, eggs, or beans.

    He does eat- cheese, gogurt,skim milk, peanut butter.

    And protein is in everything anyways. Bread, crackers, cereal, poptarts etc... in limited amounts.
  • MystifiedFluff
    MystifiedFluff Posts: 50 Member
    I wouldn't give him protein powders. Even if it was 'safe', it shows them that artificial powders can replace natural foods, which might lead to problems as he gets older. There are already too many 'miracle' pills and shakes on the market, imho. If he is really adverse to meat, try asking why. Perhaps it's actually a spice you use on meat or he finds it too bland or too spicy, etc. If it is texture, try different ways to cook the meat. If all else fails, other sources of protein are out there: beans, nuts, eggs, fish, cheese, yogurt.

    Also, check with your pediatrician. It may just be your son trends lean, but is still growing normally. They will also be able to guide you better about protein intake ideas.
  • firebloom
    firebloom Posts: 109 Member
    It would really depend on the type of protein powder as well. If you are using a fairly natural one with no sweeteners, preservatives or flavouring, I can't see it being an issue at all. I would avoid anything with a lot of sweeteners and crap though.

    My mum used to make me protein smoothies as a kid for similar reasons (I decided to become a vegetarian at a young age). She bought the really natural ones with just one or two ingredients and blended with frozen fruits etc.
  • spingirl605
    spingirl605 Posts: 181 Member
    Thanks everyone!! I really appreciate your comments...I won't stress so much about it, and just keep trying different things for him. I love this place!! <3
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    Mine also wouldn't eat meat at that age. He ate a lot of yogurt, cheese, and plain tofu and was very healthy. Now that he is a teen, what a change! Meat - steak, hamburger, ham, pork chops, chicken, and turkey - he could probably eat meat 3 times a day.

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