A bit of an odd question.. high cal foods

I'm trying to lose weight, whilst my son (23 months) isn't gaining weight. He has got a milk protein allergy and I'm trying to find high calorie food (not meat as he won't eat it) that don't contain milk protein (so no butter, yogurt, milk, cream etc). He won't drink the high cal drinks that we have been given for him (I don't blame him they are horrible!)

Any ideas?

Replies

  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Will he eat eggs? Peanut butter?

    Maybe try grinding up some different nuts and adding them to foods he likes.

    That is a tough one. Have you talked to his doctor?
  • Is it an allergy or a protein intolerance? Is he also off soy? I had two babies with Milk/Soy Protein Intolerance (aka MSPI.) If those are his only food restrictions, there are great recipes on MSPI Mama's blog http://www.mspimama.com/
    Otherwise, we did things like using Fleishman's Unsalted stick margarine (no milk protein when we did the diet) in all his veggies, on toast, etc. Dried fruit has a lot of calories. You could whip up "cookies" or "muffins" with extra margarine or oil, dried fruit, chocolate chips, pureed fruit, then serve them with margarine. Rice milk ice cream tasted pretty good.
    Are you seeing a GI doc or an allergist? Our GI specialist monitored his weight closely, and sometimes advised parents to use a prescribed "lipid" powder supplement - it could be stirred into rice milk, food, or a smoothie.
    Remember that at his age, a serving of something is only 2 tablespoons, so make every single meal and snack count.
  • SouLThinking
    SouLThinking Posts: 308 Member
    At the pharmacy I work at we have several patients who need calories added to their meals without added ingredients. They make several different protein powders that dissolve into the food that bump up calories in a meal by as much as 300 cal. Google high calorie dairy free protein powder. Try for unflavored or as bland as you can so you can "hide" it in there Also eggs are great muscle builders. You can also try almond milk (dairy free) and make stuff with that. Good luck.
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
    You could try vanilla or chocolate sweetened almond milk to make "milkshakes" that are delicious and added powders will be invisible. Perhaps your health insurance would cover pediatric nutritional counseling? You could also wander a specialty foods/health food store like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods which often have a wide range of options for allergy/intolerances.

    I know there are a lot of recipes for high protein cookies and bars out there that use bananas instead of milk. Good luck!
  • Pinguix
    Pinguix Posts: 3 Member
    My son (age 3) is allergic to cows milk protein and so has a similarly restricted diet. He also has issues with fish and raw egg.

    He loves adding nesquick powder to soy milk to make his own milkshake and adores alpro vanilla soy (obviously an issue if there is a soya problem too). Crusha milkshake mix is also dairy free.

    Look for Kosher foods - they tend to be dairy free. Also Soya or Sunflower spread by PURE or Vitalite on bread are popular - lots of toast with Jam. Rice Krispies / Coco Pops (yes kelloggs ones are dairy free) for breakfast also works well. Most jelly sweets are dairy free (Haribo) and Swedish Glace Ice Cream is a good one too (again has soy). You could also fry stuff in sunflower / olive / vegetable oil to bump up the calories for him - chips always a favourite for us, and great finger food for his little sister. Pasta also a firm favourite - he gets to choose which shapes :)

    He also enjoys nibbling on dried fruit - little and often to keep him topped up.

    We have started a desensitisation program and he can now take 20ml of cooled boiled milk on a daily basis and when he is exposed to dairy his reaction is now greatly reduced. Worth talking to your specialist about trying that. (we started on 1 drop of a solution of 1 drop of boiled milk in a cup of water - has taken 18 months to get to this stage)

    As ever please check ingredients in case recipes have changed - would hate to declare a food dairy free and then for your son to have a reaction.

    Good luck with your loss and his gain...
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
    ALMOND milk - almond/peanut butter
    Coconut milk products are great too - you can find those in your grocery organic section - they have milk, yougurt, ice cream...a little more expensive but if you are looking for a GOOD fats and to bulk him up

    I would actually try to limit soy...but that is a personal preference as there are conflicting studies with having to much processed soy in your diets (can lead to estrogenic effects) - this is why we stick with Almond and coconut milks in our house.

    Is it s protien issue or a lactose/casien issue...My daughter had milk protien issues as a baby - we switched her to regular milk with seemingly little problem but learned about a year and a half ago is has a lactose/casein intolerance that was leading to stomach aches and bad excema...

    My daughter drinks the sweetened Vanilla Almond milk - you do have added sugars with the sweetened version - but I am willing to have the added sugars if it means she is going to drink it...You could also add a vanilla/chocolate protien powder too (look for egg protien base rather than whey or soy)

    if it is not a protien issue - you may be able to have him eat a little high fat milk products and use a lactaid.
  • KatFierce
    KatFierce Posts: 252 Member
    smoothies are the absolute best option IMO.
    -almond milk, with strawberries, banana, blueberries, and fruit you like ( use either frozen fruit or some ice)
    -chocolate soy milk,banana and peanut butter with some ice or even some soy yogurt or icecream
    -orange juice, coconut milk, banana, ice,
    - protein pwder, you can get soy whey protein powder that is dairy free, one scoop is about 150-200 calories, add into any smoothie.

    bake him some muffins from scratch.
    I believe Ezekyl sprout bread is dairy free, he can eat anything that you would eat you just have to be creative