Problem Eater

[Jason Rees]

My oldest son has an aversion to eating meat. He'll eat everything else on his plate except that. He's been that way since infancy, and at age 9, he is smaller than anyone else in his age group that we've seen.

I'm looking for suggestions for an affordable way to replace the loss of protein and other things in his diet. Our doc was no help, saying 'just let him eat what he wants.' We don't feel that this is in his best interests.

Thanks in advance.

[Bill Glasheen]

Jason

The good news is that your son very well may live longer. Animal fats are a major cause of most diseases that hit us from middle age on.

The bad news is that - yes - he may not grow as tall. A Western diet yields a Western height. Even the tiny Okinawans growing up on Western food are starting to grow to more Western heights (and unfortunately, proportions).

So... What are you missing if he won't eat meat? The most important thing he's missing is the balance of amino acids that are optimal for humans to thrive.

You have a great start with a son who eats his vegetables. Consider the battle half won.

Now what?

With my kids, I demand that they at least try new things. And you can't get boring with this. You need to offer all kinds of interesting and unusual foods. Don't get worried if they don't want to eat a lot of it. Just constantly challenge the taste buds.

Part of the problem you may have is food preparation. With the typical Western diet and typical prepared food, there's an overabundance of sodium (as salt, etc.) and sugar (as sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, etc.). Kids in particular and grownups to some extent end up considering these tastes as "the norm."

Any pattern of eating can be learned and adjusted to - including healthy eating. So one thing to consider is to cut back on the processed foods, and go for fresh food as much as possible. Then get rid of the salt. You really don't need it in your diet. Regular food has plenty of sodium in it. Do the same for sugar. No sodas. No snacks rich in sugars, etc. Just FRESH fruits and vegetables, whether they be cooked or raw. Eventually the taste buds will start to learn to taste real food rather than expect a sugary or salty taste.

Now what?

OK, so junior doesn't want to eat meat. That's not so bad. What else has good protein in it? Consider the following alternatives.

• Eggs. Egg whites have very high quality protein (commonly called albumin). Bodybuilders eat egg whites by the truckload. It's a very inexpensive and natural way to get quality protein in the body. A little bit of yolk isn't going to hurt him either. It's rich in selenium. Just don't overdo the yellow part.
  
  For me personally (I'm a healthy eater to an extreme), I use either Egg Beaters or I do egg whites from regular eggs. They are easy to scramble. And I personally like them with a bit of salsa on them. Junior may like catsup. Either is good. Cooked tomatoes are rich in available lycopene, which is good for junior's prostate. If he likes the veggies, then make him a veggie omelet.
• Cheese. Cheese has casein and whey in it. Casein is a mid-level quality protein that is long lasting. Whey is super high quality protein (the best) that is short lasting. Together they make a nice mix.
  
  But be careful with too much cheese in the diet. Dairy is constipating. And cow fat isn't that good for you. Part skim mozzarella is good. I give my dog these part skim mozzarella cheese sticks that he absolutely will kill for. (He has to go in his kennel cab first. ). It's a nice, chewy treat.
• Yogurt. I highly recommend the low sugar kind here. It's much better to use raw yogurt (low fat) and add your own sugar-free fresh fruit in it. But low fat, low sugar yogurt is a nice treat for a kid. They come in lots of diffferent flavors. Yogurt is also rich in probiotics. It helps fill the gastrointestinal tract with "good bugs."
  
  But again... Too much dairy will constipate. Be careful.
• Sushi. I kid you not! I tried my young boy and his baby brother on sushi when they were little kids. They both learned to love it. Raw fish is also very, very good for you. The fatty acid EPA is an anti-inflammatory, which helps prevent all kinds of bad diseases and joint pain. The fatty acid DHA is good for the brain. Cooking fish oil reduces the beneficial qualities of fish. (This is why the Japanese live long, but only if they east an Eastern diet.)
  
  When I was in-between jobs, I used to go to a fish store and a fellow would give me a big piece of shushi grade, farm-raised salmon. I got a sushi knife and I would cut it up into long strips. No lie... the boys would FIGHT over the stuff. They would argue over who had how many pieces. Then when they were done, they were too full to want any carbs or vegetables.
  
  Salmon makes the best sushi and sashimi for a sushi virgin. The texture is like velvet, and the taste is good. Plus the stuff they have in sushi places or sell in the market generally has an appetizing orange color (usually because farm raised, and because of the food the fish are fed.) Always start a kid on that. Then you can try out other kinds of sushi or sashimi - one fish at a time. Different kinds have different colors, flavors, and textures. My young one these days loves octopus because it has a kind of chewing gum texture and a very nice mild flavor.
  
  The caution about sushi and sashimi - but the plus side as well - is that it MUST be gotten from a reputable source. It must be flash frozen just after being caught. That gets rid of the parasites. And then it must be very, very fresh.
• Tofu. OK so maybe this wasn't what you were looking for. This is soybean curd. But give it a try. You can serve it raw in chunks, or stir fry it. You can mix it in with vegetables and a sauce. Soybean protein isn't the very best, but it will feed a world if necessary.
  
  Just don't overdo it on soybean for a boy. There are isoflavones in soy that act a little bit like estrogen. A little is fine and is good for you. Too much isn't a great thing for a guy.
• Nuts. The absolute best for you are raw almonds and raw walnut pieces. I get bags of them at CVS these days, although you can also get them at health food stores. They have good fat in them and lots of important phytonutrients. Other nuts good for you are pecans, sunflower seeds, and even peanuts. Almond butter and even peanut butter have decent fat in them, and an alternative source of protein.

Hope that helps.

- Bill

[Shana Moore]

Jason,
Do you think this is a texture or taste thing? Since this has been from infancy, I'm thinking it's more taste, but just curious, as that could affect what is chosen to replace meat in his diet.

My first impulse was to encourage lots of nuts and legumes (peas, beans, etc.) as good protein sources. There's also soy, but it sometimes has a similar texture, and there is mixed data out there regarding some of the hormonal effects of soy.

Milk and egg products, if he'll eat those are also good sources. Cheese comes in many sources, varieties, etc., so that might be a good option. He'll likely be eating less fats, but do make sure he gets enough healthy fats in his diets (the nuts will help here and some cheeses).

Keep in mind that some plants do contain proteins, but I believe there is a significant difference in the amount, type, and digestibility of plant proteins.

A quick web search found some good articles that confirmed some of my initial thoughts, but are well worth a read. The three best I found on a very quick search are:

From the Mayo clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegeta ... et/HQ01596

From the Vegetarian society (good info on vitamins in various food sources and mixing food sources for maximium amino acids, vitamine, etc. absorption):
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/basic-nutrition.html


International Vegetarian union:
http://www.ivu.org/faq/protein.html

Good luck!

[Jason Rees]

Thanks, Bill and Shana.

Actually Shana, yes, it is a texture thing. He was dx'd early on as mildly autistic, though he seems to have 'grown out of' most of the issues. He does very well in school and in sports (placed fourth in his first diving competition last month).

Bill, you gave me ALOT to work with. Again, my thanks.

[TSDguy]

I'm sure I'm asking the obvious, but have you tried "hiding" meat in his food? My younger older sister used to not like eating deer meat (Bambi that I had murdered), so my mother just didn't tell her that she put venison in the lasagna.

[Jason Rees]

Ah, texture!

Between his being very particular about his food, the texture, and how he eats it, you can't 'sneak' anything past him.

[jorvik]

I have been a vegetarian for close on 30 years and before that I used to avoid meat as much as possible ....at 54 years of age I am as fit as folks half my years.point that I'm making is that not eating meat isn't an issue for being healthy, as Bill has already indicated .
Most folks tend to fixate on meat eating as though you must eat meat to stay alive.this is vey wrong. In my country there was and is a big health promotion programme.and guess what? they focus on getting 5 portions of vegetables/fruit a day .and no mention of meat

If you are really set on giving him meat then if he is anything like I was he will eat it in a disguised form such as a burger a rissole or a pie, even sausages..but if it looks like meat it will make him feel nauseous and he won't want to touch it...fish is very good as a source of protein also and he may not find that a problem

hope that helps