Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Can you give some to a 4 year old? Sometimes he won't eat a meal, like, at all, and I would like to be able to give him all the nutrients he needs so he's not losing weight anymore (we have weight issues with him), ya know?

Is Vega a meal replacement shake or a protein shake? If meal replacement, I don't see why not (as long as he's also not taking vitamins, don't want to overdo that). If protein shake, that seems like overkill on the protein - kids really need more fat, less protein. Maybe a fruit/nut butter smoothie instead? Or if you're really desperate, fruit and soy ice cream?

This looks really yummy and nutritious: http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/de ... oothie.htm

I'd use a higher fat, higher calorie milk for kids, rather than the almond milk the recipe calls for.

Here's another one - seasonal!
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/10/ ... -only.html

And another:
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/02/ ... shake.html

What milk has a higher fat content? Soy?

Yep, soy has more protein and fat. I've seen soy milk specifically for kids that has added oil, but you can easily blend that in yourself or add more nut butter.

I knew a girl who used to sneak avocados into her son's smoothie to fatten him up!

Sam is pretty good about eating avocados though. Being ½ Chilean helps lol
Apart from those though, I need more fats. He has oral sensitivity issues so some textures and tastes are an issue. I am running out of ideas...

Canola blended into milk should be as good as undetectable (unless you add so much it enters mayonnaise territory).

really? That sounds so unappealing to me *shudders*

If you emulsify it properly in a blender it will just be slightly more like creamer (which I don't bother buying because it *is* milk with added oil). Obviously, you don't want cold-pressed rapeseed oil in there, just the kind that tastes like nothing in particular.

Does he like coconut milk? When I have some lite coconut milk left from recipes, I often make pina colada smoothies with that, pineapple, and banana. If you used full fat coconut milk that would be even better.

What kind of blender do you have? If you have a high speed blender, you can just put nuts into your smoothie and it will blend it smooth enough, so that's a good way to get some oils in.

Is he pretty consistent in what he will eat in terms of taste and texture? My DD has autism and SPD, but is very consistent. If she likes something she will always eat it, and if she doesn't like something she will never eat it. Makes it easier to deal with her pickiness. I know not all kids are like that though and can be a little harder to predict.

I've tried the nuts thing... he wont take it. And he doesnt like coconut milk too much. I'm telling you, very very picky. When I make smoothies, I cant add strawberries because the little seedy part stays and he doesnt like to eat those. Nuts do the same.

Is there a cookbook somewhere for children with SPD? What he WILL eat is not always healthy. I dont want to feed him starch and sugar and milk all the time, ya know?

Vega is a meal replacement (as long as its not the sport one which isn't). I don't see why not if he'll drink it.

I don't think there is a cookbook since every kid is so different. My local Children's Hospital has a feeding team though who were really helpful. The team has an OT, psychologist, nurse practitioner, speech pathologist, and nutritionist. They analyzed my DD's food intake to make sure she was getting all of her nutrients, and offered some suggestions for how to get her to be more open to trying more foods. She is still very restricted, but she is doing way better than she was. Is it possible to see if there is anything similar where you are?

Haha, I know. Every kid is different and a cookbook would be impossible. I was just being a little brat. I WISH it were easier...

Oh and yes, one baby E is here, we shall go consult someone to get him some OT.

My son had a lot of sensory issues and was super picky too. He's nearly over it now, but we still have some residual stuff to work through.

When he would barely eat anything, I relied on smoothies a lot. I added flax oil and protein powder to them. He never noticed the pea protein or flax at all which was pretty amazing in comparison to every other thing he noticed and hated!

Another thing we did was make small variations off of foods he already liked, getting a bit healthier as we went along. He wanted toast with EB, we added nooch on top. Well "tinkerbell dust" because you know, maybe if you eat it, you'll be able to fly? I dunno, maybe? The silliness distracted him and got him excited about eating. After a long time, he would do PB or almond butter instead. With us, the little changes made a huge difference in his willingness to try new things. Eventually. It's definitely tedious.

Strain out the bits the blender doesn't get or use smooth nut butter?

Okay I'll try that.

Hopefully straining will help with the strawberry seeds, because I think coconut milk and strawberry smoothies taste great, and my kids always get those when we have leftover coconut milk from cooking.