Shakes/supplements To Gain Weight

[Christine0125]

My daughter was diagnosed 1 year ago and has been gluten-free ever since.  We are 100% gluten-free at home and her bloodwork all looks great so I'm fairly certain she is not getting gluten in her diet.  The problem is she is still not gaining weight.  She dropped off the chart for weight and BMI.  We had a follow-up yesterday and her doctor told her to start to high fat/high calorie shake supplements a day.  She gave us some pediasures as samples as well as a list of shakes to make at home w/ added protein and fat.  Pediasure was not a hit with the first try but I blended it with some frozen berries and that was slightly better.  Does anyone have experience in helping a celiac child gain some weight?  What worked?  She eats fairly balanced but she's never had a large appetite so I know this is going to be a struggle.  She seems motivated to try and eat more.  Funny how when mom and dad harp on her for months to eat more it doesn't register but now that the doctor told her she's onboard so I'd love some more tips on what she can eat as I suspect shakes are going to get old really quick with her.

[pricklypear1971]

Do you bake with coconut and almond flour? Lots of healthy fats there.

[Christine0125]

I use Pamela's baking mix which contains almond flour but I haven't ventured into any recipes from scratch.  May look into it and do some trial and error during the holidays.

[pricklypear1971]

I use Pamela's baking mix which contains almond flour but I haven't ventured into any recipes from scratch. May look into it and do some trial and error during the holidays.

I suggest Elana's Pantry blog and cookbooks.

[cyclinglady]

Pamela's all purpose gluten-free flour is great.  You can literally take any of your old favorite gluten containing cookie and cake recipes and sub out the flour (e.g. Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies).  I freeze everything (up to three months for best flavor), and when we have a craving for chocolate mayonnaise cupcakes, we pull them out, set them on the counter for a few minutes and indulge!  Plus, I love having goodies always available for trips or parties so that we never feel left out.  My gluten eating daughter loves everything I bake and requests it over store bought anything!  

 

Give your daughter lots of healthy snacks after school and before bed, besides her main meals.  

[africanqueen99]

Coconut oil is my go-to fatten-upper.  It's awesome stuff!  Cooking?  Throw in a tablespoon.  Popcorn?  Melt it over the top instead of butter.  Freeze a spoonful and eat it like that.  Melt it on toasted bread.  Heck, sometimes I just give my kids a spoonful before a meal.

[frieze]

do your best not to get in a &%$^*  contest over food.  try to get her to buy into it.  Explain at her level, that she needs the extra to grow appropriately.  Have others commented? positive or neg?  good luck

[blmoreschi]

I'm not sure how old your daughter is, but that can certainly make a difference in your tactics! My 11 year old, who was losing weight before her diagnosis, has been steadily gaining ever since. She is very active physically (she's a dancer) and I really notice that makes a difference in her appetite. She still doesn't eat much on those rare days we're at home and she's not very active.

[nvsmom]

I make shakes for my boys and they generally like them. I have a Vitamix blender so it makes everything very smooth. My usual smoothie for them involves Vega chocolate protein powder, bee pollen, hemp, coconut cream, coconut yogurt, bananas, apple, carrots, cucumber, spinach, avocado and water or ice. Lots of good fats and the bananas and protein powder sweeten it up.