Daughter Needs To Gain Wt!

[cmcminnesotan]

I have a 12 1/2 yr old daughter who informed me she is now "up" to 70 lbs. She is starting to develop physically but is way behind my other girls physical maturity at this age. I'm afraid that this low wt will affect her long term fertility if we don't correct it pretty soon. She used to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast until they changed the label to possible cross contamination with wheat. We've tried Ensure but she hates that. Any other ideas of gluten-free protein powders or effective ways of putting on wt.? She is growing more since going gluten free almost 3 years ago which is nice but she's still only 4'9". I stopped growing at 13 so this worries me a little, too. Her 14 yr old sister is 5'5".

[missy'smom]

Healthy high calorie foods have been helpful for me. Avacados, nuts-macadamias are quite high in calories, P.B. or other nut butters, eggs-hardboiled are convenient to have on hand for a quick breakfast or to tuck in a lunch, and plenty of protein at each meal. What about smoothies with whole milk and/ or whole milk yogurt. Full fat dairy is perfectly healthy. There was a thread here recently about makng homemade yogurt. It is easy, tasty and inexpensive and very good with fresh fruit. You can use a full fat greek yogurt as a starter and keep it going with full fat milk. As someone who has never been average size and never will be, my focus is always on balance and health first. That being said, all of the above have helped me gain and maintain weight despite other dietary restrictions.

[swalker]

I soak almonds in water over night then grind them with coconut milk, an avocado, some cocoa, a banana, a handful of spinach and some ground flax or chia for a tasty and nutritious breakfast or snack (honey to taste). I use leftovers for making fudgsicles.

My grandson loves a pate I make by sauting a small steak and veggies with tons of garlic. I add a handful of parsley when I blend it with a teaspoon of mustard, 2 tablespoons of mayo and a glub of olive oil. It's great on gluten free crackers.

Seeds and nuts are super for healthy weight gain I throw walnuts and ground sesame, sunflower and flax seeds in all of the breads I make. I've recently started soaking my grains overnight in the liquid from the recipe and a couple of teaspoons of raw apple cider vinegar and I've already noticed that we are digesting the bread products better.

[ang1e0251]

As the other posters have pointed out, healthy dietary fat is very important for all of us. It is especially important for her. Whole milk is good but if she's trying to gain, buy cream and add a little each time she uses milk. Also she should be consuming butter never margarine. She can also snack on baked potatoes with sour cream, butter, cheese and bacon.

[swalker]

Quality carbs are very important too. I try to keep a variety of healthy muffins in the freezer, carrot-zucchini, carrot-pineapple, sweet potato etc made with whole gluten free flours, nuts, flax and chia. They are quick to grab and go and make a great snack or breakfast too.