Kind Of Worried About My Son

[mommyto3]

My son was recently diagnosed with gluten intolerance. I'm celiac but he hasn't progressed to that point (and my belief is that it can be a progression). His IgA level was pretty high so he must remai gluten free for life). Anyhow, I'm quite worried about his intake of vitamins and minerals. He's only 6 and EXTREMELY picky. He doesn't like meat (he'll eat chicken once in a while) and absolutely hates veggies. Right now he's pretty much living on rice, potatos, fruit (lots), and dairy (cheese and yogurt) and some gluten free goodies such as cookies.

I can't help but worry what his body is missing by not eating any bread or cereal (he hates gluten free cereal). He used to eat SO much bread (sometimes 5 sandwiches) and also a tonne of mini-wheats (again, not uncommon to have 5 bowls in one day).

Any ideas as to what he might be missing and how I could try to get it into him? My mom had the idea of making smoothies for him with protein powder but I'm not sure if you can give protein powder to a kid. We have an appt with a pediatrician but that's not for a month.

Thanks for any input!

[sb2178]

He's probably low in fiber and magnesium. Maybe a little low on potassium, protein and calcium, depending on how much dairy he eats. A multivite would take care of vitamin concerns.

Some ideas:

beans

chili

tofu

edamame

eggs?

other grains (teff, quinoa, millet is high in nutrients) in pilafs or porridges

dried milk in pancakes, muffins

homemade muffins with zucchini/pumpkin/carrot

switch to more sweet potatoes than white potatoes

Keep offering the vegetables-- tastes change, and he may like something raw that he doesn't like cooked and vice versa. Have him grow something, like lettuce or peas. Kids are particularly disinclined to eat canned vegetables. Have you tried adding some cheese or a pinch of sugar?

You could give protein powder, but I'd suggest adding up how much protein he's already getting before doing that. If he's getting 3-4 servings of dairy and 1-2 servings of whole grains, he's probably fine. (you want around 1.0-1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight in adults... i think kids are similar.)

[scarlett77]

My son was recently diagnosed with gluten intolerance. I'm celiac but he hasn't progressed to that point (and my belief is that it can be a progression). His IgA level was pretty high so he must remai gluten free for life). Anyhow, I'm quite worried about his intake of vitamins and minerals. He's only 6 and EXTREMELY picky. He doesn't like meat (he'll eat chicken once in a while) and absolutely hates veggies. Right now he's pretty much living on rice, potatos, fruit (lots), and dairy (cheese and yogurt) and some gluten free goodies such as cookies.

I can't help but worry what his body is missing by not eating any bread or cereal (he hates gluten free cereal). He used to eat SO much bread (sometimes 5 sandwiches) and also a tonne of mini-wheats (again, not uncommon to have 5 bowls in one day).

Any ideas as to what he might be missing and how I could try to get it into him? My mom had the idea of making smoothies for him with protein powder but I'm not sure if you can give protein powder to a kid. We have an appt with a pediatrician but that's not for a month.

Thanks for any input!

Have you tried giving him pediasure? Also drinkable yogurt is a good. Which cereals are have you tried? My boys like the Chex (particularly the Cinnamon, Chocolate, and Honey Nut). I've heard that Fruity Pebbles is gluten-free also. My Celiac son was very picky and actually reverted back to an almost all liquid diet. It took some time for him to start getting adventurous again. Now he will try meats and likes pork and chicken. Udi's bread looks and tastes just like regular bread...no toasting required. What about pasta? There are a couple of gluten free mac& cheese in a box (like the old school Kraft type) one is from DeBoles and the other is Annie's I think (it has a picture of a bunny). Does he like popcorn? That is good for snack with some raisin or fruit and adds a bit of extra fiber. Have you tried beans? Surprisingly my son LOVES black beans so I will heat those up and serve them with melted cheese over corn tortilla chips as nachos. you could use pinto beans too. I make my own taco seasoning and sometimes add that to season the beans a bit. Try hiding protein in foods. Put taco meat in mexican rice, grilled chicken bits (very small) in stir fry, or ham/bacon/tuna in mac & cheese, etc. Another thing I try to do is make sure when I make dinner there is at least 1 thing on his plate that he likes and will eat. He has to try a bite of everything, but he doesn't have to eat it. he doesn't particularly like veggies either, but I'll put them in things anyway and sometimes he inadvertently eats it. Not going to force feed my son after everything he has went through so if he eats it great, if not I'm not going to stress about it.

You can also give him a vitamin supplement. Just make sure you check that it is gluten free. I used Polyvisol w/iron and drop it in some juice. I'm particularly concerned about protein, iron, fiber, and B's.

[miles]

If he

[Skylark]

My super-picky nephew got most of his protein from peanut butter for a couple years. If your son can eat peanuts, try giving him a sandwich on Udi's bread. Chicken nuggets are another favorite food and I'm sure I've seen them gluten-free at some health food stores.

We were really concerned about his pickiness and limited diet but the pediatrician says it's not a problem as long as he's taking a multivitamin, getting calcium (he likes milk), and a reasonable amount of protein. This doctor's own daughter went two years only eating one specific brand of sausage for protein so he's seen it firsthand. My sister-in-law found gummy vitamins both kids love, so getting vitamins has not been a problem. The boys remind her after breakfast if she forgets! Yummi Bears and L'il Critters brands both look to be gluten-free.

[missy'smom]

Since I was a child, I never cared much for meat. Part of it is texture. My jaw is small so I think part of it is that it takes so much work to chew it, although I didn't realize that until I was an adult. I have always gravitated to softer meats-tender chicken, ground meats, fish etc. Maybe keep that in mind when offering him. Also, I can easily get used to no meat but if I consistantly have a certain amount I'll get used to it, so maybe start with a certain small amount at each meal and work up.

A plain baked sweet potato is a better choice than a white potato and waxy thin skinned potatoes are a better choice than a baking russet potato. Try sneaking in some quinoa into that rice. My family doesn't like whole grains but I can get away with replacing 1 Tb. of white rice with 1 Tb. quinoa per cup of rice. The quinoa is small so it doesn't stand out too much.

[mommyto3]

Thanks for all the advice. This is such a great supportive informative environment!

I'm going to try some of your ideas to see if I can expand his menu

Unfortunately here in Canada I can't get my hands on Udi's yet...I think it's a couple months until we get it in Ontario (fingers crossed). And we don't have Chex (which I know he would love) and many of the great gluten free products that are in the US. He also has a peanut allergy so I can't do the pb

I'm going outlet shopping in Grove City in three weeks and I swear I'm going to hit one of the US grocery stores and load my car up with every awesome gluten free product that we don't carry here. Hope they let me through the border!!!

[missy'smom]

Sunflower seed butter (aka Sunnutbutter) is widely available in the U.S. these days due to the many with peanut/nut allergies. It is possible to find pumpkin seed butter online, although a bit pricey.

[vbecton]

I was a vegetarian my entire life until last year (30+ yrs). I have NEVER drank milk either, other than my momma's . My only source of calcium was yogurt and cheese, both of which I loved, plus some random fruits. Yogurt is a good source of protein as long as it's not that sugary kid kind. Greek yogurt is the best for protein. Try giving him the greek yogurt w/ honey. Or buy plain yogurt and mix with applesauce (that used to be my favorite). As someone suggested, beans. I lived on beans. Just like your son, the texture of meat was awful, enough to make me instantly gag. I don't have this problem now . Eggs are great, if he'll eat those.

If he's anything like I was, my food couldn't be mixed or touching. My mom used to put beans & rice in one bowl, fruit in another and veggies w/ ranch dip in another. That was the only way I could choke down veggies is if it was covered in ranch dip!

I look back on all these experiences and think, yeah I was a picky eater. However, I think I knew somehow that food made me sick, I just couldn't figure it out at such a young age.

Hope some of these things help! Good luck.

[bluebonnet]

its so hard to know you have to wait a month out to get the help you need. has he tried chocolate chex or other chex cereals? just about all are gluten free and the chocolate chex is awesome. maybe try the udi bread for sandwiches? its tasty ... expensive but sounds like his limited taste buds are worth it. its not like the other brands (which imho are gross).

there were lots of good suggestions. since he's young just maybe try to make a game of trying new foods?? best wishes!

[Janelee63]

I am very new to all of this so I won't give advice. However...my little guy has so many allergies that I am limited as to what to give him...especially for breakfast. Have you tried the Chex Cinnamon? Mine loves it and so do I. I use the vanilla rice milk for the cereal also...which makes it really yummy. Good Luck!

[Janelee63]

Oops...I posted twice....so I erased this one.

[kareng]

My boys are not gluten-free but some of these are the same problems all kids have. Try shelled sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Salty makes them more yummy to a kid. Hidden meat might work. Tiny tiny bits of ground beef or turkey hidden in spaghetti sauce, under pizza cheese, etc. Shredded carrots, frozen corn or peas still frozen. Black beans better than red pintos because they aren't mushy. Cover everything in cheese, BBQ sauce, Ranch dressing or ketchup if he wants. Corn tortilla chips with cheese melted and a little chicken under the cheese. He can make chip sandwiches with corn tortilla chips and taco meat or whatever. If you can poke it with a toothpick and dip it's better tasting.

My teens still take Equate kids multiple vitamin labelled gluten-free from Walmart and some other places.

Is there a tween or teen boy he likes? Maybe an adult male that is not his parent? My kids would eat something new if Uncle Mike or the teen boy next door were eating it. Sometimes they even liked it and will still eat it. My 3 year old nephew will do what ever my teen boys do.