Help me get more iron & protein into 7 year old with ADHD

[YouFilthyAnimal]

He pretty much only eats fruit, veg & carbs carbs like pasta/rice/bagels & bread products

Will not eat;
chicken
beef
lamb
pork
fish
prawns
chickpeas
beans
cheese
eggs
leaves

So basically no protein or iron whatsoever
Hes very tiny and slight, and lately is starting to look very pale and dark around the eyes

Any ideas??

Hummus
dried apricots maybe?
Good sources of iron

Following one of my kids is similar

Eggy bread? But don't call it that... call it pancakes or something....
One slice of white bread will pretty much soak up 2 eggs. Top with golden syrup and he wont be able to resist!!

For iron would he eat dried apricots?
Yoghurt for protein? Also milk

Nuts
Seeds

How about getting some of the protein puddings that lots of supermarkets do?
https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-brooklea-chocolate-protein-pudding-200g/4088600496658

Shepherds pie made with lentils? Would he eat cheesy mashed potato on top?

Also Google dessicated cow's liver pills.

Cereal fortified in iron and protein milk?

Iron supplements
https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/the-health-hub/conditions/childrens-health/childrens-nutrition/iron-deficiency-in-children/

Will he drink smoothies? You could get milk, peanut butter, yoghourt into one along with fruit and maybe some green veg for iron. ( don’t like spinach in a smoothie but find kale is ok) You could also get some milled chia and flax seeds in.

Peanut butter
Milk / milkshakes
Greek yoghurt

You can bake with ground almonds instead of flour which would be higher protein but like carbs?? Look up Keto / low carb recipes

Quinoa is higher protein

Will he eat the Warbutons protein bagels?

For pasta have you tried alternative pastas like red lentil spaghetti? Chia pasta, quinoa pasta etc? They are much higher protein than normal pasta.

Can you get nuts in e.g. soaked cashews blended into pasta sauces.

Can you stir a teaspoon of ground flax into something like porridge?

You can bake black beans into things like brownies. Or add nut butters to cookie recipes- cashew is general the most subtle.

Fortified cereal.
Bread can have a decent amount of iron and protein in if you get the right stuff.
Broccoli.

Pancakes? Made with plenty of eggs and full fat milk, even if he has them with jam or nutella or whatever it's still iron and protein!

Also lentils in general are great, and if you cook red lentils long enough they practically disappear.

Yoghurts

And spatone iron supplement in orange juice (assuming spatone is ok for kids, check it out first)

You can buy iron gummies - it's not in most vitamins. I use the drops on my 6 year old and I swear he has much less energy if I forget for a few days. The liquid is quite bitter so we drop them half a dose at a time in squash.

Trek gf protein bars, 9g, basically flapjacks with choc on top.

If he would drink a smoothie you could add whey protein powder to it. I think this is something that is very much a last resort though.

Red lentils make a lovely soup if he would eat that, it blends to a nice smooth texture and you can add more water/stock to the desired consistency. They're an excellent source of protein. I won't suggest daal as the texture can be a problem for children (voice of experience).

In the free from section

Some fabulous ideas thank you!

Should’ve mentioned in the OP that he is allergic to raw cows milk but does drink soya

Smoothies are very hit and miss, basically anything beyond blueberries and bananas in there and it’s a no, but I could keep trying

Lentils I don’t have a lot of experience in cooking, I do add them to shepherds and cottage pies but he doesn’t really eat that, he will eat the veg and potatoes and that’s about it 🙄 but I will have a look at more lentil recipes

Dried apricots will probably be a winner as he likes raisins so definitely getting some of those in

And eggy bread I’m going to try, he does love pancakes but won’t eat the ‘protein’ ones you see on Instagram

I can’t believe I’ve never thought of buying the chocolate protein pudding things!! Definitely getting some of those in!

You’re all so helpful 😊

My son has ADHD and is 12. With age he will eat a more varied diet but we have gone through smoothie stage and now on to a protein balls instead. The protein balls are easy and quick to make (oats, peanut butter, honey, chocolate chip) and just go in the fridge! My son also likes the protein drinks and yogurts you can get from Aldi

Oh and pasta alternatives I’ve never looked at - will definitely be giving these a go

Does he take a multivitamin with iron in it? I'd ask to see a nutritionist to check he is getting everything he needs.

Would he eat pasta with meat balls? What else DOES he eat? What types of pasta/rice? Fried rice? Chick pea flour is higher in protein that wheat flour: bhajis made with his favourite veg?

I love this sneaky recipe for healthier nutella made with black beans:
https://www.oprah.com/food/bbtella-healthy-nutella-spread-recipe