Dairy and soy free child refuses meat. How on earth do I get enough protein into him?

[Ohidontbloodyknow]

My DS is completely dairy free due to an intolerance, but won’t eat any meat. He’s pretty good on fruit and veggies but his meals are mostly carb based. He’s also on the 5th centile for weight and height height having been born on 50th and I suspect his diet is seriously lacking.
I’ve looked into how much protein he should be getting according to weight and it’s around 25g a day, but I worked out on average he’s getting around 10g from other foods in his daily diet.
He’s also suffering with concentration issues at school and retaining information, which I’m certain is linked.
I guess essentially, he’s vegan. But due to his dairy intolerance he also can’t have soy. In addition to this- he won’t eat nuts. We’re on a waiting list for NHS dietician and have been for a year, apparently there is a 2 year wait and I’m desperate. He’s 6 years old. Any advice gratefully received.

If he happily eats eggs, and fish in certain forms, ditto occasional ham, there is no need for supplements, or hiding ground up ingredients

And for the PP suggestion of pesto: it has cheese in it.

To up calorie intake, avocados are rich in good fats.

This^

My veggie friends use quorn substitutes for protein. I think they're a decent amount. If he doesn't like the texture maybe try putting it in pastry/pie/tart?

Quick update- to the PP that suggested velveting meat, I tried it tonight and it worked like a charm, my DS just ate 5 pieces of chicken in a stir fry, thank you!

If you’re wondering what it means, I’ve only tried it with chicken so far but I followed a recipe where you chop the chicken and soak in oil for 5 mins, then (depending on quantities) marinade in 1 tbsp soy and 1 tbsp cornflour for 20 mins then fry, and it tenderises like magic. Amazing!

How interesting! Thanks for sharing x

My kids love this quinoa sea bass recipe. You could easily make it into fish fingers or similar. We put loads of seeds with the quinoa too which might also up the nutrition mix alongside the protein in the quinoa.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/recipes/quinoa-crusted-seabass-and-butternut-squash-chips

Glad to hear of the velveting meat breakthrough!

I was going to suggest very slow cooked meat casseroles - like beef short rib or lamb shoulder cooked in liquid for 2-3 hours or more. Once the meat is super soft and virtually in shreds, he might be ok with it?

Similarly, with dishes like bolognese, the longer you simmer the sauce the more tender and soft the mince gets (I simmer bol for 2-3 hrs or more, just keep adding water if needed)

I have been doing a high protein healthy eating thing for a few months now and I would like to recommend Delphi avocado and hummus spread on whatever type of crackers your DS likes (I prefer Nairns' cheese oatcakes). It's delicious, very smooth and high protein. I've been eating it most weeks since September!

Protein powder
Quorn (if it's dairy free)
Fish - a plain fillet of white fish or salmon
Well cooked meat so it's not chewy
Blend mince in with a sauce so it's smooth

Will he eat a Rice and Beans combination they make a complete protein. I like refried beans, with rice and whatever else is to hand (onions, peppers) in a burrito.

Just came to say that Aldi do high protein wraps. You can use those for all sorts of things.

I didn't think of velveting, and I do it quite a lot.

There are various ways to do it OP but most of them use baking powder / bicarb.

There is a turkish dish where you soak lamb in milk before cooking.

Slices of beef velvetise well before stir frying.

The really good news? It works best on tough meat, which is often the cheapest.

Sunflower mince is brilliant, obviously no soy and I think nigh on 100% protein.

This thread is really interesting. Two almost 60 year olds in this house have got stuck in a bit of a rut with cooking and there are some excellent suggestions on here for our age group too!
@Ohidontbloodyknow I hope your son starts to enjoy his food now 😊

Coming on to say that (as mum of child with multiple allergies), I'd be more concerned that your child's gut is still reacting to something else and there are other issues which likely are causing the centile drop. My son matched yours for centile issues (very slightly more extreme) and we discovered an unnoticed allergy and stopped it in his diet and now he's slightly taller than average (loads of growth after stopping it). Make sure your child is getting probiotics daily too. I'm in bed feeling sorry for myself today but pm and I'm happy to chat