How to increase red meat in 2.5yo toddler's diet?

[painfullyhonest]

I think my Dd looks a bit pale, tho she generally has lots of energy, she is not a big eater.

Realise that having been sick during PG last few weeks, I've not been paying very close attn to her diet.

She eats cereal and fruit in the morning and then most meals are chicken and rice based, occasionally chicken and noodle stirfry, fish and potatoes, or pasta with a veggie or fish sauce - only meat occasionally because i don't think she likes spag bol very much, she often doesn't finish it. So she is eating tuna, haddock, cod, coley, salmon, tuna, chicken. I have not really wanted to eat red meat while PG so struggling to remember to get it into her.

SHe hates cheese. Anyone think of ways to prepare red meat that their kids love or learned to love? Do I need to make a more veg heavy spag bol so it's not so meaty for her to chew? (trying not to gag at the thought of meat simmering away in the kitchen )...

Ikea meatballs.

If you're worried about meat consumption, slow-cooked meats, cut into small pieces are often a good place to start. If you're worried about her iron levels, on the other hand ('looks a bit pale') then you don't actually need red meat to achieve it.

Iron rich foods include pulses like lentils, beans and chickpeas.. baked beans included.. dark green vegetables like broccoli and cabbage, dried apricots, whole eggs (it's the yolk that has the iron), fortified breakfast cereals, wholemeal bread. The important thing is to increase vitamin C consumption so that the body can more easily absorb the iron. If she enjoys fruit something like clementines or kiwifruit (or a glass of OJ or cranberry juice) with meals is a good way to achieve that.

My DS1 doesn't like red meat much and was a bit like your DD a few years ago. To make sure he gets enough iron I give him 2 weetabix for breakfast every morning, plenty of broccoli (almost every day) daily haliborange vitamins with iron - this perked him up a lot and no problems now.

x-post with chill..DS loves baked beans too!

Home made liver pate for toast at lunch.
Slow-cooked meltingly soft beef casserole.
PLUS a good multivit and mineral everyday.

THIS IS QUOTE FROM NHS DIRECT:

"Iron-rich foods include:

?dark-green leafy vegetables, such as watercress and curly kale
?iron-fortified bread
?beans
?nuts
?meat
?apricots
?prunes
?raisins"

But iron in meat is absorbed much more easily than one in veg, isn't it?

It didn't say so, winnybella, on nhs site but it did list lots of things which inhibit good absorption of iron.

MORE FROM NHS SITE:

"Some foods and medicines can make it harder for your body to absorb iron. These may include:

?tea and coffee
?wholegrain cereals
?calcium, found in dairy products such as milk
?antacids (medication to help relieve indigestion)
?proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which affect the production of acid in your stomach"

Meat sources contain more iron per 100g than a lot of the vegetable/grain sources, but the success of absorption is determined by what else is consumed at the same time. The iron in fruit & vegetables, for example, often comes ready-paired with the Vitamin C that is needed to absorb it successfully.

ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron

lists food rich in heme and non heme iron

Right.

But it would seem that it's better to have a piece of steak and kiwi for pudding than lentils/kiwi iyswim.

From NHS link above:

Absorption of heme iron from meat proteins is efficient. Absorption of heme iron ranges from 15% to 35%, and is not significantly affected by diet [15]. In contrast, 2% to 20% of nonheme iron in plant foods such as rice, maize, black beans, soybeans and wheat is absorbed [16]. Nonheme iron absorption is significantly influenced by various food components [1,3,11-15].

were all veggie-we make sure we get our iron but also that we get enough vit c to help digest it.my down fall is to much tea which stops iti was once told the 5 dried apricots a day contains the rda for an adult.

I think she gets plenty of vit c to aid absorption, she adores fruit and eats it after every meal.
We have prunes and dr. apricots as snacks so I guess I'm not doing too badly.

Unfortunately she hates pulses, which makes me weep because I love them.

I'm really looking for dishes that toddlers enjoy apart from the obvious like spag bol and shepherds pie.

I do meatballs occasionally but they are a bit of a faff.

Have been thinking about doing braised lamb or beef in a tomatoey stew but my DD does get a lot of tomato sauces - any other thoughts?

bump

My mum used to blitz cold leftover roast in a food processor with breadcrumbs and a bit of egg and make rissole/burger type things. We thought they were fab and easy to eat. You say you don't like the thought of eating meat - if you have family nearby you could beg some leftover Sunday lunch from someone so you don't have to cook the meat first time round?