how to get DS1 to eat more protein

[hamsternumber1]

DS1 is not a particularly fussy eater but knows what he likes.

I want to try to increase the protein in his diet. He has issues with mood swings, some hyperactivity and behaviour issues and A lot of this seems to be related to what he eats when.

If he could, he would live on bread and plain pasta and can eat an extraordinary amount of it.

He doesn't really like meat and won't eat eggs. Neither will he eat anything pulsy or houmous etc.

He'll eat chilli, bolognaise etc but will leave the meat if we have a roast.

I would love him to have a protein breakfast in the morning but he won't eat eggs and I worry about too much bacon/sausage.

Any ideas?

Greek yoghurt with nuts and fruit would give protein at breakfast.
Milk shakes with Greek yoghurt added (and chia seeds if you want to pack even more of a punch)
Peanut butter on a toasted bagel.
How about cheese? Cheese on toast or a toastie.
Will he eat any form of fish?
Could you try him on any of he Quorn products?
Quinoa is protein rich.

Thank you.

He doesn't like nuts but he will eat yoghurt.

Yes cheese might be the way to go.

He won't eat fish either - which is a pain.

How about tofu? You can blend the soft kind into smoothies/dips and press the firm kind then coat in breadcrumbs to make nuggets. Usually cheapest at Chinese supermarkets.

My DD likes the quorn pieces but will rarely eat chicken.
She likes scotch pancakes which gets egg in at breakfast.
Google Holly Bell Mango Chicken we made this as kebabs last week and she wolfed them down while normally leaves chicken.

How old is your DS? And can you give us an idea of what a typical day might look like for him food wise?

Quorn! Try their sausages, chicken fillets, ready roasted chicken etc. delicious & full of protien. My go-to as a vegetarian!

I've just made protein banana bread with chocolate protein powder, bananas, eggs, oats, milk and Greek yoghurt.

Full of protein and will make him feel like he's eating cake. Probably want to add some honey/maple syrup as it isn't massively sweet. Really tasty though.

Your DS sounds like mine! He won't eat fish or eggs, or any meat other than unhealthy stuff like sausage and bacon. Even then, it can be hit and miss.

I give him carrot sticks and those snap-able houmous dips as a special treat in from of the TV, it's the only thing he's allowed to eat in the living room.

Peanut butter and cheese are usually ok, as are baked beans sometimes. Ham is also ok but being processed meat I am reluctant to give him too much, and I stick it with the sausage and bacon category.

One thing I've had surprising success with is Tesco finest wild red Alaskan salmon. He calls it ham and he eats loads of it. In fact, he chooses it preferentially over ham, which is brilliant.

I've stopped trying to do balanced meals every meal time and rather think of what's he's eaten over the whole way. So if he eats smoked salmon (only the thick red one I mentioned before), I let him eat as much as he wants and then count that as his daily protein quota.

If I think of it that way, I only have to stress about getting one large lot of protein in a day, which means I can get food into him as follows:

Monday: sausages
Tuesday: finest smoked salmon

Wednesday: peanut butter
Thursday: bacon
Friday: baked beans
Saturday: cheese

Obviously I still offer him food I know he won't eat, but I only give a tiny amount for show, and I feel smug in the knowledge that he's eaten protein that day so I don't need to worry.

Ooh these are great suggestions thank you.

He's 10 but has a big appetite and is in age 12-13 clothes.

Breakfast - Weetabix or Cornflakes (he has been known to have 6 weetabix!)

School lunch

I pick him up with a pack of hot cross buns or brioche, tea cakes and he can easily eat 2 or 3.

Dinner is pasta with cheese, pesto or bolognaise

He'll also eat chilli, curry, ribs etc, sausages.

He eats all the carbs and most things made from mince.

I think it's the snacks I worry about too. Too much bread and it doesn't seem to fill him up.

Did you name change?

Looking at what he is currently having, I honestly wouldn't be too worried - it looks like you are doing a great job and he is having a pretty good amount of protein already - it's easy to forget that foods like bread, cereals, vegetables etc do actually contain some protein, not just carbohydrate - peas for example contain about 8g per serving!

So at breakfast time is he having milk with his cereal? If so then that is a pretty good source of protein. Do you think he could be tempted with something like French toast/egg bread? It would be a good way of sneaking a bit more protein in....

For his after school snack you could always try making something (like muffins or a banana type bread) with one of the milder tasting nut butters (like almond) which would then be higher in protein than hot cross buns and the other flavourings would disguise the nut butter

It sounds like dinners are already pretty good - you could try serving quinoa instead of rice with the chilli/curry as it's higher in protein

In terms of snacks, a few ideas to consider
-Rice pudding or custard
-soft cheese (like Philadelphia) on bread/toast would bump up the protein
-do you think he would try one of the non peanut type spreads that you can get now? e.g. almond or coconut or cashew? i wonder if you gave him a sandwich made with one of those and some sliced banana if he might eat it?

If you are really concerned then perhaps go and see a dietician - they would be able to give you more tailored guidance ...