Daughter refuses to eat any meat

[VickiLeigh]

Wondering if anyone else's children avoid meat? My daughter is 4 and whilst weaning and everything was mushy she ate what ever was given then started to drop out beef and chicken but still eat ham and sausages, has never liked bacon! In the last month she had completely refused to eat any meat at all and will gag if I try and persuade just one small piece of any meat at all. She eats fruit and vegetables willingly and always try's anything new I might offer but I'm just worried she's not getting enough of what's needed? She also avoids most dairy produce too but that's not surprising as she had a really sensitive tummy and had to be put on dairy free baby milk and we had to wait till she turned one to introduce dairy into her diet.... funnily enough she'll happily eat a child's size dairy milk bar which isn't frequent but tells me she can eat dairy...

Sorry for probably a rambling post but any suggestions would be great. Will be arranging a health visitor appointment too but it's on my mind tonight after another meal partially eaten

[bluefeathers]

Eat lots of greens and cruciferous veggies (e.g. Broccoli and kale) for calcium and iron; much healthier sources than dairy anyway.

Get fats not from oils (they are processed and not part of a healthy diet) but from nuts and wholefood nut butters, seeds and tahini / hummus which contains tahini (puréed sunflower seeds), and avocado. If eating a variety of fruit, veg, nuts, seeds and pulses (beans and pulses are very important for protein and fibre) then the only supplements needed are B12, iodine (from seaweed e.g. Nori sheets preferably or buy a supplement if not), and omega oil (www.vegetology.co.uk do a great one, avoid fish oils as they're typically contaminated with mercury). Note that meat eaters are also commonly short on all of these so don't panic...

[TheMysteriousJackelope]

DD never liked eating meat or dairy since she was around 3. She doesn't like soya and to be honest I think many fake meats are heavily processed and not terribly healthy.

She does eat lentils, chickpeas, black beans, red beans, many types of nuts and seeds. A lot of the lentil dishes are smooth and easy to eat. The black beans are small. The red beans we make into a sort of hummus with lemon juice and garlic.

I was worried about her nutrition and took her to a professional nutritionist that we were referred to by DD's pediatrician (not in the UK here). The nutritionist worked with her to ensure she was getting the nutrients she needed in a way that she liked - it's pointless if the nutritionist just tells the child to eat stuff they don't like. If she made a suggestion and DD didn't like it, she'd find other options that would work.

DD is a teenager now and goes on line to find recipes that she'll cook for the whole family to eat. She found many Iranian and Indian recipes that have always been vegetarian which generally work better than using fake meat products which never taste like the real thing imo.

[user1490759418]

Oh ! My son loves meat only and I am trying to give him vegetables and fruits.

[geordiedench]

OP, you could try veggie bolognaise/cottage pie using quorn mince, and frying all the veg then pureeing it so there are no lumps to pick out. Add some grated cheese on top and that's fine for protein.
So are beans or peanut butter or cheese on wholemeal toast.

[Bananice]

My son is like this, although he has never liked meat since he was weaned. His favourite dish is tofu:
I cut it into "nuggets", roll it in some cornflour then pan fry it until crispy. He will eat this with rice and vegetables, in a wrap with salad, by itself... we have tofu at least twice a week. He will also eat paneer in a mild curry (although this is obv dairy) and salmon, raw or cooked very rare. These foods feature very often in our diet.....

[VickiLeigh]

I'm making meatballs tomorrow (we have meal plans and I hadn't realised I'd be considering a diet change mid week 😂) so I'm hopeful if she helps she may eat them... here's hoping! With bolognaise (sp) and cottage pie etc she picks out any veg including onion! And pushes the meat to the side

[TwentyCups]

Linda McCartney sausage rolls are also really nice!

[GraceGrape]

Will she eat mince? I have a very similar 4 year old daughter, who won't touch most meat but will eat mince as bolognaise or lasagne.

[VickiLeigh]

I'm definitely getting these, not the first time they've been recommended, thank you! I always forget about throwing something together with puff pastry and the kids can help make it too

[tissuesosoft]

These sausages are lovely, they cook really well in the oven and aren't dry. Another veggie favourite of ours is puff pastry with pesto sauce on the bottom, chopped tomatoes and feta/mozzarella cheese then into the oven to cook. For the meat eaters you could add chicken, ham etc on half of it. But so flexible you could do any toppings!

www.jusrol.co.uk/pastry-recipes/tomato-cheese-rocket-puff-slice

[VickiLeigh]

Sunshine, he thankfully has a really healthy appetite with everything so a one off of extra sausages I don't mind too much

I've had a chat with a friend that has gone fully vegan and have a few ideas for meals now and will have a chat with health visitor

I don't think it has anything to do with it being animals that's put her off both kids are fully aware of where everything comes from and have never expressed any upset over it but I might see if I can get a conversation going with her tomorrow about why she doesn't like it, I asked if she wanted me to get vegetable sausages and she was excited by that. So long as they are both eating and active and healthy I don't mind what route they take with their eating habits my only concern is what she may lack by not having meat and dairy so once I've got some substitutes or supplements I'll be a lot happier to indulge her until she makes her mind up either way

[KindDogsTail]

She may need a general vitamin supplement as vitamin B12 would be missing; if she does not eat anything dairy, she may need some calcium.
Make sure she gets fats if she is not getting them from meat or dairy - put olive oil,hemp oil, nut oil or on her food.

Get some advice of you are worried, but she can be very healthy.

[Neolara]

I never liked meat as a child.. Just didn't like the idea of it. I turned veggie as a young adult and have been veggie now for over 25 very healthy years.

Buy yourself some decent child friendly recipe books. It may be a life long preference.

[GoodDayToYou]

My friend's little boy did this too - he just didn't want to eat any animals from an early age and was quite confident about it, like it was just obvious, even though it was unusual in his family. I think he's about 12 now and still veggie - completely his choice.

[Sunshineandlaughter]

I'd be more worried about your son eating 5 sausages in terms of health issues than you daughter eating none!

[Sunshineandlaughter]

Just give her a veggie substitute-veggie sausages, veggie quorn, tofu etc - v easy to put in oven next to the rest of yours tea usually.
I'm another life long veggie (25 years now) and I'm super healthy. 4 is quite young tho so I'd keep trying her on meat every couple of days. Try giving her loads of fish too.

[VickiLeigh]

Thank you! Shall have a look at that this evening, just need to try and incorporate any changes into what I'm cooking already as everyone else loves meat

[bluefeathers]

Much healthier to be veggie, read this: How Not To Die: Discover the foods scientifically proven to prevent and reverse disease https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1447282442/ref=cmswwrcppapi_ujQ2ybNZK12C8

Don't be put off by the silly title, it tells you what foods to eat to avoid main diseases and illnesses in first half and then what to eat for max health in second half - all based on scientific fact so reliable. Also the Vegetarian society / Vegan society will have great advice,

[VickiLeigh]

I'll try those, I used to like them when I was on my own so happy to try again, my son is 7 and will eat meat till it came out of his ears! He got through 5 sausages tonight by finishing off his sisters, he hates when we have a non meat meal too. He also drinks milk like it's going out of fashion and will have cheese with everything. Such different children

[tissuesosoft]

DD doesn't like the taste of pork so I use the Linda McCartney sausages for toad in the hole, sausages and mash etc. Some Quorn lasagnes were on offer in a local supermarket and they taste really good. The Linda McCartney mozzarella burgers are great too

[Loulou2kent]

So many little ones I know & both my dsis & sil stopped eating meat when younger. They both said it was too much effort to eat it but they both love and eat all meats now.

[ShoutOutToMyEx]

I was like this as a child. I'm now 26, still a vegetarian and as far as I know perfectly healthy.

[VickiLeigh]

I'm definitely going to need to broaden my horizons on veggie dishes!

[SallyGinnamon]

That was me! According to DM I refused meat during weaning too. And I've made it to 50!

Scrambled egg, macaroni cheese, beans on toast were my staples growing up.

[VickiLeigh]

I did wonder about texture but she's eaten it up until about a year ago when she decided to start dropping it off one by one