Problems eating meat

I'm having issues with my DS, Conner. Ever since he was little, he has never been a fan of meat. You could cut it up in a casserole & he'd find a way to just spit out the meat from his mouthful. Then he got better. And now he's 100,000x worse.

He will eat a McDonald's cheeseburger, but he spends an insane amount of time chewing it. He only chews with his front teeth (which I've posted about before) and will chew FOREVER. Most things he does ok with, but meat...it's crazy! The other night he chewed the SMALLEST piece of steak for 20 mins. I'm not lying! That's how long it took him to chew it & swallow it. During that time (and most times), he gags...cries...whines...it's horrible.

If you cut meat up REALLY small & put it into things, he eats it. If it's too big, he eats around it. Lunch meat is not an issue. If it's just plain meat (ie grilled chicken, meatball, roasted turkey, etc), it IS an issue. Drier meat makes it worse, so we ALWAYS offer him something to dunk it in (which doesn't help).

I don't know if it's a texture thing or not. I mean, why chew it FOREVER? Why gag? Our rule is that you have to try 2-3 bites of everything on your plate, regardless of if you like it. Sometimes he'll be at the table for over a half hour longer than we are, just waiting for him to try his meat. He cries when he sees it...I'm assuming because he doesn't even want to start the fight (nor do we!).

We've tried ignoring him. We never praise him for NOT eating...tonight he didn't get a roll (his FAV) or dessert. We praise him when he does eat meat well. We try any recipe that we can HIDE meat in. We're desperate.

I dread dinner time. It's a struggle with him each night. I worry he's not getting enough protein or that he's got some oral/texture problem (especially since he only chews with his front teeth & chews for so long). I wish I knew if it was behavioral, for attention, an oral issue, a hatred of meat, or what! Can people become vegetarians at 2 ?

So, what do I do?

 

Does he have difficulty with minced meat? Before my kids were able to really chew chunks of meat, I'd stir fry minced pork or minced turkey with some veggies, flavor it with a little soy sauce and sugar, and put it in soup or mix it with rice. It was easy for the kids to eat because they didn't really have to chew it.

 

My girls were not and still aren't big fans of meat. They will eat it better now, but still would rather eat veggies and other stuff. I don't particularly care for red meat or chicken, so it may be that he just do't like it. I still put meat on their plate, just smaller portions than the other choices.

 

I do the same thing. My two are not big fans of meat most of the time. They really have to be in the mood for it, I think. I think they get that from me as well.

 

Same here...except only with one. One of mine is seriously a carnivore and goes straight for ALL the meat. The other, my vegetarian. She does not care for meat all that much, and it definitely depends on what type of meat it is. She'll eat meatloaf, meatballs, and the softer textured stuff with out issue, and some chicken too. Anything else is a battle, and frankly one I don't fee like fighting. ardon: I put it on her plate and she takes bites, but if she doesn't like it, she generally doesn't eat beyond the few bites. I'll offer her some cheese or yogurt for extra protein. She's a little older than yours though, at that age, I usually just made things I knew they would both eat. It gets better.

 

It's perfectly OK for him to go without meat! DH and I are vegetarian (I've been veg for over 18 years), and the kids have been vegetarian since birth, and they are healthy, thriving, smart, huge, and have never been anemic.

Most non-vegetarians think that it's very hard to get enough protein if you don't eat meat. This is a huge misconception. Unless you're eating nothing but fruit, it's almost impossible NOT to get enough protein.

Here are some good non-meat sources:

-eggs
-yogurt
-milk
-cheese
-whole grains - quinoa is an excellent source of protein, is super easy to cook, delicious, and my kids adore it
-whole grain products - whole wheat bread and pasta, whole grain cereal (Kashi GoLean cereals have extra protein too)
-nuts and nut butter
-beans and lentils - think bean burritos, rice and beans, chili, hummus
-veggie burgers - my kids love Boca "chicken" and other Boca products; Sunshine burgers are yummy and based on sunflower seeds; Amy's makes a variety of yummy ones
-tofu - you can toss some pieces into soup, or give them marinated tofu as finger food

Relax! It will be OK.

And just one other thought - if you try to punish him for not eating a particular food (by not letting him have a roll/dessert), you might be setting yourself up for more trouble. Making a big deal of anything at the table can backfire before you know it.

 

My kids are not big on meat either. They eat fish sticks and that's about it. Sometimes William will eat a piece of baked ham, but that's usually if he's snatched it from someone else's plate. Food on other people plates seems to be way more tasty than anything on their plates! I've just discovered Quinoa as a source of protein and I'm hoping to serve it to them (they'll eat it mixed with rice) at least 2 times a week.

Oh!, They will devour hot dogs - but can I really call that meat? :unknw:

 

PB, cheese and yogurt are the big protein boosters here. None of the kids particularly love meat (other than chicken nuggets or hot dogs but we don't serve those very often). We require them to take one bite of something off their plate and then they can have their milk. That is the only rule we have for dinner. If we are having bread or dessert, it's part of the meal so they get it whether they ate or not. If they are allowed their milk, they are allowed whatever else we are having. Your's are at the ripe age of mealtime battles so I would just drop it all together and just try to get protein in them other ways.

 

I'm with Holly on this one.

It is absolutely fine for a child to not eat meat. A&R don't like it. While it frustrates my husband, it doesn't bother me. For lunch today I offered beef hotdogs, cheese, tortilla chips, and brussell sprouts. Alice ate her tortilla chips and cheese, Royce at the brussell sprouts and cheese.

People do not need to eat protein with every meal. One serving of meat with some other proteins throughout the day (PB, eggs) and some dark leafy veggies or legumes is way healthier than eating meals with meat three times a day. You're getting B-12 and iron and other healthy things from eating a more varied diet. Plus less cholesterol and animal based fats.

I was vegetarian since high school until I had the kids. Now I'm mostly vegetarian, but because I'm lazy and like cheeseburgers, I'll still eat them at restaurants.

 

Ketchup is our answer. I'm not thrilled over this, but that's what it takes, so I guess I'll get over it.

Remember, this is just one of those things you'll look back on and laugh about. Hang in there, don't stress, and offer him the other high protein foods that he will eat. He may outgrow it, and he may not, but try not to get too upset over it. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

 

My girls don't really like meat. I always put a few bites on their plate, but 99% of the time, they won't touch it. They don't even like lunch/deli meat. They love vegetables, fruit, bread, and cheese, etc. As long as they are eating several of the other things offered to them, I don't make an issue of it.

What did your ped say about the chewing issues he has though? I remember you posting about it in the past.

 

Sarah doesn't eat meat at all, in any form, except for corn dogs (go figure). She gets her protein (hopefully enough, though I'm not sure how I would know if it wasn't) from scrambled eggs and dairy products.

Amy eats corn dogs, meatballs (sometimes), salami (again, go figure), and tiny bits of absolutely plain red meat (roast beef, lamb, etc.) -- that's it.

Neither of them eat chicken, hamburgers, deli meat sandwiches, or any kind of sauce/casserole/mixture -- so "hiding" things is not an option.

I don't fight it. Nothing is worth having mealtime become a battleground. Plus, even as an adult, I am way less likely to eat foods that I remember being forced to choke down as a child. I can still remember the taste/feel of tiny little nibbles of beets mixed with enough milk to enable me to at least swallow it. :bad:

Does he chew other things normally? If it's just the meat, he's probably just trying to avoid tasting it or feeling it in his mouth. If he seems to chew everything that way, I'd ask the ped about it.