Doc says more red meat

As we're moving away from formula, their ped says we MUST give them red meat to replace the iron. The protein they can get elsewhere, but they will need a daily vitamin or red meat if they're going to get the iron. We haven't had much success with getting the girls to like eating meat. They like meat ravioli but it can't be healthy to feed them that all the time. I was thinking of getting some thinly sliced roast beef from the butcher and see if they like that. So what do you all feed your one year olds (with 2 - 4 teeth only) to get some meat in them? What do they like?

 

I by no means feed the girls red meat every day. Red meat that they do like is hamburger meat, roast beef and thin sliced steak. Other foods contain iron such as fortified cereals and breads

 

I used to make ground beef (chop it up fine) and put cheese on it - they USED to eat that and also teriyaki beef (ground meat also) ....

Just check their mouths before bed. Mine had a tendency to have some stuck in their mouths at bedtime.....(chipmunk cheeks) !

(time to update your ticker please!!)

 

Oh wow.. at that age mine probably didn't get much at all... but were always healthy.

Now they eat a lot of tacos or beef nachos for the consumption.

 

Mine love meatballs!

 

Swiss steak is great because it's so tender that it basically falls apart with a bit of gumming. Hamburger as suggested by the PPs is good as well -- mine love sloppy joe sandwiches and meatballs and those don't require molars.

 

Those nasty Gerber brand meat stix- one of my DD loved them!! Fiuen chopped ground meat, lunch meat snibbles, meat ravioli, bits of hamburger , BOCA burger (vegetarian soy product), and fortified cereals/breads.

 

Iron fortified cereal, deli meat, pasta has iron in it, as does bread (wheat bread). I literally read every single food label to find the ones with the most iron. Shredded chicken cut up real small, and same thing for roast beef. You can get YoBaby yogurt with cereal in it. Hope that helps.

 

Around 13 months we started feeding them pretty much anything. They had between 4-6 teeth. We just cut it up real small for them. Until they get their molars they use their gums to chew the food anyway. At that point mine were eating steak, chicken, ground beef, ham, turkey, just all cut up in real small pieces.

 

I don't personally think that red meat is a requirement and a lot of toddlers refuse to eat meat at all until they are older. There are lots of other ways to get iron. The toddler snacks are usually loaded with it so check the labels when you stroll down the baby food aisle. My boys eat these toddler cereal bars that have 25% of their iron RDA in each bar. (I buy Earth's Best organic cereal bars but I think Gerber makes them, too.) Most flour is fortified with iron so bread and pasta is a good source. Also, any of the breakfast cereals have a lot of iron. The hot cereals are great: oatmeal, malt-o-meal, etc. Earth's Best makes toddler oatmeal (cooks in the microwave) that has 25% of their iron RDA in it.

 

My son had about 2 teeth at a year. We gave him oatmeal, ground beef (meatloaf, meat balls, burgers, tacos with soft shells), we also gave him steak cut up really small so if it didn't get chewed he wouldn't choke. Basically if we were eating it he wold get some just cut up a lot smaller.

 

As previous posters have said, iron can be found in many foods. Red meat is truly not a requirement.

When I was anemic years ago I did a lot of research and found that a very easy way for me to get my iron in was eating cream of wheat each day. Add some fruit & milk, maybe sprinkle on some wheat germ and it's VERY healthy and full of iron. Change up the fruit daily and add some yogurt for a different consistency and that's a good start.

Keep their diet varied. Read all food labels and you'll be surprised that it's not that difficult to get in all their iron requirements with a little research and creativity.

Good Luck!

 

we gave Chloyee what ever she will eat at that age....she is kinda picky with veggies but love steak, meatloaf well anyting to do with meat its the veggies we have a hard tiem with....

as for the twins when they were that age they loved vegggies not meat so I just always offered it and eventually they ate it... honestly at that age if they are on VIT D milk and taking a vitamen I never worried to much....

 

QUOTE(mac+evie @ Feb 2 2008, 12:50 AM) [snapback]601418[/snapback]
As we're moving away from formula, their ped says we MUST give them red meat to replace the iron.


I just had to respond to this.

A few of the other PP have
mentioned the numerous other sources of iron, (and I just
want to add; green leafy vegetables, legumes/beans,
dried fruits, prune juice, watermelon, cream of wheat, spinach,
whole grains, bran flakes, blackstrap molasses).

A wide variety of foods will provide them with not only
different textures and tastes, but also provide YOU with
more options to give them.

(My boys have never had any type of meat, and
their pedi knows this and has never been concerned with their
health, growth nor weight)

 

Also wanted to add: be careful with high sodium, nitrates and preservatives. Deli meats and other prepared meats are notoriously bad in all those regards.

Are either of your kids anemic? Syd was anemic because she was the TTTS donor and needed extra iron for about 1st 6 months. She's fine now.

 

We don't eat ANY meat at all... Norah had a tiny amount of low iron , I think .10 of a point in low and all the others are fine. There are plenty of other alternatives including simply switching to cast iron pots for cooking. Here are some alternatives:

Whole grain bread
White bread
Peanut butter
Baked beans
Branflakes
Cornflakes
Lentils/soy beans/red kidney beans
Spinach
Broccoli
Green peas
Baked potato with skin
Sesame seed paste (tahini)
Dried apricots
Blackstrap molasses
Prune juice
Cream of Wheat cereal

 

I agree with past posts, there are so many other ways to get iron (last couple of posts had great suggestions). It is easier now that so many foods are fortified with iron!

We're vegetarian, and my twins have never had a problem with iron levels, growth, etc.

Don't panic if they don't like meat, you can certainly supplement with other foods. Good luck!!

 

Definitely check out Earth's Best Organic products.

I agree that you don't have to give red meat to get iron. In fact, don't overdose on it! My DD has so many issues with constipation that I'm always watching her iron intake.

At that age, mine ate (and still do) lots of beans. Black, pinto, kidney are their favorites. Pair it with some pasta and cheese and you have a healthy meal without meat.

Look for buffalo meat if it's available in your area. I like to use this instead of ground beef. It has way less fat. Makes a terrific meatloaf where I can hide pureed veggies, too.