how much meat do your 12-18 mo olds eat?

My girls don't particularly like meat and spit it out unless it is slathered in cream cheese. So, besides chicken with cream cheese and sometimes pork with cream cheese 2-3 nights a week at dinner time, they aren't getting ANY meat.
They eat a lot of eggs, cheese and yoghurt, and sometimes some black beans on enchilada night, but I'm worried this is not enough? I guess vegitarian children do alright, but mine aren't getting tofu or lentils or anything like that.
We have tried ground beef and turkey in spaghetti sauce, plain, and with chopped onions, but they don't like that either. Any advice would be very appreciated!

 

Ds is a carnivore Dd on the otherhand is not into meat so much. In particular she won't eat any whole/unprocessed meats like chicken breast, steak, ham, etc. But I can get her to eat chicken sausage for breakfast, chicken nuggets, turkey meatballs, etc. She also loves peanut butter, but I am not sure if your ped okay'd that yet or not. But if they get enough milk, yogurt, cheese, etc then I bet you have your bases covered. If you want them to eat it I would continue to offer it and you may be suprised one day when they eat it!!!!

 

Mine eat almost no meat and they never have. They eat fish sticks, and recently (around 22 months) they started tolerating chicken nuggets. But most of their protein comes from dairy (yogurt & cheese), hummus, and scrambled eggs. I do worry about it a little, but what can you do? At least they eat a couple of eggs each, once or twice a week.

 

oh, hummus is a good idea! easy to spread on things they like...

 

My two aren't meat eaters either. They put it in their mouth & immediately spit it out. Sometimes I can hide it in things & they will eat it but most of their protein comes from dairy these days.

 

We're vegetarian, but the babies are eating vegan for now, because we're waiting for advice from the GI about DD's possible milk protein allergy. And they are big "meat" eaters! They love legumes, marinated tofu, veggie burgers... Can't get enough of that stuff! You could always try those things and see if they go over better than meat. (Big favorites in my house are White Wave marinated tofu, especially the lemon pepper flavor and the tomato basil one; Boca "chicken" patties; and Sunshine burgers (based on sunflower seeds, not soy).)

 

Ours don't eat much meat. They just started breakfast a few days ago (I just dropped that nursing session), and so far they have a waffle and fruit, with their milk cup, then lunch they have a cheese sandwich or mac n cheese or spaghetti-o's and a fruit and their milk, and around 3 they have a snack, usually yogurt, then dinner is either some of what we're having or chicken or chicken nuggets (cut up, Lilly still has NO teeth), or gerber graduates meals, or whatever I dig up! The only meat we have introduced is chicken, and I don't think they really like it. My oldest daughter is a vegetarian, so she is very happy with the little amount of meat they eat! She insists they are really taking after her and want to be vegetarians, too!
If you are really concerned about their protein, you could try the Boca or Morning Star veggie products, maybe they will like the flavor better? I gave some of my daughter's "chicken nuggets" to the babies and they seemed to like them more than real chicken nuggets. Could be worth a try!
I'm like a lot of the previous posts, my kids get a lot of their protein from dairy.
Good luck!
Helen

 

I know few little ones who really like meat.
So change how you think about it. In simple terms, iron, protein and fat are what we get from (red) meat. Are they getting enough of those nutrients through dairy, legumes, and veggies? If so, then no need to worry.

 

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Apr 12 2008, 11:27 AM) [snapback]717965[/snapback]
We're vegetarian, but the babies are eating vegan for now, because we're waiting for advice from the GI about DD's possible milk protein allergy. And they are big "meat" eaters! They love legumes, marinated tofu, veggie burgers... Can't get enough of that stuff! You could always try those things and see if they go over better than meat. (Big favorites in my house are White Wave marinated tofu, especially the lemon pepper flavor and the tomato basil one; Boca "chicken" patties; and Sunshine burgers (based on sunflower seeds, not soy).)



Same here! (Well, I am vegan) the babies are vegetarians on my watch, but my DH does give them free range chickens every once in awhile. We are a Morningstar family!
PS - they do not need meat!

 

ditto - they don't need 'meat', they need the nutritional components that it contains. So if they're getting enough of those elements i wouldnt' worry too much.

one way i get tofu into mine is to put soft (also known as 'silken') tofu in smoothies -= with milk, rice milk, a frozen banana or other fruit; it makes it like a deliccious milk shake....i often eat the same for bkfst! Or snacks