My Son Wont Eat Meat!

Meat isn't the issue- it's protein. See if you can get him to eat chickpeas or hummus. Edamame (soybeans) are super fun for kids to eat (out of the shell) and they are a super protein packed food.

WOW! All mine wants is meat, and he does not like vegies nor fruit and he is a year old. I would be glad mine ate meats and veggies! Have you offered him vegetable soup? Try it with the beef in it, that might work. I was told at this age, to be patient, not to force them to eat, and be patient. I think it is great you offer it to him. Also you can try ramon noodles, vchicken or beef flavored. It is a noodle, but most kids his age love them, and it has the protein the baby needs. My nephew has problems eating as well. He is so picky, that he does not even want to eat infront of people. It takes patience to deal with little ones. I was told a child had to be introduced to a food at least ten times before they would actually try them. The little one's taste buds will eventually change and will try something new, just hang in there and do not give up! Patience is the key! A. from MS

Meats may not be a good taste for him. I know I was the same way as child. My dad said that I use to through it down when it just smell funny. Just feed him fruits and veggies. He will be fine

N.,
This is not an un-natural or tragic thing. Not eating meats, is not going to keep him from being strong and healthy. There are other sources of protein you can try, such as eggs, tofu, etc. Red meat really is not healthy for you anyway. I have a 3 year old son who likes all kinds of fish as opposed to red meat and even chicken, he also for some reason likes hard boiled eggs. I don't know why, but I also don't mind; the fish is better for him anyway. He is still young and has plenty of time to change his mind, but I would not worry about it affecting his health. You can try grounding up meat and putting in other dishes likes spaghetti, mac and cheese, chili, etc. and he will probably not even know it is in there. I think though, that you should revel and be grateful for the fact that he likes fruits and vegies (most kids it seems don't), they are the more important parts of his diet as far a being strong and healthy anyway. Best wishes to you.

I agree you shouldn't worry. Children's tastes change all of the time. Just be glad the your child loves fruits and veggies. Mine loves meat and fruit, but veggies are a struggle. Don't worry yourself too much about this. You are doing a great job.

Hi N.,
Don't worry so much about it! My boys didn't like the taste of meat when they were little (to hard to chew)but now that's all they want!lol You ought to see my grocery bill with 3 teenage boys! But in the mean time, give the child peanut butter, cheese and eggs. That is plenty of protein and in his time he will eat meat! How many men do you know that don't eat meat? lol He will change what he likes so many times in the next year, you won't believe it! It's ok!Wait until he goes to school and sees other children eating something you can't get him to eat....all of the sudden he loves it because his friend does! Trust me it will be ok and he will be normal! Sometimes I wonder what normal is though!!!! lollololo Have a great day N....and don't worry...you'll need your strength to worry later!!! lol Take care!

If he won't eat meat, don't make him. Children can get plenty of protein from other sources (peanut butter, baked beans, eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt, to name a few) vegetables and fruit also contain protein. Check a children's vegetarian cookbook out of the library if you need ideas. If you're really intent on him eating meat, try ketchup seems to be what my daughter puts on everything.

Don't worry, as long as he is eating fruits and veggies he should be ok. Does he like cheese? My daughter is 5 and she doesn't like meat either except for a little chicken, definitely no beef or pork. I give her a lot of cheese and other proteins. Experiment with other foods. He may never like meat and then one day he will start eating it. You never know. Look for other proteins for him.

E.

I'm having the same problem w/ my daughter. Shes 27 months. She hates meat. She doesnt like Milk either. Please let me know if you find anything that helps! Thanks!

N.,
I feel like we must be related. My son would not eat meat at all until he was almost 3 then all he wanted was pepperoni (I worked in a pizza place at the time)and chicken nuggets. He loved his veggies and fruit, which is a good thing! Eventally he will eat meat. If he likes bread (which mine didn't) give him a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and peanut butter and crackers for snack. Peanuts have lots of protein and start him a childs multivitamin. My son was fine without meats. Eventually he will eat them, don't force it on him, as long as he eats lots of beans and peanut butter then he will be getting plenty of protein, also eggs are wonderful source of protein. There are websites that will tell you alternatives to meats to substitute for protein. If it is a major concern ask a nutritionist what to give him as a supplement.

Hello N., I also have a very picky son and I have decided that I am tired of fighting with him. He is growing fine and the doctor says he is fine, so I have quit stressing about it. He only eats certain things. Be glad your son eats fruits and veggies. My son will only eat oatmeal, cream of wheat, egg whites (definetly no yolks he'll scream), crackers, some fruits on occasions, and an occasional green bean. I think as long as your son is healthy and growing just don't worry about it. Just give him what he will eat. You might want to try and give him some boiled eggs. They have lots of protein. If he likes peanut butter give him that. If he will eat beans, they are super good for him. Meat isn't everything. You can find alternatives. My son eats no meat and he is fine. I wish you luck and don't stress because that causes you to stress.

My kids are all the same way. My oldest child, my daughter, who is 5 she still won't eat much meat, the only thing I can get her to eat is chicken. But thats it for all my kids. I think it just has to do with your child and what stage of life they are in. I think as they get older they will begin to grow out of the pickiness some and eat different foods. But then again ther are some kids that don't eat meat and stay veggians. I think thats ok too, just introduce other foods to exchange for the meats.

I have a daughter who is 3 and another one who is 10 1/2 months. The 3 year old doesn't eat meat either. she never has. The only thing I can get her to eat is chicken sometimes. The peditrician told me that as long as she is eating fruit and veggies that she is ok. There is protein in that stuff as well. I have a friend who gives her son the ensure for kids that way he gets his protein. I would not worry about it too much. As long as he is growing and eating his fruits and veggies he should be fine. Hope this helps!
T.

Hi N.. It sounds like it might be a texture issue. I think lots of toddlers have difficulties with different textures. There are other foods that have protein in them (which I'm assuming is your concern). You can try cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese and even tofu. I know it sounds crazy to offer tofu, but my son had a hard time with meat also. He loved the soft tofu though. He eats meat now but we still give him cheese almost every day and yogurt with every dinner. (He hates cottage cheese but some love it.) Also, whole milk has lots of protein. I got my son to eat meat by putting it in a food chopper until it's real fine. Then I mix it in with mac & cheese or something like that. Good luck!

S.

It's ok to not wat meat. It's probably healthier. Just make sure he has a balanced vegetarian diet. Dairy products, nuts, beans, oatmeal, anything with protien. And make sure he gets some Iron fortified foods. Kids at his just won't eat things if they don't like. And they also know if it doesn't agree with their systems. Maybe he has a hard time digesting it, and has figured out that it upsets his stomache.

I am not saying to force your child to eat it but my nephew was the same way and his mother never pushed it further with him. Now he is eleven and still mentally has problems eating meat. He says that it makes his stomach sick. When he has visited us we have sneaked meat into his meals and there was never a problem. My suggestion is to stay on it so you don't have an ongoing problem.

From all the reading I've done and from dealing with my 14 month old, I think first you should keep giving him meats at meal time but just don't make a big deal out of it. If he won't eat the meat, just ignore it and eventually he might like it. Also, my son LOVES pinto beans. I just heat them up and give him a few at a time, and he'll eat just about as many as I'll give him. They are a good source of protein as well as being low in fat. Maybe your son will like them too!

Don't worry! My daughter never liked meat and still doesn't, she is 15 now and the healthiest member of the family. She always loved veggies and fruit too, but also wouldn't/won't drink milk. She gets a daily vitamin to help provide what she doesn't get from the foods she eats. Beans are a good source of protein and peanut butter is good too.

My daughter was the same way when she was little. We made sure she ate a lot of protein rich veggies till she figured out she really did like meat. We also ate a lot of deer meat and she absoultely loved that. For the longest she would eat her veggies over meat, but when we used deer meat, she would eat that before her veggies. Just give her time and you need patience. Good Luck.

28 year old mother of 3 of my own and 4 step children.

Some people just don't like meat. He can live without it, just make sure he eats plenty of nuts (peanut butter is great), beans and cheese. Keep offering him meat but don't force him to eat it.
My middle child wouldn't eat meat either when he was younger until a babysitter gave him some tuna helper (the boxed kind with a can of tuna) and he ate the whole box. After that I just gave him fish twice a week along with other high protein foods until he decided he would eat meat.
The doctor told me that him eating things like canned ravioli with meat, spaghetti with meat in the sauce and soups with meat broth were sufficant for him to consume enough protein without him really noticing there was meat in them. You can try that too. Best of luck with him.

I have a 19mnth girl you sometimes is the same way. I started giving her a sauce to dip it in. She seems to enjoy the dipping and eats her meat. We also play a game where i tell her not to eat it then if she gets a bite i pretend to fuss and tickle her. i hope this helps some.

My suggestion is peanut butter and veggies that have a lot of protein value. Tofu or any type of soy bean product, cheese, bean sprouts, kidney beans or other variants, puried meat foods, eggs or egg substitutes are excellent sources for protein especially for vegetarians or vegans. Just keep in mind food allergens and talk to doctors to see if they believe these are good options and/or they would like to put him on a Protein Supplement/vitamin. If he is able to digest them and likes them, they may be a suitable substitute. I know that I am very sensitive to greasy foods. This might be a similiar issue for him as well as the textures ie. breading, frying, heavily seasoned meats. Try baking or grilling meats without oil, butter, or flavoring/seasonings, these items might be aggravating his mouth. Also, heavily brothed and heavy vegetable soups/stews with shredded or finely diced meats might help introduce the meat better to his liking to be able to tolerate it. I personally grew up not liking eggs...I have found that the only way I tolerate it is making it omellete style. So, this might become a way to learn what he will eat in meats.
I hope this helps.

What you need to do is trick him. Mix in his meat with something he likes. Maybe a vegtable he enjoys. Just cut it up into small peices. What the problem is is that he's not enjoying the flavor and we all know children want whats appealing to them. But, all in all it's fine if he doesn't just make sure his diet is balanced. And he enjoys what he eats. Good luck and happy feedings.

Just read your request, thought I would suggest ketchup.

We put ketchup on my sons meat, he prefers vegies and fruits also, and he started eating meat only after we put ketchup on it. He is 5 now and still has to have ketchup on his meat.