Protein Powder - North Richland Hills,TX

I would go to a Health Food store and buy him a Meal replacement, I know from experience he needs the nutrition from breakfast and if he won't eat fix him a smoothie from the Protein powder/Meal replacement and have it ready for him.... I worry still about my adult kids and would do anything to keep them healthy as teens and as adults! good luck!

Um if your son is telling you that eating protein in the mornings is making him not feel good, maybe he is allergic. And then you want to add more protein to his milk? You need to take him to an allergy specialist to make sure his body isnt refusing the protein. Do that first instead of trying to make him drink a protein shake. Those things are very potent! Especially for a very skinny guy (like you said). My husband is 6'0 and weighs 230. He used to drink a protein shake a day when he was working out and even that made him not feel the greatest.

What kinds of protein have you tried in the past?
Some suggestions to see how he feels after eating them... (on a Saturday morning so it won't affect him at school if it doesn't go well)..

Eggs
Almonds, Walnuts, sunflower seeds, (nuts are healthy proteins)
cheese
greek yogurt
apple with peanut butter & sprinkled cinnamon
toast or waffle with peanut butter and cinnamon

If none of those go well, and actually make him feel ill, you should probably follow up with a doctor before going to protein powders. In my un-expert opinion anyway.

My oldest son (14) is tall, emaciated, picky and has ADHD. The kid needs to eat in the morning but most days chooses not to. Doesn't eat real food like eggs, too lazy to sit down and eat a bowl of cereal, has an oral food allergy to nuts and seeds so he can't eat those and is allergic to raw fruits and veggies so a fruit smoothie is out (he will drink a shake with protein powder and ice cream in it but I have to draw the line somewhere and ice cream for breakfast is it). Our compromise has been a Clif bar. They have 10 grams of protein and offer more nutrition than something like a cereal bar. He also takes Juice Plus capsules every morning with a tall glass of water. It's not the balanced breakfast I want him to have, but it's better than nothing. Good luck! I hate catering to a child this old who should be able to figure out something as simple as breakfast for himself but as my mom (who is no pushover) keeps reminding me, food is medicine. So even if you feel ridiculous dealing with someone the size of an adult who acts like a 3 year old in the morning, it's worth the effort.

You could try something like this:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/smoothies-for-...

Protein powder will not mix well if you just stir it into milk or water. Can you make him a shake instead? You can use milk as a base, then add protein powder and some fruit to add flavor. A blender will whip it all up nicely, especially if you add some ice. I prefer chocolate protein powders - the vanilla and strawberry flavors usually taste pretty fake. Amazon has some great choices; I buy the Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard.

I like Jay Robb's egg white vanilla protein powder. My 18 year old uses it too. We get it from Whole Foods or Amazon. Jay Robb also makes a good chocolate whey protein powder too.

I steer clear of stuff like Muscle Milk (even though it tastes great).

If you buy anything from Whole Foods, and don't like it, you can return it with a receipt.

I would not buy any junk at a "health food store" because the clerks don't necessarily know what they are doing, and they know nothing about the manufacture of the many products the store is selling. They sell from various competitors and are more likely to recommend whatever they get the largest profit margin on. Even if they don't, be aware that most products designed to do one thing (e.g. provide protein) do only that.

It sounds to me like your son has several issues going on, which is why a single-function product may not be enough. I think you're on the right track, mind you, but I think there are several factors. He feels sick in the morning, which could be due to a lactose issue ("no milk for me, Mom"), a broader digestive issue, or even allergies (a lot of post-nasal drip during the night can really mess up the digestive system and change the taste sensations, which might be why nothing appeals to him). The next issue is he runs out of gas, between the late lunch and the band practice. He's underweight. That probably makes him crazy if he's a normal teenage boy. Although uyou didn't say so, I can't imagine his focus is very good if he's really undernourished during the day. If he's going to sustain himself in college with a much heavier workload and no mom to try to shove food in his face in a variety of recipes, he's going to have a tougher time when he goes away.

My son had some issues in high school as well as a serious illness sapping his energy, and he did great with a comprehensive formula that he could take with him and just add water when he wanted. It's not thick like milk products so it was very easy to get down. You're on the right track as well with the idea of a powder that you mix in liquid - premixed proteins break down in about 20 minutes once they're in liquid form. Premixed things often contain emulsifiers that are hard to digest.

But active adults and teens need more than just protein - they need vitamins and minerals and trace elements, and all those things should be scientifically blended to work together in the right proportions. And they need to be highly absorbable. So taking protein without the other ingredients means it's not metabolized effectively and the cells can't utilize it, so the unused portion is eliminated. (Great, you paid for it and he ate it, but the body didn't use it, you know?) And pills are not absorbed more than 30% tops (often less), so they are not effective and can also be very tough on the digestive system.

My son did great in college and built up muscle, had a strenuous athletic career, and continues to get a good amount of nourishment from comprehensive supplementation. We had a lot of help from sports professionals (free from the company) and I'd be happy to speak with you and have them (and/or my son) talk to you and your son if he's open.

This is fixable and I'd be happy to help.

The protein powder I have had you have to make a smoothy our of with berries and stuff or they taste nasty. I like him can't eat breakfast. Or at least usually with in an hour of waking up or I feel very sick to my stomach. Always have been like that. I would encourage him to take a granola bar with him to school to see if he can eat it when his body feels it can take in food. And then maybe one for band practice. They make some with extra protein in them. My 10 year old loves them not sure what brand they are though. He eats one after school and before his 3 hour gymnastics class.

Good luck!

I use EAS (purple package) protein powder and recommend it. It does not taste horrible, nor have an after taste, it blends well with milk or yogurt and when I drink it I feel full.

I have tried Vanilla flavor mixed with milk alone and it just tastes like vanilla milk. Knowing that I would assume the chocolate tastes like chocolate milk. I have mixed it with berries and made a smoothie. I have made a bunch on sunday and it will last about two days, then it kinda waters down. I never thought of freezing it into a thicker smoothie but I guess it is an option. Good luck!

Does he like chocolate milk? Maybe try a Carnation instant breakfast? I don't recall how much protein (if any) it has, but I remember it's the only thing that I could keep down in the mornings during my last 2 pregnancies. It at least has some vitamins in it, and tastes pretty good, too!
Or fruit smoothies with some kind of protein powder mixed in; I don't have any good recommendations for that, though.