Enough protein? What are the best protein sources for toddlers?

[etwahl]

how do you know if they're getting enough protein? and what happens if they don't? some of the foods i feed that have protein:

- chicken (she seems to really love chicken)
- cheese & yogurt (in moderation to combat constipation)
- soy meatless products
- eggs (only occasionally - i should give them more)

what else is an easy protein?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[nathansmom]

Nathan loves beans. He'll eat them right out of the can if I'd let him.

[Torey]

You can give her a couple eggs a week. Toddlers don't have to worry about cholesterol and eggs are a great source of iron and protein.

Beans are a very easy source of protein and iron. My DD eats chickpeas, kidney beans, and black beans all the time. The cool thing is you can just buy canned (low sodium) beans, drain, rinse and serve. A very easy snack. I would suggest taking the outerskin off the chickpeas at first (and maybe cutting them in half) to reduce the choking hazard. Black beans are so small and soft you can just serve as is, and kidney beans you might want to cut in half.

[etwahl]

do you all heat the beans? and also, do you serve with anything else? rice, etc.?

this is good actually. the only beans she's ever had have been refried at a mexican restaurant. i think she farted for two days after that!!!

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[nohomama]

Beans do have some protien in them but it's not a complete protein unless you combine it with the kind of protien found in grains (rice, quinoa, etc.) or a complete protien (meat, nuts (for older children), etc.).

Lola loves beans and we feed them to her a lot but relatively speaking they provide much less protien than sources like eggs, meat, and soy products. That said, beans make for a very healthy snack/meal and by combining them with other foods they become even more so.

Though your list may seem short, there is actually a lot of variety in eggs, meat, dairy, and soy. With the exception of adding legumes to the list, I'd focus on simply offering more of these foods.

In terms of how to serve beans, we serve them either hot or cold and with a grain or meat.

[Torey]

I don't even heat the beans. Cold chickpeas actually taste better than warm IMO. I'm sure you have had them in salads that way. And you can give her crackers, or bread (any grain will do) along with them. I never serve them with rice or I have to cook (too much work). :)

[etwahl]

what is quinoa?

do you have any suggestions for serving eggs other than scrambled style?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[etwahl]

torey, can you give me ideas on other items you like to give (snacks or meals) that don't require cooking but are pretty healthy!

i struggle sometimes when i could just eat soup or salad myself but it's not appropriate for lauren. especially when i'm alone. so i end up cooking stuff like rice, pasta, etc. i don't mind, but am looking for some easier things that are toddler appropriate! especially in summer salad season :)

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[Torey]

If you hard boiled a whole dozen then all you would have to do is peel and cut them up into bites for DD. I haven't done this yet, but plan to now that the weather is warming up. And since it would take a while to get through the whole dozen, you wouldn't have to cook for a while.

Also, since I hate scrambled eggs (and think they take to long to make) I usually just make 1 egg omelets for Anastasia. Take one egg, break/beat it with fork in a bowl. Heat butter in skillet, pour egg in and turn pan so egg is covering entire bottom of skillet. Let cook for a little while, and then add shredded cheese and whatever cooked veggies or cooked meat you want (I have even hid broccoli in there), use spatula to fold in half and flip over. I usually cook until there are a few light brown marks on each side. Then I cut into small pieces and serve. I think it makes way less mess than scrambled.

I'll also post some other easy snack ideas I have come up with/use later. HTH. :)

[egoldber]

Don't discount soup! Sarah LOVES soups and will eat things in soup that she wouldn't otherwise eat!

[caleymama]

Caley likes soup too and will also often eat veggies and other things she would never eat if they're in soup. She also LOVES cottage cheese, which is a great protien source. We buy the 4% milkfat kind that has 5 grams of fat and 14 grams of protien per 1/2 cup serving.

[christic]

You mentioned soy but wasn't sure exactly what you meant by that. Have you guys tried edamame? You can get them shelled and frozen--both Whole Foods and my regular grocery store have them. I put them in a little bowl with water and microwave for a minute. My daughter really likes a quick snack of edamame and a cheese stick, and they should have as much protein as other soy products...will have to check the bag!

[etwahl]

are they harder than peas? do you smash them up a little so as not a choking hazard?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[LucyG]

Tammy,

I know you mentioned cheese, but what about cottage cheese? My DD LOVES the stuff. I buy whole milk small curd cottage cheese, and she eats it at least once a day. I tried mixing some fruit with it, but she actually likes it better plain. Cottage cheese is also good to mix with a baked potato for a toddler meal.

[etwahl]

i tried it once and i can't remember her reaction, but you all have inspired me to try it again!!!

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[Torey]

Also, you mentioned that yogurt constipates Lauren. I know that cheese can definitely do this, but I doubt that just yogurt will. I feed DD yogurt a couple times a day (since she won't drink milk) and we have never had any problems. Yogurt has all sorts of good bacteria that do good things to your bowels/digestive track, so I think if anything yogurt might help your daughter to be more regular (not less). And of course you can mix just about anything with yogurt to make it taste better if your baby doesn't like it plain (fruit, flavored oatmeal, jam (made w/ fruit juice - like Polamer All fruit).

I posted some ideas for eggs earlier - did't know if you saw that post above.

Also, I was thinking about things you could make that would be easy. I really like organic shells-n-cheese or mac-n-cheese. DD loves it and it is so easy to make. And since it makes way more than she can eat in one sitting I can just save it for the next meal (or the next couple of meals). I barely warm it up in the microwave (she'll even eat it cold).

For the summer, you could make a pasta/macaroni salad thing (not sure what dressing a baby would like), but then you could add small bits of cheese, beans, hard boiled eggs, grated carrots, chopped tomatoes, avocado and whatever else you like. If you make a large amount of pasta and put dressing on it, then you could just toss in the extra stuff whenever you eat a serving (so it wouldn't get soggy). This would be quick, easy and no cooking required (after the pasta).

[christic]

They're a bit firmer than peas, but you can control this somewhat by how long you cook them. Similar in size and feel to a canned pinto bean maybe. I don't smash them.

[etwahl]

yum, torey, that sounds great! i wonder what kind of dressing?! any ideas?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[pritchettzoo]

A simple oil-and-vinegar (usually 2-3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar) would be good. You can add spices according to Lauren's taste.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[Torey]

Or maybe we could look around on the web and find a recipe for raspberry vinagerette that babies would like?