We’ve been told (see previous blog post) to add more protein and calories to the 5-year-old’s diet. Her weight has slipped from the 15th percentile to the 5th, but thankfully her blood tests came back pretty good. The only thing off was her prealbumin, which measures protein in the blood and is used to assess nutrition. Her prealbumin was 20, but it should be 21 to 41.
We’ve been advised to make every bite count. Since she tends to pick at her food, we need to make sure what she does eat has high protein and nutrition.
It’s a little difficult, because while we need to add calories for the 5-year-old, we don’t need to add them for her sister or her parents (that would be me). So we’re focusing more on healthy high-protein ideas, rather than things like ice cream and milkshakes.
Here are some suggestions we’ve received. If you have other ideas for gluten-free high-protein or high-calorie snacks and meals, please add them in a comment.
Breakfast:
- Oatmeal (Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Oats) made with whole milk, instead of water
Gluten-free waffles, topped with peanut butter
Scrambled eggs, topped with cheese
Carnation Instant Breakfast drink — Use this drink, which contains added nutrients, to make chocolate milk and hot chocolate. Good at bedtime too (unless you have a problem, like we do, with too many liquids at bedtime)
Snacks:
- Cheese sticks
Ants on a log — celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins
KIND bars
LARABARs
Lifeway Pro-Bugs Whole Milk Kefir squeezable drinks (9 grams protein)
Stonyfield Farm Super Smoothies (10 grams protein)
Mixed nuts
Peanut butter balls rolled in gluten-free granola
Other:
- Whole milk yogurt
Hard-boiled eggs (pack for lunch)
Cottage cheese
Macaroni and cheese, with added extra cheese
Avocados
Add cheese to vegetables
Add peanut butter to foods
Eat eggs two to three times per week
Eat beans one to two times per week (she likes black beans)
Gluten-Free Nosh 