Weight Gain for 11 Year Old?
I was wondering If you could recommend any books, or have any suggestions that would help my 10 year old son gain some weight. His doctor had a nutritionist send some suggestions, but they mostly contain high calorie milk shakes.
After a couple of days my son gets tired of them and then doesn't want to drink them for a while, plus he starts to have a lot of gas and says his stomach hurts after these drinks. He is a very picky eater and only weighs 55 pounds.
Please send some suggestions, it would help a lot. I am very worried about his growth.
Question:Sue Gilbert
Sue Gilbert works as a consulting nutritionist. For many years she worked with Earth's Best Organic Baby Food, integrating nutrition and... Read more
Dear Carol,
High calorie milk shake type drinks are a good way to add calories to a diet, but like any food, too many of them can get tiring. It may also be that your son has a lactose intolerance, which is causing the gas after drinking them. Many people with a lactose intolerance can drink milk in small or moderate quantities, but an overload can tax their system and create unpleasant side effects, like gas, bloating, cramps, diarrhea. Maybe a milk shake can still be included on occasion. An alternative to that is a 'fruit smoothie' made by blending yogurt (which has much less lactose than milk) with favorite fruits like bananas and strawberries.
Here are a few tips that may help you son to successfully gain weight:
Slow, steady weight gain makes the job easier, and feels less like force feeding. Simply by adding a few more foods during the day, and slightly increasing portion sizes, you will be making a difference. Eating small to moderate amounts frequently rather than 3 large meals or heavy filling snacks will be better tolerated.
The following is a sample menu with suggestions that you can use as a sort of 'pattern' to go from as you create variations of it based on your son's likes and dislikes.
Some other snack ideas: popcorn with butter or shredded cheese, pretzels, apple slices spread with peanut butter, GORP (raisin, peanuts, Cheerios, and chocolate chips), cereal with milk, Homemade oven baked french fries, pudding, string cheese sticks, energy bars (the type used by athletes), dried fruits and nuts, Rice Krispies Treats, fruit salad, cottage cheese, muffins
I hope that these suggestions will help to put a few pounds on your son, in an easy and delicious manner. Good luck.
Thank you for writing.
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