My daughter recently had some tests done that revealed she is prone to develope kidney stones. Since I have recently endured one myself, I sure don't want her to go thru that kind of pain. I know I hae to increase her fluid consumption, but we also have to decrease her sodiumintake. We are supposed to avoid boxed foods (mac-n-cheese) hot dogs, lunch meats, prossesed cheeses,and frozen breaded meats (chicken nuggets, fish sticks etc.) That eliminates the majority of what she WILL eat. She won't eat plain chicken, beef or other meats. Veggies, ok, and fruits yes ,also eggs. I have tried making her eat the meats, which takes hours for 1 bite, also not letting her eat anything till she does, but she is small, and skinny so I would much rather find a way to get her to eat instead. Any suggestions of recipes or tricks? Iv'e gotten "The Sneaky Chef" cookbook, but that just hides veggies.
Please don't set it up as a food war. You won't win and neither will she. There are lots of other kinds of spices that don't include salt so finding a substitute shouldn't be hard. Try to make her feel that this is her battle that you are helping her with rather than a discipline issue that she has to submit to. I am sure that your doctor has talked about how thyroid plays in to this diet. If not, please ask.
Hi D., I think what you have found out is actually a blessing in disguise. Being forced to eat healthy things may save her from alot of health problems in the future. But for now....I understand the frustration of trying to get them to eat something they think is gross. Have you tried making your own chicken tenders? It's pretty easy. Cut the chicken into strips, dip in milk (or a small amount of butter and dijon mustard) and roll in crushed cereal, garlic powder and sea salt and bake them for about 15 min. at 350 degrees. There are alot of recipes for them at www.allrecipes.com
Also, have you used sea salt? It is nothing like iodized table salt. It has a saltier taste so you actually use less but get wonderful flavor. It is often gray in color(salt comes in a wide range of colors from green, pink ,white or gray-even black).
For fish, I dip a tilapia fillet in milk then dredge in a mixture of flour, a bit of cornmeal, sea salt, basil and grated parmesan cheese. Saute in a little bit of olive oil and butter (about a tablespoon of each). I don't time how long to saute on each side but I just make sure each side is crispy and golden brown. My son likes to sprinkle lemon juice on his but it works well with a dipping sauce if you like.
I don't buy any boxed foods anymore so I have to come up with alternatives. If you want seasoning recipes from me just feel free to message me. I have a few good ones that won't add a great deal of sodium to your diet.
Have you tried bean spreads like hummus? My daughter (17 months old) loves bread with hummus on it. I think in time your daughter will be receptive to meats. I think it's okay to expect her to eat a small amount of the meat that you provide her. I do the same with veggies for my son. Although you'd think that eating 2 miniscule bites of carrot would most definitely harm him the way he can carry on:)
Good luck to you!
I must say that i found your info on low sodium interesting for kidney stones. I have had them 3 times and have never been told to avoid sodium. Its been a while now since ive had one, but i was always told to cut out any cafinated drinks(pop, coffee, etc) and watch my calcium intake since they are a calcium build up and to drink lots of water. I do know if you just go to google and search for sodium free recipes there are sites with recipes that mabye you could try and see if you daughter likes. I hope she never has to go through that to because they are not fun.
Have you tried making some of her favorites like mac and cheese from scratch? That way you can control the amount of sodium she is getting. This web site has a lot of different recipes for chicken fingers and mac and cheese.
http://www.cooks.com/
If you want to add meat to her diet, tt is the same process to hide meat as it is to hide veggies. Cook ground turkey,cool, puree, and add it to whatever you can. I have even put it in muffins with no complaints.
It is also pretty easy to make your own chicken nuggets and fish sticks.
Good Luck!
Hi D.
I also suffer from kidney stones. I also suggest that along with increasing fluid you give her some cranberry juice daily make sure it is 100% juice. Have you tried makeing your own Mac and cheese boil the noodles and add some shredded cheese.Good Luck this is a hard transition but will be best for her in the long run.
The more you try to get her to eat meat the less she's going to like it. I argee with other moms about finding other proteins that are low in salt. You can make your own peanut butter by buying unsalted nuts and pureeing them. Watch your canned tomatoe products. They are extreemly high in sodium.
Meat is not the only way to get protein. Look at other sources like unsalted roasted nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts all taste great unsalted...look for them in the bulk foods area of local co-ops or Cub Foods), beans/rice, etc. My son hates meat (won't even dream of trying a chicken nugget, a hamburger, etc.). I don't worry about it (I was the same as a kid and I turned out very strong and healthy). Gradually switch her over to whole grain foods (if she isn't already), use low-sodium cheeses, you can easily make your own yogurt and that way you can control what things get added, offer lots of fruits and veggies in different formats (my son will only eat veggies if they are served frozen, ex.frozen edamame is a big source of protein for him) maybe because they seem more like a popsicle to him.
