#21 - Alternative Forms of Protein

Welcome back to episode #21 of the Food Explorers Podcast. Before we start this episode, I have a special request for you. If you’ve been listening, and loving this podcast, would you consider leaving me a rating & review? When you do this, it tells Apple and Spotify you are enjoying the podcast and connects other parents to the podcast so they too can bring the magic back into mealtime.

So if you’re willing to help me out with that, you can pause the podcast now, go rate and review and then come back! 

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Today, we are talking all about alternative forms of protein for children with feeding challenges.

Recently, I asked on Instagram (@DrSamGoldman if your’re not following me already) how many of your children struggle to eat a variety of proteins. And honestly, the feedback was overwhelming.

Children with feeding challenges struggle with proteins for so many reasons. If you are a member of the Food Explorers Membership, don’t forget to login and check out this months training which is all about why this happens, and what you can do to help.

Today, I wanted to focus one way you can help.

And this is using alternative forms of protein. So what do I mean by alternative forms of protein?

When we think about protein, we usually think about chicken, meat, fish, deli meat, eggs, and pork.

But these foods are notoriously difficulty for children with feeding challenges. What we often don’t think about is those lesser known food options that ALSO contain protein. Do they contain as much protein? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But for a child who isn’t eating ANY, these can start to add up, and start opening them up to the idea of new types of foods.

So today, I thought I’d share a couple with you. In this episode, I’m focusing on plant-based alternatives.  

Please remember throughout this episode - I am not a registered dietician, I don’t offer nutrition advice. Merely, these are products you can look at the packaging, and see that they have protein in them. Rather, I talk about these  from a sensory and oral motor perspective.

1. Chickpeas - according to the can, ½ cup of chickpeas contains about 6g of protein. Now, most children I know don’t love chickpeas straight out of the can. However, these can come in many different forms. For example: 
1. Hummus: hummus is pureed chickpeas, with some olive oil and other spices and ingredients added in. Children who are still developing their oral motor skills, or children who preferred softer and pureed textures, often do well with hummus. The really cool thing is that this now comes in a huge variety of flavors from lemon to everything but the bagel to buffalo ranch. Which is a great way to work on variety. 
2. On the other hand, you can also go the crunchy route - like crunchy chickpeas. Crunchy chickpeas are essentially chickpea chips - you can find them in the nuts and fruits section of the grocery store. They also come in a huge variety of flavors - most often I find that kids enjoy the honey version (of course no honey under the age of one). These can be a choking hazard, so make sure this really is ok for your child’s age and oral motor skills before introducing them. I personally wouldn’t give these to any kids under the age of four.
3. The third option for chickpea is incorporating them into a recipe like falafel. Falafel is essentially a ball of ground-up chickpeas that’s made into a dough and fried or air-fried. Some kids like the crunchy outside, while other kids do well with the soft inside.
2. Edamame - edamame is one of those foods that I think is just so underrated. First of all, eating it straight from the pod is a lot of fun. Kids love popping them out and seeing where they land. They also have an extremely mild flavor, which makes it a great option. Like chickpeas, these come in a many options ranging from edamame hummus, to veggie burgers, to crunchy edamame. Again, these can be a choking hazard so make sure these are appropriate for your child before introducing.
   
   
3. Tofu - ok, I LOVE tofu. And growing up it’s not something I really thought i would be interested in. But once I finally got over the mental block, I realized that I absolutely love the texture. Tofu is really cool because it absorbs flavors really well, and because it can be made in so many different ways. For kids who like crunchy foods you can stick it into the air-fryer. For kids who like soft foods you can make it into pudding. You can bread it and make it crispy, or shred it and cook it soft. It’s a really mild flavor on it’s own, and one most people don’t think to try with kids.

So these are 3 alternative, plant-based forms of protein that you can try at home with your child.

Remember, even if they don’t like it served one way, they may do better with it in another form. So consider which foods pair best with your child’s personal sensory preferences.

If you struggle with knowing and connecting with your child’s sensory system, then I highly recommend you check out my Making Sense of Eating program. In this program I teach you all about the 8 sensory systems, how they impact eating, and how to identify your child’s personal sensory preferences - AND leverage them. 

Sign up today at www.drsamgoldman.com/makingsenseofeating.

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