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Question:
My five-year-old son is both small and skinny, his doctor told me to increase his fats. He eats typical kids food such as grilled cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, but I need more kid-friendly ways to try to get more fat in his diet.
— Robin, MD |
Rachel Johnson
Answer:
Your doctor told you to increase the fats in your son's diet because they are an energy-dense source of calories. There are nine calories in every one gram of fat in comparison to four calories for every one gram of protein or carbohydrates.
If your son is a poor eater you want to choose foods for him that are concentrated sources of calories. That way you won't need to increase the volume of food too much. Try dried fruits or fruits canned in heavy syrup, instead of fresh fruits.
Fortify soups, casseroles, and fluid milk with dry milk powder.
Try giving you son five to six small meals a day rather than three large meals which may be too much food for him to handle at one time. Don't allow your son to fill up on low-calorie foods and drinks, such as non-caloric soft drinks.Rather than water offer him juice, milk, and milk shakes.
Visit the American Dietetic Association's Website to refer you to a registered dietitian who can give you individualized guidance on choosing healthy foods for your son which will promote weight gain.
| About
Rachel Johnson |
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Rachel Johnson, RD, MPH, PhD is Associate Dean of
Research for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
and Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition
and Food Sciences at the University of Vermont. Dr.
Johnson earned a Ph.D. in Nutrition from The Pennsylvania
State University, and a Master of Public Health degree
from the University of Hawaii.
She's a member of the
USDA/USDHHS Dietary Guidelines Scientific Advisory
Committee, American Dietetic Association (elected
member, Commission on Dietetic Registration), and
the American Dietetic Association Pediatric Nutrition
Practice Group. Dr. Johnson has served as the chair
of the sugars subcommittee of the Dietary Guidelines
Advisory Committee (2000 edition). Her research expertise
is national nutrition policy, nutrition and young
children, dietary intake methodology, and energy metabolism.
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Other questions Rachel Johnson has answered:
When can I begin feeding my baby regular foods?
How do bananas stack up nutritionally?
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