foods to help children gain weight on raw?

[Ariella]

i was just wondering for any of you that have had smaller children what foods you used to help them gain weight while eating raw? my bio kids have no problems whatsoever. They are good sized kiddos and are at the top of the growth chart.

My foster daughter and my sons best friend are both very small for their ages. I would love any ideas that might help them to put on some weight and grow!

thanks in advance for any tips. currently I am feeding them veggie juice, lots of fruit, green smoothies (about 2 cups per day), sesame seed or almond milk (between 2 to 6 cups per day)

Ariella

JUICE PLUS+
www.juiceplus.com/+dj73561

[Autumn]

You didn't mention how old the smaller-sized children are, but all kids grow at different times and at different rates. Are they growing at a smaller or slower proportion than their siblings/classmates, or are they seemingly not growing at all? It sounds like you are feeding them a good mix of foods. Do they have good appetites? Maybe a little dried fruit or a handful of seeds/nuts or a "trail mix" blend would help. I wouldn't get too concerned about it for now unless this has been going on for a very long time. They may just wake up tomorrow and start growing like weeds for the next 6 months!

[wyjoz]

Kytka is raising her little ones on a RAW diet while homeschooling. This might help you.

http://www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com/index.htm

[Ariella]

they are 5 and 14 months. the 5 year old is only 31 pounds and is really small. the 14 month old is 15 pounds and is also really small. They eat TONS of food though. It is like I can not keep them in enough food they are both just constantly hungry. I have been watching the 5 year old for about a year now, but only the last 1 1/2 months has it been full time to where I have him 6 days a week. The 14 month old I have had for a little over 3 months now. She eats and eats but doesn't seem to gain any weight.

I will check out the link. They do get some raw nuts and also a little bit of dried fruit. Although not a ton of it. I also do give them some olives and occasionally deserts made with avocado or I make the smoothies with young coconut water and meat.

I am most concerned about the 5 year old at this point. His mom said he was "allergic" to a whole mess of food. She had him allergy tested when he was 2, but has not had him retested. She still claims he is allergic to that whole mess of stuff but I have fed him a good deal of the items he is supposedly allergic to and have had no problems. The only ones he is really truly allergic to are chicken, eggs, and dairy. Which I would not feed him anyway.

Thanks again for any suggestions.

[Rawkinlocs]

I agree with Autumn, sounds like you are doing a great job with what you're feeding them!

I just wanted to add that, my children were always on the low end of the percentile charts, even when the older two (now 13 and 14) were around those ages and eating TONS of food on a SAD diet. It's genetic...height-wise, my husband and I aren't the tallest people...I'm only 5'4" and he's like 4 inches taller than I am. My mother-in-law and sisters-in-law are shorter than I am...like 5 feet and under.

Even weight-wise, the kids were consider small but the doctors found nothing wrong and just told me that they'd be fine the older they got and they are. Now my oldest two are like in the 50% range on the chart. My 2 year old is in the 25th percentile, which is still considered okay by their standards. But out of my 4 children, the only one who seems to currently be lower than low is my 7 year old. The last time she was weighed and measured she was only 3' 8" and 38 lbs. That's pretty low on their charts...but my baby eats a LOT and she doesn't look like skin and bones, but is very muscular and has some visible body fat on her. There is a little boy here in our area who she plays with who just turned 10 and he is only a couple of inches taller than she is and not much bigger.

So, as Autumn said, all kids are different and grow at varying rates. Keep in mind that the percentile charts are based on kids who are eating the typical milk, cheese, bread, meat, eggs and sugar diets. That is considered the norm and thus, the weight and heights that they are are considered the norm as well.

But here is a site you might want to look at if you're still not convinced that what you're giving them is enough: http://howigainedweight.com

I "believe" this woman is a raw fooder and her suggestions are based on raw foods.

[Autumn]

My sister-in-law's 51/2 year old (He turned 5 in July) is about 35 lbs on a good day. She calls him her "petite angel". He has a good appetite (although he is on SAD), but I've seen him eat an entire head of raw broccoli flowerettes at one sitting! He is happy, active, and smart as a whip.

I really do think as a nation we are so used to "chubby babies" and "solid children" and even very overweight children that any child that seems a bit petite we think there is something wrong. Have you met the biological parents and are they small people? These children may just be petite-and very healthy-for their whole lives. Just like Cherie said, the charts are based on the national average-and that factors in a WHOLE LOT of very overweight children.

Keep up the great work and I'm sure they will be fine.

[Purl]

just wanted to add macadamia butter-it has almost 2x the fat of peanut butter. My twins were born 11 weeks premature adb one was *very* small and not even on the chart til he was almost 3. I would blend avacado, macadamia butter, and banana. I added olive oil to just about anything he ate. Now he's 7 and at the 50%. He was a vegetarian for his first 5 years, and now eats SAD. (shhh...don't tell him-or his siblings-but they're all goin' raw in Feb!)