protien

My grandson is anextremely overwieght 8 year old boy.  In school he  has behavior problems and is on ritalin for adhd.
When he was a litle one he like to eat meat but somewhere along the line he has developed a severe aversion to meat.  It sometimes gets as bad a a feeling of stomach upset and he begins to retch just at the sight of someone else eating meat.  I worry that he is not getting enough protien in his diet and would like to know what type of protien supplement is appropriate for a child his age.

[Renee Radenberg]

His weight and height is very much above the 95th percentile for his age from the measurements you wrote down. There are numerous Non-meat protein sources (soy products, nuts), low fat vegetarian combinations (rice & beans, pasta & beans, low fat cheese & pasta, salad and nuts and/or beans, pizza with low fat cheese), low fat dairy products or substitute dairy products (1% milk, fat free/low fat yogurt, low fat cheeses, low fat soy milk/soy yogurt). To help him to lose weight, it is recommended to increase children's physical activities to lose weight. Have your child go and play outdoors, run, walk, and dance. Limit time in front of the TV or non-active-video games. There have been studies showing the longer the length of time a child sit in front of the TV, the greater the weight gain. I suggest you do limit high sugar drinks/snacks and replace with low-fat milk/yogurt or fresh fruit/air-popped popcorn/low-fat cheese. High sugar drink and snacks do not give the child nutrients they need. Thank you for your question.