10 Ways to Help Your Dairy-Free Child Gain Weight

Cow’s milk is often a main ingredient in higher calorie foods ie whole cow’s milk yogurt, butter and cheese. But if your child cannot consume dairy foods due to an allergy, what else can help them gain weight if they are underweight or showing faltering growth? These are easy ways you can help your child gain weight by eating foods that will provide additional nutrition benefits.It is important for children to be offered foods rich in fiber, protein, healthy fats and many vitamins and minerals. Remember, like adults, children can come in many different sizes. If you have any concerns about your child’s weight, please speak with your dietitian or pediatrician before making any major dietary changes.

• Oats have 75 calories in just one quarter cup, uncooked. Another way to add this whole grain into your child’s day is to add blended oats to a smoothie. Add frozen fruit and your child’s favorite non-dairy milk.
• Avocado can be mashed up and mixed with your child’s favorite salsa and used as a dip for vegetables or tortilla chips.
• Dried fruits like dried apricots, mangos, and raisins are higher in calories but beware of their sugar content. It’s best to offer them along with something else like a homemade trail mix with cereal and pretzels.
• Canned Coconut Milk has more calories in it than whole milk does. While whole milk has around 150 calories in 8 ounces,one brand of canned coconut milk has 360 calories in the same sized serving due to it’s high amount of fat. This can be added to soups, smoothies, hot cereals or wherever else you’d consume milk.
• Mayonnaise is dairy-free! There’s close to 100 calories in 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Yes, Whip a tablespoon of mayonnaise into your child’s eggs at breakfast or spread onto a tortilla and make a deli meat wrap with veggies.
• Nut/Seed Butters: peanut butter , almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter are just a few examples of caloric and protein rich food boosters. Nut and seed butters average about 100 calories per tablespoon. There are many ways to provide these like spreading on a whole wheat pita, making a nut/seed butter sandwich with jelly, throwing a spoonful into a smoothie, mixing with applesauce or non dairy yogurt, or simply eating straight from a spoon.
• Honey can be a sweet addition to spread on toast followed by a layer of nut or seed butter spread on top. It can be less messy for your child to eat this way.
• Pesto has about 80 calories in 1 tablespoon and can be spread on tomato slices and sandwiches or add to rice, pasta, quinoa, chicken, or fish .
• Plant oils like extra virgin olive oil, chia seed oil, and flaxseed oil offer a high dose of calories and heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3’s are excellent for brain and eye health. Each of these oils have about 120 calories in one tablespoon. Oils can be added to just about anything you can think of ie vegetables, pastas, fruits, soups, smoothies, casseroles, meats, eggs, drinking water, etc.
• Non-dairy milks like almond milk tend to be very low in calories and protein so they aren’t a contender for helping with weight gain. Ripple milk is a dairy-free pea protein based milk. Ripple Original milk, Ripple Vanilla milk, and Ripple Chocolate milk as well as Silk Protein Almond and Cashew Milk (also in original, vanilla and chocolate flavors) have similar calorie and protein profiles as whole cow’s milk does. Keep in mind, Ripple milks have flavors other than the ones I listed, however, they are lower in calories.