My son was like that too. He just didn't want meat. One day he ate a piece of lunch meat and called it cheese so we just went with it. I would ask him if he wanted some cheese and give him a piece of lunch meat. As long as diet is balanced & he's getting some protein he should be fine. You could chat to your GP if you're still worried.

I take it that you don't want to trick him into eating meat, but make sure he's still getting protein in his diet. Is that right? Hard boiled eggs are pretty easy and convenient. String cheese or any kind of cheese. Do you think he'd go for something like tofu? It's protein but doesn't sound like something a kid would really want. Peanut butter. Any kind of nuts or beans (not green beans). Maybe a glass of Pedia Sure? There are lots of sources of protein out there other than meat. I wouldn't resort to giving him hot dogs and lunch meat very much to get him to eat meat--nitrates and preservatives aren't too healthy. I don't know the exact RDA for protein for a 5 year old but I don't think it would take much--most people eat way more meat than they really need.

Protein is also in fish (even fish fingers if that's all you can convince him to eat...add lots of ketchup and any kid will eat them), also beans, peanut butter, and eggs. Most kids like scrambled eggs. Does he even refuse chicken nuggets? I make my son homemade "nuggets", cutting up, breading and sauteeing chicken breasts for him, so he thinks he's getting a treat and I know they're healthier than processed foods. (Side note:if you get a good deal on chicken you can do a whole bunch of them at a time and freeze them in individual portions...heat in microwave to order...will keep for about 3 months.) I guess you could also try some of those vegetarian meat substitues too, vege sausages etc. They're full of soy protein & it could be a good way to get him to want authentic meat products. Good luck, and don't worry...most kids grow out of being so picky!

Try not to push the issue; kids go through lots of stages where they refuse to eat certain foods. Make sure he gets protein from alternate sources, such as nuts and beans. Also try to figure out if it's a taste or texture issue, which might be solved by putting the meat in a different kind of sauce or cooking it differently.

If your 5 year old child does not want to eat meat, you can think of ways to make him like the taste such as adding sweet flavors or making hamburgers.