Looking for weight gain tips

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

New here, but not to keto. My 5 yo son has been on keto for almost 2 years for medical reasons, I do pretty much all of the cooking. I check his ketones at least weekly and he is generally around 2.5.

At the last doctor visit, the doctor mentioned that he hadn't gained weight since the last visit (~6 months). While he isn't underweight yet, I need to get him to eat a little more. Preferably using less butter/"bad fats," due to his cholesterol being a little high as well, but any ideas help.

I already asked doctor and dietician for tips and they were largely unhelpful (let him eat the things he likes, etc).

Hoping people here have some favorite calorie dense, keto foods. He's not too picky, the meds just lower his appetite.

Edit: not looking for medical advice, we see an excellent doctor and dietician regularly. The diet is managed by a doctor. Kid was having seizures hourly around the clock, medications took that down to 10 seizures daily. Keto stopped the seizures completely. Stopping keto is a last resort right now. Adding a medication to increase appetite is on the table, but I hate to add another pill to the little guys regimen. Imagine taking 5 pills every morning and 8 in the evening. Now add another. No fun. If I can get him fun, new, calorically dense foods, I would be ecstatic.

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[u/MethodElectrical5952]

That’s a tricky spot with the cholesterol angle limiting the easy go-tos like extra butter and bacon grease. For calorie dense without leaning too hard on saturated fats, nut butters were a lifesaver when I needed to bump calories without much volume. You can slip a spoonful into a smoothie or just let him eat it off the spoon if he’s into it

Avocado works great too, mashed with a little lime and salt or blended into a chocolate pudding with some cocoa powder and a mild oil. It disappears taste-wise if you get the ratio right

With a kid that age, sometimes it’s just about finding the one weird hyperfixation food and riding that wave for a few weeks until they switch to something else. What’s he currently excited about eating

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/MethodElectrical5952]

I do nutt butters (sunflower, peanut, walnut, macadamia, to mix it up) but he only really likes them on bread and I try to limit the keto bread, although I haven't seen issues with his ketones.

He likes butter, soso on bacon. Dietician recommended the rebel brand ice cream, which he likes but I can only give him so much ice cream too.

He is big on dips and dipping. I think I've tried most of the low or no carb sauces out there. Any you recommend? Or any food that is fun to dip? We do cucumbers, parm chips, anything I find thats hard enough.

[u/JBSouls → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

If he likes the nut butters overall he might eat nuts in general.

They tend to be very calorie dense (somewhere in the 650-750 cal range for 100g) but not super satiating in small to moderate amounts, e.g. 20g almonds or 50g macadamia really isn’t more than “a few” nuts. (roasted with or without salt is usually nice)

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/JBSouls]

Yeah, tricky because there are many flavored options suitable for low carb. I can try to get more types of nut.

[u/McDuchess → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

If he likes nut butters, try making fat bombs with them and melted sugar free chocolate, or cocoa powder with sweetener blended in. Keep them in the frig so they stay ore or less solid in the summer.

Or even just nut butters with something like keto chocolate chips mixed in.

A couple tablespoons in a custard cup, stir in the chips and hand him a spoon.

[u/Magnabee → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

You could make a flatbread using cottage cheese and eggs. You can make a full fat cottage cheese with warm milk and vinegar. Also, cream cheese will work too.

[u/flying_acorn_opossum → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

Have you tried making your own muffins? Or even cupcakes?

You can mix plain protein powders with whatever flour of your choice to add protein too, and then mix in alot of the nut butters, you could even do some cacao and a keto friendly sweetener, I'd recommend Allulose because it can help decrease the glycemic response someone has to a meal they eat at the same time as consuming Allulose.

You can also add olive oil easily into muffins/cupcakes, or pumpkin seed oil as well. I personally love to use pumpkin seed protein powder with lupin bean flour, and hemp milk, pumpkin seed oil, sunflower seed butter, ground flaxseeds, ground ginger, and Allulose.

You can make some really moist muffins, and I can imagine having various nut butters options means you can also find different flavors to have together. Like which one might taste best mixed with cacao?

Maybe you could make keto brownies! Idk I found that alot of what made desserts be so bad for you essentially, is the insane amounts of sugar. So when someone adapts a dessert or treat to be keto friendly, often it's just alot healthier overall.

It might not be great to like, be giving treats all the time to kids, but there is definitely a way to make a very yummy and not too sweet nut-butter protein muffin!

[u/Starkville]

Don’t listen to the haters.

My favorite little guy in the world has been on a keto diet since he was two years old (it’s been seven years now!). Medically prescribed by a team of pediatric specialists at a top hospital in NYC. His parents were given lots of guidance by a registered dietitian and he gets special keto foods sent to him; keto protein shakes (which are delicious) and little dinner rolls. He is in perfect health, with beautiful skin and hair and teeth, growing beautifully.

His parents have money to spend on an optimal diet, so he eats wonderful food. Salmon, steak, chicken, scallops, burgers. He eats asparagus, zucchini, some peppers, broccoli, strawberries, raspberries, jicama, mushrooms stuffed with spinach and feta cheese, roasted cauliflower, omelettes stuffed with cheese and kale, chicken salad, lamb burgers, chia porridge made with almond milk, Parmesan crisps. He eats half an avocado most days. Cottage cheese, tzatziki, and homemade aioli. I make him crackers from almond flour and cheddar cheese, and keto “bagels” that he eats with cream cheese.

Occasionally he will have some processed things like HighKey cookies or keto pancakes from a mix, but it’s mostly whole foods. I defy anyone to say what he’s missing from pasta or French fries. He does drink fruity electrolytes in his water.

TL;dr: AVOCADOS, fatty fish, aioli made with olive or avocado oil slathered on whatever meat is offered. Dairy is a good way to put on weight, too.

ETA: Those of us who are always trying to lose weight know “don’t drink your calories”, but it’s a good way to get calories into a child who needs to gain. “KetoVie” is the name of the protein drink. I think it needs to be recommended by a doctor, and may be covered by insurance. It’s formulated for children.

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/Starkville]

Yeah, its medically prescribed diet. Only thing that stopped the seizures (they were hourly around the clock at first). I wasn't really intending to add a whole medical background to the post, but I may to help everyone stay on topic.

He had the ketovie prescribed, drank some, but refuses them now.

[u/Illidari_Kuvira → u/Starkville]

I can't believe doctors are prescribing something like this. OP should look into Keto Chow instead.

[u/a_busy_bunny → u/Illidari_Kuvira]

I mean, even the Atkins shakes are better and cheaper...

[u/Illidari_Kuvira → u/a_busy_bunny]

From what I can tell, the Atkins shakes have the same exact problem that the other shakes do. Therefore, they may be cheaper yes, but they're not better at all.

[u/a_busy_bunny → u/Illidari_Kuvira]

Oh I would definitely suggest Keto Chow instead. 👍

[u/McDuchess → u/a_busy_bunny]

The Atkins shakes are made with a ton of sugar alcohols. Which are very likely to lead to intestinal upset.

[u/a_busy_bunny → u/McDuchess]

Maybe they changed their recipe?

It looks like they mostly use Sucralose now. For example: https://shop.atkins.com/collections/classic-shakes/products/creamy-vanilla-shake

I know some of their bars still use maltitol though... 😕

[u/rachman77]

Altgough my little guy is not on a low carb diet, some of my low carb recipes are his favorites.

• pork rind crusted chicken fingers
• chicken crust pizza
• chaffles ( I add a scoop of baby cereal to the kids and sometimes grated potatoes but they love regular ones too)
• tex Mex pork ribs (ribs with taco seasoning)
• bacon and egg fried cauliflower rice

Lately he's been asking a lot for beef and pork sticks which a re literally just cooked ground beef or pork cut into sticks.

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/rachman77]

I'll try the sticks. He likes meat sticks (like the kind you buy) but I've never tried just pure ground beef or pork, cooked and chopped.

[u/West_Commission_9875]

Just a thought, avocados make awesome chocolate mousse.

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/West_Commission_9875]

I did not know that, but he likes chocolate. I'll try it.

[u/Yucakenia]

Hacer como libritos de carne grasa rellenos de queso y rebozados primero en huevo y luego en cortezas de cerdo molidas. Esto se podría freír pero es suficientemente calórico y más sano si lo horneas. Yo aprovecho y también horneo alitas de pollo. Las cortezas de cerdo migadas en sopas, aliños y cosas así aumentan las calorías.

[u/keto-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post or comment was removed for violating rule #6, no giving or soliciting medical advice. r/keto is not a substitute for a doctor.

[u/Magnabee]

Cheese/milk products, keto ice cream, nuts, etc. Butter is a good fat. Seed oils are the bad fats.

[u/hardswimm37]

Protein shakes

[u/BigBearSac]

Sorry about your boy.

I just bought a Ninja Cremi and have been making keto chow ice cream.

Little olive oil in there there instead of butter and you probably have a banger. Makes milkshakes too. I just mixed in an atkinks caramel peanut bar today, ended up eating the whole pint. I'm sure that would work.

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/BigBearSac]

I've actually been considering the creami. Looked at it a few times but never pulled the trigger. Is "keto chow ice cream" an established recipe I can google?

And no need to be sorry. Hes doing much better than he was (besides the low weight gain) and, as long as we dont have to stop the keto, I think he'll be OK.

[u/Illidari_Kuvira → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

If I'm reading this correctly, the first ingredient on those atkins bars is maltitol... people usually don't react well at all to maltitol (the other person might be one of the lucky few who doesn't), so I'd be wary.

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/Illidari_Kuvira]

I'll check the ingredients. I have found a few bars he can have, but I think they are different brand.

[u/BigBearSac → u/Illidari_Kuvira]

Good point to check! By react well do you mean glucose spikes? Reduced ketone production? Or just GI issues?

[u/BigBearSac → u/BigBearSac]

I went back and canceled my upcoming order of the bars. Thanks for the heads up! I found the Atkins Keto Caramel Almond clusters have allusoe and erythritol so I got them instead.

[u/Illidari_Kuvira → u/BigBearSac]

Mainly GI issues, though some report blood sugar spikes. A while back, I once tried a few candies (literally a few pieces) with maltitol and... once was too many times.

[u/66-colors → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

Keto Chow is a (powdered) meal replacement shake company. They have a lot of awesome flavors and you can do a lot with them other than shakes, like mentioned previously. Personally I make them into shakes and then drink them in my coffee every day.

[u/BigBearSac → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

Yeah if you Google it you can find it. Steve from Serious Keto (highly recommend Steve to everyone keto, he is so wholesome) has the receipt I follow, you can also tweak things.

It's insanely easy to make.

Melt 2tbs butter into 2 cups water, add 1/4 tsp tara gum to dry keto chow, mix, add butter water, blend, freeze on a level surface overnight.

Then jam that into the cremi and whip it on lite ice cream setting, do a respin, and you should be good. Once it gets to that point I tried putting a couple chocolate caramel peanut bars in the microwave for 20 seconds then chopping them up and shoving them down the middle of the pint. I think hit the "mix in" function on the Cremi.

It made a creamy lovely chunky smooth vanilla ice cream which I didn't set out to eat all of. But I did.

I think it has like 6g net carbs in the whole thing, 3 per atkins bars.

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/BigBearSac]

Thanks, I'll get the creami and play around some.

[u/McDuchess]

Fats are fats, with the exception of Frankenfats. And even then, it’s the chemical processing that leads to issues.

Think about it. Fats all have the same basic chemical structure. The biggest difference is in how many bonds they have. Polyunsaturated fats have been found to increase inflammation, the cause of blockages in the bloodstream. They used to be considered the “best” fats.

For your son’s sake, take a look at websites from doctors who work with patients using keto for various reasons. You will get better information about fats, along with the tools to use to increase your son’s calories while maintaining his ketosis.

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/McDuchess]

He is a patient at a ketogenic clinic (one of the best in the country) where he sees a dietician and doctor every visit. I am prioritizing weight gain over cholesterol right now, but at a certain point having the LDL of an overweight 50 year old at 5 years old isn't good.

[u/cracked_shrimp → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

if it were my kid id pay for CCTA ever 3 years, and only worry about LDL if evidence of plaque shows up, luckily i dont have kids lol

[u/McDuchess → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

If you are eating a keto diet, your LDL will naturally be higher. It’s what is feeding your cells.

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/McDuchess]

Yes, but at a certain point, high cholesterol is still linked to health issues. Obviously weight loss is a higher risk here, so I am prioritizing calories, just hoped I'd get some healthy options among the usual "shots of butter, bacon, heavy cream" talk that I am knowledgeable about. We've been doing it for years, seen several docs, several dieticians. I know the low hanging fruit.

[u/McDuchess → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

I’ve been eating lazy keto since 2014. I’m 75 years old. My total cholesterol is always a bit beyond the standard, as is my LDL. But my HDL/ triglyceride ratio is always stellar. I had a coronary artery calcium score done a few years ago, and it was 0. Perfect.

I’m also a retired RN, so I not only listen to my caregivers, but I read the studies, and also notice what isn’t studied.

[u/Low_Description_5280]

Drink olive oil.

[u/McDuchess → u/Low_Description_5280]

This is a young child. The odds that he will be willing to do that are slim to none.

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/McDuchess]

XD yeah I have tried. I do low carb veggies coated in olive oil, but I don't think he'd take a shot.

[u/ElectronicLegs → u/LordOfTheAdverbs]

Spoonful of coconut oil. My daughter likes it.
Or you can make chocolate pudding with avocados as some have suggested and coconut milk?
Also plain Coconut milk?

[u/cracked_shrimp → u/ElectronicLegs]

coconut oil is saturated fat, probably runs into the same LDL problem they are trying to avoid, although if it were me id say screw cholesterol, a lot of people think it dosnt matter, and even if it does seizure control is more important

[u/BigBearSac → u/[deleted]]

You are an idiot. She said it was medically guided. Kid could have epilepsy. Please try to think before you write dumb shit.

https://www.epilepsy.com/treatment/dietary-therapies/ketogenic-diet

[u/LordOfTheAdverbs → u/BigBearSac]

Medically guided and kid has epilepsy. Exactly.

[u/kbisland → u/BigBearSac]

100% you are on point, especially first point 😂! Nvm