Baby craving meat - is that weird?

[Zirconia]

For the past few weeks, my 11-month-old has been on this kick where anything she doesn't want to eat, she drops on the floor with a flourish.  So we're getting a good idea of her dietary moods!  :)  Anyway, lately her staple favorites - sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, broccoli, and fruits - have ALL been hitting the floor, and she's eating meat as fast as I can feed it to her.  The other night she ate almost an entire chicken breast, and tonight she ate an adult-sized portion of roast!

Her meals lately have been about 80% meat - or, if I don't offer meat or eggs, she eats very little at all.  I'm worried about her limited diet, and don't want to get into bad habits.  Obviously we're not vegetarians, but I do believe a plant-based diet is healthier, and I'd like to see her going to town on whole grains and veggies.  She's always loved veggies - in fact, she's always been a great non-picky eater.  So what's up here?  Is this meat craving a sign of some sort of deficiency?

[bmcneal]

I've heard that when you crave certain things, it *can* be a sign of deficiency. I *think* craving meat (at least red meat), can be a sign of iron deficiency. When it's my TOM, I crave raw hamburger, and when I've had my iron checked near that time, it almost inevitably comes back I'm anemic. I'm not 100%, though. I hope that helps some, but maybe someone more knowledgeable can offer more insight.

[Vermillion]

It's could be a sign of a deficiency but , then again, babies are just like this a lot! It's totally normal for them go through phases where they want to eat a ton of the same thing, and then move on to something else.  They tend to know exactly what they need at the moment. Could be a growth spurt and baby just needs more fats and protein. I'd just keep offering a variety of foods and trust that she knows what she needs, and even though it doesn't look like a balanced diet over the course of a day, it probably is really balanced over more time.

And for some personal experience, my 11, almost 12 month old does the same thing! He's gone through periods where he wants nothing but meats and eggs and fats (and his iron was great when it was checked not long ago!) and then some weeks he has little interest in proteins and will triple his usual amount of fruits and veggies.

They know what they need

[transylvania_mom]

My dd was (still is) a big meat lover. She doesn't eat raw vegetables or salads, but she generally likes fruits and loves soups, so I can't complain.

I would let her eat as much meat as she wants; eventually she'll get tired of it and try something else.

Agree with Vermillion, they know what they need.
 

[aaahmyeye]

My LO - just turned 12 months - also LOVES meat.  She also went through a phase of just eating meat or eggs.  I try giving her veggies first, then meat later, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  It's interesting though that it seems pretty common for this age group per the other posters....