My kids are NEVER full!

[fruitofthewomb]

I feed my larger than average family mostly minimally processed, while foods but they still never seem to be full. They always ask for snacks. There are no leftovers any more. I make most of our food from scratch & I can't keep up anymore! They are 9 & under.

 

Do you let your kids eat all they want? Or do you limit? Weight problems aren't an issue for them. They are fairly active. They all spend a larger amount of time outside.

 

I am reading Little House books & it has amazed me how little they seemed to eat...

[LisaKinVA]

At times, my kids need more snacks than others.  Sometimes, I make them wait until the next meal time, sometimes, they have a snack.  Usually, I have a "snack time" built into my daily schedule -- just to have that as a guideline.

 

I do have snacks planned...whether that's a peanut butter/cream cheese/honey dip for apples and celery, or a yogurt/cheese fruit snack, or a 4-cheese Italian focaccia bread & pizza sauce -- it's something simple, small, but filling.

 

Snack times around here are about 9:30 (breakfast is often at 6:30, but lunch is 11:30); and then another snack around 3:00 -- because dinner isn't until about 6:00 (which is very early by Italian standards).  Occasionally a snack may be made from leftovers (assuming there isn't a lot of one thing, or isn't for another meal).  

[cjzimmer1]

I know I'm always reading about whole grains/foods are more filling.  I've honestly never noticed a difference.White rice or brown rice makes no difference they still eat three platefuls.  Regular pasta or white pasta, still need at least 2-3 pounds to make a meal.  Yesterday we had stuffed baked potatoes for lunch.  My 5 oldest kids ate SEVENTEEN potatoes. I let them eat until full within reason.  If we are having a separate meat, that is usually limited, but sides are usually unlimited (at least until they are all gone).  Fruit also is limited simply because of expense.  Veggies are usually unlimited since I can get them very cheaply but they don't usually want more than 2 servings of those so I figure they probably aren't really "hungry" as much as looking for more of something they really enjoy. 

[Gentlemommy]

For us, a higher fat and protein content helps. So for a snack, I try to always have fresh fruits and vegetables, but I also set out greek yogurt ranch dip for the veggies or (not non--fat) greek yogurt with honey to dip the fruit in, avocado slices, cheese, raw nuts, ECT. Sometimes I'll make a smoothie with whole milk, fruit, green machine juice, natural protein powder, and avocado or heavy cream for fat. Sometimes if they are asking for a snack but it's close to a meal time, I let them have a cup of whole milk.

I generally let mine eat as much healthy food as they want. I never limit vegetables, or healthy proteins. I may limit fruit because of the sugar content...it's natural, but still sugar.

[jsandyford]

Nuts are definitely good idea...although might also prove expensive!

[bolt.]

I plan for more than usual mini-meals as a normal pattern. I find this satisfies me better as an adult, so I imagine it's good for kids too.

 

"Early" Breakfast is small for me (example: fruit and nuts) but bigger for the kids (grain, protien, fruit, milk) at 6:30 or so.

 

Brunch is big for me, and the kids can eat a little or a lot (depending on hunger), at 10:00 or so. (Examples: beans, pancakes, French toast, cheese toast, sausages, etc.)

 

Noon-lunch is usually a small snack, at around 12:00, or often just skipped. (For example, crackers, pickles and fruit.)

 

Our real lunch is at around 2:30. (Grain, protien, 1-2 veg, 1-2 fruit)

 

"Tea break" is an option to have small snack, or just a drink, at around 4:30. (Something like tea and a muffin or a fruit.)

 

Supper is around 6:30. (protein, 3 veg, optional starch, fruit after.)

 

(Edited to add: we don't eat all the meals/snacks every day! They are options that fit around our activities, moods and hunger levels.)

 

---

 

There are two kinds of hunger: one where you actually need and want good, and another where you are "peckish" and want only something very nice to eat. For kids, simply offer them an apple or something else that is "pretty tasty but not a treat" if they decline, they are not hungry, but possibly bored and looking for distraction. A hungry child will take some nice sliced apples (especially with honey).

[alisoncooks]

My oldest is always hungry -- but she's always moving, too.  Her current favorite snack of choice:  a giant carrot.  Seriously, she takes them out of the bag (and they're huge, like 8-9 inches) and just chomps away on it for a while.  This is my same child who is *all about* gum, so it may be a sensory thing, instead of hunger, I don't know.  But she likes to be chomping away on something and carrots seem to be a good filler right now.

[fraidycat]

Fat and protein is more filling. My kids can eat carbs all day long, if I let them. They eat reasonable amounts if I make them "fill up" on the fat and protein with a little bit of carb for garnish/taste.

[hjffkj]

When I feed my kids a high protein high good fat meal they do not ask for snacks.  Its when I feed them something too starchy that fills them quickly but then they burn through quickly as well that they are hungry again in an hour or so.  For example, dh made waffles for breakfast today.  I know they will be complaining about being hungry before lunch because of the lack of protein

[Callie]

No advice but I completely understand.  I am always amazed when other families seem to eat so little.  I have a family of very thin big eaters.  

[kewb]

My two are always hungry. Fats, protein, empty carbs whatever combo.

[Katy]

I do try make sure there's more calories from fat & proteins than from carbs (Except for our once or twice a year movie nights).

 

Unless you're sick and only eating soup and crackers, no snacking here after preschool age.  If you have some 4 & under and some older, it helps to make the snack not as appetizing (half a hard boiled egg or some celery sticks with peanut butter will do, and not make the others feel cheated that little kids get to eat cookies.

 

Being a little bit hungry is good for you, hunger itself makes you more sensitive to insulin, and the more you get used to it the more pleasant it is to be hungry.  Your body will get used to new meal times and stop being hungry when you shouldn't eat in less than a week of strictly sticking to a new schedule.

 

The other plus about letting them get a little bit hungry is they tend to learn the difference between hungry & thirsty, and they tend to be less picky about food.  Everything tastes better when you're a little bit hungry and not used to eating junk.

 

I do try and include a small dessert every night after dinner.  Sometimes when kiddos seem obsessive about food, mentioning what's for dinner and what's for dessert calms them down.

[Cera]

I never deny a hungry kid food but I do limit what they can snack on. If they are hungry they will happily eat apples, baby carrots, etc. If they are just snacking to snack they reject the fruits and veggiea.

[fruitofthewomb]

I agree about too much starch or mixing carbs & fat-they want less if breakfast is hardy. Of course that doesn't always happen. But even when we have a nice breakfast-I still hear I'm hungry. Like today-oatmeal. Then an apple. Then big hunk of cheddar cheese. Not 30 min later-I'm hungry. I said no more! They begged for a banana. But I won't have enough for the baby if I give everyone a banana. So I said no. We do have baby carrots...I just get frustrated bc we run out of food so quickly any more.

[fruitofthewomb]

Oh-let me add-it was baked oatmeal muffins (low sugar) and they ate about 3 of them & had large glass of whole milk.

[fruitofthewomb]

  

 

If you measure the milk and the muffin ingredients, about how much protein did they consume?

Is there an app for that ;)

[fruitofthewomb]

But even when we have omelets or yogurt or breakfast burritos-the story is the same.

[indigomama]

My kids are this way too. It's insane the amount of food they can put away! And if I try to limit it, they cry that they are still hungry.

 

Here's a typical day.

 

B: A bowl of scrambled eggs (about 2 eggs each)

    2-3 bowls of oatmeal, usually with applesauce added for sweetness. Homemade

    A glass of milk (rice or almond milk for those that can't have dairy) 

 

They are starving within the hour. 

 

Lunch: Usually leftovers, but an example would be tacos or quesadillas, veggie, carrots or cucumber and dip, and fruit: apple slices, pears, peaches

 

Snack: they can have fruit, veggies, or a handful of nuts/seeds or popcorn

 

Dinner: Spaghetti, salad, carrots, milk  (at least two helpings, if not more)

 

None have weight issues, all would complain they are still hungry throughout the day. I have 5 kids, it can get really expensive. I feel bad putting limits, but they eat like crazy!

[prairiewindmomma]

My kids eat a ton too, and it's an amazing amount of food when you have a larger than normal size of family.

 

As compared to Little House on the Prairie....they lived in near-starvation more often than would be desirable. Her autobiography, A Pioneer Girl, shows a much more realistic (& grittier) reality.  Farmer Boy may be a more appropriate analogy...you need a doughnut jar. ;)

[Ellie]

Sometimes, asking for snacks is a habit, or boredom, and not really because they are hungry.

 

I guess I limited what my dc could eat. We had three regular meals a day, no scheduled snacks, not much snacking food around the house (other than popcorn for the evening, or pretzels).

 

Younger dd was problematic for awhile; when she was 2-3ish, she'd eat two peas, a smidgeon of potatoes, and a splatter of meat and say she was full and got down from the table. While the rest of us were still eating, she'd come back and say she was hungry. o_0 I don't require little persons to clean their plates, and I can't really tell if they are full, you know, so I let that happen a few times. But then I decided this was a bad habit; so the rule became that she had to eat enough such that I was pretty sure that her tummy was full, and she wasn't allowed to ask for food again for *at least* an hour after a meal. If she ate a decent meal, she could have pretzels or whatnot; if she didn't, there was nothing until the next meal. I only had to enforce that a couple of times. It really was just a habit.

[Jennifer in MI]

In addition to our meals, my kids have snacked since Friday on:

 

Six pounds of yogurt

Three boxes of granola (eaten on the yogurt)

One pound of peanut butter

Six loaves of bread

Six pounds of chicken (I keep frozen tenderloins for them to cook up as a snack)

Two pounds of hummus

Six pounds of carrots

Three bags of corn chips

a HUGE thing of guacamole

Five pounds of potatoes

LOTS of rice (I keep a huge pot cooked in the fridge)

2.5 pounds of cottage cheese

2 pounds of cheese (mostly cooked as grilled cheese)

2 pounds of salsa

6 pounds of apples

5 pounds of clementies

3 pounds of pears

a bunch of bananas

 

This was in THREE DAYS people!!!  THREE days.  This is in addition to fairly large meals:

 

eggs, bacon, toast, oatmeal, potatoes for breakfast (The older two really eat ALL of this)

leftovers for lunch (If there are any)

Meat (last night I cooked 4 pounds of chicken and sausage in a jambalaya and there was not much leftover), starch, salad, and another type of veggie for dinner.

[snickerplum]

Oh, my goodness, mine are rarely full! Each of them have some sort of food allergy/intolerance, so we don't eat much processed food. My husband wants me to get them checked for tape worms. :-) I have to limit how much they eat or I'd run out of money (and I think our grocery budget is generous as it is). I used to be able to plan on one pork chop/chicken breast for my husband and I each and 1/2 for each child, but no way would that work now. They're 8 and under. I make homemade pizzas that are equivalent to a medium size (one pizza per kid) and if I let them they'd eat the whole thing (we let them one time to see if they would - they did and asked for more).

My friend's children don't eat half of what mine do, so i'm glad to hear that others are the same! It's nuts!

[Meadowlark]

If anything, this thread is slightly comforting but scary at the same time. I have 5 kids 7 and under, and my grocery bill is already insane. I am amazed at what these kids can eat, and our neighbors chuckle at our overflowing recycling bin!

 

ETA: I just threw in a pan of homemade granola bars and the pan will most likely be gone by tomorrow. I kind of like that though, strangely :-)

[Anne in CA]

I know mom's who keep a crock pot of refried beans in the kitchen and a stack of tortilla's beside it and the kids can always eat one if they are hungry. It's a pretty cheap way to fill a bottomless pit.

[Meadowlark]

In addition to our meals, my kids have snacked since Friday on:

 

Six pounds of yogurt

Three boxes of granola (eaten on the yogurt)

One pound of peanut butter

Six loaves of bread

Six pounds of chicken (I keep frozen tenderloins for them to cook up as a snack)

Two pounds of hummus

Six pounds of carrots

Three bags of corn chips

a HUGE thing of guacamole

Five pounds of potatoes

LOTS of rice (I keep a huge pot cooked in the fridge)

2.5 pounds of cottage cheese

2 pounds of cheese (mostly cooked as grilled cheese)

2 pounds of salsa

6 pounds of apples

5 pounds of clementies

3 pounds of pears

a bunch of bananas

 

This was in THREE DAYS people!!! THREE days. This is in addition to fairly large meals:

 

eggs, bacon, toast, oatmeal, potatoes for breakfast (The older two really eat ALL of this)

leftovers for lunch (If there are any)

Meat (last night I cooked 4 pounds of chicken and sausage in a jambalaya and there was not much leftover), starch, salad, and another type of veggie for dinner.

Wow. Just wow.

Fast forward 10 years and I will have your age kids plus one. I knew it would be bad, but you just shot me into reality.

[Jennifer in MI]

Wow. Just wow.

Fast forward 10 years and I will have your age kids plus one. I knew it would be bad, but you just shot me into reality.

LOL!  Start saving now!

 

I should probably add that my kids are all VERY active.  Two of them row twice a day six days a week and Meg is a gymnast and works out 18 hours a week.  The 18 yo does weightlifting and runs.  So, that adds to the caloric intake, I'm sure!!!

[Mrs Mungo]

I agree with giving them calorically dense foods and foods high in protein and fat.

[fraidycat]

I agree about too much starch or mixing carbs & fat-they want less if breakfast is hardy. Of course that doesn't always happen. But even when we have a nice breakfast-I still hear I'm hungry. Like today-oatmeal. Then an apple. Then big hunk of cheddar cheese. Not 30 min later-I'm hungry. I said no more! They begged for a banana. But I won't have enough for the baby if I give everyone a banana. So I said no. We do have baby carrots...I just get frustrated bc we run out of food so quickly any more.

Not nearly enough fat or protein. Oatmeal and apples = sugar, followed by more sugar. It causes bloodsugar spikes and crashes so they feel not just hungry, but starving. I can sympathize.

[Trilliums]

I was going to say, just wait until they are teenagers but I think Jennifer illustrated that point quite well!

 

Peanut butter and beans are your friends.  

[countrygal]

I thought you were talking about my kids....

 

 

I schedule snacks (10 and 3:30) and they pick one carb and one protein/fat at each. I'm a person that needs to eat snacks so I can't blame them. Even with a large breakfast including eggs and sausage, I'm starving 2 hours later. I'm thin, and I think we all just must have a good metabolism or something. We eat a lot of fruit and nuts or cheese with it, sometimes popcorn or chips.

 

The grocery bill is scary. Now a 5th child has started eating solid foods!

 

 

 

 

[Mrs Mungo]

Not nearly enough fat or protein. Oatmeal and apples = sugar, followed by more sugar. It causes bloodsugar spikes and crashes so they feel not just hungry, but starving. I can sympathize.

If you make something like baked oatmeal with butter, eggs and chopped nuts, then it helps them feel full longer and keeps their blood sugar stabilized.

[NancyNellen]

 

I am reading Little House books & it has amazed me how little they seemed to eat...

 

You need to read Farmer Boy. We were just remarking while reading it this morning how much Almonzo ate when he was 9. But they were well-off...the Ingalls family, not so much.

 

I have three teenagers and 1 pre-teen, so I don't even want to talk about food consumption. The more active they are, the more food they need. My 17 year old just finished cross country season...it was nearly impossible to keep him full. He drinks a ton of water everyday, so it's not a lack of fluids, and he does not eat junk, usually. I have decided that they just need to eat more at certain points. Period. They are much more focused on their work when they aren't hungry.

 

I keep raw almonds, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, and peanut butter toast on hand for snacks. We only drink whole milk - the fat helps fill them up. Every meal has a good bit of protein...lots of tuna and chicken salad, or meat-based soups and chilis.

 

When my kids were younger we had scheduled snack time. This helped with the constant asking. They knew at 10 and 3 they got a snack...usually a big one :-) Otherwise they were welcome to get a glass of water.

[fruitofthewomb]

My MIL commented on how she has never seen kids as hungry as mine-and she raised 5 herself! She said the other grand kids don't even come close to eating what mine do.

 

I am glad to know I am not the only one. I read some real food blogs & I am shocked at how little their kids eat! And I have wondered if my kids had worms or something.

 

I haven't read Farmer Boy yet (well not as an adult). I continue to be surprised by things in the books though. I figured it wasn't typical to eat so little (only a corn cake for lunch) but she hasn't mentioned being hungry...so it made me wonder if this 'always hungry' thing was more of a habit than a need. I have been telling them that it's ok to be hungry. I told one today-I am hungry too. It's ok. We will eat very soon. Just bc you are hungry doesn't mean you have to eat something right this very second.

 

I can't imagine when they are teenagers!

[kewb]

I had to googLe scotch broth. That sounds yummy. I love soup.

[fruitofthewomb]

Well I have several packages of soup bones in my freezer so I could do that. I just hate the way it smells when I make beef broth. Blech!

[kewb]

Well I have several packages of soup bones in my freezer so I could do that. I just hate the way it smells when I make beef broth. Blech!

I agree with you on that. Blech.

[Farrar]

I have seen this a number of times where parents feed the kids a lunch that's an appropriate amount of calories and nutrients for the adults in the family and not the kids. Then the kids come and beg from everyone around them. It's creating a terrible habit, but when I see how little protein was in the kids' lunches, I get why they're still hungry. There was one family who sent their kids to a co-op and the only significant protein in the lunch was like a little packet with maybe a dozen cashews. Everything else was super healthy, but there wasn't that much and it was all vegetables and grains. The kids ended up eating half of two other kids' lunches. When I was teaching middle schoolers it was maybe even worse - I remember a kid whose parents always packed him a small sandwich and a bit of fruit and a small snack of pretzels or something along those lines, all of which he would consume during break in like one big gulp and have nothing left for lunch. It's like, this kid just grew three inches in the last year and plays basketball all break, all lunch, and all before school. Feed him more!

[Katy]

If beef broth doesn't smell good, I worry you're doing it wrong.  Do you roast the bones first?  Include a little vinegar and lots of vegetables in your stock pot?

[Lisbeth]

If they eat their meals, they are free to snack. My kids have high metabolisms, like me. I would never allow persistent hunger. I really feel strongly that you don't withold food from growing kids unless there is a health issue, a major weight issue or meals are not being eaten. I hate no snacking rules, honestly.

[kewb]

If beef broth doesn't smell good, I worry you're doing it wrong. Do you roast the bones first? Include a little vinegar and lots of vegetables in your stock pot?

I only made it once and that was years ago. Thinking back I may not have roasted the bones first.

[fruitofthewomb]

If beef broth doesn't smell good, I worry you're doing it wrong. Do you roast the bones first? Include a little vinegar and lots of vegetables in your stock pot?

Yes, yes, & yes. I thought roasting the bones was the worst part.

 

Oh wait. Maybe I am remembering when I rendered tallow....

[fruitofthewomb]

It was rendering tallow that I am remembering-although I am pretty sure that roasting the bones for broth was pretty smelly. My brain is mush due to lack of sleep.

 

I tried to be more aware of protein content today. For ex I gave them apple slices & a large chunk of cheese (instead of apple then cheese later). They didn't ask for more snacks until it was actually lunch time. Even though I know I need protein I guess I forget with them and get to carb heavy.

[fairfarmhand]

I frequently double the dinner meal. The rest goes in the fridge for next day's lunches. Otherwise they're starving. They need a REAL meal at lunch.

 

Also, when serving foods like pizza, where you can quickly consume a whole meal's calories in just a couple minutes, I usually try to serve a huge salad, complete with full fat dressing, cheese, meats, eggs, etc. The fibrous salad takes more time to chew so they don't just roar through the pizza.

[ZeeMommy]

Mine (almost 8, almost 6, and 3 years old) are always hungry too, mostly the older two.  Ditto on the protein and fat; they are more filling and last a lot longer than carbs.  I always try to have a protein at every meal.  I try to make them have protein for a snack too - PB, cheese, Greek yogurt.  Even then they get hungry between meals.  They are busy though; middle one was jumping on the mini-trampoline in between each lesson this morning during school time! 

 

I'm wondering if thinking hard sometimes burns more calories than we realize? 

[fairfarmhand]

I am reading Little House books & it has amazed me how little they seemed to eat...

They probably were hungry VERY often. I remember reading a comment once that when the adult Laura wrote about Almanzo's childhood she included glowing descriptions of the food and the meals. It seems she assiciated Almanzo's prosperous family with plenteous food!

 

But also remember reading lots about beans, beans, bean soup, bean broth, cornbread, biscuits, and bread.

 

Remember the surveryors house where they got a treat of a PEACH! And she made such a big deal about getting a pickle.

I bet they ached for flavorful foods.

[fraidycat]

Well I have several packages of soup bones in my freezer so I could do that. I just hate the way it smells when I make beef broth. Blech!

*I* am making beef bone broth right now. Kind of.

 

It's at my SIL's house, cooking for three days. LOL She gets to deal with it. I get to eat it. I did help pay for and assemble it. We've got 7 quart pot on stove + 6 qt slow cooker going.

[AimeeM]

We have an open kitchen policy. I *may* ask them to wait until meal time, if meal time is within the next, say, 15 minutes, but generally I allow them to snack as they please.