what to feed my 7 yo before bed?

[helena]

I'm trying to figure out what to offer her as a last snack before bed. It's crazy, she eats dinner, then around 7:30 she wants what she calls her"2nd dinner", then at bed time (8:30-9:00) she says she can't sleep on an empty stomach! I've had it!!

I've told her she needs to eat more at dinner, to make sure she's full for the night, I've told her it's bad to go to sleep with a very full belly, I've made her go to bed "dying of starvation, and of course I've made her 9:30pm soup and sandwich.

What can I make that will stick to her ribs, as an evening snack, (AKA 2nd dinner)?

She's vegan, but I'm curious what any of you might be serving for that last meal

thanks :)

 

ps she really is hungry, she devours all three meals.

 

Oops! she's 8 :)

Edited December 11, 2009 by helena

[Rosie_0801]

I was like this as a kid. Maybe Mum was right, and I did have hollow legs ;) I've always heard that it's bad to go to bed on a full stomach too, but I was never told why. What I did learn, though, while I was diabetic, is that it is good to have a small snack before bed. It helps maintain one's blood sugar levels over night. See if you can include more legumes at dinner time (either one ;) ) then let her make herself a sandwich for supper.

 

Rosie

[Erica in OR]

Some ideas:

Toast with peanut butter

A bowl of oatmeal with a touch of honey

Cheese and crackers

 

Of course, these are based on things I like to eat when I've stayed up a little too late and am getting hungry again. :)

 

Erica in OR

[Mothersweets]

Oops! she's 8 :)

 

:) I do that all the time with my kids. As far as what to eat before bed, I second Erica's suggestions. My 5yo is a type 1 diabetic and those things usually help to keep her blood sugar steady throughout the night.

[Tap]

My son requires a lot of protein. He does best on snacks like yogurt, trail mix (fruit/nut not candy), cheese/crackers, banana, cold meats (chopped chx with salt/pepper is a fave), high protein cereals, high protein breads, eggs, tortilla with a filling (cheese, meat), peanut butter on toast/waffle/spoon, smoothie with protein powder added, milk shake with banana.....

[Evergreen State Sue]

Our dr. recommended an Ensure beverage or equivalent off brand for my children who seem to need more to eat just before bed. They are pricey at $1+ a bottle, but they are full of nutrients.

[The Governess]

Sometimes I do yogurt. Easily digested but still filling. Top with granola if extra hungry. :D

[helena]

The thing is, she's having trouble sleeping. I'm looking at the food and wondering if it's all turning into sugar and keeping her up. Even the vegan versions of some of these foods are kind of sweet. Yoghurt, hot cereals have even a little maple syrup, or agave, she does soynut butter on toast the soynut butter is sweet. I give her trail mix but I wonder about dried fruit (and fresh fruit) keeping her up. Am I not understanding how those food affect the body? Do you combine foods in a certain way to cancel out the sugars?

I know what she really wants is enchiladas, beans and rice right before she gets under the covers. :D That's my girl

[Cera]

My kids also need a lot of protein to stay full. Their favorite bedtime snacks are peanut butter toast with a banana or cheese and crackers with an apple.

[Rosie_0801]

The thing is, she's having trouble sleeping. I'm looking at the food and wondering if it's all turning into sugar and keeping her up. Even the vegan versions of some of these foods are kind of sweet. Yoghurt, hot cereals have even a little maple syrup, or agave, she does soynut butter on toast the soynut butter is sweet. I give her trail mix but I wonder about dried fruit (and fresh fruit) keeping her up. Am I not understanding how those food affect the body? Do you combine foods in a certain way to cancel out the sugars?

I know what she really wants is enchiladas, beans and rice right before she gets under the covers. :D That's my girl

 

I don't know about this, but I remember someone on here saying that over indulging on carbs can cause trouble sleeping. After reading that, I took note and found the same myself. Perhaps she needs to lower her grain intake and up her beans? You get more food for your carb portion by eating beans.

 

Rosie

[Renee in NC]

I don't know about this, but I remember someone on here saying that over indulging on carbs can cause trouble sleeping. After reading that, I took note and found the same myself. Perhaps she needs to lower her grain intake and up her beans? You get more food for your carb portion by eating beans.

 

Rosie

 

Rosie, I thought you never wanted to eat beans again?:lol:

[WishboneDawn]

Cheese is the standard here. A small chunk fills a tummy up well and it's relatively easy on the teeth.

[lynn]

Cheese and crackers here also.

[Mrs Mungo]

Some ideas:

Toast with peanut butter

A bowl of oatmeal with a touch of honey

Cheese and crackers

 

 

I agree these are the things I feed my kids when they are going through growth spurts and need to be topped off before bed.

 

I just noticed the vegan thing-if she is constantly hungry she needs more protein and fat, you probably need to rework her diet.

Edited December 11, 2009 by Mrs Mungo

[EKS]

Frankly, the vegan thing is likely a lot of the problem.

 

Foods containing lots of fat and protein have more staying power than carbs and the things that seem to do this well are usually derived from animals in some way.

[gardening momma]

The thing is, she's having trouble sleeping. I'm looking at the food and wondering if it's all turning into sugar and keeping her up.

Carbs will turn into sugar. Proteins and fats will not. Look for "net carbs"--this is the total carb count minus the fiber. In sugar free candies, you might also see "sugar alcohols" on the package--you can subtract those also from the total count. The reason you subtract the fiber (and sugar alcohols) is to find the amount of carbs that have an impact on blood sugar. The fiber and sugar alcohols do not raise blood sugar.

 

So when people say to eat whole grains, it's because of the fiber content, but you still want to look at the net carb count to see how many carbs are left after you subtract the fiber. Those are the carbs that will turn to sugar.

[tdeveson]

Most active kids can't get enough in just three meals. Their stomachs aren't big enough, so they tend to graze. All my kids needed snacks before bed. My youngest is thin as a rail, eats three big healthy meals, plus several snacks every day and he still has to have something to eat or he'll pester me until he gets fed. Once his belly is full, he brushes his teeth, gets into bed, reads or listens to his book until he falls asleep.

 

You can give her:

 

Cereal (hot or cold)

PBJ Sandwich

Fresh fruit

Raw vegetables

A glass of milk or juice

Dinner leftovers

 

Some people's metabolisms are that way. Heck, in Spain everybody is that way. Dinner is at 10:00 pm, they talk, drink, and eat till 11, and are in bed at 11:30 or midnight. Personally, that would give me heartburn, but in some countries a large meal just before bedtime is common.

[Karen in CO]

My little carnivore is this way too. She gets a choice - banana or apple with slices of goat cheese (she can't tolerate cow milk). We actually have gone through this with each of our kids which is why we have a set food that is acceptable for bedtime snacks - it cuts down on procrastinators who just can't decide what to eat. I think that little ones just get hungry and should be fed. When I get hungry before bedtime, I have a bowl of my favorite healthy whole wheat cereal with skim milk.

[DarlaS]

Granola - the kind with more nuts than dried fruit

 

pancakes, muffins & whatever higher fat quick breads you can make in advance. Add milled flaxseed for extra fats & proteins.

 

any kind of nut butter on whole grain bread/bagels etc.

 

Almond milk (if you can make your own, even better)

 

avocados

 

full fat tortilla chips & black bean salsa (maybe not *right* before bed :D)

 

seeds of any kind that she may like (pumpkin, sunflower...)

 

full fat hummus with veggies & whole grain pita chips (easy to make)

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie, I thought you never wanted to eat beans again?:lol:

 

Oh, it took a loooooong time. Do you know how much cake I'm going to eat this Christmas, to make up for last? ;)

 

Frankly, the vegan thing is likely a lot of the problem.

 

 

No it isn't. There are vegan foods that have fat and protein. The OP's daughter probably needs more of them than she's currently having, that's all. All eating styles need to be tweaked as children grow, this doesn't mean that a vegan child needs to be fed animal products.

 

Rosie

[helena]

I don't know about this, but I remember someone on here saying that over indulging on carbs can cause trouble sleeping.

Rosie

 

I was always told that eating right before bed and then lying down is a burden on your digestive track, and that you will have bad dreams because your body is distressed. That could be entirely untrue though?

[helena]

Carbs will turn into sugar. Proteins and fats will not. Look for "net carbs"--this is the total carb count minus the fiber. In sugar free candies, you might also see "sugar alcohols" on the package--you can subtract those also from the total count. The reason you subtract the fiber (and sugar alcohols) is to find the amount of carbs that have an impact on blood sugar. The fiber and sugar alcohols do not raise blood sugar.

 

So when people say to eat whole grains, it's because of the fiber content, but you still want to look at the net carb count to see how many carbs are left after you subtract the fiber. Those are the carbs that will turn to sugar.

 

This is what's driving me crazy, I feel like everything turns to sugar. She'll eat toast with soynut butter, the bread is whole grain winterberry, and soynut butter seems healthy enough. But at 9pm it seems really sweet.

 

Would things like soy sausage, hummus, and avocado not turn to sugar?

[Rosie_0801]

I was always told that eating right before bed and then lying down is a burden on your digestive track, and that you will have bad dreams because your body is distressed. That could be entirely untrue though?

 

Dunno, but I prefer to go to bed with a full belly than an empty one! There's full and there's overfull. Maybe that is the difference?

 

Rosie

[helena]

Dunno, but I prefer to go to bed with a full belly than an empty one! There's full and there's overfull. Maybe that is the difference?

 

Rosie

Well my mom is Irish and my dad is Mexican. You cannot believe the amount of things that had rules or old wives tales in my life. It wasn't until I started seeing a Chinese doctor who practiced chinese medicine that I saw my parents match. The whole hot and cold thing, yin/yang, medicines made of plant and animal, and rules, rules, rules....I love her because when I leave the office she's telling me to cover my chest, don't repeat my bad dream from the previous night to anyone, and drink some mung bean water.

The problem is now that I'm a mother I honestly don't know what is true and what was superstition.

I still never go to bed stuffed, if I do.. I swear I have a bad dream!

It's my mothers fault :D and the power of suggestion..

or not?

[SW in IL]

and we had to come up with lots of nutritious snacks for him... We didn't want to be filling him with empty carbs or plain ol' junk but for a while it seemed like he was hungry all the time. At the same time we were living with a vegan so many of his snacks ended up being vegan so as not to leave out the friend.

 

Here are a couple of ideas:

Peanut Butter sandwich

Hummus usually with pita bread or pita crackers

Tofu scramble (tofu "scrambled" with various veggies... mushrooms and onions were DS's favorites)

We'd make a "dip" out of refried beans, enchilada sauce and canned diced tomatoes and have that with tortilla chips

"Minestrone" soup (which is really a vegetable & bean soup... we call it minestrone because we use the minestrone recipe but leave out the pasta) or other kinds of soups

 

Hope this gives you a few ideas,

Sue

[helena]

and we had to come up with lots of nutritious snacks for him... We didn't want to be filling him with empty carbs or plain ol' junk but for a while it seemed like he was hungry all the time. At the same time we were living with a vegan so many of his snacks ended up being vegan so as not to leave out the friend.

 

Here are a couple of ideas:

Peanut Butter sandwich

Hummus usually with pita bread or pita crackers

Tofu scramble (tofu "scrambled" with various veggies... mushrooms and onions were DS's favorites)

We'd make a "dip" out of refried beans, enchilada sauce and canned diced tomatoes and have that with tortilla chips

"Minestrone" soup (which is really a vegetable & bean soup... we call it minestrone because we use the minestrone recipe but leave out the pasta) or other kinds of soups

 

Hope this gives you a few ideas,

Sue

 

Actually she loves tofu scrambler, I will have to set a little aside for the evening the next time I make it (tomorrow :)). Thanks for the idea

[TammyinTN]

I give my muncher a pink lady apple with peanut butter to dip it in. A big glass of milk and then I don't hear a peep. :D

[gardening momma]

Would things like soy sausage, hummus, and avocado not turn to sugar?

According to my carb counter book:

 

avocado--

1/2 of a California avocado: 6.0 g. total carbs/4.2 g. fiber/1.7 g. net carbs/1.8 g. protein/15.0 g. fat

1/2 of a Florida avocado: 13.5 g. total carbs/8.1 g. fiber/5.5 g. net carbs/2.4 g. protein/13.5 g. fat

 

hummus--

2 Tbsp.: 6.2 g. total carbs/1.6 g. fiber/4.6 g. net carbs/1.5 g. protein/2.6 g. fat

 

soy sausage--

not in my book (look on your package and subtract the fiber from the total carb count)

 

tofu--

firm (1/2 cup): 5.4 g. total carbs/2.9 g. fiber/2.5 g. net carbs/19.9 g. protein/11.0 g. fat

regular (1/2 cup): 2.3 g. total carbs/0.4 g. fiber/2.0 g. net carbs/10.0 g. protein/5.9 g. fat

silken, firm (1/2 cup): 2.7 g. total carbs/0.1 g. fiber/2.6 g. net carbs/7.8 g. protein/3.1 g. fat

silken, soft (1/2 cup): 3.2 g. total carbs/0.1 g. fiber/3.1 g. net carbs/5.4 g. protein/3.1 g. fat

 

To give some perspective, I like to compare net carb counts to potatoes, corn, carrots & peas (because we eat a lot of those, and they give reliable baselines for comparison):

 

potatoes--

baked, small (1/2): 11.6 g. total carbs/1.1 g. fiber/10.5 g. net carbs

mashed, 1/2 cup: 15.8-23.0 g. total carbs/2.4-1.0 g. fiber/13.4-22.0 g. net carbs (they don't give a count for made-from-scratch mashed potatoes, so I put in the #s for mashed from flakes and Boston Market, respectively)

boiled, 1/2 cup: 15.6 g. total carbs/1.4 g. fiber/14.2 g. net carbs

For savory foods, potatoes and corn are on the high end of net carb counts--in fact, I just realized corn is much closer to potatoes than I thought, but I usually eat more than 1/2 cup of potatoes.

 

corn--

kernels, 1/2 cup: 14.7 g. total carbs/2.1 g. fiber/12.6 g. net carbs

canned, 1/2 cup: 15.2 g. total carbs/1.6 g. fiber/13.6 g. net carbs

cob (1): 19.3 g. total carbs/2.2 g. fiber/17.2 g. net carbs

 

carrots--

sliced, steamed, 1/2 cup: 8.2 g. total carbs/2.6 g. fiber/5.6 g. net carbs

whole, 7.5" long, raw (1): 7.2 g. total carbs/2.2 g. fiber/5.1 g. net carbs

 

peas--

frozen, 1/2 cup: 9.9 g. total carbs/3.4 g. fiber/6.5 g. net carbs

pea pods/snow peas, 1/2 cup: 5.6 g. total carbs/2.2 g. fiber/3.4 g. net carbs

 

As vegetables go (from potatoes down to whatever is the lowest carb veggie), I consider carrots & peas to be middle of the road.

Edited December 12, 2009 by gardening momma

[Renee in NC]

Isn't all food turned into glucose, just by different processes?

[gardening momma]

Isn't all food turned into glucose, just by different processes?

Not protein, fat or fiber. Protein and fat are not carbohydrates, and fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate.

[JoyfulMama]

Fiber helps to make you feel fuller longer. So whole-grain carbohydrates with some protein would be the perfect evening snack.

 

Now, trying to increase daily fiber intake quickly can result in some gastronomical disturbances... ;) So don't increase it at every meal and every snack at one time.