DD 14 always tired and hungry

[Pam B]

I thought I'd ask all you fellow parents of teens if anyone can help me out on this one-

 

My DD, 14 is "always tired and hungry" (her words), and I just do not know why. She gets plenty of sleep- 10 hours usually, and of course she gets plenty of food. Sometimes she does rush while eating. I ask her if she is full and she says "Not really, but I'm never full."

 

Is this a growing thing or what? I tell her not to worry about getting done by a certain time (even though she's always done hours before our "end of day goal), just to eat until she is FULL. Even when she does do this, she is hungry shortly afterwards.

 

Any ideas? :bigear:

[Teachin'Mine]

Is she this way all year long, or just at times? If it's not always, I'd say it's probably related to growth spurts. :)

[Pam B]

She has been like this for months now.

 

We limit their sugar intake and although we are vegetarians, we do get plenty of protien.

 

Is there a test that I can have done?

[FaithManor]

It might be worthwhile to have her tested for anemia. Anemia makes it difficult to get deep, rem sleep. So one does not feel rested even after a long night's rest. Are her monthly's hard or have they recently gotten harder? This can contribute to anemia.

 

I have a terrible time getting truly rested when anemic and my body craves food all the time until my serum iron level gets up where it belongs. Ask for a serum iron level and not just a hemoglobin level. Healthy bone marrow will release red blood cells for a long time (we have a huge amount stored at birth) and can mask a low serum iron count. Meanwhile, the body, desperate for iron, will be restless, exhausted, and hungry until that need is met. Many doctors do the hemo count first because it can be done with a finger stick. The assumption being that if hemo is anywhere near the range of normal, all must be good. Alas, that is not always so.

 

This is just one idea from my own experience. I am sure you will get lots of other great ideas.

 

Faith

[Susan C.]

She needs a B12 test, a lot of vegetarians are B12 deficient and it is advised to supplement it.

 

If that and the iron are ok, you might want to consider allowing a food or two that you wouldn't normally eat and see if she gets better.

 

Do a google on Angelina Jolie, she was vegan and said she didn't do well on that diet.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Susan C.
edit

[Pam B]

See, I had trouble with iron levels- or so I thought, but recently I did start taking the liquid B. It has helped a lot. I told her we need to get her some, but just haven't gotten to the store yet.

 

Would that have to do with the hunger as well?

 

Her monthly is every other month. She started about a year ago. They aren't severe, but she does have cramps, of course.

[Susan C.]

I have read up a bit on this. Some people do great on a vegetarian diet. They are called carb types. My kids and I are protein types. We can't even eat pizza for dinner, we are sleepy in an hour or two and feel yucky, and then wake up starving in the middle of the night. We also don't do well missing a meal. Meat (and fat) solves that for us. You might be able to get around eating meat by making sure she eats cheese, yogurt (w/o too much sugar), beans and nuts. And, you could move to butter and whole milk (and cream). Since I am a major carnivore, I am not up on vegetarian things, but aren't there combinations of foods you can eat that equal the protein of meat?

[Michelle in AL]

We were vegetarians plus we ate fish for a year. Even with fish twice a week, my girls were both anemic. At the end of the yr, my husband thought he was going to die of hunger (OK, I'm being overly dramatic).

 

Anyway, everyone is feeling much better since adding meat to our diet, along with iron supplements. We were vegetarians for humane reasons and now eat only humanely raised meats.

 

If your doctor checks for anemia they need to check ferritin levels too. That will show your iron stores. My dds both had OK hemoglobin, but very low ferritin levels. They were tired and one had what looked like exercise induced asthma. She couldn't walk across a parking lot without becoming winded.

[Teachin'Mine]

Honestly, I'd take her for a complete check up. I'm assuming that you've been vegetarians for a long time, so personally I'd doubt that that's the problem. (That could just be the vegetarian in me talking though.) :) It might be related to her longer cycles - every other month.

[SkateLeft]

One thing that I didn't see mentioned is exercise.

 

Is she getting enough exercise? A sedentary lifestyle can definitely cause people to feel tired and run down. When my 14 year old notices that she's tired a lot, it's because she hasn't been getting much exercise.

 

I would still take her for a checkup since you're worried. :)

[Gwen in VA]

See a doctor and have lab work done. ASAP. Don't wait two months for an appointment -- be pushy.

[Barb_]

Look into sleep apnea. Sleep apnea interrupts REM patterns causing daytime exhaustion and lowers level of Leptin which controls hunger patterns. Other symptoms

 

Oh and this is something you'll have to actually ask about. Our pediatrician blamed our daughter's hunger and excessive sleepiness on her menstrual cycles. We had to specifically request a sleep study. Sleep disorders just weren't on her radar.

 

Barb

Edited November 2, 2010 by Barb F. PA in AZ

[LUV2EDU]

It sounds like she may have a vitamin B-12 deficiency. In addition to diet, a tape worm infection can also cause a vitamin deficiency.

http://www.wdxcyber.com/supplements/vitamin deficiency.html

[AnitaMcC]

We were vegetarians for humane reasons and now eat only humanely raised meats.

 

 

Where do you get humanely raised meats and how do you know it is raised humanely?

 

My Dd went vegetarian about 1 1/2 yrs ago due to humane reasons. We have to supplement her with protein mix from doctor because she just doesn't get enough protein in her diet. She hates beans/legumes-LOL. She is also lactose intolerant.

[Karen in CO]

If you had said your ds was tired and hungry at that age and not mentioned being vegetarian, everyone one have told you to make sure he gets more exercise and more protein.

 

Since its your dd, anemia is a concern with growing girls.

 

I'll suggest a good multi-vit for teens or women, more exercise and more protein. btw - my teen son could sleep 12 hours at that age and still be in a sleepy fog all day. If she doesn't seem better in a month, then a trip to the doc for a checkup and some bloodwork.

[Michelle in AL]

That was our problem too: only one of my dds and I eat legumes. They both ate a lot of cheese and milk. Without those, I'd suspect your daughter might have some pretty significant deficiencies.

 

Do you have a Publix? Their Greenwise brand is humanely raised. Applewood Farms is humanely raised. We buy their chicken pot pies, hot dogs and bacon.

 

We also bought from a local farm. They were more expensive than publix though.

 

Springer Farm chickens are carried at several places and are humanely raised.

 

Here's a list of certified humanely raised:

http://www.certifiedhumane.org/index.php?page=producers-products

Most of their products are expensive, probably because it costs more to become certified.

 

Search "humanely raised meat+your state"and you might get a list of local farmers.

 

Here you might find a list of local farmers that raise animals humanely:

http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html

[1Togo]

I agree about the check up, but dd, age 14, is always tired and hungry as well. We eat meat; she dances; she goes to bed early; we eat tons of veggies and salads; we eat very little sugar. She has great skin, shiny hair, and nails that grow fast and strong, so I know she's fairly healthy. We've going for annual check up soon, but I think it's just growth spurts and the age. Sometimes I think she would like to walk around with her head on my shoulder. LOL!

[AnitaMcC]

Do you have a Publix? Their Greenwise brand is humanely raised. Applewood Farms is humanely raised. We buy their chicken pot pies, hot dogs and bacon.

 

 

Michelle, thank you so much for the information. The websites you posted do offer some pick up locations near us for Flying S and Honored Prairie farms. As for grocery stores...we have Jewel Osco, Strack & VanTil, Meijer, Walmart, and Dominicks as the main grocery stores.

 

Also, there is a Whole Foods about 30 minutes from us. Their website seems promising? http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/meat.php

 

Jewel offers http://www.wildharvestorganic.com/

 

Dominicks/Safeway says: "Safeway is an industry leader in animal welfare. We believe animals should be raised, transported and processed using procedures that are clean, safe and free from cruelty, abuse or neglect. Diligently partnering with independent animal welfare experts, Safeway utilizes industry best practices to ensure that farm animals are treated humanely at every step from farm to market. Safeway's dedication to animal welfare includes an audit program conducted by a rotating team of internal and independent auditors".

 

Do you think these stores (Whole Foods, Jewel, Dominicks) are good sources for us to buy humanely raised meats/poultry?

[Pam B]

Since I am a major carnivore, I am not up on vegetarian things, but aren't there combinations of foods you can eat that equal the protein of meat?

 

Yes, we eat everything but the meats. We get protein soy products as well. They are actually pretty high in protein.

[Pam B]

Honestly' date=' I'd take her for a complete check up. I'm assuming that you've been vegetarians for a long time, so personally I'd doubt that that's the problem. (That could just be the vegetarian in me talking though.) :) It might be related to her longer cycles - every other month.[/quote']

 

Yes, we have been- for mine and our kids' whole life. She just had her check up in February. Everything was fine.

[Pam B]

Tomorrow I will call the dr and schedule another check up. In the mean time, I've just purchased her some liquid B-vitamin.

 

For excersise- All three of my kids do a 5 minute brisk walk, then run 7 houses, walk one, and repeat for 25 minutes. So a total of 30 minutes in all. We are trying to build up the legnth. They started walking two houses, running two, and from there we just "added a house per week." :) It stems from the president's challenge. She also does 30 sit ups and 30 pushups, 5 days a week, and for some fun they do boffering.

 

I really appreciate all of your comments! Things I would have over looked.

[Harriet Vane]

It might be worthwhile to have her tested for anemia. Anemia makes it difficult to get deep, rem sleep. So one does not feel rested even after a long night's rest. Are her monthly's hard or have they recently gotten harder? This can contribute to anemia.

 

I have a terrible time getting truly rested when anemic and my body craves food all the time until my serum iron level gets up where it belongs. Ask for a serum iron level and not just a hemoglobin level. Healthy bone marrow will release red blood cells for a long time (we have a huge amount stored at birth) and can mask a low serum iron count. Meanwhile, the body, desperate for iron, will be restless, exhausted, and hungry until that need is met. Many doctors do the hemo count first because it can be done with a finger stick. The assumption being that if hemo is anywhere near the range of normal, all must be good. Alas, that is not always so.

 

This is just one idea from my own experience. I am sure you will get lots of other great ideas.

 

Faith

:iagree:

 

Definitely get both the ferritin and the hemoglobin test. The hemoglobin can be within normal limits while the ferritin is desperately low. This was the case with me--I was cold and exhausted and hungry all the time, for years. Iron supplements changed my life.

 

Iron is toxic of there is too much in the body, so make sure to get the tests done first before trying supplementation.

[1Togo]

You might want to consider a break from the soy because it is a common allergen, and allergens can cause tiredness and restlessness. Dd couldn't handle soy.

[Michelle in AL]

Do you think these stores (Whole Foods, Jewel, Dominicks) are good sources for us to buy humanely raised meats/poultry?

 

 

I would trust them, especially Whole Foods, since this seems to be part of their mission. For our family we have decided to trust information like you provided. You can drive yourself crazy doubting truths etc. For us we decided we were making the best decisions with the information provided.

[NineChoirs]

Sounds like a lack of iron and sugar. Girls who are going through puberty need to increase iron intake for obvious reasons. And cutting sugar out of a diet isn't always such a great idea. The reason people are encouraged to cut sugar from their diets is because most families consume way too much refined sugar in candy, sweets, soda, fast food etc.... and are struggling with obesity and other health problems because of it. For a family that has a healthy eating plan in place & gets regular exercise, cutting sugar can actually be a bad thing. In fact my son's doctor told us to add sugar to his water because he would tire quickly during physical exertion. Once we started adding the sugar his energy levels and mood improved drastically almost right away. And although we watch our sugar intake closely and never eat fast food, we still eat a fair amount of sugar. But even then, he wasn't getting enough.

[Storm Bay]

She has been like this for months now.

 

We limit their sugar intake and although we are vegetarians, we do get plenty of protien.

 

Is there a test that I can have done?

 

You won't like my answer, but it may be that your dd is unable to get enough iron, etc, on a vegetarian diet. My cousins & I all worked hard at being vegetarians, but are unable to process iron that isn't found in meat or poultry products. We all became anemic. Unless you are vegetarians for religious reasons, I would consider slowly adding poultry or meat. Turkey beef are rich in iron. It may not have affecter her until she reached menarche but is showing up now. fwiw, the cousins I'm referring to are men.

 

Also, protein is what keeps you from feeling hungry between meals and the protein in meat & poultry is far easier for the body to absorb & use than plant many plant proteins which are often in the fibre, so even though some plant foods are very high in protein, much of it is unusable.

Edited November 3, 2010 by Karin

[Storm Bay]

Honestly' date=' I'd take her for a complete check up. I'm assuming that you've been vegetarians for a long time, so personally I'd doubt that that's the problem. (That could just be the vegetarian in me talking though.) :) It might be related to her longer cycles - every other month.[/quote']

 

It can be because her iron requirements are much higher since the onset of menses.

[Pam B]

Called the Dr today about the results. She said everything was super. The only thing that was "off" was her white blood cell count. she said it was a little bit low, but that could be from an error or from her just getting over something. (She did have a bad cold, sore throat, etc. but was just about all the way over it at time of blood work.) She said iron, sugar, thyroid, kidneys, her B levels, all that was great.

 

I don't have the numbers, or other details, as we go in Monday to get the actual results, and the new orders for blood work. But I thought I would post prior to the appointment to see if anyone has any other ideas that it could possibly be, so I can ask when we go in.

 

Thank-you so much!

[Michelle in AL]

Be sure they checked a ferritin level along with the CBC. Ferritin levels will measure your iron stores. If low it is considered anemic. Both of my dds had normal hgb and hcts but very low ferritin levels, and were very symptomatic: tired, shortness of breath, got ill easily.

[Pam B]

thank-you. I will check it out.

[Tiramisu]

I don't think it would cause the problems she's having, but if you have to get more bloodwork done, ask for her vitamin d levels to be checked if they haven't been already. It's unbelievable how many people are low in D, even people who are outdoors a lot.

[Pam B]

I will do that!