ds has a very fast metabolism and if he doesn't eat enough we get huge tantrums. We do mineral supplements (tested weekly) and omegas, and lay off junk food as much as is possible. Our problem is that although he loves food, he's often too distracted to eat properly. School is a nightmare - he'd rather be out playing than eating lunch, even if I pack his lunchbox with stuff we've agreed on (won't even contemplate school dinners, more's the pity). End result is a lot of bad afternoons. He doesn't qualify for any help at school - lots of issues going on but none severe enough to tick the right boxes, and no clear diagnosis. He just has an IEP. I've threatened him with asking the school to get him sitting elsewhere to eat his lunch and monitor how much he eats, but really don't want to enforce this as he hates being singled out as 'different.' He was adopted after early neglect - lots of emotional issues going on. Feeding early on would have been erratic but he seems to be OK with having food given to him - I don't think there are emotional issues around food itself anymore, just a high level of distraction. But he's not quite severe enough to be considered ADHD or ADD (I have another child with that and it feels very different).
Anyway, if anyone else has these foodie issues, could you give me some tips? Are there any particular foods you've found where you get high/good energy release? He likes sweet things and rather than banish them we've looked at slow release home baked stuff, like banana bread, which he likes. He likes fruit but doesn't have the patience often to eat a whole piece, so we cut up segments in tupperware. I'm looking into more low GI foods. If he could just slow down...
We try to manage a hot breakfast most days - scrambled eggs on toast etc, which helps. A couple of times we've had him home for lunch (not easily do-able, and quite unusual these days for school children) and I've been amazed at how much he packs away when relaxed and without distractions, versus what he'll eat from his lunchbox. It always makes a difference to the type of afternoon he then has at school. It's not a long term solution for lots of reasons, but did prove to us the food/mind connection.
Any tips appreciated.
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SN children
fast metabolism and trying to get food down a hyperactive 7 year old boy
clangermum · 26/07/2011 11:13
Porridge is a good slow release breakfast.
If he is having tantrums in school and you point it out that hunger is a trigger I am sure they will monitor him eating. Failing that Ask the school if you can keep a couple finger foods in their fridge. And if in the afternoon he has what I call a hissy fit 
tell them to ram a cereal bar into his hand. Ask them nicely and ask them if they will help "you" 
form a pattern to his eating habbits as you are sure its the lack of food that is causing him to get upset.
I dont know how old he is but dds school encourage what they call "thinking food" and have a healthy tuck shop for the afternoons as well as morning break. If he has something in his hand then at least he can munch on route!
Breakfast muffins are a good one - there's a fantastic recipe in this book that's really nutritious but brilliant as a grab and go food. To make it even better in terms of low GI and slow release you can add in some oats. There are lots of recipes online for breakfast muffins if you google, all with different ingredients, so you can pick and choose and make up your own variety. You can make mini ones to go in lunchboxes and they don't even know they're eating something that's good for them.
Flapjacks are another useful filler up and easy to grab and go - you can make them even better slow release by adding some mashed banana to the mixture.
I second porridge as an excellent start to the day, even better if you add lots of fruit - raisins, apricots and banana porridge is a good one, as is adding lots of berries. It really fills them up and keeps them going until at least lunchtime. Fruit smoothies with added protein powder, full fat milk and tofu are great as well.
Does he like pasta? If so, switching to wholegrain rather than white is another trick for longer lasting sustenance and more even blood sugar levels.
I think a lot of children do the whole leaving their lunch so they can get out to play thing, my ds2 does it regularly, but somehow always manages to leave the sandwiches and eat his fruit and treat. 
Would smaller bite-sized options in separate pots work better than a traditional packed lunch? So, say, a couple of small squares of flapjack, some cubes of cheese, a hard boiled egg, a small box of raisins, a pot of sliced grapes or other grabbable/stuffable fruit etc? What about cutting his sandwiches into bite size pieces as well? Tesco do an oat based sliced loaf, which would be for good slow release and stabilising blood sugar.
I agree with Ellen as well. The school need him to eat at lunchtime, so they should be willing to add some degree of supervision into his IEP - especially as its in their own interests.
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