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Original poster

Breakfast - is this enough and can I improve?

128 replies

WitchityGrub · 13/04/2020 10:01

This morning for breakfast my 14 year old DS (skinny and growing) and I (not remotely skinny and dieting) had this:

1 slice of brown bread and butter (I didnt have this)
1 softly boiled egg
2 sliver/slices of smoked salmon (obviously we wouldn't usually have this but I picked it up as a treat)

He isn't doing a huge amount (almost none) or exercise. Im doing a couple of online workouts a day.

He'll be 'hungry' again in an hour. Am I being mean with food? I'm trying to give him decent food rather than sugary carby cereals.

OP posts:
Tonyaster · 13/04/2020 11:45

Two eggs are plenty here. A two egg cheese omelette is plenty also. Our chickens do lay large eggs though!

Notcrackersyet · 13/04/2020 11:45

Sounds delicious but very small for a 14 year old boy.

Tonyaster · 13/04/2020 11:46

Sausages and bacon are fine a couple of times a week but not particularly good for you

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General food
Sowo · 13/04/2020 11:48

Two eggs and two toast at least! My skinny 2nd centile 4 yr old would easily finish the portion you gave your son...

nellythenarwhal · 13/04/2020 11:48

3 eggs seems excessive

This makes me laugh when people were saying that 10 Easter eggs from one granny is ok yesterday 😂

carriebreadshaw · 13/04/2020 11:53

I agree with others no where near enough for a 14 year old.

I'd add a couple of weetabix and an extra egg

simplekindoflife · 13/04/2020 11:54

@nellythenarwhal

I know! THREE EGGS?! Such crazy wild abandonment of senses! Grin

carriebreadshaw · 13/04/2020 11:54

Wait until he's at the gym every day and wants to eat his body weight in protein!

diddl · 13/04/2020 11:55

Did you ask him how much he wanted?

Tbh if you just made it with no guidance from him & he can have more if he wants then I don't see the problem.

Tonyaster · 13/04/2020 11:56

" 3 eggs seems excessive

This makes me laugh when people were saying that 10 Easter eggs from one granny is ok yesterda"

Why? It wasn't me saying 10 Easter eggs is ok?

Three eggs would make me feel sick! Too much!

safariboot · 13/04/2020 11:57

If his activity levels are dropped, his appetite won't turn off overnight. And you'd be better off encouraging him to do more exercise.

He needs more food than you. Maybe 50% extra or even more if you're on a low calorie diet. www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/childrens-health/how-many-calories-do-teenagers-need/

If he'll eat it, non-sugary cereal is a decent choice.

NopeNotToday5 · 13/04/2020 12:03

My 20 month old son can eat 2 slices of toast and a banana for his breakfast.

Maybe ask your son what he wants and let him do it himself.

SunshineCake · 13/04/2020 12:04

I suspect him saying he could eat that again was his attempt to tell you he is still hungry Sad.

Please don't make him feel crap about being hungry. Food is fuel for his important growth.

NoMorePoliticsPlease · 13/04/2020 12:04

14 year old boys are a bottomless pit of hunger

RoseDog · 13/04/2020 12:06

My 14 year old 6ft ds gets his own breakfast and it could be anything from a bowl of coco pops, 2 bacon roll, scrambled eggs on toast he makes it himself, I never monitor what they eat, he does himself if he has coco pops he will be hungry again in an hour, we do have other healthier and filling cereals in the house that he sometimes has.

nellythenarwhal · 13/04/2020 12:10

Tonyaster- it wasn't directed at you personally. I was reading the 10 egg thread last night so it's fresh in my mind.

Your eggs must be massive if you'd be sick after 3. Do you keep ostriches? Wink

Tonyaster · 13/04/2020 12:11

No, just regular chooks! Delicious eggs though!

dottiedodah · 13/04/2020 12:15

No where near enough! My DS is always hungry, and would eat all that and more .Not at all fat .Boys are growing all the time! Maybe some crusty bread /peanut butter /bananas /for snacks and eggs /low fat cheese /fish for lunch /B/F these are usually good value and fairly healthy too

OlaEliza · 13/04/2020 12:18

1 toast, 1 boiled egg and 2 slices of smoked salmon?

My 18m niece would eat that!

MintyMabel · 13/04/2020 12:24

My 14 year old makes her own breakfast

As does my ten year old.

raspberryk · 13/04/2020 12:24

My 5 and 8 year olds (not overweight by any means) will eat 1.5-2 toast, 2 eggs and salmon. The 8yo would probably eat 3 scrambled eggs.
We would all be ravenous with your breakfast OP.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 13/04/2020 12:26

Does he eat porridge? A bowl of porridge with banana or blueberries in it, followed by a hard boiled egg would be ideal.

mrsm43s · 13/04/2020 12:30

Surely at 14, he's mostly in charge of his own breakfast. And when you cook for him, you'd ask him how many eggs/how much toast he wants?

I'd say from about 7 or 8 onwards, 2 toast and 2 eggs would be a standard portion. You're really not feeding him enough with just one egg and one slice of toast. Do you give him toddler sized portions for his other meals too (and strictly control his portion sizes)? If so, that's probably why he's skinny rather than a healthy normal weight.

At 14 he should be eating at least as much as an adult male, possibly more. I'd expect it to be at least double what you eat, possibly more since you seem to have an abnormally small appetite (1 egg and 2 slivers of smoked salmon is an unhealthily low amount for breakfast, not within the realms of normal eating for an adult).

At 14, he should be able to eat until he is full and be in control (within reason) of what he eats and how much of it. My 14 and 15 year old make their own breakfast and lunch (from a pre-approved selection, they ask if they want to venture outside that.) They tend to do eggs or tomatoes or mushrooms of baked beans on toast for breakfast (always 2 slices), or cereal followed by fruit and yoghurt. DD favours salads with egg or chicken or tuna etc for lunch, but DS is much hungrier and tends to make himself something heavier such as pasta or jumbo sized jacket potato etc for lunch. That's in addition to a full cooked dinner in the evening as a family. Plus they snack on fruit, veg and hummus or sometimes a slice or two of toast or a crumpet as required during the day. (Again DD seems to select the lighter options - fruit/veg, DS seems to need the carby stuff to fill him up).

I'm trying to imagine my children's faces if I tried to micromanage their diets, and particularly what they would think to being served toddler portions when they're active, healthy and taller than me!

Babymamamama · 13/04/2020 12:32

Im not sure why you are restricting the diet of a skinny teenager. If he could have eaten that amount again why didn't you allow it? Are there finance issues? Or are you controlling?

Mumto1girl3boys · 13/04/2020 12:36

My sons 14 and i dont make his breakfast he sorts it out himself whatever he wants to have. Can you not just give let him do it himself? Hes a growing lad he definately needs more than 1 bit of toast and 1 egg!