Talk to me about after school snacks

[DietCokeChipsAndMayo]

My children seem to be hungrier and hungrier every day after school and are eating more and more crap which obviously I don’t want
I’ve moved dinner time earlier which does seem to be helping but particularly the little 2 don’t really understand that food will be coming in an hour/hour and a half and you don’t need to fill up on lots of different things as soon as you get home
None of them like anything particularly ‘protein’y which is a problem as they seem to be mainlining carbs which obviously does next to nothing in keeping them going

What do you usually do for after school snacks?

Peanut butter and crumpets/toast or fruit generally.
My 12 year old is built like a stick and eats like a horse and he's always complaining of hunger. Peanut butter and toast is one of the only things that keeps him going between meals, especially on return from school. Daughter who is 8 will eat breakfast, school lunch, full packed lunch at after school club and come home for tea. Also built like a stick.
Both do huge amounts of sport and are both growing. A carrot or a stick of celery would not cut it. Son has always been 'underweight' on the NHS checks at school so I would never restrict his diet as some have suggested up the thread.

@Orangejuicemarathoner There's obviously nothing wrong with plenty of fruit and veg (I'm vegan!), nor are you incorrect that children's weight is an issue.

But literally none of that makes it bad to have an afternoon snack. Or bad to eat carbs. Your view is incredibly simplistic and food-phobic.

@Orangejuicemarathoner you sound .... fun! 😹

@Orangejuicemarathoner oh and that orange juice in your user name? Hope it's just a very small glass. Only it's not very good for you, you see. 125ml of a morning more than ample

[quote Innocenta]@Orangejuicemarathoner There's obviously nothing wrong with plenty of fruit and veg (I'm vegan!), nor are you incorrect that children's weight is an issue.

But literally none of that makes it bad to have an afternoon snack. Or bad to eat carbs. Your view is incredibly simplistic and food-phobic. [/quote]
I dont see anything wrong with a piece of fruit or veg, no , but surely you can see some of these suggestions are hugely inappropriate! peanut butter on crumpets is a meal - not a snack, and it would be too much to have as a regular meal, and is not ok on a daily basis between meals!

This is very "disordered" and it is not "food phobic" to point that out.

These kids are going to have massive health problems, especially obesity and diabetes 2.

[quote PippaOwl]@Orangejuicemarathoner oh and that orange juice in your user name? Hope it's just a very small glass. Only it's not very good for you, you see. 125ml of a morning more than ample [/quote]
My name is orange juice marathoner because of the number of posters who were shocked that I use orange juice as a fuel WHILE RUNNING MARATHONS - I don't drink it often outside of long distance running, but I am not against any food occasionally.

These posters are talking about what they give their children EVERY day though

@Orangejuicemarathoner I'm teasing you.

@Orangejuicemarathoner It depends on the child's weight, age, health, activity level, and what else they are eating during the day. I can easily imagine that for some children, crumpets with PB might form part of a too-large intake - indeed, that's very possible, I'm not going to claim it couldn't happen. But that could also be part of a perfectly reasonable food intake. Not all breakfasts, lunches and suppers are high-calorie or unhealthy. A crumpet isn't inherently bad - nor is PB. I'd be concerned if the child was eating PB at lunchtime too (because of the lack of variety), but in schools today, that's very unlikely.

peanut butter on crumpets is a meal - not a snack,

wowsers you're a cheap date!

The problem is the engineering of foods to be hyperpalatable - literally designed to be difficult to stop eating. As someone who largely eats a whole foods diet, I'm always surprised when eating a hyperpalatable by how different the experience is. These foods are certainly problematic for the health of society in general, and arguably shouldn't be given to children. Same with fizzy drinks.

But I just think it's fighting completely the wrong battle to say a piece of toast is direful and only celery is acceptable.

Mine had fruit and a biscuit, just like I did

DS(15) comes home and generally has 6/7 Weetabix. I’m not joking, I don’t know where he puts them!

Or it will be 4 rounds of cheese on toast.

He’s just shy of 6ft and 10 stone and eats like a horse.

But I just think it's fighting completely the wrong battle to say a piece of toast is direful and only celery is acceptable.

agree

My DC often has homemade sweet potato waffles or banana pancakes if we have any left over. Otherwise it's cheese or peanut butter and oatcakes with carrot sticks.

Usually something along the lines of a hot cross bun/teacake, cereal with fruit or greek yoghurt with fruit.

DS is 5, does swimming club, climbing lessons and gymnastics and school, obviously. He walks to and from school, just about 2 miles in total. He’s nearly four foot, as skinny as a rake (not the mn mythical child, he genuinely is. You can see his ribs and his hip bones.)

After school I offer beans on toast, peanut butter on toast or cheese on toast. Occasionally I will offer ‘nice’ cream as well (blitzed frozen bananas and other fruit like strawberries/raspberries or cocoa powder) but he still eats a decent sized dinner.

@InnPain

You could switch it around and serve the kids dinner earlier and then a snack before bedtime.

I did this. Dinner at 5 and bedtime snack about 9:30. Otherwise he would eat everything in sight the moment he entered the house.

peanut butter is an ultra highly processed food, and as such will be loaded with omega 6 which causes insulin resistance. Crumpets, made with highly processed white flour, are very little different to eating spoonfuls of pure sugar.

I agree, not intrinsically bad, but not every day, and not as a snack between meals!

I love crumpets and peanut butter, but I eat them knowing what I am eating, and compensating in other ways, during the day that I eat them

It should not be a regular go-to snack for children

[quote PippaOwl]@Orangejuicemarathoner I'm teasing you. [/quote]

rice cakes (current favourite)
fruit (DD eats a whole punnet of raspberries sometimes)
crumpets
raisins
cucumber
and if still hungry theres the biscuit tin

Mind you shes at after school club until 5.30. At the club they have fridge raiders/peperami and fruit

@Orangejuicemarathoner

peanut butter is an ultra highly processed food, and as such will be loaded with omega 6 which causes insulin resistance. Crumpets, made with highly processed white flour, are very little different to eating spoonfuls of pure sugar.

I agree, not intrinsically bad, but not every day, and not as a snack between meals!

I love crumpets and peanut butter, but I eat them knowing what I am eating, and compensating in other ways, during the day that I eat them

It should not be a regular go-to snack for children

The "100% peanuts" type of PB is dietetically regarded as healthy. Obviously if what you're referring to is loaded with fillers and sugar, then that is less so (although still not terrible as more of a treat).

Pure peanuts, though - like other nut and seed butters, these are recommended by dieticians.

Now I want a crumpet with peanut butter

Toasted pitta bread and low fat houmous

@Orangejuicemarathoner

peanut butter is an ultra highly processed food, and as such will be loaded with omega 6 which causes insulin resistance. Crumpets, made with highly processed white flour, are very little different to eating spoonfuls of pure sugar.

I agree, not intrinsically bad, but not every day, and not as a snack between meals!

I love crumpets and peanut butter, but I eat them knowing what I am eating, and compensating in other ways, during the day that I eat them

It should not be a regular go-to snack for children

The NHS website advises crumpets and 3 meals AND 3 snacks a day for underweight children (male/teen) like my son is (all text below from their website):

How to boost your calories

Aim to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks each day to boost your energy intake in a healthy way.

Make time for breakfast. Try porridge made with milk and sprinkle some chopped fruit or raisins on top. Have whole milk until you increase your weight.

Or how about eggs on toast with some grilled tomatoes or mushrooms?

A jacket potato with baked beans or tuna on top makes a healthy lunch and contains both energy-rich carbohydrates and protein. Adding cheese will provide calcium. Or try pasta salad with chicken breast and tomatoes.

Have a healthy snack before bed. Lower-sugar cereal with milk is a good choice, or some toast. Go for wholemeal where possible.

See Change4Life for more healthy meal ideas.

Find out how many calories the average teenager needs.

Ideas for healthy snacks

Aim for 3 snacks each day to boost your calorie intake. Try:

Crumpets, bananas or unsalted nuts
Hummus with pitta bread, carrots sticks or celery sticks
Beans or eggs on wholemeal toast
Toast with lower-sugar, lower-salt peanut butter
Fruit teacake, hot cross bun, malt loaf or fruit bread
Wholemeal bagel and lower-fat cream cheese

My mum used to make tea/dinner really late for her and then reheat it for us the next day as soon as we got home at 4pm and then have a snack later! So she would eat maybe spag Bol at 8pm and then heat it up at 4 the next day.