What has your 10/11 year old boy eaten today?

[ByAssociation]

My just turned 11 year old stepson is here, as he is every weekend, he's a great lad but I wonder if he has a big appetite or am I naive to what an 11 year old eats? Today hasn't been the healthiest of days, I will admit.

Breakfast: Decent size bowl of cereal and an apple.

Lunch: Full English breakfast, 2 Sausages, 2 bacon, 1 slice of toast, 1 scrambled egg, 1 hash brown and 1/3 tin of beans.

Snack: Large ice cream cone (he arrived back with on way back from being at a friends).

Dinner: Half a standard size oven pizza with a good handful of chips.

Snack: Asked for microwave popcorn to eat with a film, ate half a bag (a heaped soup bowl). Then went to the kitchen and helped himself to 2 (single size but smallish) brownies.

Again, I know this is not a healthy day but he still claims he's hungry a lot after having what I think is a good amount of food for a 10 year old even on days that include a lot more protein and fruit/vegetables. He's overweight but not hugely, I thought it was puppy fat that would even out during a growth spurt. He's a great kid I would just like to see a comparison of what your children of a similar age eat. Thanks!

single serve* size brownies

I wouldn’t have thought that at all excessive for an 11 year old who’s probably growing fast. TBH my (very slim and active) Gds who’s 8 could probably put away much the same amount. He will eat a lot more than a bowl of cereal for breakfast - a fried egg on toast and a couple of bananas too would not be unusual.

My 12 year old had 30g portion of frosties and a bagel for breakfast. A tuna and cheese panini for lunch, 3/4 of a pizza for dinner. He had a crunchie at his friends and will probably have some chocolate in a bit as it's Saturday.

My son is 11…he is never full. Today he had:
3 weetabix and a banana for breakfast
A croissant as a snack after his match
A burger and mashed potatoes for lunch
3 marks and Spencer bakery cookies and two applies
Roast chicken dinner, with potatoes and lots of veg, yogurt and berries

Im sure he will also have either toast or cereal before bed. He is very slim, plays sports 6 days a week and is always outside playing basketball or football in the garden.

No sports clubs or anything here, does play football with mates and walks between their houses etc but certainly nothing that requires intense training multiple times a week. It's an age I have no experience of, don't want to over/under feed him! Surely they eat more ahead of/during puberty as well?

Honestly? So much food. And there's not a gram of fat on him. And he's not particularly tall either!

My boy recently turned 12. He also hasn’t had a healthy day today but he has played a football match. He’s eaten a bowl of cheerios for breakfast, tomato soup with toast for lunch, yoghurt and chocolate cookie for snack and pizza and chips for tea. He is having a growth spurt and is shooting up- currently 5 foot 7. He’s quite skinny at the moment due to the growth spurt I think.

5 foot 7! Wow that's taller than me 😄. Stepson is around 5 foot I would think.... busy running round the garden in the dark now. They clearly must just have huge appetites at this age, can relax we're not over feeding now. Probably an important age for learning about self regulating their food etc as well.

I think a growth spurt is on its way here as well 😄.

My 12yo ds has eaten today:

a bowl of porridge
a baguette with tuna and melted cheese, salad and chips
a mango
a cereal bar
a crunchie
chicken, noodles and veg.

he will probably say he’s hungry again soon!

My son is 12 and he ate 2 slices of cheese and avocado toast for breakfast with a banana. Had a cheese string and a couple of almonds for a snack. Then ate 2 apples. For lunch, he he went out with his friends and had 10 boneless chicken wings with cheesy fries. Came home and made himself a cheese sandwich. Dinner was vegetable pasta bake with garlic bread which he had 2 generous helpings of. Then had 2 biscuits and he's currently eating an orange ice lolly.

He never used to eat so much and actually ate very little when he was younger and was an absolute stick! He's gained weight as he's growing but still doesn't have fat on him and is more bulking out a bit regarding muscles. He still looks pretty slim though to be honest because he's 5'6 and definitely going to have another growth spurt soon.

What your son is eating sounds pretty normal to me.

Definitely, that's why I said it wasn't the healthiest of days for him.

I'm glad to see my 11.5yo is not the only one whose appetite has taken a big jump recently.

12 year old so a little older - very active but over 90th centille and has been since birth. Already 5ft7 and taller than me! Does sports 5-6 days a week.

2 x decent peanut butter on wholemeal toast
Squeezy yoghurt pouch
Satsuma
Chocolate brioche roll

Mozzarella and ham panini
Smaller pot Pringles
Galaxy chocolate bar
Apple

Hot dog at the football
Haribo at the football

Hoisin duck noodles with lots of veg
Melon pot
Apple

Will no doubt be down sniffing for a snack before bed!

Usually has lots of fruit and veg but we've been travelling today so not as great. Has also had a couple of fizzy drinks - it's the weekend!

My two ds would have eaten that much at that age.
They were already eating as much as me, if not more.
(also both very skinny so they needed that much food iyswim)

9yr old ds has eaten
3 x large frying pan sized pancakes with Nutella and a banana. Glass of milk.
Some sweets.
Roast dinner - lamb, 2 x yorkies, roast pots, brocolli, carrots, cauli cheese, gravy.
4 (4!!) Chocolate Brownie cake bars (the individually wrapped sort.
More sweets.
Ham sandwich, pringles, apple, muller corner, 3 x mikado sticks.

Been at the GPs hence all the sweets.

Btw I think if you are worried about the puppy fat, then it’s what he is eating rather than how much you should look at.
More vegs in particular, good proteins (a real must) etc….

My 11.5 year old son had
Breakfast bowl rice crispies and 2 slices of toast
Lunch cheese and peanut butter sandwich and apple
Dinner cheat night ate medium dominoes cheese pizza bar 1 slice (saving that for lunch tomorrow apparently) ice cream on cone for pudding
Snacks today Apple handful sugar snap peas mini peperami handful choc buttons, mini roll. 4 dislgestive biscuits to dip in his tea.
And thsi is all during a, non growth spurt. During growth spurt I think he practically moves to 5 meals a, day instead of 3 meals and 2 - 3 snack times
He doesn't do sports but likes to run about the park and does karate once a week.

I find that their appetites go up and down depending on growth, just like a toddler. Mine aren't big children, so probably don't eat as big portions but sometimes the snacking never ends.

That sounds like the right calories, but not an awful lot of food. If he had more fibre by way of fruit and veg in there he’d have felt a lot fuller.

My 9.5 year old has had:

Breakfast: no idea as I was asleep but certainly a piece of white toast with butter and marmite, and at least 1 bowl of some sort of cereal (cheerios, Shreddies, weetabix)

11am - mini cheddars

Lunch: subway - chicken, bacon, tomato

Cinema - lots of pick & mix

Lollipop at home, stolen from cupbaord
turkish delight, sneaked

dinner: 1 potato skin (so one half of a small jacket potato, with cheese on top)
broccoli and carrot
more Turkish delight

another bowl of cereal before bed

Pretty poor day if you ask me so you’re not alone! (And clearly an issue with sneaking food like his mother! Luckily siblings don’t seem to be the same). He’s slim and active.

A normal day for 11yo DD
Breakfast scrambled egg and toast, glass of fruit juice
Snack/lunch... sandwich, cereal bar, fruit, cucumber, biscuit
After school... biscuit or cake
Dinner... something like two sausages, mash and veg, or curry with rice (adult portion) followed by yoghurt. Maybe fruit.

She eats more than me! 13yo similar. On rugby days, she will have a bar snack after training.

My 10 yo DS eats loads - big bowl of cereal, cheese toastie, crisps and cocktail sausages, some sweets with a film, a big portion of vegetarian biryani with a whole naan bread and a banana. He's slim and active so I just let him get on with it! He was a crap eater as a toddler