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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think there should be more healthy snacks

38 replies

LovelyTeacakes · 04/04/2019 10:10

I have two teenage sons who eat for England at the moment as they are both shooting up. They graze in-between meals has they are always hungry.

I'm finding it increasingly hard to find nutritious filling snacks to bulk out their lunch box. Supermarkets are filled with processed meat, cheese straws, crisps, sweet cereal bars etc etc. They only get a 45 minute lunch so it needs to be quick and easy.

Then we don't eat usually till 6:30 so they are starving after school. Again filling nutritious snacks are needed.

They do have toast or crackers sometimes but seem to crave unhealthy food.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
BarbaraofSevillle · 04/04/2019 10:17

There are plenty of healthy snacks. However, you may find that these are not what your DC want to eat, they take preparation time or require refridgeration, or are more expensive than things like crisps and cereal bars.

For lunchboxes, how about cheese, nuts or egg muffins, which can be made in batches as last a few days in the fridge.

After school they can make omelettes, egg or beans on toast, eat cottage cheese, normal cheese, instant noodles, or even crack on and make the evening meal so they can eat it quicker than you doing it after work if that’s the problem.

WeepingWillowWeepingWino · 04/04/2019 10:19

make your own. It's really not hard to make nutritious healthy filling food.

You seem to think that it's a supermarket's job to do this. It isn't.

TheViceOfReason · 04/04/2019 10:22

What do you want supermarkets to have?

I'm genuinely baffled by this post.

Fruit? Veg? Boiled eggs? Cooked chicken? Houmous? Cheese? Nuts? Make a cold pasta salad?

There are literally all the ingredients / components / snacks you could want in a supermarket.

fitzbilly · 04/04/2019 10:29

You can eat any food as a snack though? Just give them more food. My teen makes wraps for lunch, filled with things like chicken, humous, lots of salad. He just makes two, one he eats at lunch and one he eats after school before his clubs start.

fitzbilly · 04/04/2019 10:32

Pasta salad is also really good. Make ( or get them to make) a big load of it and put it on Tupperware in the fridge door then to help themselves to after school. You can do similar with couscous salad or bulgar wheat.

bsc · 04/04/2019 10:32

Larger portions of proper food?
Snacking is unhealthy, surely.

blueskiesovertheforest · 04/04/2019 10:35

Fruit, vegetables, interesting seeded bread sandwiches with salad and whole chicken breast...

My oldest boy eats vast quantities of porridge when home alone. He taught DH how to make it for the youngest last week when I was away...

There's a bigger selection of crap pseudo healthy snacks than ever before, but fruit and vegetables and sandwiches with unprocessed fillings on good bread do the job.

Home77 · 04/04/2019 10:37

My teenage boy sometimes makes himself beans on toast or a cheese sandwich if he's hungry after school. he also likes flapjacks

SudoWouldnt · 04/04/2019 10:39

I'd be more concerned about them "shooting up".

Home77 · 04/04/2019 10:39

Scones also go down well

blueskiesovertheforest · 04/04/2019 10:42

Or lovely teacakes, served toasted and buttered Grin
Sorry.

Babuchak · 04/04/2019 10:46

you'd be better of giving them a proper lunch and a small meal after school. Mine don't eat diner before 7:30-8pm, they have a proper snack after school.

Crisps and convenient food are not filling at all! They don't need that at lunch.

Babuchak · 04/04/2019 10:47

lovely teacakes, served toasted and buttered
GrinGrinGrin

slightly more challenging to put on a lunch/ snack box though!

viques · 04/04/2019 10:48

bsc exactly. Admittedly I have never been a teenage boy with hollow legs but this parental obsession with nutritionally unnecessary snacks is possibly the most successful advertising ploy since sliced bread. When I was a child we chowed down on a bit of dinosaur leg, filled up on potatoes, had a slice of pudding and custard, and that was it until the next meal.

Original poster
LovelyTeacakes · 04/04/2019 10:49

Thanks. Some great ideas.

It might seem like a dumb question but I've been struggling since stopping baking when my daughter was diagnosed with coeliac disease. I used to make lots homemade but I can't because of cross contamination. Also they obviously see their friends eating junk!

They struggle with anything awkard to eat as they seem to eat lunch a corridor or where-ever they can find space.

OP posts:
Snog · 04/04/2019 10:50

High protein food is more filling, try upping their protein intake with boiled eggs, tuna, nuts, cheese, kofta etc

Original poster
LovelyTeacakes · 04/04/2019 10:51

Those saying no snacks when we were growing up. My Mum was really strict but I still remember having a snack after school?!

OP posts:
Home77 · 04/04/2019 10:52

Do the others have coeliac? You can get gluten free flours and things not sure how good they are though

Babuchak · 04/04/2019 10:53

nothing stops you from baking gluten-free cakes or cooking gluten-free food for everybody!

For things like wrap, you buy normal ones and gluten-free ones, just put the same filling in them.

Babuchak · 04/04/2019 10:55

Those saying no snacks when we were growing up. My Mum was really strict but I still remember having a snack after school?!

I did too, usually a smoothie (can't remember what they were called back them, but that's what they were Grin), sometimes pancakes, fruits, veg sticks, slice of homemade cakes or savoury ones.

Original poster
LovelyTeacakes · 04/04/2019 10:57

Wraps is a good idea. And making double - that could work.

Sorry for drip feed but one boy is autistic so we have some extra challenges with being fussy!

OP posts:
RosaWaiting · 04/04/2019 11:00

"Shooting up" also alarmed me Grin

seriously, what about making a huge spanish omelette type thing, that can be cut into slices? In a large deep frying pan, then cut into slices. Might be a more filling lunch.

Original poster
LovelyTeacakes · 04/04/2019 11:07

"Shooting up" also alarmed me Grin

LOL I am so sheltered I hadn't even heard of that!

OP posts:
WeepingWillowWeepingWino · 04/04/2019 11:10

Ignore the 'there were no snacks in my day' crowd - elevenses and tea have existed for decades.

ChubbyMummy12 · 04/04/2019 11:15

Doves farm flour is good for gluten free baking, I'm coeliac too and that's what I use and it makes good cakes.
What about rice cakes to snack on? Aldi do lovely chocolate covered rice cake bars, they're gluten free too. Fish sticks, boiled eggs, pasta salad, quiche, yogurts, nuts, cold meats- gammon, chicken etc, Cheese.?