To think people (especially children) don’t need to be eating constantly?

[constantlyeating]

NC because I am going to get flamed for this.

I’m wondering whether this is why we have an obesity crisis. We are all constantly snacking!

For children it seems to have become: breakfast, morning break snack, school lunch, snack on the way back from school, dinner and then another something before bed— if not more often.

Does anyone have just 3 meals a day anymore? What ever happened to food only being eaten at the table?

I consider us to have a really good diet but one of my dc had to see a dietician due to underlying health condition and we had to do a food diary. She thought it was weird that we didn't have 'afters' after every meal!

I got gut inflammation and bloating suddenly at 40. I have cured it by fasting all day. I can’t say that I am much thinner but much healthier and happier for it. Doctoes even recommend 800 cal diets for curing illnesses such as diabetes. So for me, not eating is great. The kids however, are skinny with high metabolism and need to eat every few hours or they feel tired and hungry. So, I can see every point of view. Personally, I don’t see myself ever going back to three meals a day and snacks. It’s so much food!

@BogRollBOGOF

Grazing is the issue rather than a planned, concious snack/ light meal.

It is easy to sink into a cycle of eating something that causes a spike and crash in blood sugars then repeating through the day.

Yes. There used to be conscious, planned snacks - 'elevenses' (mid-morning) and 'supper' (in the sense of something light before bed, not the modern use as an informal evening meal). These have been replaced by grazing.

I don't think a couple of structured snacks is inherently a problem. Especially if it's fruit or veg say mid morning and mid afternoon and part of a routine. What is very problematic is kids that say "I'm hungry" and have access to food every time. They never learn to be a bit hungry. I also hate seeing children in pushchairs with food or children walking along with their hands stuffed in crisp packets. I also hate seeing kids being fed just to keep them quiet.

The constant mindless eating is definitely a major problem with childhood obesity.

@Kanaloa

I don’t know why people act like this is a brand new thing that just started in recent years.

When I was a kid it was

Breakfast - sugary cereal
Play piece at school - crisps and fruit shoot
Lunch - school lunch
Dinner - something chips and beans
Supper - tea and toast, usually with jam

My kids eat way healthier than I did, and so do the majority of children I know. The biggest difference is that my kids walk less/play out less. Their exercise is mainly coming from extra curricular clubs, and a lot of children in my area don’t do sports clubs/activities.

You don't say how old you are but you mention having 'fruit shoots' when you were at school, so your childhood can't have been that long ago.

I can see what you're saying but sometimes there is a long time between meals. A lot of the general advice for a healthy lifestyle states that it's good to eat regularly, but less. So "grazing" is actually pretty healthy if you are eating healthy foods and not too much of them.

If you have lunch at 12.30 and dinner at 7.30 that's 7 hours without eating anything, which is actually quite a long time if you are physically active or busy doing a lot.

A healthy snack between those two meals isn't going to cause obesity.

Mindlessly eating crisps and chocolate would.

There's a balance but there is with meals as well, which for some people are carb and fat heavy and bigger than we need.

Could be.

But I only eat 3 meals a day and walk a lot.

I'm still fat

I have porridge or crumpets for breakfast or a banana.

Homemade soup, fruit and yoghurt for lunch.

Dinner is always healthy but really varies and is always a small portion.

I'd hate to think if I added snacks what my weight would be.

I'm desperate to lose it and really trying hard but I'm just not. I do wonder if the fact I'm on daily northisterone is affecting this.

@itsgettingwierd - it will be the norethisterone. Do you have endo/adenomyosis or fibroids? I have all 3 and even though I fast 18:6, don't eat puddings and walk up mountains i am stuck at 10.5 stone. If you are oestrogen dominant weight gain/loss is a constant battle, especially if you are taking hormone therapy. I went from 9.5 stone to 11 stone on the merina and then norethisterone. In all the endo support groups I am on, women report the same.

We KNOW that constant snacking/grazing is bad for us. We’re not designed to do it. My kids have always had three meals a day and only have snacks if they’re really hungry and it’s admittedly been a long time since lunch/breakfast. Other parents think I’m weird!

The trend I particularly hate is for parents to meet their child after school with a snack in hand. As if they can’t even wait until they get home ffs!

This is not a new thing. 40 years ago the pattern was the same, we had a snack at playtime, and a snack when we came home. The only difference is there are more high calorie, high sugar options available to people nowadays.

Snacking isn’t a bad thing, it depends what you snack on. Having snacks of fruit two or three times a day isn’t unhealthy.

The trend I particularly hate is for parents to meet their child after school with a snack in hand. As if they can’t even wait until they get home ffs!

Ever tried doing a 30 minute walk home with a 7 year old with low blood sugar? What difference does it make to your life if other parents choose to give a snack at the school gate?

We’re not designed to do it.

That’s just nonsense. If you snack when hungry, you are far less likely to overeat at mealtimes.

Mine don’t always have breakfast. Youngest isn’t really a breakfast person.

We have breakfast
Elevenses (time depends when they were up) or snack at playtime at school usually just food
Lunch
3 oclockses small snack
Dinner
7/8pm supper

Meals aren’t huge although my 11 year old must be having a growth spurt as he’s hungry all the time just now. I think if you’re mindful of what they are having, when they are having it isn’t such a big deal. They don’t just sit and eat all day long. And they don’t always have a snack.

Ahh good old Mumsnet. Home of competitive undereating and relentless threads about food and weight and fatties and who is 5 foot 5 and a size 8. It is so utterly tedious.

Like PP I don't think it's how many meals or snacks you eat each day that is definitive. Individuals have very different responses to snacking/fasting/getting hungry; I see it in the differences in my family members. Some get tired, brainfogged, emotional etc if there is too long between eating and blood sugar gets too low, others can go much longer and not experience any change in mood/energy levels. They're eating the same stuff they just process it differently. I really don't think it's a 1 size fits all thing.

@BoredZelda

The trend I particularly hate is for parents to meet their child after school with a snack in hand. As if they can’t even wait until they get home ffs!

Ever tried doing a 30 minute walk home with a 7 year old with low blood sugar? What difference does it make to your life if other parents choose to give a snack at the school gate?

We’re not designed to do it.

That’s just nonsense. If you snack when hungry, you are far less likely to overeat at mealtimes.

If a child is having a decent-sized packed lunch or hot dinner with plenty of protein then I don’t understand why they should have low blood sugar less than 3 hours later?

And we’re not designed to do it - our mitochondria are designed to have a break from being constantly fuelled. We are designed to eat, get hungry, then eat again, not snack every couple of hours. Three good meals a day with protein, veg and complex carbs should fill kids up for longer than an hour or two.

I think sometimes it’s chicken and egg - kids snack so they eat less at mealtimes so they’re hungry an hour later, so they snack and on it goes…

I think sometimes it’s chicken and egg - kids snack so they eat less at mealtimes so they’re hungry an hour later, so they snack and on it goes

Yes this is certainly true for my youngest who is also a fussy eater. She is always moaning that she is "hungry" and her dad gives in and lets her have a snack despite me saying she should wait sometimes. She can then afford to pick at her meals, eating tiny amounts and not trying new things because she knows she can hold out for the biscuit/banana/scoop of ice cream she will nag her dad for an hour later.

I was much stricter with eldest and husband wasn't as hands on in those days and he is much less fussy and eats substantial meals. (He currently snacks a lot as well but he's a very tall active and skinny teenager!)

It sounds right in theory but I don't think snacking is the problem. More likely a combination of portion sizes and lack of physical activity. When I worked as a nanny in France the children had 3 course lunches at school then had numerous snacks in the park after school followed by a 3 course dinner late in the evening. It sounds like a lot but the portions were small and the 3 courses were to keep their diet varied. The after school snacks were often biscuits and orange juice but I think the rest of their diet balanced it out. I didn't see a single overweight child while I was there.

When I was a child we would have been told 'no you'll spoil your appetite, have a drink of water' if we asked for snacks within about an hour of a mealtime. Fruit was always available though and that didn't count - as someone else said, funny how suddenly a snack isn't so essential when it's not that exciting!
This is going to sound mega judgey but a few years back we were at MILs about 30 mins from planned lunch time when my SIL and nephew arrived to join. Immediately they walked in MIL produced a ham sandwich for nephew to eat which he ate followed by offering a yoghurt which he didn't want. When we sat down to lunch surprise surprise he wasn't hungry but MIL and SIL seemed shocked and were coaxing him and worrying if he was ill. I said nothing but come on! The sandwich was a normal lunch for most adults! Multiple similar instances over the years too, it's like SIL thinks normal mealtimes don't apply for children.

If a child is having a decent-sized packed lunch or hot dinner with plenty of protein then I don’t understand why they should have low blood sugar less than 3 hours later?

You do know different bodies work in different ways, yes?

Children have always had milk and fruit at school break times - for literally decades- that’s not new and is necessary with smaller stomachs/helping concentration etc.

Adults should be able to manage on three meals a day - though they need to be filling, balanced and substantial to keep you going.

Very true. That's why there are so many obese people. Snacking on crap - morning, noon and night.

YANBU. Snacking culture is playing a major role in childhood obesity, and the whole pussyfooting around ‘fat shaming’. Kids should only snack if they have a genuine reason such as health etc

I eat lots of snacks .. but I eat small meals .. I don't like big meals especially in the evenings.. I think everyone is different and we just have to listen to our bodies. ... and I eat all over the place .. not just at a table ..

The trend I particularly hate is for parents to meet their child after school with a snack in hand. As if they can’t even wait until they get home ffs!

I used to notice this when my DC were at primary. I dont particularly have an issue with after school snacks (my kids often used to have them) but the school specifically asked for snacks not to be given at the classroom door/in the playground. Several people still persisted, mostly the ones who lived 2 min walk from school!

I am a big believer in keeping my weight at a good level by being hungry. I don't mean, miserable to the point of fainting hunger, but by the time my next meal us due I am genuinely hungry. I eat 3 times a day. I try and instill it in my kids too, although I do think they sometimes genuinely benefit from eating smaller, but more regularly. They tend to have, breakfast, early lunch, snack and then tea.