Is this enough food for a pre-teen boy?

[Bluedoor11]

My DS is nearly 12. Recently he’s been saying that he’s hungry all the time so wondering if I need to change his diet, or perhaps just give him bigger portions?? If he’s like that now, what is he going to be in 2-3 years time! 😂

As an example, today he’s eaten:

Breakfast - bowl of shreddies with milk
Snack - mini flapjack and apple
Lunch - home made broccoli, red pepper, and sweet potato soup with bread roll.
Snack - 2 crumpets with butter
Dinner - cauliflower stew with boiled potatoes and 2 boiled eggs (sounds odd but it’s a traditional recipe from where I come from!)
Supper - another bowl of shreddies 🤦🏻‍♀️ and a bit of an Easter chocolate egg.
Drinks - just water.
All adult portions.

This is probably a standard day for him, minus the chocolate. He’s active (couple of sports and plays out with friends) but nothing significant. Weight-wise he’s totally fine.
I know breakfast should be better and have tried adding protein like omelettes etc but he’s not into that at all.

I’m a worrier, so of course I’m now worrying that I’m not feeding him enough, or that I’m feeding him too much! Stupid brain 🙄

Anyway, what’s your opinion lovely and wise mumsnetters?

My daughter is 12 and would eat more than that. She’s super active and eats nonstop. Lots of peanut butter so might be worth a try?

otherwise agree with everyone - lots of carbs and not a lot of protein. I’d add some to every meal to be honest.

Thank you all! OK it seems I need to add more protein! He does it chicken, we often make him chicken sandwiches for lunch. Also I tend to add red lentils to soups (but I didn’t have any today!). But he doesn’t really like red meat - he will eat it if in front of him, but he’s not very keen. He’s also pretty tricky with snacks - he doesn’t like toasts (I mean, who doesn’t like toasts!), nutty spreads, any kind of cheese, not a big fan of pasta either, no cold meat of any kind including ham (he does eat chicken sandwiches but has to be roasted chicken 🙄) etc.

So I feel very limited with his snacks …

Porridge is probably more filling than shreddies.

More carbs and protein to fill him up. Bananas and peanut butter are great snacks.

Ohh I like the idea of wraps thanks. What fillings do you usually have?

Oh and for a specific example today she had (I think)
breakfast - bowl of porridge with raisins and an apple
snack - peanut butter sandwich
lunch - snack sausage things, bread roll, cucumbers, tomatoes, crisps, a couple biscuits and a clementine
snack - peanut butter toast (she isn’t a huge cheese fan either so we go through a ‘lot’ of peanut butter)
dinner - bbq chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli - had the same amount as my husband and went back for more (she was at dance camp all day so was ravenous)
couple biscuits later on

I grew up in a house with a lot of food restrictions and I have a terrible relationship with food and am overweight. I am trying to break this cycle for my kids so they can eat whatever they want most of the day (with some rules!). I am lucky to not have to worry about the money, but it still surprises me how much they get through. I think my son eats more than yours and he’s 8 - but my kids are really active so it depends on how much he’s doing too. My daughter mostly manages her own food - she makes her breakfast, lunch and snacks and serves up her own dinners so she can have as much as she likes. My son unfortunately has more of a sweet tooth so we need a bit more structure for him.

Greek yogurt, nuts, berries and honey?

More typical would be:
Breakfast
2 bowls cereal + banana

Snack
Flapjack & apple & handful nuts

lunch
Soup with 2 or 3 rolls, possibly with some sliced chicken for protein

Snack
2 crumpets w butter & nutella
Handful dried apricots

Dinner
Not a bad maincourse but probable bigger portion and could you make it with bone broth to boost the protein?

Do a hearty proper english pudding like apple pie & custard or jam roly poly. Something to stick to the ribcage.

Sounds good. We don’t usually eat dessert but my husband makes an amazing apple crumble so will ask him to make it more often. 😁

I have a Greek husband who goes overboard with food but generally:

falafel, avocado (into guacamole), Hellim cheese fried (yum- my daughter doesn’t like cheese either but does like this), roasted or fried peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, hummus, fried chicken substitutes (vegetarian). Greek flatbreads or normal wraps. Mayonnaise.

This goes down well with my daughter who is fussy with food so can just pick whatever she wants

Protein and fat will be more satiating- would he try Greek yoghurt with berries and maybe oats and toasted seeds; peanut butter; smoked salmon and cream cheese; cheese and crackers; tuna sandwiches; pancake stack made with eggs, yoghurt or cottage cheese and oats; sardines on toast; boiled eggs for snacks.

Amazing thank you all, loads of good ideas here. Please keep them coming! 😊

Could it be he's secretly binning the healthy food and you should buy him some crisps?

Otherwise, maybe more quinoa

It doesn't sound like a lot for a growing boy tbh ,good there is healthy veggies. There needs to be more added at each course and definitely more protein. I find my dc is really hungry if I've just given soup and bread at lunch .

Boys eat like horses. Yes, it will get worse as his growth spurt really kicks in. He's not eating lots of chocolate/sweets/crisps & isn't overweight, so all good. Just carry on feeding him well, maybe a bit more protein. Let him have free access to fruit & vegetables and then just hope he leaves home by the time he's 25 or he'll bankrupt you.

If he's always hungry and slim/healthy weight then of course he needs more food.

Do you give him pocket money or money in exchange for chores? Most kids that age do tend to have a bit of cash that they spend on snacks from outside the house.

The meals you supply sound very healthy but not that protein rich.
Can you not just either give him a budget for his own snacks or just buy a bunch of stuff he can help himself to whenever he feels like it.

Obviously fruit, veg etc as well as crisps, pretzels, cheese, maybe ramen noodles, beans or spaghetti hoops on toast? Things he can prepare or eat easily. I hope you've taught him how to cook some basic things?

Have you asked him what he would like? He might have some fixed ideas about what would fill him up! (He might also say a big bag of sweeties every day, so I'd make it clear you are asking for suggestions not a shopping list!)

T really depends on his weight which you haven’t clarified - if he’s podgy it’s one thing , if it’s super skinny another

many kids develop a sweet tooth and feel hungry as a result or just like to push mothers and food is always a great one to get a reaction

but kids also go through growth phases where extra is needed

there’s about 17g protein in a pint of milk so with all that cereal there’s a good start on protein. The nhs work on 45g protein per day for a child of that age ( sex differences appear about 14 )

@andtheworldrollson OP said in the first post that he’s fine weight wise so presumably in normal range.

I agree with PP’s a boy that age will need more protein to feel full.

oh my reading skills !

I think they're just up and down with how much they eat at this age. My DS has just turned 13 and sometimes he'll eat loads and other times not so much so I just go with it. He also might just be feeling snacky as he's at home more during the holidays. Some things DS likes (some healthy and some less so!) are:

Avocado and poached eggs on toast
Olives
Pepperami or Kabanossi (polish salami type sticks from Lidl)
Banana milkshake made with frozen banana blended with milk
Hot chocolate
Bagels with butter and marmite or other toppings
Pancakes with lemon and sugar
Fishfinger or chicken nugget type wraps with sweet chilli sauce and lettuce
Noodle pots (you can add a bit of chicken to up protein) or instant type ramen
Sushi (bit expensive but he likes as a treat!)
Full fat greek yoghurt with honey and fruit

“Not putting on too much weight”?

he’s 11. He will be growing hugely in the next few years, and putting on a lot of weight.

if he doesn’t put on much weight while growing he will end up severely underweight and probably malnourished.

weight is not a good measure in children.

the guidelines I was given with pre teen dd by a dietician:

eat to appetite
eat 80% healthy, 20% can be treats.
cook from scratch where possible.
eat a bit of everything, balance is key.

lastly you cannot tell where they are in a growth phase so calorie counting, quantities and weight can’t be calculated.

You said he's not keen on red meat, does that also exclude mince?
Things like bolognese are great with baked potatoes, and you can chuck red lentils in there. Shepherds pie is easy to bulk up. Enchiladas with a bean filling.

Would he eat fish? I'm thinking about tuna mayo sandwiches. Frittatas are easy to make a big one and add a slice to lunch or to have as a snack.

If he's not overweight etc let him eat as much (mostly) healthy food as he wants this is a BIG growing phase, at least per my just turned 13yo boy. Doesn't stop eating from morning til night and skinny as anything (but v tall) eats at LEAST twice as much as his parents! never doesn't wan more food but thankfully not a sugar addict like his siblings!

i'm guessing you dont have a boy this age? They are a bottomless pit! Not to be condescending but i was blown away when my eldest (skinny 13yo) started to increase is calory count (always big eater) went to BK w Nanny the other day (I know, MN shaming, and got the biggest double double (or whatever) with two extra 'patties'- gone in less than 10 m- and then multiple snacks, cheerios thereafter, Eating us out of house and home!