To think this is too much food for an 8yo?

[Twelvehaysofmistcats]

Not sure what im asking here exactly, maybe just a bit of perspective, but DS is 7 (sorry put 8 in title, hes not 8 it was a typo). Each day he eats

2 or 3 full bowls of porridge with fruit
3 or 4 big wholewheat crackers or fruit as morning snack
Lunch at home would be maybe 4 slices of wholemeal bread, loads of cheese or anything else protein-y, veg/salad, then if there was any bread left on the table he'd just finish it. At school he has school dinners but says they're not enough and he's hungry
After school 4 or 5 big wholewheat crackers with peanut butter, fruit, probably more crackers
Dinner is e.g pasta and sauce or whatever - its healthy but he'll have a full adult portion, then seconds, eats far more than even his dad. He'll pretty much cry unless dinner is something solid/filling - e.g. stew or soup has to have masses of bread or potatoes with it
Drinks water

He's on the tall side, solid but absolutely no spare flesh and you can see his ribs. Does a fair bit of sport. I'm not worried he's overweight at the moment, just that this is an insane amount for a kid that age to eat! I guess I worry that I should try to encourage him not to always have seconds/thirds as he's storing up problems for the future. Anyone have any experience of a kid like this?

YANBU - don't feed him so much, he needs to learn to stop (and youll go bankrupt when he's a teenager)

YABU - leave him alone, its totally fine for a 7yo to eat more than the rest of the family put together

Tank you!

How about popcorn as a snack? Homemade on the hob, not chemical laden microwave popcorn.

At least it’s a whole grain, and cheap.

I'd try to increase the eggs/protein snacks/yogurt/carrot and pepper slices with humus etc, swap out some of the carbs for slightly more nutritious things. Hard boiled eggs are especially filling, maybe one each breakfast would be good to introduce (if he's not sure about eggs then letting him use the egg slicer or a cute themed egg cup might help)

My son is 8 and eats non stop. He is a healthy weight (he is under a paed endo for an unrelated issue and they monitor his growth), never stops moving or eating!

If he says he’s hungry he will eat anything offered so I go with “he’s not just after sweets” when he’ll happily accept literally anything.

Maybe try high protein and see if it fills him more e.g. after school - ham slices, chicken snack pieces, quesadillas with chicken/turkey/beef, pepperamis?

Also as above worth checking fluid intake? My ds drinks like a fish (is tested regularly for diabetes) so not the issue here but possible it might curb it a bit.

My mum comments that one of my cousins as an older teen was 6’4” and played a lot of sports and ate a box of cereal a day… I dread the next 10 years 😂

From what you described, he seems to be eating a lot of carbs (ie porridge, bread, crackers, pasta). Carbs will make him hungrier. He'll be getting a burst of energy followed by a big dip.

Instead of porridge for breakfast, give him something that is higher in protein and fat. And don't give him anything sweet or sugary.

Thank you to the previous posters, im glad i did post as lots of people making this point about protein and giving him things that will make him feel fuller quicker, I agree and will try to come up with some better options (maybe scrap my plan of nicking the dog's Kong ball to slow him down)

Sounds like empty food. Lots of crackers. Maybe try some more filling stuff- quality over quantity. Get the 10% fat greek yogurt, dates and nuts- have some tuna mixed in the fridge so he can have 2 crackers with big spoons of tuna instead of 4 plain. Eggs. Big pot of bean stew, give him a bowl when he's hungry.

Boys just like girls bulk up a while before puberty and get a little chubby. That’s what’s happened with me and my friends kids. It’s a big growth stage , I found anyway. Then they grow into it and then slim down again.

Problem is kids who eat too much often get taller quicker - their bodies use the extra fuel to do the growth they would have done later now. If you don’t eat much meat then try eggs - good quality filling protein. And up activity levels to encourage good habits.

It definitely is a lot of food but my dd was always like this, she had a nickname of wheely for a fair while, like wheely bin because you can fill her full of any and all food 😂she settled down around 9 and eats like a bird now...

She's also very tall for her age and is slight in frame. I guess if you're not concerned about his weight and he seems fine and not ill then he just has a massive appetite due to growing probably. Good luck in the teenage years, they're insane with food.

That's SO MUCH carbs! Way way too much 😳

If he's hungry give him protein, fruit , veg

If he’s active then he’ll need to keep fuelled - wait till he’s a teenager they never stop eating! carbs fruit and crackers will not fill him up that’s why he’s so hungry he needs way more protein.

The carbs probably make him hungry. High blood sugar triggers hunger hormone (ghrelin) in many people and can lead to a self-perpetuating cycle where people crave the very thing causing them problems.

He should have more balance = more protein and fat.

It sounds like a lot. In fact, he's eating more than an adult male it seems.

You didn't mention pudding, sweets,.chocolates and sweetened drinks? What about takeaways and eating out? I doubt he is having zero of these so maybe you're being selective in your reporting.

Is the breakfast porridge sweetened? Is he having porridge for breakfast everyday? No toast and jam, Coco pops, pancakes?

It could be that he's on a blood sugar roller coaster by all of the high simple carb meals. The bread, oats, potatoes, crackers and pasta you mention would indicate this. Simple carbs lead to a spike and then a drop in blood sugar levels resulting in hunger/cravings soon after a meal. It's the pathway to diabetes.

I would focused on replacing quantity with quality. Maybe move away from porridge to something higher in fibre and protein like Weetabix or Shreddies. Also try and introduce regular egg based breakfasts like boiled eggs, scrambled eggs.

Switch the toast from wholemeal to wholemeal seeded.

Swap the crackers for nuts or cheese.

Even though you say he's slim and not overweight, there could be something going on related to blood sugar without excessive weight gain.

Also it could just be that he's a growing and tall lad who plays alot of sport and has a big appetite. But still, the amount of food you say he's eating is beyond that.

Also, avoid low-fat products as the fat is replaced with sugar, which just makes things worse.

It does seem a lot of food OP. I have ds 8 and 10, also tall, I thought they ate a lot! But I could probably feed both of them on that.

He sounds like a healthy, hungry, growing boy. There's nothing wrong with the carbs and you seem to be doing the right thing in trying to steer him towards the healthier side of them. As said you can also give him more protein, and also try slower release carbs like sweet potato, and add things like black beans to his meals. But it doesn't sound that extreme to me, some children are just like that, and some are like that intermittently. There's a reason there's long been a running joke about boys eating parents out of house and home.

“He does have a lot of veg/protein (peanut butter goes on in a carpet, i do the enforced carrot sticks etc to fill him up)”

He eats the peanut butter on a carpet?!

That sounds filling but very expensive 😂.

I'm now pretty sure its the protein here - he does get a reasonable amount (always has lots of cheese/beans/humous at lunch and a protein part of dinner) but probably needs more. I think nuts/seeds, different kinds of humous and eggs as snacks is probably where we can easily start. I recognise theres way too many crackers - looking at the empty packets in the cracker box was maybe what made me post this!

But to answer a previous poster - no, he doesn't have jam, puddings, coco pops etc. Of course he has some sweets and chocolate but theyre not an everyday thing. The sugar he's getting is from carbs and fruit, hopefully swapping these out for high protein and maybe a bit more good fat will slow him down and help him be healthier. Thanks all

My DD ate like this, still does and is size 6 in clothes.

I don't think it matters that he eats a lot of healthy food, which all of this is, but agree that it sounds like he could be eating more protein, healthy fats and veg, all of which would be more satiating. For cheaper protein I would go for eggs, baked beans, other pulses (could you make a bit vat of lentil stew or dahl that he could help himself to all week?).

130 isn’t tall for a 7 year old, my 6 year old is about 130, he is similar heights to his year group and even kids that are taller than him in his year group

im shocked at the many bowls of porridge he has, that seems like loads. I’m not too shocked about adult size portion for dinner, as my other child at 7yrs would eat adult portion for dinner. But if you’re saying he is eating way more than his dad.

have you tried giving him other foods such as rice for dinner, it would get him fuller for longer.

Agree about more protein and veg less carbs

It is a lot of food though. Any sign of gastro issues/frequent poos ? Just wondering if some of it is going straight through and not getting absorbed?

Olives are another filling good fat.

Are you sure he isn't diabetic??

My grand daughter. Endless pit. She’s in 99 percentile whatever that means but she not over weight at all but she’d eat forever.