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!

Think it too.much food to be honest. Think need to change the mindset re needing seconds. The original portion should be enough. I'd make that bigger. Instead of porridge every day, why not do wholemeal toast and eggs every other day.? As for school portions not being very substantial, he is no doubt right. Increasing the protein intake will help combat him being hungry.

You could boil some eggs and leave in fridge for snacks

Could he have a glass of milk with his dinner? And yoghurt for one of the snacks?

As a child my food was completly controlled. I didn't have any say or choice.

Once I moved out and had free reign, as I had no understanding of how to make good choices, my weight sky rocketed. Had weight issues for life until WLJ arrived.

Same for my siblings.

I know what you are doing is with the best intentions, but be careful.

(And even I would say he needs more protein, as protein satiates hunger while the body always wants more carbs).

To answer a previous poster - i wouldnt say that I have my own issues with food really other than being an average height/weight woman and obviously having to listen to society's opinions on women's bodies for 35 years! But I think that probably has crept into my ideas about how much is a 'reasonable' amount of food for a 7yo, and reading peoples comments on here has helped me to see what exactly im worrying about. I don't have any worries that he is unhealthy now and i wouldnt restrict his food ever, but it does seem like changing whats available woukd be a good idea. I just want to help him lay down good eating habits. So if he's hungry, what's good to reach for? From this thread I think lots of posters have it right - he's growing and hungry and his body needs more dense protein/fat than he's getting now.

Really appreciate your comments everyone, thanks for taking the time to respond

Could you sell some of your belongings OP in order to buy him more protein to eat? @Twelvehaysofmistcats

I could sell one of the other kids maybe?

Also, I hear you all about the control thing. Don't worry, im not controlling him in that way - theres lots of choice about what to eat around here and he has access to all the food we have. And although he loves sweets his sweet box goes untouched for days on end while he's mainlining crackers and peanut butter. Clearly he needs a lot more protein than I do, I now see that!

i grew up with a lot of food restrictions and it contributed to my weight issues today. So well done on avoiding that instinct.

My kids eat a lot more than some of their friends - at least from what I can see - and my daughter in particular goes through stages where she eats constantly. She’s 12 and a dancer and just needs a lot of calories. She has her fair share of rubbish as I don’t restrict her eating, but over the years she’s learned that some foods help her feel better for longer and she instinctively reaches for those.

I think loads more protein and way fewer carbs as you’ve already figured out yourself. Glasses of full fat milk if he’ll drink that, cubes of cheese, loads of different meats, peanut butter, hummus, various nuts to snack on… etc.

I grew up vegetarian but when my brother was a teenager my mom would make giant roast meats and slice them up for him to snack on all week as it was just impossible to keep him full and he was growing so quickly.

If he’s exercising a lot plus so so much growth at this time (pre puberty) and all his stats are fine, nothing to worry about.

If he’s tall then I wouldn’t worry. My ds (just turned 4) often eats more than me!

However he’s very tall for his age. Lean but solid and very broad shoulders.

XH is 6”8 and same structure. He used to eat loads too and was slim but muscular.

If you want him to eat more protein, a cost effective way is batch cook and bulk up mince meat with lentils and other high protein beans.

My son turned 7 this month and is 131cm. Definitely not unheard of and he's not the tallest in his class.

It's most likely he is a hungry growing boy who needs a bit more protein and fats and fewer carbs, but just the slightest chance it is something more - my DD has always eaten like this and is 9th-25th centile height and weight. Nursery and school commented on how much she eats. Health visitor and doctor told me not to be silly she is fine.
We found out eventually that she has a congenital heart condition that means she is burning huge amounts of energy every day. Totally treatable now we know, and I'm saving up for the amount of food she will need to get through puberty! I am so glad I kept pushing.

I haven’t read the full thread (sorry) but just wanted to pick up on one thing: you mentioned he eats a
lot of peanut butter but that’s actually a really poor source of protein, it’s mostly fat. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as your lad obviously isn’t overweight but if you’re assuming he’s getting enough protein because he eats it, he’s probably not.

My grandson used to eat the equivalent of an adults portion for his main meal at 4! His sister was pretty much the same but from an older age. I couldn't believe how much he could eat.
Both of them are at senior school now, neither has a weight problem, they're both tall and on the thinner side and they still eat loads.

Asking the obvious, but have you wormed him?

Satiety comes from protein and fibre, not carbohydrates.

Reduce the carbs and replace with eg greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts. Maybe try porridge followed by scrambled eggs.

Google options to provide a mix of protein and fibre.

Protein can be added to porridge via nut butters, nuts and seeds and cacao.

Make him a smoothie with ground up chia seeds/hemp/greek yogurt/fruit/milk.

Add tofu/meat as extra protein to his bean stew etc.

I wouldn't worry too much about the protein, kids are fuelled by carbs and fats unlike adults, who need more protein.

I would give him more good fats though, Greek yogurt, butter etc.

Maybe just try to dial down the food worry in general.

Feed him good meals, then let kids help themselves to toast and fruit if still hungry afterwards.

It doesn't have to be complicated. A good enough diet is good enough.

Avoid too much processed food and pure sugar. Dont start obsessing about anything else.

Pepperami, polish sausage, cheese, ham, chicken, full fat yoghurt are much better for protein than nuts and seeds.

Agree with other posters who have asked - could it be worms? How long has he been eating this way?

Could just be a healthy appetite, but definitely worth a worming tablet to see if that changes anything.

Agree completely. Sounds like he’s eating way too much fruit. Whilst fruit isn’t “ bad” for you , it’s full of sugar so he will get massive glucose spikes later in the day and then feel hungry.

Could you increase the protein and reduce the carbs? Porridge doesn’t work for me or DD, DH thinks it does but he’s always hungry after eating it.

I switched to Greek yogurt with nuts and fruit, or homemade granola which I make with lots of nuts and seeds.

My DD, adult now, has eggs for breakfast. When she’s on early’s I prepare a frittata with vegetables and sausage or bacon and cheese. It’s easy to reheat in the morning.

You mentioned pasta for dinner - I could live on pasta- what do you cook with it?

I wouldn’t say it’s the quantity that’s the problem but it’s the type of food he’s eating. Especially if he’s playing sports. He needs more protein and healthy carbs/green veg. High protein and slow release carbs at breakfast.

Yes he's been wormed! Dinner always includes a lot of veg (many kinds) and something like beans/cheese/eggs/fish, sometimes meat (mostly that woukd be a piece of meat, sausages only occasionally), then whatever carbs, whole wherever possible. So pasta would be with veg sauce and cheese, or lentil bolognese, that sort of thing. In general we eat well, but his hunger has meant that he's just cramming down whatever is there, and I was kinda prepared for that when he's a teenager but surprised at it at 7

Anyway I am boiling eggs as an after sport snack this morning instead of unleashing the crackers so hopefully the protein advice given here will help feed him better!

NUts and seeds come with healthy fats and other nutrients that processed meats do not contain.