8 year old girl always hungry!

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My 8.5yr old DD is always saying she’s hungry and asking for food. She’s not currently overweight and she does sporty clubs 3 times a week, but I’m conscious it seems like she’s constantly eating and I don’t want her to become unhealthy. She is my eldest so I have no reference point.
Example of today’s food -
breakfast - small bowl of strawberries & blueberries, yoghurt, cheese, banana
snacks - apple, bag of popcorn,
lunch - 2 poached eggs on toast, crisps
dinner will be chicken with rice and veg but I know she will ask for about 20 snacks before then
I don’t restrict food (if she says she’s hungry I offer fruit, yoghurt, cheese string etc) and I don’t deny her stuff like sweets/biscuits, we eat out fairly regularly at kid friendly places like pizza express so she doesn’t see food as something that’s scarce and she needs to fill up on when she has the chance, it just seems like whatever I give her she’s never satisfied 😂 and I’m wondering if this is typical for her age and growth spurts or not?
What do your 8/9 year old girls eat?
Thanks!

If she's hungry, more protein, carbs and healthy fats may be helpful.

Can you add in some sausages, bacon or eggs, and some sorta bread to breakfast? Add peanut butter or hummus to snacks? Add a few protein-heavy options to snacks - swap yoghurts for greek yoghurts, add in some salami or deli meat, crackers and cheese.

I buy a shitload of cheap fruit (apples and bananas, satsumas) and then chop up cucumber, peppers, cheese, chicken pieces. watermelon etc to have in tubs. and we always have plain crackers, breadsticks, houmous and kids are allowed to just help themselves. It’s hard to overeat on genuinely nourishing food, especially for children, so I wouldn’t be too worried about how much she’s eating if it’s healthy stuff.

Yes I think that the breakfast isn’t substantial enough. Fruit and yoghurt isn’t enough to start the day.

She needs some solid carbs like toast. And something like ham or eggs with that, or if not then a protein rich spread like marmite.

I think the meals just aren’t substantial enough. Nothing wrong with some toast and marmite as a snack too!

That does not sound a huge amount ? I would add a slice of wholemeal toast and butter or nut butter with breakfast ( it’s quite high sugar )

vegetables with the lunch - carrot sticks or fried tomatoes

if she is energetic and healthy weight she could easily need more than you to eat

And milk to drink ?

Put her on mounjaro ojoj lol

OP, I have a girl who will be 8 next month, highly active. Typical food for her -

Breakfast of 2 Weetabix with whole milk, homemade brown bread toast with butter and honey or an egg, cup of milk

Lunch - whole carrot, various other sliced raw veg, cheese (proper cheese not "strings"), seedy crackers, fruit and then a sweet treat such as homemade jam tart or flapjack

Dinner - proper hot dinner like spaghetti and meatballs with homemade pasta sauce, toad in the hole, salmon with potatoes and steamed veg, followed by fruit

Hot mik at bedtime

Generally, zero snacks unless for a treat when we are out. And she is VERY active.

I think if your LO is asking for snacks that is a sign she needs filling up at meals really with proper food.

Another one saying I would reduce some of the fruit (not all obviously) and add some carbs or more filling protein. Especially for breakfast.

If she doesn't like porridge, why not go continental? Add some cold meats, cheeses etc for breakfast, with toast, croissants, full fat natural yoghurt? Or as some have said, a bacon or sausage sandwich every now and again is a sure way to fill up - especially if she has a particularly active day ahead,.

The quest by some to avoid all carbs and only eat fruit and steamed veg is not good for children!

Oh, and I would try to avoid the constant snacking. But to do that, you need to ensure she is getting all her calorie requirements from her meals (and nutrition). One snack after school (especially if going on to an activity) should be enough.

Baked beans on toast is another good solid breakfast or lunch.
When you say cheese, is she having real cheese with bread/crackers or cheese strings? According to Google a cheese string is around 60c calories? Not a very hearty snack
An apple or berries would be about the same.

I would go for improving the meals rather than loads more snacks, but if you do want snacks then some sturdier options might be

Apple with chunks of cheddar
Yoghurt with berries and honey
Toast with peanut butter and banana (or maybe apple dipped in peanut butter, but can't say I'm a fan personally)

So out of curiosity I input the day you listed into a calorie tracker and it comes out to around 1200.
Obviously that is massively variable depending on the size portions she has had of things like the toast and rice and chicken, it maybe be much less or more,
Which Google tells me is on the low end for an 8 year old, and that will very hugely depending on activity and growth spurts.
So it doesn't sound like she is having a large amount of food to me. If she is a healthy weight and asking for more food rather than just more junk food (sweet stuff and salty snacks) then it seems likely she is just hungry!

Homemade American style pancakes made with wholemeal flour and Greek yogurt are a good breakfast for mine when they don't fancy cereal. I batch cook and freeze them so they're not a hassle to quickly bung a few in the microwave when needed. I just make a few large ones and cut them up. Also my youngest currently enjoying cheese on toast for breakfast along with some fruit and a glass of milk and that seems to fill her up a fair bit. The food you've listed definitely doesn't sound that much!

I know you said she doesn't like porridge, but it's such a good breakfast to avoid hunger. Do you know what is it about porridge that she doesn't like - Texture? Flavour? Heat?
I'm guessing that if she also doesn't like cereal it's the texture?

Couple of options that could deal with that: either wizz your oats in a food processor so the porridge is then much smoother when you make it.
Make oat bars packed with nuts/fruit/seeds instead (use honey rather than golden syrup) and have with a drink of milk. You can make big batches, freeze them and reach a couple out to defrost overnight.

If it's flavour, then that's an even easier fix as you can add pretty much anything to porridge to change the flavour.

If porridge is still a no-go then what about beans in toast for breakfast?

I agree with the above posters that you need more carbs. This is a typical school days food for my daughter's (just turned 9 and 6). Both very sporty and active, rarely complain of hunger unless it's about 10 mins before dinner or in the case of the eldest when she's actually thirsty!

Breakfast: bowl porridge made with either full fat cows milk or oat milk. Added into porridge: prune purée, frozen tropical fruit, nuts, a banana. Sometimes they have peanut butter and banana instead.

Eldest takes fruit or seeded crackers as a snack (alternates days); youngest sometimes has free school fruit, but not often.

Lunch: Cucumber or tomatoes, portion of fruit, sandwich on homemade poppyseed bread - fillings alternate between: tahini, red pepper houmous, cheese, marmite, very occasionally meat leftovers from a roast.

There isn't often time for a snack before activities, but when they do have one it's either carrot/celery sticks plus dip (houmous, tahini, peanut butter, cream cheese) or a carb (crumpets, toast, English muffins, wrap, bagel, Staffordshire oatcake, crackers) with a spread or cheese. My eldest has also started getting into having a bowl of unsalted nuts - pistachios and cashews are her favourite. Snack is accompanied by a glass of milk.
Out and about snacks included mini cheddars, veggie straws, seeded oatcakes but they don't have any of them very often.

Dinner is very varied but always includes a protein, carb and lots of veg. Dessert is normally plain Greek yoghurt, but sometimes it's rice pudding or unsweetened custard (made with milk and Birds custard powder). After dinner they often have a 'treat' : something from their chocolate box, biscuit, small cake.

Hope that helps 😊

That's the amount of food I'd give a toddler not a very active 8 year old. If your child is always hungry then you feed her better. Carbs, protein, fruit and veg. Bread and carbs is fine, wish people would remember this.

Yeah the breakfast is very high sugar. My DC has things like egg on toast, Egg wrap (mix egg, fry for a few mins and serve in a tortilla wrap with ketchup) Ham & Cheese toastie or cereal. Fruit tends to be snacks between meals rather than the main component of a meal itself.

She definitely needs more protein.

Also if she doesn't like cereal: try making fruity flapjacks or baked oats as that's a good filling breakfast too

Oh also, is she drinking plenty of fluids too. Kids will mistake thirst for hunger!

Bacon is a carcinogen according to the WHO. I eat it because it’s delicious but I don’t think we can say there’s nothing wrong with giving it to kids knowing that when currently they have a very healthy (albeit not very satiating) breakfast.

Add some more fibre (insoluble) to increase fullness and slow passage of food through the gut. See if that helps. Could be as simple as adding some oats and chia and flaxseed to her yoghurt and using wholemeal seeded bread at lunch.

Agreed. Several health organisations suggest avoiding processed meat at all costs.

Nitrates = nitrosamines = ^ colorectal cancer risk

Sometimes my DD has hugely hungry days and you just have to lean into it. Example of what she eats (age 7) some days is:
Breakfast: 2 home made pancakes (with extra egg yolks in the mix) spread with honey, glass of milk
Snack: cheese and crackers
Lunch: jacket potato with tuna mayo and a slice of cake / yoghurt
Snack: apple dipped in peanut butter
Dinner: Pesto pasta with chicken and broccoli, and some more cake or a chocolate mousse.
Supper: Bowl of cheerios

Other days she'll eat less. I don't stress it - it all evens out. She is tallest in her class, visible ribs, plays tennis, walks 4 miles a day some days, runs about in the snow, does gymnastics. Size 3 feet.

Are you sure she isn’t a labrador? 🐶

I agree she needs a better breakfast. Do you have a toasties maker? Cheese and ham toasties give you protein and cards.

Eggs as others have said are good, scrambled with cheese on toast. Bagels are also more filling than sliced bread.

I often have cheese,ham and maybe a hard boiled egg for breakfast

Orange juice gives a carbs boost, and is suprisingly filling.

I'd give her protein to snack on as much as possible and as much protein as possible within her meals, too

Poor kid needs some proper food in her

Orange juice isn't filling?! It will just spike your blood sugar.

Another thought - I’m not a fan of typical breakfast foods. My ideal breakfast is 2 hard boiled eggs with cooked peppers, mushrooms and onions sometimes with left over chicken in too 🙈 with new potatoes! All warm. I’m not really a cold food fan so always have to have a warm element to my meals. Could you think a bit ‘outside of the box’ (wanky expression I know) as to what foods she might like to fill her up more at mealtimes? Forget about labels of whether they should be for breakfast/lunch/dinner etc. I know it’s not always feasible but maybe worth a shot?