Overweight DD, is this a healthy menu?

[TheChild]

Hello, I'm looking for some advice about my DD(7). She is not technically overwight in terms of BMI but she is very nearly, she is 4 ft 6 inches and 5st 7lbs.

She has always been what I'd describe as "sturdy", but with lockdown I really noticed her getting a bit bigger with the lack of school run, PE and less activities on.

We are trying to be more mindful of what she is eating, but she seems to constantly be hungry! I've kept a track of what she has eaten in the past few days, I was wondering how this daily food compares with other children and how we could improve?

Breakfast: porridge with raisins
Lunch: wholemeal ham wrap (plain, she doesn't like mayo or cream cheese), cucumber sticks and tomatoes, greek yogurt with strawberries, 5 ritz crackers
Snack: 1 chocolate from a box of Thorntons
Dinner: chicken fajitas (1.5 wholemeal wraps), cheese doritos (I'd guess maybe 2 handfuls)
Pudding: small bowl of sweets (9 skittles, to be pedantic 😁) and 1 Thorntons chocolate
Supper: apple

Breakfast: 1 slice toast (best of both) with chocolate spread, handful of grapes with a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt (dad gave the toast with Nutella and she said she was still hungry which is why I gave the yogurt, we have agreed nutella on toast is not the best breakfast!)
Lunch: wholemeal ham wrap, cucumber sticks, pepper sticks and tomatoes, 4 ritz crackers, 2 small hotdogs, grapes
Dinner: 3 chipolata sausages, 5 small roast potatoes, sweetcorn and gravy
Pudding: bread and butter pudding with custard
Supper: apple

Breakfast: 1 slice best of both toast and 2 scrambled eggs
Lunch: wholemeal ham wrap, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks and tomatoes, 2 small hotdogs, 4 ritz crackers, raisins
Dinner: chicken fajitas (1 wholemeal wrap), handful of cheese doritoes
Puddin: peach slices with custard
Supper has not happened yet but she will get the option of either an apple, grapes, melon or greek yogurt with frozen strawberries

A bit more info, we cook most meals from scratch and have really tried to cut out convenience food and find meals we can all eat as a family. I think her portion sizes are fairly normal, I try to go by the "portion is the size of your (in this case her) wrist. She gets a glass of fizzy fruit pop as an occasional treat with her evening meal if I'm feeling generous.
We walk to school and back every day (approx 15 minute walk each way) and she has just joined sports club one afternoon each week. We are trying to encourage her to take up a sport to get a bit more active but she is very shy and keeps saying no to everything we suggest. Neither me or DP drive so we do a fair bit of walking but she definitely doesn't enjoy this much 😂
She is very fussy with trying new things, she doesn't like nuts, cheese, rice, spicy food, stirfry etc so trying to get healthy recipes that we all can eat is a bit challenging! (she is pretty much the opposite of her sister!)
I know the puddings aren't great, she would usually be fine with greek yogurt and fruit but her little sister will not eat greek yogurt at all. Is it better to have say 1 "treat" food per day or have 1 day per week where we might allow her a few treats?
I have also never mentioned any concerns about her weight to her, my mum bullied me about my weight as a young teen and it gave me a lot of issues around food and I will always struggle with binging and my weight, so I'm just trying to talk more about healthy eating and discuss why having too much sugar and pop etc is bad for our health and our teeth.

Thanks so much if you managed to read all that 😊

My DD is 10 and put on some weight during lockdown, it's falling off now she is more active again. I would say that diet is a bit sugary, a bit sausagey, you could cut out the ritz crackers without much pain and introduce some more fruit, but not terrible.

With fajitas, my daughter would easily eat 2 wraps, but I've cut her down to 1 as they are quite calorific, she can have as much extra filling on the side as she likes, which is mainly veg.

I think with a few tweaks and up the exercise she would loose the extra fast.

I am amazed by the huge quantities many Mners consume per day, no wonder there is such a problem around food, weigh and diet.

We have never had any issue with any of that because if we have any processed food it's when we are entertaining and with friends or family, never as part of our daily diet.

We go running as a family and have a farm so have loads of outdoor exercise and no time or need to eat more than we do.

Did you know that the maximum amount of protein a woman should have per day equals 1 small tin of sardines?

Overfeeding a child sets them up for self consciousness, poor self esteem and little energy for exercise.

Did you know that the maximum amount of protein a woman should have per day equals 1 small tin of sardines?

Two tins, actually. And that's for a sedentary woman, too.

"Your protein needs depend on how much you weigh. For women over 50, experts recommend 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of weight (1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds). If you weigh 140 pounds, for instance, you would need at least 63 grams of protein a day." I am a healthy 8 and half stone and am 5'4" so 1 tin equivalent is a perfect amount and I always feel energetic!

All my DC are between 5' 9 and 6'3" and are athletic and toned and our favourite dinner is what we call a sushi bowl which is basically a big bowl of sushi rice with tins of oily fish mixed with mayo, honey, soya sauce and horse radish and lemon juice; chopped cucumbers, peppers, carrots, sweet corn, chick peas, chili sauce, hard boiled egg, sesame seeds, sesame oil, dried fried shallots with shredded Nori seaweed on top.

If I serve this to my strapping over 6 ft tall sons they give me bear hugs and say I am the best cook in the world

“She usually loves mushrooms, which is why I was a bit 🤔 I didn't give any toast, I'm a bit conscious of people saying her diet was a bit carb heavy and she still has a wrap for lunch!”

7 year olds need carbs, please don’t cut them - or any food group - out.
There are useful and empty carbs though, porridge, great, baked sweet potato/sweet potato, great, wholewheat pasta, great. Etc. Doritos and ritz, not so.

Baked potato/sweet potato

@Newstaronhorizon are you really amazed? You state you know we have high rates of obesity in the UK so its hardly a shocker that people might eat large portions.

1 small tin of sardines from John West has 14g of protein. Your quoted 63g is 5 tins

@Newstaronhorizon

All my DC are between 5' 9 and 6'3" and are athletic and toned and our favourite dinner is what we call a sushi bowl which is basically a big bowl of sushi rice with tins of oily fish mixed with mayo, honey, soya sauce and horse radish and lemon juice; chopped cucumbers, peppers, carrots, sweet corn, chick peas, chili sauce, hard boiled egg, sesame seeds, sesame oil, dried fried shallots with shredded Nori seaweed on top.

If I serve this to my strapping over 6 ft tall sons they give me bear hugs and say I am the best cook in the world

That actually sounds yum

Don't forget OP that this is mumsnet where everyone earns over 100k, is debt free, has a family of 6 perfect sized athletic offspring who manage to make an image of a roast chicken last for at least 6 meals with plenty leftover and they still feel greedy... people can just Fuck off with their utter bs that their 6ft 4 dp eats the same portion as OPS healthy weight 7 yr old dd

If I wrote what my family ate on a daily basis mumsnet would be up in bloody arms and yet all my dc are healthy weight and bloody happy

Sorry to vent I just think how absolutely ridiculous some of the comments on this thread are

U was going to say cut the puddings but I see you have decided to already- mine had a yoghurt if they were still hungry- I think just up the exercise and hopefully now the weather is better and nights lighter she can play outside more- skipping is a great activity just to go in your own

@sweetypop did you have a bad day?! It's sad you would get so irate and upset over a family who like to be fit and healthy and who never have had food issues. I have shown your post to my DH and he thought it was a bit weird and extreme tbh. He is 6'4" 13 st, lean and fit and cut out all processed food years ago due to having a family history of high cholesterol ( his uncle had a heart attack aged 37).

I’d recommend only one unhealthy thing a day. So only one unhealthy pudding or some ritz biscuits or some sweets or a glass of pop. Just one unhealthy thing a day.

Processed meat levels seem high. Lots of it and long term it’s poor for health. Find an alternative. An egg or a chicken leg or a block of cheese or some nuts.

Give lots and lots of veg.at each meal. Also a fruit salad for pudding each night. She needs to have 10 rather then 5 fruit or veg

Nutella counts as a treat

@Newstaronhorizon it's not just you, it's most of the thread. How dangerous to tell a mother who is concerned about her dds diet that your 6ft 4 husband eats less than her dd!! My Dh is also 6ft 4, active, healthy and lean and he eats a shit ton more than the ops dd, I couldn't even list what he eats... but it's irrelevant isn't it? Because we shouldn't be comparing a 7 year old to grown men and as an adult with a brain you surely must know that everyone is different anyway and what's good for your dh is different to what's working mine.

Omg @sweetypop your bad temper is de-railing the thread.

Good luck op, I think natural as opposed to anything factory produced is the easiest way to go from here with your dd.

I think that is a lot of sugar and In some people that sets up cravings. Chocolate once or twice a week, not everyday, and after a meal so it doesn’t create a sugar high. Pudding ditto once or twice a week. Fizzy drinks - once a week tops (but I would personally knock that off). I know lots of kids burn it off, but lots of sugar sets up bad habits for adulthood.

Try adding in some more protein to help her not be hungry - like eggs or porridge w Greek yogurt for breakfast, and make sure the wraps etc aren’t too big compared to the chicken - two handfuls of durritos sounds too much. If more meat is too expensive then try introducing pulses and beans (hidden in wraps and pasta sauce to start.

And up the exercise as you are.

[quote sweetypop]@Newstaronhorizon it's not just you, it's most of the thread. How dangerous to tell a mother who is concerned about her dds diet that your 6ft 4 husband eats less than her dd!! My Dh is also 6ft 4, active, healthy and lean and he eats a shit ton more than the ops dd, I couldn't even list what he eats... but it's irrelevant isn't it? Because we shouldn't be comparing a 7 year old to grown men and as an adult with a brain you surely must know that everyone is different anyway and what's good for your dh is different to what's working mine.[/quote]
I agree, the competitive under eaters are so tiresome on these threads.

@Newstaronhorizon

All my DC are between 5' 9 and 6'3" and are athletic and toned and our favourite dinner is what we call a sushi bowl which is basically a big bowl of sushi rice with tins of oily fish mixed with mayo, honey, soya sauce and horse radish and lemon juice; chopped cucumbers, peppers, carrots, sweet corn, chick peas, chili sauce, hard boiled egg, sesame seeds, sesame oil, dried fried shallots with shredded Nori seaweed on top.

If I serve this to my strapping over 6 ft tall sons they give me bear hugs and say I am the best cook in the world

Gotta love mumsnet

OP how about less processed meat as a protein source? Turkey steaks are quick cook. Would she eat any fish - even fish fingers? How about spag bol mas cooked?

Snacks shouldn’t be treats - what about cheese and oatcakes/ peanut butter and apple?

How about berries and yoghurt for dessert instead of the tinned fruit and custard?

I would avoid fit bits and try to walk a bit more instead - walk to the shops or school or the library or whatever

@Newstaronhorizon

"Your protein needs depend on how much you weigh. For women over 50, experts recommend 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of weight (1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds). If you weigh 140 pounds, for instance, you would need at least 63 grams of protein a day." I am a healthy 8 and half stone and am 5'4" so 1 tin equivalent is a perfect amount and I always feel energetic!

Google tells me that your average tin of sardines contains 23g of protein, so you'd need three of them.

Also, note the words, 'at least' in what you've quoted- that denotes a minimum recommendation, not a maximum.

I'm not the best to comment on diet as my own is poor and I'm overweight myself. But what you describe sounds absolutely fine to me,variety and good amount of fresh. One comment I'll make though in case it's relevant and helps is you say she's always hungry, so about apples...

I love apples but I can't eat them unless it's immediately before I eat as they make me feel so hungry. They can also make me feel incredibly bloated, gurgly tummy, and (sorry!) windy! Aparently it's a thing- some of us react quite strongly to the acid in them. Just wondered if that may be affecting your daughter feeling hungry.

Maybe also a mini indoor trampoline, my child does 100 jumps before bed (and is active during day of course but the 100 are mainly to expend energy as we've no chance of sleep otherwise. )

Sorry, mistyped- an average tin not your average tin

Please don't go cutting out her after school snack and making food an issue. She's not even overweight. Her diet seems fine to me, not perfect but who actually has a perfect diet? (Probably a couple on this thread). More exercise is always good. Unless her bmi is actually increasing then just leave her be. Not everyone is naturally a waif, being on the higher end of healthy is still healthy.

And I actually snorted at the idea that she is eating more then a healthy 6'4" man. There's a couple of people on this thread who have you starve your DD.

@ForgedInFire

Please don't go cutting out her after school snack and making food an issue. She's not even overweight. Her diet seems fine to me, not perfect but who actually has a perfect diet? (Probably a couple on this thread). More exercise is always good. Unless her bmi is actually increasing then just leave her be. Not everyone is naturally a waif, being on the higher end of healthy is still healthy.

And I actually snorted at the idea that she is eating more then a healthy 6'4" man. There's a couple of people on this thread who have you starve your DD.

Also sneer at ‘processed food’ while boasting of their dinner of tinned meat, soy sauce and packet rice.