fill up foods for the eternal teen "hunger"

[blueskiesandforests]

What do you let your teens eat unlimited amounts of? If anything?

Sporty 11 year old ds is a terror for always being "hungry" if he's around the house, but will make himself a family size portion of porridge with ordinary oats, which costs pence and isn't full of sugar, so we've agreed he can eat as much as he wants for between meals hunger as unlimited fruit and raw vegetables wasn't making him feel full apparently.

13 yo DD doesn't like porridge and has just eaten 3 apples and asked for toast. I know some people allow unlimited toast but my kids like toast too much, and might well exist entirely on hot buttered toast and toasted cheese sandwiches, and if I let one eat as much toast as she wants it will be favouritism not to let them all (also have a 7 yo fussy eater who'd definitely like to live exclusively on toast).

What do you allow young teens to fill up on between meals if they claim gnawing insatiable hunger?

Mine fills up on higher protein foods-cold meats, eggs, cheese, amd some cereal. It probably doesn’t work out any cheaper in the long run, but protein takes longer to digest so it doesn’t feel like he stands permanently at an open fridge door!

sandwich toaster & sensible rules

dc has to put in veg (cucumber/tomatos/sweetcorn) and a filling of choice and wholemeal bread.

or porridge

we always have hardboiled eggs in the fridge.

and a 'no snacks 1 hour either side of mealtime

I allow unlimited access to all food to let my teenager moderate his own eating. I implemented this policy because my parents tried to limit and control snacks, sweets and second helpings and it gave me a lifelong inability to do this for myself. So far he is extremely slim.

Crackers and cheese / guacamole / pate / tuna / peanut butter

Oats - porridge, oat bars, overnight outs in a big jar

cold chicken / turkey / ham

hardboiled eggs

nuts

Broken I like that in theory - my parents (well tbh my mother, my father was not a hands on parent) were also excessively controlling about food and I have 2 siblings with eating disorders.

DH fills cupboards with crisps and biscuits though and my kids would eat there way through those if they were totally unregulated. The practical issue of having 3 kids and "it's not fair" breaking out of one has eaten all the crisps and there are no more left is also a very big issue. Regardless of how slim the kid, it would cause ww3...

The kids are allowed crisps and biscuits but have to ask, and share... If I was a single parent it would do me good not to have that stuff in, but DH exists, so not really fair...

Being fair is an arse

*their

What's the advantage of overnight oats as compared to just making porridge in the microwave dance - I've often seen overnight outs mentioned on MN and been somewhat baffled by what the point is - what's the point?

Protein might be better, most cold meats are processed and I think my kids already eat too much processed meat unfortunately. Cheese and nuts maybe...