Teenage boys and food

[Dancingspleen1]

I'm trying to gauge 'normal' eating habits for a teenage boy. Mine is 17yrs old and he seems eat so much. I thought it was just what they do but its looking more like binge eating so I just wanted to get an idea of other people's experiences.

He's a healthy weight but he just seems to have no will power. If I buy a 6 pack of crisps its eaten in one day and he snacks constantly at night. He does eat lots of good stuff too but will happily eat 4 of the chocolate corner yogurt things in one night. He would have eaten a whole large bag of cranberries last night along with a load of other stuff if I hadn't of stopped him but im starting to feel like the food police trying to get him to slow down.

I make sure he has a healthy, filling dinner but it makes no difference.

Is this the norm??

Well, as most mumsnetters' sons are sporty, over 6ft and have hollow legs, I would suspect yours is the norm.

I've got one a year younger who never seemed to hit that constantly hungry phase. He's existed on one meal a day since he was about 12. He will binge on sugary shite on his way home from school though. Maybe that's why he's just shy of 6ft. I could easily eat loads when I was that age. Whole packets of biscuits etc. Was like a rake though.

They do eat a lot.

Does he get plenty of protein in his meals?

Perhaps talk to him about eating lower sugar and salt snacks and have some ready.

I used to encourage peanut butter on toast.

Mine used to come in from school and eat tins of sardines 🙄

No not eating rubbish to that extent, but they do snack a lot and so the emphasis needs to be on healthy eating. I have a 16 year old ds, he needs to eat every 2-3 hours it seems. I encourage things like cheese and crackers, toast and marmite, fruit and Greek yogurt. I don’t have crisps in the house, if I did it would be made clear they were limited. You need to have a serious conversation with him about what he’s eating.

i have 2 sons, 18&21. Older one eats a fair amount and has a slightly sweet tooth but I never really thought much about it. He’s tall and slim.

Younger one is very sporty and is always eating. 6’2”, slim, gym and rugby player. The difference is that he’s into protein and healthy eating. He gets through a huge amount of tuna and will make bean salads. I’m more worried sbout him eating the chicken that’s for the family dinner than lots of rubbish.

He did PE GCSE and I think a lot of the nutrition stuff landed with him. Don’t get me wrong he will eat a family pack of crisps too, but he’d prefer something more solid.

Can you talk to him about this? At that age you can’t force him, but you can guide him and you stock the fridge! Good luck.

Slipperfairy I was thinking of that Mumsnet stereotype when I wrote it 😂

StewkeyBlue I'd be made up If he chose sardines over 6 bags of crisps!

He eats loads of protein but he just says he's hungry all the time.

I forgot to say he eats really late at night aswell and will go and do a cupboard raid at 12am. He's costing me a fortune as im trying to keep the healthier types of snacks in stock.

Hi OP,

If you search online for teenage boy calorie intake, most quote anywhere between 2500 to 3000 calories depending on their activity levels. They are meant to eat more than adults because of their growth. Another site I saw mentioned 5000 calories for athletes! Crazy really.

I would suggest larger meals with more protein content, and maybe healthier snacks, but just read that it seems everyone suggested that already.

He is hungry at 12am, so he is a night owl. I think when I am awake at 12am after having an early dinner I am usually ravenous too! Maybe worth eating dinner later, earlier bedtimes (probably advice ignored by all teenagers!), and more filling snacks (peanuts, bananas and wholewheat toast, eggs). I personally feel crisps don't fill me up, they just make me feel hungrier.

DS will have a big bowl of cereal late at night fairly frequently. Weetabix or branflakes or similar. Banana too sometimes. Yes he will eat crisps if they are there, but they wouldn’t fix the hunger issue. He’d have the cereal on top. Or lots of peanut butter on toast.

…Forgot to mention - he might need to drink more too. I am terrible for doing this, and my hunger goes up exponentially if I don’t drink enough for the day. Worth giving this a try too.

They need loads of calories, even more if sporty. It’s hard to keep up.

Like others have said focus on filling meals with protein but also loads of carbs - so huge bowls of pasta for example. They do need to eat completely differently to us.

My DS was waking in the night hungry so he now as a big bowl of cereal before bed. This helps. Chocolate milk is good.

I have 2 foster sons of 19 and 17. Both very sporty and very slim. Eldest has high protein porridge he adds berries too and generally eats a lot of protein and low carbs. He also has high protein shakes. He might snack on a couple of hard boiled egg. He wouldn't put crisps or other junk food into his mouth. He eats a lot of salad and Mediterranean vegetables. Younger one always hungry. He eats 4 Weetabix and whole milk for breakfast. A banana at 10am. Two chiabatas with ham and cheese toasted and a handful of cherry tomatoes and salad leaves at 12.30pm plus a slice of apple pie with cream. Between 3 and 4 he prowls around kitchen looking for food. I point him to toast, peperami sticks and a couple of boiled eggs. At 6 he eats a large meal with steak/chicken/tuna pasta/rice and 2 vegetables. Slice of Pavlova or swiss roll and custard. In the evening he often has a punnet of grapes or cheese and crackers. He remains almost skinny. Both FS's drink well over a pint of milk a day each. Eldest just started Uni and is surprised how much his food is costing him when shopping. I make him rainbow Bolognese with coloured peppers to take back with him after weekend or chicken/salmon gnocchi for 2 days of dinners. I put them in Chinese cartons and he freezes them for later in the week.

No teenager should be doing low carbs. Especially a sporty one.

I think we need to be careful about where they are getting their food information from.