Is she really hungry? - Page 2

[staceychev]

I hear you on the breakfast, but it's like pulling teeth. She's not a very carb-y kid, so she'd actually just lick the almond butter off the toast if I let her! She was doing the same thing when I served an egg on the toast. I'll try to see if I can get more food in her in the morning, though.

[ElliesMomma]

fast metabolism. frequent, small meals. that's why she's smallish.

actually verrry healthy way to be.

[staceychev]

Originally Posted by ElliesMomma

fast metabolism. frequent, small meals. that's why she's smallish.

actually verrry healthy way to be.

Yeah, I wish I could have a reverse-inheritance there... my metabolism is so sluggish!

[MJB]

My boys eat more than that. Maybe not more often, but more in a sitting for sure.

[madskye]

Try the same schedule for you--I went to see a nutritionist last year to help lose weight and that's what she recommended for me at 40 with a slowing metabolism.

I eat:

8am oatmeal
10 am fruit, nuts, or granola bar
12 chicken in a wrap or salad
2 or 3 pm fruit, nuts, or granola bar or cheese and crackers
6 or 7 dinner

and I did finally lose the weight. I don't work out much, either.

DD eats about the same as yours, and she's a slim-framed 5 now. Eating regularly really helps with her moods and behavior, too. She still melts down if she goes too long without some protein.

One thing DD likes for breakfast is plain yogurt with a handful of raw oats and slivered almonds on top. She gets to stir it up. The oats absorb the yogurt and soften up. You can make it with greek yogurt to up the protein.

[Heavenly]

Personally that doesn't sound like enough food to me. Here is an average day for my 7 year old:

Breakfast: muffin or waffle, banana, orange juice

Snack: Cheese string, baby carrots

Lunch: Turkey sandwich, mini cucumber, veggie chips, 100% juice box

Snack: Granola bar, yogurt

Afterschool snack: Crackers & cheese, applesauce, turkey pepperoni

Supper: Roast beef, mashed pototoes, veggies, toast

Snack: Apple, toast & peanut butter

Some days she eats more than that. She is a very skinny kid. I would never restrict food in a child...well, I do restrict unhealthy food but even that we do treats at least 3 times a week. If a child is allowed to eat a variety of healthy foods when they are hungry they will do better than if they are restricted as to when they are allowed to eat and give restricted portion sizes.

[deditus]

Sounds like a good schedule to me, but my dd would need more protein and fat. If you want reassurance, just read some of Ellyn Satter's work:

https://ellynsatter.com/default.jsp

[staceychev]

Thanks for the link Emily. There's a lot of info on that Ellyn Satter site (and a lot of things we're guilty of...especially DH!).

I'm going to start more closely monitoring how much she's eating to make sure she's getting enough. She does actually lean towards protein, especially at dinner. And I do cook with butter, coconut oil, and olive oil, so most of her veggies have fats in them.

I definitely don't restrict Shawna, other than sugar. And I do give her food whenever she asks for it... I was just questioning, because food for me has always been so much more than just hunger.

[meemee]

when does she have her growth spurts. at least physical ones when she is eating a lot more.

my dd has from teh age of 4 gone thru sudden spurts. she eats like crazy in summer and what seems like overnight grows a couple of inches. she basically doubles all her meals.

[SaoirseC]

Sounds normal, though I did notice most of the items you listed are kind of higher-carb. Nothing wrong with that, kids need a lot more carbs than adults do (proportionally-speaking), but I've found that my kids stay fuller longer if we focus more on higher protein/higher fat foods like meat or cheese, along with a fruit or veg. A snack like pretzels (or cereal, bagels, etc.) are less likely to tide my kids over for any length of time. If you're vegan, she will probably need more food to eat throughout the day anyway because vegan options are generally lower-fat (with the exception of pecans and avocados). Though, someone might have some suggestions about vegan foods that help them feel fuller longer. For me, nuts (with the exception of pecans) and nut butters just don't make me feel full, but everyone is different.

You could also try asking her if she's hungry or if she's just bored, saying something like "are you sure you want a snack, or would you rather do x.y.z with me?" Sometimes kids ask for food because they want to spend that time with you, or need some sort of other stimulation. I think the point is that you don't want to apply any sort of judgment about eating or not eating. If she's hungry, then it makes sense to eat. If she's bored, than maybe she'd like to do something together.

*Oops, didn't notice the cheese and eggs, so you're obviously not vegan! I would offer a few more animal-based proteins as snacks, along with the fruits and vegetables. I don't know if you're vegetarian or omnivorous, but you might also try offering meat as snacks. I like to make a pound of chicken breast and then (after it's fully cooled so you don't lose the juices) cut into cubes and keep it in the fridge for snacks. That way, you don't have to cook for each snack, and she has access to a high-quality protein to eat whenever she's hungry. You can also cube other types of meat (though other types just seem weird to me to eat them cold), hard-boiled eggs (they last for around 3 days after you boil them), and cubes of cheese ready in the fridge for snacks. Then, all you have to do is take out her choice of protein and her choice of fruit/veggie for a snack time. We do have one rule about snacks and meals in our house, and that is each snack has to have a protein component (unless they're just hungry for a piece of fruit; this is mainly a "meal" rule as we don't have set meal times or usually set meals).

[donutmolly]

Sounds exactly like my DD1 who is almost 5 and very slender. I feel like we're never done eating (always mroe dishes to do!), but I know it's good for her to eat often. She doesn't like a big breakfast when she first wakes up (maybe some toast, or a bit of oatmeal) and then is really hungry for something by 9 or 10am, which can be tricky if we're going someplace. My challenge is making sure that "snacks" are as nutritious as "meals".

[northcountrymamma]

My 6yo dd is a big eater...but she eats about 8-9 times each day...when it is possible.

However, I'm with the other mammas suggesting a larger amount of food for breakfast if your LO is hungry for more at that time. We do a smoothie (berries, kiwi, almond milk, yogurt, hemp oil, hemp seeds, spirulina, greens powder, and beet juice) with whatever we have which is often yogurt and granola and berries, or sprouted grain bagels with almond butter and an avocado, or mixed grains with applesauce and a banana. It sounds like a lot of fruit...but it's really fueling her well for the day.

Smoothie - 6:45am
Breakfast - 7:30am
Snack (whenever she decides at school) - apple, grapes, melon, seeds and dried fruit
Lunch - 12:30 - leftover dinner and raw veggies (often a substantial salad as well)
Snack (again whenever she decides at school) - veggies and hummus, spirulina seed balls, crackers with cheese, hardboiled eggs...
Snack (when we get home )4:30-5 - as above...similar snacks, but often also homemade muffins or sprouted grains with almond butter
Dinner - always an excellent vegetarian meal
Snack - something before bed...yogurt, banana, carrot, cucumber


I'm never concerned about dd's weight because I know we are feeding her good food and she is growing and active. She's a 45lb 6 yo.

[walker67]

Thank god for mothering.com. I have been wondering this for so long. My 5yo eats me out of house and home. She eats more than I do. I'm glad this is normal. I have always wondered if other kids did this. She sure does.

[staceychev]

Originally Posted by SaoirseC

Sounds normal, though I did notice most of the items you listed are kind of higher-carb.

I didn't really list everything she eats. We mostly eat animal proteins at dinnertime and she's very much a protein kid. I can barely get her to eat grains at dinnertime. She's happy mostly to eat chicken or salmon or whatever protein we're eating.