Help - tiny bottomless pits...keep feeding them more?

[Skrimpy]

I'm asking this in the TF forum because I'm hoping to get some feedback from a TF perspective.

My kids are 6, 4.5, and 2.5. They are small bottomless pits. They eat EVERYTHING I put on their plates and ask for more. We eat 3 meals and two snacks a day. Each gets two glasses of grassfed whole milk a day and their daily CLO. We eat good, traditional foods at every meal. LOTS of good fats, animal products, a wide array of veggies, I do TONS of soups right now with home made broths. I mean, I am feeding my kids very, very well.

But they ALWAYS ask for more (even after seconds). I feel like I can't make enough to feed them. I will need to start doubling my entrees or maybe serving more sides??? to keep up with how much they are asking for. They have always cleaned their plates but I really feel like I feed them enough. But at the same time I feel like I must be starving them. Do I start making extra? I'm worried about my food budget right now if I have to start doubling entrees already I was hoping not to for a few more years.

If kids are getting healthy TF meals 3x a day plus snacks and still act like they're starving does that mean feed more? I think I'm going to start doing oatmeal in addition to whatever breakfast every morning b/c it's a relatively cheap "sticky" meal that they love... Any other suggestions? My 4.5 and 2.5 yo are pretty sturdy, my 6yo is a little on the thin side and it's her I worry most about. Help

[momma4fun]

What kind of milk do you drink? We recently switched from holstein milk to jersey milk and it makes a HUGE difference. The jersey has such a high percentage of cream that it fills us right up. DP doesn't even eat dinner anymore, after drinking the jersey milk with his breakfast and lunch.

A TF doctor, Jan Kwasneiwsky (google him) says to ADD cream to milk. He recommends adding it so your cup contains half a cup of whole milk, and half a cup of cream.

His Optimal Diet is very interesting. He thinks a good ratio for health, in terms of grams, is 1 gram of protein: 2.5-3.5 grams of fat: to 0.8 grams of carbs. I'v been experimenting with this ratio for the past couple days and I have had no desire to snack betweeen meals. It's a lot of fat.

[Mrshawwk]

Hi Skrimpy! I'm in your DDC, glad to see you here!

When I'm done making food for my kids, I offer them cheese and/or milk. That usually cures boredom hunger, and if he is really hungry, I let him have as much as he wants.

Momma4fun, I've been adding extra cream to my milk because I'm pregnant and need the extra, but good grief, half and half? Gonna have to order more cream!

[Chicharronita]

Adding cream to milk is the way to go! In the recent issue of Wise Traditions, there was an article about the fat content of Maasai cow's milk during the summer, and that was the one people had to drink before they got married. IIRC, it was almost 50% fat, and it was lower in sugar than what was available in the U.S. in 1970.

I make custard with 1 cup each of raw milk and pasteurized cream. I add 4 eggs, some xylitol, stevia, and vanilla extract. That doesn't last long enough to get in the fridge to set properly.

Fage Total Greek Yogurt is basically made with half and half.

Raw butter on cheese is pretty satiating. That's a great snack.

I *heart* Jan Kwasneiwsky. I don't follow the ratio (hate math), but notice that with the above food choices, I have no desire for anything "bad."

[tabitha]

i would give them more, as much as they want. our finances are tight, too, so i understand. like the oatmeal, there are other cheap, good staples to have around when they ask for more.

for my oldest, 5, the best items are salsas and hummus. we make our own but it is a shame my dd doesnt like hummus.

for dd, 3.5, eggs keep her happy. they are cheap for us because we have hens, but whatever you pay i find them cheaper than many other things. i keep boiled eggs in the fridge and i can whip up some poached (her fave) in a jiffy.

for ds2, 16mos, it is everything. he is less particular and will eat anything but eggs.

the three are bottomless pits, in phases it seems, and i long for spring & summer when food is easy to come by.

[3for3hb]

Originally Posted by Chicharronita

Raw butter on cheese is pretty satiating. That's a great snack.

I'm relatively new to TF and it's kinda hard to grasp this concept... I can understand it but I must still be indoctrinated in the diet dictorcrats "fat is bad for you" to understand that you won't get fat from snacks like these....

[Skrimpy]

ladies thank you for the shower of responses! It's so helpful to me.

My milk comes from a mixed herd so the butterfat content isn't as high as it would be from a jersey or guernsey herd. I do think I'll price bottles of cream. As soon as I read what you wrote, momma4fun, I thought of the Wise Traditions article Chicha mentioned.

The eggs and cheese ideas are good too. I can get eggs cheaply enough to always keep boiled ones in the fridge and our raw milk cheese is a good price too, so I could probably buy an extra block of cheese weekly for slicing. Hummus is a good idea too. My DP loves to snack on chips and salsa and I'd worried about that some too because of the low fat content with all the corn, but doing chips with hummus or a hummus and salsa selection sounds better to me.

I will try some of these ideas when they ask for more after all the main meal food is gone, thank you again gals!

[thedomesticdiva]

I think my boys were crazy for fat when we first started TF because their poor little bodies had not had enough of the right kinds of fat.

I add fat to everything they eat - a spoonful of CO or a huge pat of butter... They also eat the chicken skin (the whole chicken) and I make oatmeal bars with CO and butter...

I always spread CO on bread before making a sandwich.

And we do lots of oatmeal with tons of CO and butter - because it "sticks".

Now their hunger seems to have leveled off...:

[quietserena]

Bean stew is another cheap staple that you could serve along with other meals. I add butter into each bowl.

[boadhagh]

It's a bit 1975, but fresh organic carrot and celery sticks are easy and cheap and healthy.

[momma4fun]

About pricing cream -- WE found that it's cheapest for us to buy extra milk and separate the cream ourselves. But we get good prices -- 5 to 6 dollars a gallon. Right now in winter at least a good 2/5 of the gallon is cream, in the spring the gallon is HALF cream.

[krankedyann]

I feed my kids until they decide they're full. They're both solidly built, heavy for their size, but they look thin until you pick them up and see they're solid.

I add extra fat into the side dishes to help with their fullness levels. Otherwise, they end up eating grains.

The other day, we had a big dinner that was relatively high-carb for us. My kids were complaining that they were still hungry, so my mom popped some popcorn for them. She put plenty of coconut oil and salt on it. They ate and ate and ate and ate and finally my 5-year old announced that she was full. So after that I told her if it happens again, to give the kids some coconut oil cubes and they'll fill up much quicker.

[saratc]

I agree with the suggestions regarding cream and fat. When we started TF, DH and I went through a lb of butter a week. We just could not get enough fat. It took a few months before we stopped craving fat.

[boadhagh]

Please Help Educate Me

I hope I'm not hijacking your thread, but I think that the answers to this question might help clarify the op's problem.

Anyway, I understand that typical US diets underemphasize what and how many fats, and, in general, I agree that upping good, wholesome fats is a good idea in people's diets.

My question, though, directly relates to responses to this thread and how most seem to address making the child/children feel full rather than providing the large amounts of food they may need. That is, yes, all of these extra fats may make them feel full, but why such huge amounts of fat for this single purpose, rather than some other approach? Does my question make sense? I'm pretty confused . . . thanks for helping!

[Leilalu]

Originally Posted by willemsmamma

I'm relatively new to TF and it's kinda hard to grasp this concept... I can understand it but I must still be indoctrinated in the diet dictorcrats "fat is bad for you" to understand that you won't get fat from snacks like these....

Just try it Noone can argue experience!

It's true, when I am satisfied with good foods, I don't crave the bad ones.For me, getting enough good fats, and probiotic foods is a sure-fire way to curb sweets cravings.

[Skrimpy]

thank you again for the additional input. I will keep working on it. I served oatmeal this morning and each kid ate two full bowls of oatmeal (with butter and full fat yogurt added) in addition to their bacon and eggs.

I need to figure out how to teach the "I'm full" control too - my 2yo threw up most of his oatmeal shortly after breakfast. I think he feels compelled to ask for more when my older ones do. I'm not sure how to gauge when he's really satisfied. I am about 100% postive he threw up from eating so much and not from an illness. Maybe I'll just make his "seconds" smaller.

Bean stews, CO cubes...good idea. Mine will eat CO/Butter by the spoonful so that may be an option too. I priced extra jars of cream and that's WAY out of the question :/ So cheese/eggs/other fats it will be.

[quietserena]

That full control thing did come to mind too. I had some pretty screwed up food issues, and that was one of them because I grew up with grandparents who always offered more food and were very happy when you took it. My guess is that being competitive with your siblings might be the same way.

I'm not sure that denying food is good either but I think the 'smaller seconds' idea would work.

I just love the title of this thread. It sounds like a punk band name!

[westcoastmom]

Lots of good fats helped us, but going grain free really brought my kids' appetites to a more normal level.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

My kids are like this too...they eat a lot more than any other preschoolers we know. Going to have to try the CO as well.

Nut butters seem to be helpful, and oatmeal when they'll eat it