9 year old daughter constantly wanting to eat!

mae

As the title says my daughter is asking for food what seems like every 10 minutes!

I don't think she's over weight, she does have a little tummy and I do need to buy her age 10 clothes but for some children that is just normal and it evens it self out as they get older.

The problem is that I have to be careful what I let her have as I am not sure she has a stop button!

She may be going through a growth spurt so I don't want to deny her food when she is hungry but at the same time don't want her to develop bad habits.

Our main meals are quite healthy and she is happy to eat any salad and fruit so not a fussy eater at all thank goodness.

I've decided to stop buying biscuits.

I don't but any diet food or low fat as non of us are over weight and I don't like the taste anyway.

I don't buy sugary cereals I just buy weetabix and ready brek and she has toast a couple of mornings a week.

I don't buy fizzy drinks so its just vimto, water or milk.

So what I need help with are snacks I think, any tips?

I have bought 'healthy' ice pops which she can have between meals.

Yoghurt? I have stopped buying crunch corners as they are just full of sugar. Can anyone recommend a healthy yoghurt? I know a lot of the yoghurts that advertise being healthy are not actually and I as I said I don't buy anything low fat or diet as I think they just add false junk addictives instead.

Edit to add she's quite active, she plays out alot, she goes to Brownies, drama, she has a trampoline and quite a social out door girl.

Puddleglum

To be honest, I wouldn't worry too much as long as you can afford her eating so much.

My two are 11 and 14 and both periodically go through phases where they seem to be eating non stop. Generally followed by needing new clothes as their ankles are on show!

It is alarming, energy dense meals can help a bit as they have only got small stomachs. On the sugar front, "pure, white and deadly", does sum it up pretty well so I try to limit this if possible by keeping fruit readily available.

An active child will use up a lot of energy during the day though.

~Chameleon~

Greek yoghurt is the best (Total Fage) add fresh/frozen fruit and a little drizzle of acacia honey to sweeten if necessary. Assuming no nut allergy, you could try offering nuts such as almonds, macadamia, brazil, hazelnuts (not peanuts, they're not nuts!) as snacks. They contain healthy fats and are more filling.

It sounds as though you're doing the right things. Would she eat porridge rather than Ready Brek? Or how about eggs (boiled, scrambled) for breakfast? Protein is more filling and will stop her feeling hungry again soon after breakfast.

mae

Actually the nuts are a good idea but I don't know which she would like as to be honest I only buy peanuts and cashew nuts she loves cashew nuts!

So I think a nut shopping trip and taste test is in order

She loves hard boiled eggs but again it amazes me that one is never enough for her as I couldn't eat more than one hard boiled egg

She will eat porridge if pushed but definitely not her favourite.

I've never tried her with Greek Yoghurt so I'll buy some and see her reaction.

Thanks

euronorris

That's what I do with yoghurt too. I get full fat, natural yoghurt and also add some kind of fruit to it. Today was Kiwi. I only discovered that I like Kiwi on Friday so now I want to eat it all the time! lol

You're right about low fat/diet products, so well done on not having any.

The only thing I can suggest is trying to limit her sugar intake, not too many carbs and maybe up the protein a bit.

Oh, and I'd try to steer her towards proper porridge in future as well. You could always add some berries to it, or a little honey, to sweeten it just a little bit until she is more used to it.

But she may also be going through a growth spurt, so I wouldn't worry too much.

I can remember eating loads and loads as a kid. Used to drive my mother crazy, but I never put on a lb as I was so active and growing pretty quickly at the time.

Jennie_2

We have a similar situation with our 13 year old daughter. Unfortunately for her she has to take a high dosage of steroids for a recently diagnosed illness and a side effect of the medication is increased hunger.


I have made a lot of soups which she has in a mug. The “heartiness” of them seems to keep her fuller for longer. Other foods include beans on wholewheat toast, scrambled egg which you can make with skimmed milk, hard boiled eggs and toast for breakfast and a banana seems to help too.


Also we have been experimenting with crackers which again seem to keep her fuller for longer. She likes tuna with a tiny bit of mayo to hold it together and cucumber but you could also try spreading cheese.

~Chameleon~

Jennie wrote: »

I have made a lot of soups which she has in a mug. The “heartiness” of them seems to keep her fuller for longer. Other foods include beans on wholewheat toast, scrambled egg which you can make with skimmed milk, hard boiled eggs and toast for breakfast and a banana seems to help too.

When making soups try adding some quinoa or pearl barley as an added healthy filler. Oh and skimmed milk is a big no-no, especailly for children. There is absolutely nothing wrong with whole milk, it is less than 5% fat after all, which would be regarded as a "low-fat" product by food manufacturers

There is absolutely no reason to use skimmed/semi-skilled milk products, ever. Un-homogenised is even better (Gold Top, Channel Island milk etc) or un-pasteurised if you can get it from a local dairy) they're not allowed to sell it in supermarkets )

mae

Actually that is one thing we do have low fat, we have semi skimmed milk. I think we are all so attuned to the taste it would be hard to go to full fat now so I might leave that as it is.

I should make more soups, I do make them but often often enough and guilty of making the same ones so I'll try some new recipes I think.

Fire_Fox

Have you tried adjusting your meals and snacks to be lower glycaemic index (GI)? This means they digest more slowly, have a gentler effect on the blood sugar so help keep you fuller for longer. Lower GI carbohydrates include all beans and lentils, brown pitta bread, granary bread, brown basmati rice, sweet potatoes, barley, jumbo oats, most vegetables. Higher GI carbs include sugar, fluffy breads, white potatoes, white pasta, modern finely ground wheat flour, long or short grain rice, quick cook oats, tropical fruits. You can reduce the GI of any carbohydrate food somewhat by serving with a source of protein and healthy fats, or with lemon juice, vinegar or grapefruit juice.

Vimto is full of sugar. Alternative to sugary yoghurts is plain Greek yoghurt sweetened with fresh, frozen or chopped dried fruit - berries and tree fruits are the lowest GI. A good cereal to replicate fruit corners is Grape Nuts - no sugar and doesn't go soggy. Whilst your breakfasts are nutritious those cereals are quite high GI. Lower GI would be porridge made with jumbo oats, muesli based on oats and barley not wheat, adding nuts and seeds to Weetabix, granary toast with peanut butter and fruit.

Other healthy lower GI snacks include reduced fat cheese, nuts or yoghurt all served with fresh, frozen or dried fruit, fruit salad with canned evaporated milk, houmous or lentil pate with brown pitta fingers and vegetable sticks, omega-enriched eggs and baked beans. Homemade flapjacks, carrot/ apple/ banana/ coconut cake made with natural sugar substitutes (eg. xylitol, stevia), nuts and seeds, dried fruit, stoneground wholemeal flour, wheatgerm, oat bran, cocoa powder, coconut oil or vegetable oil instead of butter.

absolutebounder

Have you checked her for worms?

Jennie_2

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

When making soups try adding some quinoa or pearl barley as an added healthy filler. Oh and skimmed milk is a big no-no, especailly for children. There is absolutely nothing wrong with whole milk, it is less than 5% fat after all, which would be regarded as a "low-fat" product by food manufacturers

There is absolutely no reason to use skimmed/semi-skilled milk products, ever. Un-homogenised is even better (Gold Top, Channel Island milk etc) or un-pasteurised if you can get it from a local dairy) they're not allowed to sell it in supermarkets )

I use skimmed milk in scrambled eggs etc because as mae suggested full milk is too rich for us as a family. I make sure my daughter gets her dairy quota from cheese and yoghurt etc.

Pulses in soups are great and I use them all the time. Soup in our house is just called "Bitsa" as I always put in "bits" of this and "bits" of that