What do you feed a 14 yo boy?
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Most meals I let my kids eat seconds, until their full, I keep a jar full of snacks available. I have a friend who keeps a bowl full of fruit and veges out and tells her kids if they are hungry they can eat as many as they like. Works for them.
But we also dont want to teach our kids to just eat eat eat. Once in a while, I make my kids eat a serving and then stop. I do not feed them seconds. That way my kids will learn what they should really be eating someday.
May sound mean and may make me a mean mom, but I will help stop child obesity! >:O) (my kids are toothpicks and so was I as a kid into college, now look at me.) :O(0 -
All my boys have been rail thin at 14 (I have one that's 14 now and my two oldest are 19 & 21). They ate whatever they wanted usually. We always have stuff for them to pack for lunch, and it's up to them what they take. The good news is, they have all been very body/health conscious at this age and exercise a LOT. Current 14 yo is in to martial arts and works out 6 days a week. 19 year old was "mr athlete" and kept trim & muscular. 21 year old was a distance runner. So, I didn't stress over the amount of calories they ate. But we always emphasize healthy foods over the "snack" foods.
I hope my daughter (13) catches on. . . she's NOT active and loves her junk food (much like her momma at that age). My 6 year old is an eating machine, too, but he's super active.
Just load up on reasonably tasty, healthy foods and let him eat when he's hungry.0 -
ALOT.
They are very filling.
I'm having the same atm. Teach him to bake good bread, that's what I'm trying to do.
Egg sandwiches are cheap and filling. I also taught my son to make protein (whey) shakes with added greens and fruit for when he's ravenous. They seem to fill him up well.
HA HA HA HA !!!!! The alot monster, Thanks I needed that.
have you read the sneaky hate spiral?0 -
My son is 10 but I can get him to snack on hummus with carrot sticks, celary sticks, and cucumber / zuchini sticks - celary has a stronger flavor, so he wont' always go for those. I will also give him slices of apple, carrots and celary with natural peanut butter, cashew butter, or almond butter (sometimes mixed with a little honey) - he likes that and it's pretty healthy. If there is potato chips and snack cakes, ofc as a kid he'll go for those, but if those things aren't in the house he eats the healthy options and really enjoys them. Another thing I'll do is make a little low fat Chicken / tuna salad and serve it with celary or whole wheat crackers / matzah. He likes that too. To make a healthier chicken / tuna salad I just ditch the mayo all together and make a mixture of avocado / greek yogurt - someetimes I'll add a little garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin - blend it together and mix it with the meat - and it's really quite tasty0
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The souls of the slain.
LOL! Just because he eats like a demon doesn't mean he is one.0 -
how about making your own beef jerky? with some air popped pop corn and lots of water as after school snacks.0
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Hahahaha pretty much!ALOT.
Meatballs aka lots of veggies with a meat coating, are pretty awesome!0 -
Lol ~ the rule in our house, is if you are still hungry after dinner ~ there's leftovers. Anything beyond that, you cook it or get it yourself. I budget $20 per kid to buy their own "snacks" for the week and they keep things on their own shelf in a storage locker. One kid likes to buy no snacks and stashes the money for cash, and the other uses half to go skating and the other half to splurge on ice cream. My vegetarian daughter would buy the stuff I wouldn't buy "just for her" and I have another son who buys his protein bars, etc. with it. My husband gets a $30 snack budget and splurges on cheese, crackers, and k-cup coffees. It works for us. 0
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Have healthy "taco meat" (turkey) in the fridge and healthy tortillas (La Banderita ..2 = 60 cals-fajita size)...
FRUIT?? ANY and all
I like the idea of having HIM make a list of everything HE likes ..then switch up what you have in the house each week or two to give
variety.
Popcorn-- try sprinkling with cinnamon /sweetner for a change.. or get some "Sprinkle on" cheese .. for something different and not so fattening..0 -
I think about the only thing you can do with a 14 year old boy is make sure there's a ton of healthy food in the house (and only a little of the un-healthy). They will eat, and they get so hungry they will eat whatever is there and ready to eat.
Oh my - I can't imagine the grocery bill when my son hits that age, LOL!0 -
Give him a ton of broccoli, it's a natural testosterone booster :}0
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My 14 year old loves protein bars and I've been making the egg/sausage muffins (in one of the food posts) and he loves them and will eat them after school. I also try to make extra at mealtime and sometimes if he reallly likes a meal he will finish off the leftovers.0
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15 yo girls.0
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My son (16) will snack on bananas, strawberries, or seedless grapes like there's no tomorrow. He also will drink huge tumblers of milk or orange juice. Sliced turkey right out of the package or in a sandwich is also a favorite, as are raw cauliflower or broccoli florets.0
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You say he eats at night?
I know this isn't the most popular suggestion but you may want to talk to him about why he's starving himself at lunch time.
My son says most of the food at school is terrible and when I purchase quality meats from the deli and easy to snack on foods like carrots and celery he is more willing to pack a lunch.
He eats again when he gets home from school (he'll be 13 next month) and I try to make sure he's drinking enough water so that he's not confusing hunger with thirst.
Try to make planned leftovers and tell him that he doesn't have to eat it the very next day, but the day after that. This way you know it's ready and easy for him and then you're controlling some of what he's devouring.
Good luck
My mother works in a middle school kitchen, thanks to Obama's wife they've changed what kids can have. Yesterday the served breadsticks. The kids were only given 2 breadstick and 3 saltine crackers to eat. The dipping sauce was tomato and had to count for the veggie. That is not enough to fill a 14yo boy. If this kid is eating at school, the fact they are now starving the kids may have something to do with him being hungry in the evenings.0 -
Mine is 12 and just getting ready (I hope) for a growth spurt.
Sometimes I will come home to find 10 wrappers from string cheese in the garbage or 2 or 3 empty yogurt containers. He's drinking a decent amount of milk right now, too.
It's kind of annoying to have to go back to the grocery store every couple days for 'snacks', but, like I said, I hope a growth spurt is imminent because he's in only in the 25th percentile for height and weight at his age.0 -
it has begun...
my advice, fix your food first and hope he doesn't hvae friends over too often.
I would only be concerned if he wasn't active during the day.0 -
My big boy (shaved last night for the 1st time... with a PINK razor - Ha ha) likes a whole bag of frozen spinach cooked with eggs, salsa on top and some Tony Chachere's seasoning in the mix. He's not big on veggies, but claims, "you can't even TASTE the spinach!" - evidently a good thing.
Enjoy your kiddo - it' such a great time of life0 -
Mine would live off of PBJ sandwiches if I let him so that's an easy one for us!
) ha ha He also likes baby carrots...if I don't watch him, he'll eat a whole bag in one sitting! ) 0 -
I have a almost 13 year old and oh boy !!! I understand what your going through !!! I make him PBJ sandwiches or Tuna sandwiches, Lots of protein to help him feel full. Lots of water !! Sometimes just having him drink water will make him less hungry! If he's hungry have him eat Fruit, Hard boil eggs, Meat. Of course like most kids they want junk and tons of it ! I do allow my kids to have Treats and if i know he ate healthy for the most part of the day i will allow him to eat cookies but i have to watch him cause he'll polish off the whole bag ......0
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Hahahaha - no kidding! Mine just about ate us poor!!!!
Seriously - eggs are good protein, mine could eat egg sandwiches all day long (I buy him healthy bread) and he will drink smoothies so that is where I hide the veggies. I also add chopped veggies to anything I can, chili, pasta, etc... it isn't enough but it is better than none. I have him take a Fruit & Veggie supplement (I work for Nutrilite so I use ours) just to make sure. It isn't the same as real veggies but it helps.
Mine wrestled in high school - during the season he would devour about 8000 cal per day - 6 feet tall, 145 lbs, 6% body fat. No processed food in our house, but I am sure he ate junk with friends and when he was out. I just hoped that what he ate at home was healthy enough to make up for it.
Now in college, he still works out several hours a day, weighs more but still low body fat - he just got bigger and taller. He eats a lot of chicken, eggs, salmon, brown rice, and puts veggies in his smoothies.
My grocery bill is cut in half now that he is away from home and there are still three of us in the house!!!0 -
My hunger was almost completely eliminated by removing carbs from my diet (and I lost 50 lbs!) It's a widely know thing that carbs convert to glucose which raise blood sugar which causes a crash later which causes hunger and so the circle goes on. It's called the blood sugar rollercoaster. I now feed myself on proteins and fats which take ages to digest in the stomach and don't create the rollercoaster.0
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Lol ~ the rule in our house, is if you are still hungry after dinner ~ there's leftovers. Anything beyond that, you cook it or get it yourself. I budget $20 per kid to buy their own "snacks" for the week and they keep things on their own shelf in a storage locker. One kid likes to buy no snacks and stashes the money for cash, and the other uses half to go skating and the other half to splurge on ice cream. My vegetarian daughter would buy the stuff I wouldn't buy "just for her" and I have another son who buys his protein bars, etc. with it. My husband gets a $30 snack budget and splurges on cheese, crackers, and k-cup coffees. It works for us.
what a fantastic idea!
Having no children, I can't offer any advice other than what was already given. My MIL raised 3 boys- all being near the same age, they hit the hungry years all at the same time, they had high metabolisms and were tall. Despite eating nearly all waking hours, were still rail thin! She never stood a chance! Her advice would be to cook for dinner what should last several days, and watch him devour it in one sitting.0 -
Frozen Waffles. Cereal. Anything easy.
Just hide the candy.
I buy fun size chocolates for myself, and can treat myself to one and stop. But my boys. . . .I find 5 or 6 wrappers hidden stuffed between the couch cushions! So now, I will no longer allow the candy to be unsupervised!
(Luckily we don't have to worry about weight issues, since they are so active, but I'd rather them make healthier choices)0 -
15 yo girls.
Not MY 15 year old girl. 0 -
I have a 14 year old with the same issue. My 10 year old daughter is not far behind. I make sure they eat breakfast in the morning. They are very picky when it comes to school lunch so often they may not eat until they gets home. My husband and I grill lots of Chicken, and turkey products over the weekend and leave it in the fridge so that all week there is food ready when the kids come in from school. We tend to prepare and abudance of protein, a nice amount of veggies (usually steamables kept on hand) and minimal carbs.
I limit there sugar drinks to one a day, and place a water consumption requirement on them. I also supply fruit and 100 calorie snack packs for dessert, to help control the calorie consumption.
I am able to get my daughter to join me in Zumba and walking which tends to curb her appetite. I'm still working on my sons extra curriculars. We don't live in an area that he can just go out and play, but I tend to send him up and down the stairs alot to compensate for excercise (does that sound cruel? )0 -
I hear you, I have 2 boys, 15, and a daughter, almost 13.
I taught them to cook early, that makes it easier for me.
Homemade Vegetarian Pizza with Mozzarella ist filling, We put all kinds of veggies on them.
Homebaked fullkorn bread with cheese or butter/honey. Or Bread with peanutbutter and bananaslices.
Baked oatmeal with fruit, tastes very good also when it is cold.
Cottagecheese with fruit. Bananas.
Ricottafilled canneloni, can also be aeten cold.
I made Italian meatballs the other day, the rest disappeared during the night!:laugh:
Let him try to prepare things himself, there are endless possibilities.0 -
I agree with this mostly. At 14 he's likely hitting a growth spurt and needs lots more calories, lots more energy, and lots more vitamins and protein. I have a 20 year old son, who still lives at home (that's a story for another post!) so I still feed him. No more growth spurts, but he still has a ravenous appetite because he's so active.The same thing you feed a 4 year old boy but lots more of it!
I make sure he has lots of protein in the way of chicken, red meat, and sea food (frozen fish and cans of tuna). Also, he drinks protein shakes. (I'd check with your doctor about whether or not a 14 year old can/should supplement his meals with protein shakes though.)
I also keep lots of milk, whole wheat bread, peanut butter, and healthier cereals in the house. That kid can eat an entire box of Cherrios and a quart of milk in one day! A loaf of bread is gone in about 3 days.
Also, my son loves eggs. He eats them basically every day.
I hope you have a large food budget, because from here on out... you're gonna need it!
**Edited for spelling.0 -
Keep healthy options in the house and let him go..............all kids go in spurts.0
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No offense, but by your picture, I'm guessing you're not 14. This is a kid in the middle of puberty. He needs protein, carbs, fats, rinse and repeat!My hunger was almost completely eliminated by removing carbs from my diet (and I lost 50 lbs!) It's a widely know thing that carbs convert to glucose which raise blood sugar which causes a crash later which causes hunger and so the circle goes on. It's called the blood sugar rollercoaster. I now feed myself on proteins and fats which take ages to digest in the stomach and don't create the rollercoaster.0
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