What do you feed a 14 yo boy?

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  • Chardonneh
    Chardonneh Posts: 11
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    Mom of 3 grown boys here. Oldest is 28, was a little over weight in his mid teens but lean and fit today. My middle child is my big eater, was very hard to keep him satisfied. He is 20 now and has his weight under control, like to feel hungry. My youngest is 19 and is, always was lean no matter how much he ate. This boys will polish off litres of icecream by himself, never gains an ounce. Keeping this crew fed was a challenge as a single mom with no support. Pasta, potatoes and rice, were my mainstays, always a salad or veggie, never ever had bread at the table. We love our meats so sometimes it would just be steak and salad or a hamburger soup. I never took them to McD's or BK and just the occasional Chinese buffet.

    Today they see me struggling with weight, due to the meals I served them for the past 20 years and a desk job for eleven years. They do have a healthy outlook on what to eat for their own systems, all three are so different.

    Hope this helps a little, feel free to message me for other info or more detail.

    P.S. Boys need food, lots in their teen years, they grow so fast.
  • OK_Girl
    OK_Girl Posts: 123 Member
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    I don't want to sound critical- but some of these responses are surprising. Waffles? Sugary Cereal? We don't want to teach our kids the same habits we learned.
  • wtfusernameisnttaken
    wtfusernameisnttaken Posts: 192
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    Having been a 14 year old boy:

    Anything tasty.

    My weight problem didn't happen until around 20. It's completely normal for teenagers to go through this. My wife would eat a whole pizza at dinner. She's 5'3 115lb. Her dad would let her order the biggest steak at a restaurant just to joke with people; and she'd finish it.

    I will say this, don't give him prepackaged crap if it grows out of the ground or has to be slaughtered, it's okay. Also, tell him he can have whatever he wants as long as he cooks it himself, otherwise he gets what you make.
    ** This!!! When I was 14 I ate like that too, I didn't have problems back then because I was active. After two kids, and a heart issue, I gained A LOT of weight because I kept eating the way I was used to eating... EVERYTHING....
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,525 Member
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    I don't want to sound critical- but some of these responses are surprising. Waffles? Sugary Cereal? We don't want to teach our kids the same habits we learned.

    Make sure you know the facts before you speak.

    Let me just say that getting ENOUGH CALORIES is a challenge for my boys, especially since they are very active. I don't think that mine would get enough calories to sustain on lean meats and veggies alone. Mine are competitive swimmers and one of them swims hard nearly 20 hours a week. So I would rather him eat whole grain cereal or whole grain waffles or bread and get enough calories. He is extremely lean and muscular already. The electrical body fat measuring device won't even register on him, he is so lean. I worry about him getting enough to grow, since he's not got his growth spurt yet. (Size 12 1/2 shoes, but only 5' 6"!)

    When he stops training at such a high level, I expect that he will have to retrain himself as far as eating habits. But for now, I will feed him for what he is doing every day to make sure he grows. (The same for the other one, who is also very active, just not old enough yet to train as hard. He eats like a horse, always has, and there is not a bit of fat on him either)

    I just want to make sure and control the really sugary snacks like cookies, candy, and cakes.
  • helenkerr23
    helenkerr23 Posts: 2
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    you could try my favourite which is a pitta bread pizza. If you split a pitta into 2 bases, use tomato salsa and load with anything he likes/feels like. Its a great meal or snack and is filling but not massive on the calorie count too.
  • OK_Girl
    OK_Girl Posts: 123 Member
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    I don't want to sound critical- but some of these responses are surprising. Waffles? Sugary Cereal? We don't want to teach our kids the same habits we learned.

    Make sure you know the facts before you speak.

    Let me just say that getting ENOUGH CALORIES is a challenge for my boys, especially since they are very active. I don't think that mine would get enough calories to sustain on lean meats and veggies alone. Mine are competitive swimmers and one of them swims hard nearly 20 hours a week. So I would rather him eat whole grain cereal or whole grain waffles or bread and get enough calories. He is extremely lean and muscular already. The electrical body fat measuring device won't even register on him, he is so lean. I worry about him getting enough to grow, since he's not got his growth spurt yet. (Size 12 1/2 shoes, but only 5' 6"!)

    When he stops training at such a high level, I expect that he will have to retrain himself as far as eating habits. But for now, I will feed him for what he is doing every day to make sure he grows. (The same for the other one, who is also very active, just not old enough yet to train as hard. He eats like a horse, always has, and there is not a bit of fat on him either)

    I just want to make sure and control the really sugary snacks like cookies, candy, and cakes.

    Whatever issues you have with your son, and however active he is- has no bearing on the OP's question, which was what to feed HER son. And when you suggested she feed him cereal and waffles, you didn't specify whole grain options, leaving the reader to assume you were referring to- waffles with syrup, and sugary cereals. If you want people to know the "facts" about your son before they post, then state them. If you want people to know you are referring to whole grain then say so. Getting defensive later doesn't help any one.

    I still stand by my opinion that feeding a hungry child sugary cereals, waffles and other empty calories is teaching him bad eating habits. I would follow the advice about hummus, carrots, whole grains, protien, etc. Kids don't need sugar to be healthy.
  • begreenbe
    begreenbe Posts: 102 Member
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    My 13 year old made himself a whole can of baked beansthis weekend. They were gone before I know he had made them. He also eats a whole box of Mac and Cheese. If there are healthy things in the house he eats those. If there are Oreo's they are gone in a heartbeat. I try to keep mostly healthy stuff around.
  • Chapter3point6
    Chapter3point6 Posts: 1,233
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    The same thing you feed a 4 year old boy but lots more of it!

    :huh: Sponge Bob Fruit Snacks :noway:
  • AnnaMGP
    AnnaMGP Posts: 60 Member
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    My son loves ham slices with cream cheese. Just pat the ham dry smear cream cheese on it and roll. Makes a great snack.
  • pumalama
    pumalama Posts: 140 Member
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    haha, that reminds me of my brother at that age. A cereal bowl was the entire bag with the entire milk container in a large mixing bowl, any recipes my mom would cook for the week were gone overnight. She would prepare large containers of tortellinis or various stew and leave them in the fridge for him. I suggest you do the same :)
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
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    My brother would heat a bowl of porridge after dinner. It seemed the only thing to fill him up.
    As kids we were not alowed to eat anything we found in the fridge without asking except rye crisp with peanutbutter or mayo and cream cheese, or apples and banana's. Anything else we had to get permission for.
    Looking back I liked that restriction. It gave us healthy choices, that kept us from eating out of boredom between meals.
  • Marll
    Marll Posts: 904 Member
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    Real food.

    If he's going nuts on the snack type foods you're in trouble, I could hoover down an entire box of Ritz crackers and a jar of peanut butter afer school, and still eat dinner when I was 15-18 years old. When I left for the military my mom says the family grocery bill went down by about $500/mo.

    That being said when I eat protein, vegtables and plenty of fats I'm never hungry to the point of eating everything in sight. Better for him in the long run too by cutting out processed junk.
  • RandomlyFascinated
    RandomlyFascinated Posts: 1
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    I have recently started making beans and rice. it is a healthy protein and carb and you can use whatever spices he likes to flavor it (I do brazilian for which the main flavoring is onions and garlic, but there are many many other variations) and on the plus side it is cheap!
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    My mom tells this story:

    When she was growing up, her mom would make 2 chickens and put them on the table. One was for mom, dad and her. The other was for her older brother.

    LOL I do this now with my 14 year old son!!

    My oldest son is now 17 and his appetite has calmed down a lot, thank god. I don't know if I could feed 2 ravenous teenage boys at the same time. But just when he calmed down, my youngest son started eating like a beast too!
  • dfborders
    dfborders Posts: 474 Member
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    Mine is giving me a hard time during the day right now - his first year in High School. I buy good sandwhich makings and find that he is not making his sandwhiches for lunch and if he does I don't think he is eating it. I don't think it is "cool" to eat in front of other right now or to carry a lunch. So we had a talk this weekend - when he gets home if he is really not that hungry but hasn't eaten since breakfast just eat something really small so that he is not stuffing himself but that he is not ravenous at dinner or in the evening. Luckily he likes fruit so I keep a lot of that in the house too and he eats that in the afternoons. I also make sure I have salad makings so he can have a salad with dinner and I let him pick out his dressing of choice (even if it is a creamy one). Whenever I eat half an avocado at dinner I ask him if he would like the other half - he of course usually says no at first but then will end up eating it and that really helps to control the hunger. I find with him if he sees me eating it he will try it. Just like I keep healthy organic cereal in the house which he would never pick out on his own but if its there and he is hungry he will eat it and usually more than just once and will end up asking me to buy it again:happy: Like I said at the moment he isn't eating that much but I am sure in a few weeks he will be eating us out of house and home again:laugh: Let me tell you though its not just boys - when my 15 yo niece comes over for the weekend the cupboards are bare come Monday a.m. and she is skinny and my stepson is at a healthy not slender but not heavy weight - where do they put it all:tongue:
  • MoniMoni2u
    MoniMoni2u Posts: 211 Member
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    Start out the day with a good breakfast. Complex carbs and protein. Eggs, peanut butter, sausage. Whole grain (with lots of fiber, check labels) toast, good cereal (not too sugar-y,) steel cut or regular oatmeal (not the instant packets) My son loves a peanut butter granola that I make with pb and oatmeal. He then eats it like cereal.


    Lunch - I use mission brand carb-balance tortillas (13 grams of fiber for one!) to make his sandwiches. Fill with turkey, chicken, tuna, whatever. Occassionally I'll put a strip of bacon and make it a club!) I also include diced onion, lettuce/spinach and then in a seperate baggy a sliced tomato that has been cut in strips to add to his wrap.

    When I feed my ds14 right during the day the evenings aren't as painful to watch! LOL. Holy cow, they can eat a lot!

    Snacks:
    Apples and Peanut butter
    Hummus and carrots (or whole grain pita, or green pepper strips, whatever I've got around the house. Crackers are a last resort! LOL)
    PB&J
    Cereal
    hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs


    I normally serve 2 or 3 veggies at night, especially during the summer/fall when the farmer's market (CSA) is going strong. My son love eggplant (oven "fried"), winter squash, summer squash, green beans. Carb-y veggies like baked potatoes, corn, lima beans. Chili that a native would consider sacrilegious! LOTS of beans in my chili! LOL

    Cereal is always in a regular bowl. PB&J is always available.

    I try to keep whole grain muffins in the freezer ready to grab but it's not always the case! Faves around here are the original All-bran muffins, whole wheat blueberry, whole wheat pb&j muffins, Whole wheat peanut butter muffins, Banana muffins

    Supper normally includes some kind of meat protein.

    I have always asked my kids not to gorge or take more than a regular serving at one time and they know that they can always get more or eat again later. Most of the time, this works! :)
  • HealthIsMyHobby
    HealthIsMyHobby Posts: 85 Member
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    For what it's worth, I know a teenager won't overtly acknowledge the validity of any of this, but it's important that you tell him anyway.

    The eating habits he develops now will become increasingly hard to change later. Talk to him about the importance of healthy eating, healthy exercise, healthy sleep, healthy hygiene, and healthy sex. Eating is just one of a variety of things to pay attention to.

    Find out why he is not eating during the day. What is he doing with his lunch money (if you give him any)?

    Talk to him about calories in and calories out and the excess turning to fat. Make sure he knows that calories eaten before sleep will be stored as fat.

    Talk to him about "you are what you eat," and what girls think look hot on a guy (i.e., clear skin, and a slender well toned physique).
  • tedsmama
    tedsmama Posts: 178 Member
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    We also have a son who is a bottomless pit. In my house I always keep a huge bowl of assorted fruits. If you're hungry between or after meals it's the one thing the kids can have as much as they want of without asking. Our teenager, however only wants crap and will rarely eat the fruit. Oh well. I guess he's really not that hungry. = mean mom
  • Icelandic_Saga
    Icelandic_Saga Posts: 2,926 Member
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    Kraft mac n cheese baby! I keep my cupboard stocked with the stuff that fills the void ;) also helpful when he has ten friends over. :ohwell:
  • alvalaurie
    alvalaurie Posts: 369 Member
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    Mine is almost 17 now and has been eating like that since he was 14 too (in 2 yrs he grew 12 inches & gained 50 lbs - not overweight, he tops out at 6'2" & 165 now)! He eats tons of cereal, grilled cheese sandwiches, PB&J, apples, plums (or whatever fruit I happen to have) & loads of water. Those are his "snacks" between meals! I try to give him decent meals that include plenty of carbs, protein & veggies. So far, no complaints except the occasional "mom, I'm hungry"....

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