Help! Athletic Pre-teen Eating Me Out of House and Home!

You've gotten some great suggestions! I would add to look for high fiber foods. Fiber is what keeps us fuller longer. I'm on a gluten-free diet so I understand it can be hard when we're used to the pastas and things to fill us up. Veggies go a very long way. Also, oatmeal in the morning with eggs -the fiber w/protein is so good for you! Oatmeal will fill you up for a long time and is gluten-free.

Good luck! I have 4 small boys and I already feel like I can't keep them full. We are so in trouble! = )

Meagon McGovern's catering provides gluten free meals and her website has links to recipes for menu ideas. http://www.mcgovernsorganics.com/

Peanut butter and bananas? Dairy products: milk, smoothies, yogurt, cheese. Baked potatoes--my husband had a roomate in college that would microwave one between meals, used to walk around with one in his hand...ate it plain...would go through a bag a week...he was starving! Steak? Look for specials...sometimes those men just need meat to be satisfied.

Chili with beans.
Nachos with tortilla chips.
Big pots of black beans or pinto beans.
Cheese enchiladas with corn tortillas.
Grilled chicken topped with marinara sauce filled with zucchini and topped with Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan.
Grilled meatloaf with cheese stuffed in the middle and topped with a can of Rotel tomatoes.

Spelt bread sandwiches filled with meatballs, marinara and cheese.
Spelt Pizza crust topped with his choice of toppings.. We do these on the grill.

Breakfast for dinner with huge omelets, hash browns, sausages, orange juice.

Huge baked potatoes (the bigger the funnier it is on a plate)filled with everything.

Huge spinach salads with hard boiled eggs, turkey bacon and Monterrey Jack cheese. Make a homemade salad dressing.

Grilled eggplant and use it instead of pasta to make lasagna.

Stuffed peppers stuffed with brown rice and ground turkey.

Fried Brown rice with meat and veggies, tofu, soy sauce.

Spelt hamburger buns to make Hamburgers or grilled chicken sandwiches.

Whole roasted or Grilled chickens. Cut them in half and give him a half for a meal with a giant salad filled with lots of raw veggies.

Make a whole Turkey or have it smoked at a BBQ place and let him eat it all week. It is great with mashed potatoes and green beans. Good for sandwiches, good in corn tortillas as tacos.

Sweet potatoes topped with all kinds of toppings.

gf here too... lots of fruit and veg, meat and nuts for protein, rice- lots of it (make itno a snack patty combining with vegs and egg maybe?). Gluten free snacks are expensive!! Larabaars are gluten free and pretty heavy duty fillers.

HI L.,

I know how you feel! I am a mom of 4 and 2 of them are teenage boys! My kids are also gluten intolerant, too.

I am a nutritional counselor who graduated from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC. My website is www.kathleentisdale.com. I work with women and families helping them with nutritional guidance and lifestyle changes that will benefit a lifetime.

I hope to hear from you! Good luck! K.

Lots of protein! Nuts, peanut butter, trail mix, protein bars, eggs (hard boiled are easy), cheese, yogurt or smoothies (maybe a protein shake or something). It helps to make them feel full longer, although I remember my brother at that age and nothing satisfied him! Good luck...sounds like you have a normal, growing boy on your hands. :-)

It's a little work but you can make a bunch of deviled eggs and keep them in the fridge. Protein is a must for a growing boy! Lots of GF pasta too!

Make sure he is getting a good breakfast before school. Eggs, bacon, toast and fruit. Pack him a good nutritlonal lunch and then have dinner early and then snacks before bed time or cereal. Try to give hime plenty of fiber enriched foods through the day. For snacks pb on graham crackers, celery, banana, apple, toast. Yogurt, fruit, nuts, baked crackers. Other then that - he is a growing boy. If you think he is hungry now just wait. You aint seen nothin yet.

Keep boiled eggs in the fridge. That's quick and has protein. I would suggest nuts and yogurt. They also have protein which keeps you full longer. Someone else mentioned breakfast--make sure he gets plenty of protein in his breakfast. My cousin is on a gluten-free diet and lives on sweet potatoes. If you bake several and keep them in the fridge, you can pop them in the microwave as needed.

lots of protein! meat, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, jerky, cheese, etc.
also, snacking on fresh fruits and veges might take longer to fill him up, but he needs those vitamins and minerals for being so active. the fruit that I think fills you up fastest is bananas. maybe you could try mixing up a bowl of fruit salad before he gets home from school? or having fresh fruits already sliced and ready to make smoothies?
good luck!

Hi L.,

Have you tried veggies? ( Broccli, Coliflower,Beets) and seeking advice from a health food store,or googling gluten free snacks. Hopefully this is not redundent information for your request.
Have a great day!!!

P.

Protein is the way to go mixed with fresh fruits and veggies. Stay away from fatty foods. They just add fat not nutrition.

Welcome to teenage boys! I would suggest fruits and pasta's.

It's the hollow-leg syndrome! If your son is going through a growth spurt this could be the reason. Through the years boys have been asked it they were trying to fill a hollow leg.....smile. Be sure there is plenty of healthy food available......no sodas or junk. Our bodies crave food when we don't give them enough protein and vegetables and fruit to build new cells to replace the cells that die off every day. Sugary foods and drinks may fill us up but they do not satisfy in the long run. I have recipes made with soy protein if you want them. Three of our grandsons can devour a platter of fresh raw veggies. They are very athletic and solid as can be. Their mom keeps them supplied with fruits, vegetables, and yogurt. Her made-from scratch cheesecakes, apple pies, etc., are saved for special occasions. I have noticed that the boys fill up on the healthy foods and eat only a reasonable portion of dessert. They are very healthy.

maybe try protien bars or clif bars for snacks between meals.

We had friends who supplied our kids with homemade energy bars. Google: "peanut butter energy bars recipe" and you will find some good recipes.

My 11-yr-old is a big eater too. I make him a strawberry banana smoothie with vanilla yogurt and a little bit of apple juice most days after school. They seem to keep him full for quite awhile.

Hi L.,
well, I think you have a perfectly normal child. My boys all had "hollow legs" at that age and beyond. He must be going thru a grow spurt and probably edging into puberty.... about the only thing you can do is fee him what he will and can eat- don;t worry about "filling him up" because that most likely won;t happen.
On the flip side- look at what he is eating- see if he is not "deprived" of a special nutrient or vitamin that you can give him to slow him down...... If you think he is eating things that are ok for him then I would say, just let him eat- but try to get some "good stuff" in there someplace.
good luck and blessings