Posted by kathryn in Uncategorized

The next question in Q & A Thursday is from Andrew and he’s asking about feeding kids :

We work hard to try and give our kids a healthy variety of food, but sometimes their appetites are unexpectedly huge, they can eat a whole plate of quality food and still be super hungry (especially at dinner) . . . To avoid junk after dinner, we often end up giving them bananas, toast or weetbix as they are available, easy and fill cavernous voids. Is this OK from a dietary and nutritional perspective (the kids are fit and slim)? Do you or your audience have any ideas for short notice & healthy bulk stomach fillers for these crazy nights.

There are usually two reasons why kids are ravenously hungry:

• Growth spurt: If your child is growing rapidly they’ll need more food. At this time they need basic energy, but they also have a higher nutritional requirement. They need more protein, fat, vitamins and minerals to feed the changes that are taking place in their bodies.
• They’re not getting enough: If your kids are regularly hungry in the evening it may mean they’re just not getting enough during the day. Many kids need three meals plus two or three snacks each day, to fuel their bodies. Little children have anatomically small stomachs, so they need regular amounts of food. Older children are sometimes more distracted around eating and don’t eat enough.

If your child has had a particularly active day, that may also lead to an increase in hunger.

How to fill the “cavernous void”

As I mentioned above growing bodies need more than just fuel, they also need a diverse set of nutrients.

• Feed your kids a meal, before you start on the snacks. Learning to eat meals and not rely on snacks is an important part of their nutrition education.
• If they’re still hungry after dinner, then try to put together snacks that are nutritious and filling.
• Use all the main food groups, by including some starchy carbohydrate and protein, as well as some fruit and/or vegetable. If they are growing then it’s particularly important to include a bit of protein in there.
• Avoid the high fat, high sugar, high junk foods like chips, lollies, biscuits and chocolate.

Snack suggestions

The following would all make good after dinner snacks:

• a tuna sandwich on wholegrain bread with tomato and cucumber
• a small plate of cheese, vita-weat crackers, cherry tomatoes and a mandarin
• toast with hummous and tomato
• a cream cheese, carrot and sultana sandwich
• a small bowl of cereal with a dollop of yoghurt and a banana
• an English muffin with ricotta and jam, followed by a piece of fruit
• some hummous, carrot sticks, avocado and crackers
• make some low fat and low sugar muffins to keep in the freezer

Does anyone have any other suggestions on quick snacks to fill up kids?

What is Q & A Thursday?

This post is part of Q & A Thursday – a weekly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter. Q & A Thursday is all about simple, practical and sensible answers to food, diet and health dilemmas sent in by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, then either leave a comment or send me an email. For more information you can take a look at the Q & A Thursday archives.

27 September, 2007