Overview: Boys eat a lot! If you feel like your grocery budget is on par with the national defense budget, then check out these 6 healthy tips to curb appetites.
Boys eat a lot. It’s a simple truth that parents of boys are quite familiar with. And the older they get, the more they eat.
My sons have always been extremely tall for their age. My younger son was 6’5″ at age 16 and my older son was 6’6″ before he turned 18.
They’ve been hearty eaters since the day they were born. And they’ve been growing at a rapid rate so their bodies require a lot of food.
Sometimes, it feels like we’re going to have to take out a second mortgage on the house to be able to pay the grocery bill!
Fortunately, there are some things I’ve found which help to satisfy their appetites before they eat us out of house and home.
Here are 6 Healthy Ways to Curb Appetites:
1 – A Hearty Breakfast
A bowl of cereal won’t cut it. Feed them foods which are high in protein such as eggs, sausage, and bacon.
Oatmeal is also a great stick-to-your-ribs choice. Protein will make your boys feel full longer. It will also help to wake them up unlike eating carbs would make them sleepy.
This is a significant side benefit when you’re wanting them to do their schoolwork in the morning.
2 – Plenty of Protein
When your boys ask for a snack, try to provide foods which will satisfy for long periods of time. Cheese and crackers would be a better option than chips. Yogurt with granola or peanut butter and apple slices are also great choices.
Our boys’ brains need plenty of fat so don’t buy them low-fat varieties of food. Don’t be afraid of giving them real butter, whole milk, and plenty of mayonnaise.
3 – Drink water before eating
Sometimes we feel hungry when we’re actually thirsty. Encourage your sons to drink plenty of water.
Try to get them to drink a glass of water before they eat any food. This will help to fill their stomachs and make them feel more satisfied.
4 – Fiber
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends between 20 and 35 grams of fiber per day. Most Americans don’t have as much fiber as they should in their diet.
Some great boy-friendly foods which are high in fiber are:
- Corn and popcorn
- Whole wheat pasta
- Whole wheat bread
- Pears with the skin
- Oatmeal
- Raspberries
- Peas
- Apples with the skin
If you think your son isn’t consuming enough fiber, try adding a fiber supplement to his diet. My oldest son has been taking Citrucel Caplets
after breakfast and it has been extremely beneficial for his digestive health.
This has also helped him to ask for less snacks in the morning.
5 – Whole grains
Slowly replace the white bread, pasta, and rice in your family’s diet with whole grains. These are not only healthier options, but they will make everyone feel full longer.
→ Related Content: Is Your Son's Brain Starving? Solving Behavior Issues with Nutrition6 – Fruits and vegetables
Try to incorporate more fruits and veggies into your son’s diet. Have him eat a salad or a broth-based soup before his meal.
Give him raw carrots to gnaw on while he’s doing his schoolwork. Serve the whole fruit or vegetable rather than just the juice. Raw or frozen are preferable over canned. Keep the skin on the fruit if your son will tolerate it.
If you struggle to get your son to eat foods which are healthy for him, check out these helpful tips for picky eaters!
Let’s face it. Our boys are going to eat, and they’re going to eat a lot. Armed with this knowledge, however, we will be able to get their eating down to a more reasonable level.
Eating in this manner will also help to curb some of the mindless eating, which isn’t good for their bodies or for our grocery budgets.
Question: Have you discovered any other ways to help curb your son’s appetite? Do you struggle with this issue? Please leave a comment below.
I have 6 boys and YES, they are always eating. I am a huge whole foods fan, and I agree with your list wholeheartedly. As a family, we were diagnosed with celiac (me) and gluten intolerance (my hubbs) a year ago, so I make sure that I have snacks readily available. I’ve taken a page from Dr. Bill Sears, and I have bowls of fresh raw fruits and veggies washed, cut and prepared – and out on the counter when they are home. I have found that when they are hungry they will grab what ever is easiest to consume. I’ve also found a nutritional supplement that helps us get the recommended 10 servings of fresh, raw fruits and veggies in our diets and helps with the fiber issue.
That’s a great idea to have a bowl of washed fruits and veggies on the counter. Thanks for sharing that tip! What’s the supplement that you use?
Your tips are great! As a mom of 7 sons, I can totally endorse your claims. I’ve been frustrated before when being advised to “tell them that’s all they get” by a mom of only daughters. They simply require lots of food – period!
My boys are tall too – the youngest teen looks me eye-to-eye (5’9″), and our 19-year old is our tallest at 6’5″. He visited from college last weekend and I had forgotten just how much he can eat! He’s an Army ROTC cadet, so he’s burning extra calories with PT training – even as a young adult, he still needs a lot of food.
All of them (including our one lone daughter) loves fruit and most enjoy fresh veggies – great filling snacks.
Great post – all moms of boys need to read this!
Thank-you very much, Karen! I totally agree with you that boys need to be allowed to eat when they’re hungry. Girls do, too, actually. I remember growing up in a house where we ate meals and weren’t allowed to snack very often. When I was going through a growing spurt, my stomach would growl something fierce and I would chew on ice cubes and swallow gum to try to make it less uncomfortable.
That was no fun and I didn’t want to make my boys grow up like that. I think it’s way healthier to teach them to listen to their bodies and to try to help them make good food choices.
My mum used to add millet to baked goods like scones, pizza etc. We would often only eat half to two thirds our usual intake because it filled us up faster. Protein and fats are definitely important – I’m currently pregnant with my 2nd child and those are so good for bubs and I right now!
Good tip! Thanks, Sharon. 🙂
Smoothies can pack a lot of calories and nutrition. We grill boneless chicken breast every week and slce it thin. It’s very easy for boys to throw some on a roll, add to salad or toss in a pasta. My oldest is 16 and that’s a go to snack. My boys also live black beans and rice with an assortment of toppings…(try salsa!). Thanks for this post!
Excellent suggestions! Thank-you!
I discovered several years ago the need for protein at breakfast in order to keep my the boys (now 4, 6 & 9) from feeling hungry every hour. I’ve added homemade protein shakes to the breakfast mix with age appropriate amounts of protein in them. I use almond or soy milk and egg white protein powder since we have issues with dairy as well as frozen fruits and healthy fats like olive or coconut oil. If it needs extra sweetener I use stevia. Sometimes I add fiber powder and/or probiotics to the shakes as well.
Hey, thanks for the breakfast suggestion. I think that’ll be really helpful for people! I know that dairy can sometimes be a kicker. I’m doing a dairy fast myself right now to see if I have any sensitivities to it. (sigh)
What great advice. My 13 year old son, zoomed past me in the height department at some point within the past 3 months, and I can’t keep the frig from beeping because he always has the door opened! I am going to give the larger breakfast a try this morning. As always, you rock!
Awww, thank-you, Jessica. That’s so sweet of you! I hope the big breakfast helps. 🙂
So refreshing to hear people who understand whole foods and the importance of healthy fats and protein. My newly minted tweleve year is as big as me and built like a brick wall. When hecwas two his teeth were crumbling and with the help of a holistic dentist an the GAPS diet, we put a stop to that and his weedy growth. His teeth are gorgeous, cheeks rosy and attitude much improved.
Wow, that’s awesome news, Deb!!! So glad you were able to help him make such a dramatic turnaround. Good fuel makes such a difference, doesn’t it?!?
We currently have 4 boys under the age of 10 eating in our house, and in a few months, we’ll have 5 boys. I almost fear the day they’ll all be eating! Our daughter eats like a mouse in comparison to her brothers (well, most days). I’ve definitely got to remember all of this!
Yes, the tween/teen years of feeding boys definitely require some extra food being available around the house. I hope these tips help you once you hit that stage! 🙂
This so true and with three boys I know all about empty cupboards!! My boys eat well and thankfully love fruits and vegetables. One son doesn’t really like eggs and won’t eat bacon so finding a variety of protein based breakfasts is hard. They like smoothies but that alone is not enough. Some days I find it all so exhausting and trying to find the time as a homeschool mum to go to the supermarket to stock up is a challenge!
I love the photo of you dwarfed by your sons Michelle, it makes me smile and laugh because I know that will happen to me!
Blessings to you.
Ha! Thanks! Yeah, it took me a while to get used to how tall my sons have gotten but I’m used to it by now. I’m 5’8″ so I’ve always been on the tall side for a girl. So it’s fun to now be so short compared to my husband and sons. LOL It’s great that your sons love fruits and vegetables. And smoothies are awesome! My sons have been trying to eat a bunch of protein since basketball season has started and we’ve also found some protein bars at Costco with 21 grams of protein and Greek yogurt has also become a staple around here.