Anonymous
01/01/2017 11:32
Subject: What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?
Anonymous wrote:OP here again. Thanks for the advice and suggestions.
Over the last year my boy's BMI ranged from low of 75% and high of 87%, although ups and downs, looks like he's back up again. He was a big kid at birth and never a skinny kid. He's stalky and strong @62lbs and picks up and walks around with his 37lb sister with ease. He does loves sports and running, although harder to get out to playgrounds the chillier days of Winter. During Spring/Fall season, he's doing some sort of sports activity 3-4x a week. I think his chubbiness is more noticeable to me recently as his face has gotten a lot rounder, otherwise, pretty distributed over all, no love handles or anything.
I'm going to try to cut out more of the sugary snacks, encourage thoughtful portion control and also reduce late night eating and see how that goes.
OP - my 5 year old (girl) sounds like this. She gets chubby (noticable to me) right before a growth spurt.
She also has tendencies to love carbs and eat fast. in my opinion, like the PP's have said, no need to limit carbs too much, they are still growing, and I also don't want to introduce any body issues just yet (they will get them on their own, given the world we live in). I do try to limit "snacks" and "treats" at home, as well as as BEG my DD to eat more slowly. I think that is her main issue and perhaps you could work with your DS to eat more slowly, since that way, the signal to be full is actually heard. It hasn't clicked with DD yet, but she knows she needs to eat more slowly. I also told daycare to limit her to two servings of any snacks (since they are by large, carby and no nutrients). your DS is also old enough to start helping pack his lunch - take him shopping, point out healthy food and brainstorm what HE wants to eat and try to get him to take ownership of his lunch and snacks. and pack extra veggies, etc for aftercare or whenever and talk about if he is hungry, take an orange, etc.
Anonymous
12/31/2016 09:54
Subject: What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the suggestions. A few things to answer prior questions above.
1) He only drinks juice or chocolate milk 1 or 2x each week when we're actually out at a restaurant to eat. Usually it's water/milk only.
2) I try to cook and eat most meals at home, but he does get a snack at school at extended day which I can't really control. He'll sometimes eat nothing or eat 3 packages (100 calorie packs) of goldfish if they have it! I know self control also needs to be learned. I'll try to have more conversations about portion control in general.
4) lunch wise, whenever I ask about leftover lunch, he always tells me he just ran out of time. I know it's prob because he was playing around at lunch. If he asks for a snack before dinner, I'll just have him eat the left over fruit or whatever is in his pack.
4) We eat a dessert 3-4x a week. Usually a small pack of the halloween candies and maybe 1x a week a slice of cake/ice cream. Otherwise, each night for dinner, we're having protein, veg, and carb.
5) activity wise he normally plays a couple sports during the spring and fall season but as most boys now, they love their video game time.
I will say that some of the easier pack options he's not keen on. He's not a fan of lunch meats, hummus, or cheese! He likes vanilla yogurt but not the plain one. He'll also only eat 3-4 kinds of cooked veggies and not the raw veggie types like carrot sticks. I guess all those things I could get him use to eating eventually but slow moving there.
Sample daily foods. I would estimate he eats about 1600-1700 calories a day. He's 62 percentile in height at 83% in weight.
Breakfast:
2 scrambled eggs or bowl of wheaties with milk
Lunch/snack
- 4 dino nuggets or sandwich bread with nutella (not a fan of peanut butter), but I only give a light covering on 1 slide of whole wheat bread.
- 1 fruit (clementine, apples, banana)
- snack bar like fiber one bar
- 1 -1.5oz of chips (pita, potato, potato sticks, tortilla)
- water
Extended day - guessing nothing or up to 400 calories of junk food.
Dinner
- broiled chicken/dumplings/meatballs/hotdog
- bowl of rice/noodles
- broccoli/spinach/beans
Snack after dinner
- apples/watermelon/clementines or another fruit
- sometimes yogurt if he's still hungry
And to top it off, my 4yo is 30% in BMI who just doesn't like food as much as my older.
OP, totally understand your concern (and could have written your post myself). DD is 6, the 99th percentile for height (yes, you read that right) and 78th percentile for weight. She's pretty active--30 min recess twice daily, PE four times a week, gymnastics and ballet each once a week.
She eats very similarly to your DC.
Breakfast: protein like two pieces of turkey bacon (or soy sausage) or scrambled eggs with cheese; a small serving of fruit; and either toast, cheerios or a pancake.
Mid morning school snack: is usually a yogurt and goldfish or cheese and graham cracker or fruit snack and popcorn
Lunch is usually leftovers like veggie spaghetti, or a few chicken nuggets, or a turkey hot dog--no bread 'cause she hates buns. Fruit (grapes or apples or a banana), two cookies, pirate booty or veggie straws and a juice box.
After school snack is whatever's left from lunch or morning snack
Dinner: And this has been a struggle, veggie spaghetti or roasted skinless chicken breast or steak. On meat days sides of mac and cheese, peas or broccoli, or spinach salad --the only three veggies my kids will eat. Once weekly cheese quesadilla, white rice and black beans; cheese pizza; burgers and fries.
Desert: ice cream or a bit of cake twice a week.
(we nixed all night snacks after 7:30 pm a while back).
Seeing it written out and looking at the pp responses, I realize we definitely could do more to cut back on the processed foods like nuggets, hot dogs, Goldfish, cookies, desserts, juice boxes, and substitute with healthier options.
And kiddo has asked to do gymnastics twice weekly, so that should help too.
Meanwhile, DS is 3 and in the 35th percentile for weight and height and refuses to eat most things unless he can dip it in ketchup or peanut butter or soft cheese
Great suggestions on this board for healthy food substitutes.
Looking forward to a healthier 2017
Anonymous
12/31/2016 01:29
Subject: Re:What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?
My 8 y/o is a stick - he's 56 inches tall and 65 lbs. In my opinion, it's all genetics - he's just like my brother, who is 6'4 and 170 lbs. he eats more than I do.
Morning: homemade pastry with 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of half and half, 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 tbs of sugar or 1 cup of oatmeal made with half and half and 4 strips of bacon. Snack at school is now 2 tangerines or 1 orange and a croissant. Lunch is usually 12 applegate farms chicken nuggets or a big sandwich with turkey or smoked salmon or ham, and more tangerines or whatever fruit is in season. When he gets home from school he eats a bowl of chicken soup with lots of veggies or some pizza with spinach and roasted chicken / pork / steak. For dinner he usually has some protein (steak, pork, chicken, fish), some veggies (usually broccoli) and lots of roasted potatoes (3-4). He finishes a small steak or a whole salmon piece (we get the frozen Alaskan ones from Costco, individually wrapped and frozen). He gets 1 juice box per day but it has to be sour (lemonade). He loves elevation burger and he finishes an adult sized burger and fries. He won't drink milk and doesn't like sweets, rice, or pasta. The only way he eats rice is in sushi.
Morning: homemade pastry with 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of half and half, 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 tbs of sugar or 1 cup of oatmeal made with half and half and 4 strips of bacon. Snack at school is now 2 tangerines or 1 orange and a croissant. Lunch is usually 12 applegate farms chicken nuggets or a big sandwich with turkey or smoked salmon or ham, and more tangerines or whatever fruit is in season. When he gets home from school he eats a bowl of chicken soup with lots of veggies or some pizza with spinach and roasted chicken / pork / steak. For dinner he usually has some protein (steak, pork, chicken, fish), some veggies (usually broccoli) and lots of roasted potatoes (3-4). He finishes a small steak or a whole salmon piece (we get the frozen Alaskan ones from Costco, individually wrapped and frozen). He gets 1 juice box per day but it has to be sour (lemonade). He loves elevation burger and he finishes an adult sized burger and fries. He won't drink milk and doesn't like sweets, rice, or pasta. The only way he eats rice is in sushi.
Anonymous
12/31/2016 00:26
Subject: What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?
I'd never give my 7 year old nutella for lunch and would also skip the chips. But I wonder about his activity level? Or if he really needs to lose weight. Those charts don't make much sense to me. My son's BMI is apparently in the high 70th percentile and he is literally skin and bone. It's not so much the ribs that poke out that bother me but that his hips and collar bone do too.
Lately hhe's been really hungry. So long as he's eating healthy food and veggies he can eat as much as he wants. Sometimes he goes back for thirds and fourths. At times he eats more than myself or his 6'5" 200lb dad. I just don't know where it goes.
Lately hhe's been really hungry. So long as he's eating healthy food and veggies he can eat as much as he wants. Sometimes he goes back for thirds and fourths. At times he eats more than myself or his 6'5" 200lb dad. I just don't know where it goes.
Anonymous
12/30/2016 23:51
Subject: What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:His lunches and snacks are absolute junk. Plus why so much dessert? Are you and your spouse overweight as well?
Maybe you misread the question. It was: "What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?" not "Make judgmental comments about what my elementary schooler eats on an avg day."
Meh? If the child has a weight problem, there's no getting away from the fact that these lunches ARE unhealthy. If OP didn't want people commenting on that, she should have offered different context. And now the menu, so you can see we make plenty of unhealthy choices as well, which you are free to criticize-
Skinny boy, very healthy, averagely active.
Breakfast - 1 egg, sometimes bacon/ham/turkey bacon/sausage, a handful of raspberries or a few apple slices, slice of dark rye. Water or juice, sometimes hot tea with a bit of honey.
School snack - something like goldfish, pretzels, crackers with cheese, yogurt, energy bar, popcorn, fruit, jerky.
School lunch - buys about once a week. Other days mostly warm lunch in thermos - soup, pasta with ham, rice with meatballs etc. Cucumber slices or a piece of fruit, water.
After-school snack - slice of bread with cheese or salami, apple slices.
Dinner - homecooked soup or stew, potatoes with a shop-bought roast chicken, cheese ravioli, chinese or japanese takeout. Milk or water. Ice cream mostly every day.
Anonymous
12/30/2016 22:45
Subject: Re:What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?
Anonymous wrote:6.5 year old:
Breakfast: 1 egg with cheese, fruit
(Breakfast at school bc it is Title one): cereal, milk, fruit cup
Lunch: PBJ, banana, water
Snack: rice and seaweed
Dinner: noodles, meatballs, carrot sticks
My 7 year old would literally starve on this diet. (She's extremely underweight and eats about 3 times this amount of calories.) It just goes to show that kids' metabolisms vary widely.
Anonymous
12/30/2016 18:57
Subject: What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?
Breakfast
Yogurt smoothie pouch, fruit or egg and fruit
Lunch
Leftover protein, 2 slices lunch meat and a piece of cheese or a yogurt smoothie if she didn't have one for breakfast, banana, clementine, and a Hershey kiss.
Snack
No idea, whatever they serve that day at schoo
Snack #2
Ditto above
Dinner
Protein, veggie, and either a carb/starch or fruit, depends on the sides I make that night
Treat
One piece of candy or whatever we have on hand.
Six year old girl, roughly forty four lbs
Yogurt smoothie pouch, fruit or egg and fruit
Lunch
Leftover protein, 2 slices lunch meat and a piece of cheese or a yogurt smoothie if she didn't have one for breakfast, banana, clementine, and a Hershey kiss.
Snack
No idea, whatever they serve that day at schoo
Snack #2
Ditto above
Dinner
Protein, veggie, and either a carb/starch or fruit, depends on the sides I make that night
Treat
One piece of candy or whatever we have on hand.
Six year old girl, roughly forty four lbs
Anonymous
12/30/2016 18:35
Subject: What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?
7 y.o. DS eats:
Weekday breakfast - frozen breakfast burrito, couple frozen waffles + turkey sausage, instant oatmeal, or bagel thin w/ cream cheese, water or 2% milk
School snack - couple fig newtons and cheese stick, cliff bar, or similar
Lunch - leftover dinner or turkey sandwich, sometimes a hard-boiled egg for extra protein, a veggie (ex: cooked green beans, raw carrot chips, raw sugar snap peas), sometimes a cheese stick or danimals yogurt pouch, usually a banana, low fat milk
Aftercare snack - his program is run by Wonders, who does a great job with snacks - yogurt, salad, cottage cheese and fruit, etc.
Recent dinners - regular adult dinners like braised beef short ribs (with carrots and onions) over mashed potatoes, spaghetti, baked sweet potatoes topped with ground pork and spinach mixture
Dessert is unusual. A banana, apple or yogurt if so. No juice or soda unless, for example, we're at a birthday party.
Weekday breakfast - frozen breakfast burrito, couple frozen waffles + turkey sausage, instant oatmeal, or bagel thin w/ cream cheese, water or 2% milk
School snack - couple fig newtons and cheese stick, cliff bar, or similar
Lunch - leftover dinner or turkey sandwich, sometimes a hard-boiled egg for extra protein, a veggie (ex: cooked green beans, raw carrot chips, raw sugar snap peas), sometimes a cheese stick or danimals yogurt pouch, usually a banana, low fat milk
Aftercare snack - his program is run by Wonders, who does a great job with snacks - yogurt, salad, cottage cheese and fruit, etc.
Recent dinners - regular adult dinners like braised beef short ribs (with carrots and onions) over mashed potatoes, spaghetti, baked sweet potatoes topped with ground pork and spinach mixture
Dessert is unusual. A banana, apple or yogurt if so. No juice or soda unless, for example, we're at a birthday party.
Anonymous
12/30/2016 16:55
Subject: What does your elementary schooler eat on an avg day?
6 yr old DD, slim and healthy
B: either bratwurst, eggs with bacon or wieners
S: whole milk
L: with nanny, something like mini pizza or corn dogs. Apple, berries or a cutie
S: either prosciutto and some fruit, or corn chips with salsa/sour cream, baby carrots with ranch
D: usually steak, or we do ribs and wings. Carnita bowl etc. dessert is whole milk yogurt, chocolate truffles or ice cream
B: either bratwurst, eggs with bacon or wieners
S: whole milk
L: with nanny, something like mini pizza or corn dogs. Apple, berries or a cutie
S: either prosciutto and some fruit, or corn chips with salsa/sour cream, baby carrots with ranch
D: usually steak, or we do ribs and wings. Carnita bowl etc. dessert is whole milk yogurt, chocolate truffles or ice cream