Bedtime Snacks

[CrunchyLutheranMommy]

I've been reading through this part of the forum, so helpful!  We just finished up Day 10 of our very first W30 and feeling great!  Our entire family has been 100% compliant so far (although tomorrow I think our daughter will very likely have a splurge because mommy got the wrong kind of larabar at the store for a special situation coming up and I can't really go back on it now!  Four year olds have very good memories...)

ANYWAY, so my real question is, our daughter has been doing very well, but most days she is just hungry ALL DAY.  All she does is eat!  I understand that this can be perfectly normal at her age, and we have been letting her eat whenever she wants as long as she eats what's on her plate at meals and the food is compliant.  I figure if she's eating meat and veggies all day long, great!

 

But I'm wondering how far I should go with this?  Usually she eats a big dinner and goes to bed a couple hours later without needing a snack.  Although she is always ravenous by morning!  The last couple of nights she has asked to eat right before I put her down to bed.  As in "Hey, lets go get in bed!" and she replies "But I need a snack to help me sleep better."

I know this is discouraged for adults, and I am not a parent who particularly encourages bedtime snacking for the littles so... where did this come from?  Should I somehow try to prevent this from becoming a regular occurrence or not worry about it too much and just give her food when she asks, even if it's right before bed?

[melbournegirl]

Extra fat and starchy veg with meals should help this. Also big breakfasts help prevent being hungry at night.

Until that kicks in, maybe try a banana or boiled egg?

[missmary]

Kids are not the same as adults. I would not worry and give her compliant food whenever she want it, including right before bed. An egg is a great idea, maybe some starchy veg (like sweet potato) too? My guess is it will even out as she gets used to eating this way. You could make a point of asking her to eat heartly at meals to avoid being hungry later and see if that helps.

[CrunchyLutheranMommy]

Thanks ladies!  Last night I gave her some turkey before bed as some quick protein.  She already eats very heartily at mealtime and we have been incorporating lots of starchy veggies as I'm BFing and I need them for my blood sugar to stay regulated.  The kids and I also sit down to five meals a day for that reason!  (And she's still hungry in between... lol)  

As for fat, I have honestly been wondering if she is eating too much fat because of the way her BMs have been?  So I'm not sure how to judge that one as I don't even think we have enough fat according to the meal template at every meal, but I haven't wanted to incorporate more because it seems like she's already getting too much?  We do have some fat at every meal, I just don't always add extra along with the cooking fat and what is in the meat.  So I'm not sure...

Otherwise, we'll just keep doing what we're doing and I'll not deny her a snack at bedtime if she asks for one.

[missmary]

As for fat, I have honestly been wondering if she is eating too much fat because of the way her BMs have been?  So I'm not sure how to judge that one as I don't even think we have enough fat according to the meal template at every meal, but I haven't wanted to incorporate more because it seems like she's already getting too much? 

 

now we get down to the nitty gritty. How have her BMs been exactly? ...if they are light in color, floating or greasy...or if transit time is very fast...it might not mean that she is getting too much fat in her diet, but that she is not digesting fat very well. If that's the case, you might want to try adding digestive enzymes before meals. They may help with the hunger issue too: if she is getting more of the nutrients out of the food she is eating, her body might not need quite so much. 

[CrunchyLutheranMommy]

Yes, they are light and floating.  Transit time is normal, however.

[Emma]

We bought some probiotics for kids which seem to have made a huge difference in their BM's.

 

The other times we've done Whole30's, we fed the kids whenever they wanted and I'd try to give little "mini meal snacks" and that felt like the right thing to do with our kids who were being asked to eat so differently.  This time, we're trying to minimize the snacking because they're on board and I know they're eating plenty of food.  They still whine that they are hungry, but I think that's because they want something sweet like a date and not because they really are hungry in their stomachs.  I try to respond with things like, "It's okay to be hungry.  We'll have breakfast in the morning." and mostly it goes okay, but sometimes we still have mini meals.