Forum menu
My son plays football to a high standard. He trains x 3 a week for 2 hrs, and then maybe 1 or 2 matches a week on top. He is just turning 14.
He has a very athletic figure, we have never tested his body fat, but you can see from looking at him, its extremely low, IMO possibly too low.
He has always been a fussy eater, wont eat bananas, nuts etc etc. Like most kids he also likes he processed foods ie chicken nuggets, chips, sausages etc. However the amount of activity he is doing, is not sustainable on eating this kind of crap. Combined with training finishes fairly late at night, and most matches involve 2+ hrs travelling after a match it makes it difficult to get decent food in to him.
We have started using Protein shakes, but I would like to avoid this if possible, and he will demolish the cupboard of 'snack bars' etc. We do tend to try and cook from scratch when we can ie spag bol, chicken pasta bake type things, but they just become a bit boring after a while.
Anyone got any ideas how to get a 14yr old to broaden their eating horizons or any ideas on high carb/protein foods that will appeal to a 14 yr old?
Thanks
Why avoid protein shakes? When doing a lot of exercise these kind of things are great for getting the fuel in that you need, because it's not normal human behaviour. It's far easier to drink a shake than to cook and eat six chicken breasts and half a kilo of beans etc. I don't think you'll find a pro athlete that doesn't use them.
As for the rest, change what you have in the house to healthier alternatives.
we’ve done the same for our 15yo Tri athlete.
Molgrips - we have started using them. Hopefully we have found one that is more natural than full of crap. There is still a limit though to how much protein the body can absorb at anyone time. He says these shakes dont fill him up, even if they help his body, so he still goes and its processed bread, biscuits etc when he gets home
change what you have in the house to healthier alternatives.
Please can you give some examples as we are struggling to find stuff our lad will eat
Went through similar with our then 13 YO. They're all different, but in case it helps you, what worked for us was:
We found it wasn't just what he ate, but also when. No appetite for breakfast but mid morning could hoover loads. Solved the initial problem with smoothies - you can hide a fair bit of banana in something that has lots of yoghurt and red berries too ( big bags of frozen ones made that affordable). He still has one daily 4 years on.
When he was fussy with eating, told him he could have what he wanted as long as he made the effort to choose and then cook it. Became interested in food generally and now cooking for us all a couple of times each week.
You might be over worrying/thinking it. He's very probably getting enough protein, western diets are packed with it. And he's a skinny 14 year old, that's hardly a new thing either (I was an absolute beanpole). If he's showing signs of lack of energy then that would be worrying, but of he's managing to do what he's doing with no adverse effects visible, there's probably little to worry about
(with the caveat that healthy diets are better generally than chicken nugget diets, obvs)
[i]Please can you give some examples as we are struggling to find stuff our lad will eat[/i]
You say spag bol and chicken pasta bake? So he'll eat mince, stuff in a tomato based sauce, chicken and pasta? I don't wish to sound like a smart arse, but I would just apply some imagination or buy a Simple Italian Recipes cookbook.
YOu can get protein versions of normal 'bars' as well as obviously fully on protein bars..
Mine has had 2 rides where he's 'bonked' but both were where he'd not eaten enough, rather than the quality.. As long as he get something in him, he's golden, the quality of the food doesn't seem to massively matter in that context.
Like yours, he's got an insanely low bodyfat, i can't imagine how you measure it, but if he takes his top off it looks like he's carved from granite as the old saying goes.
If nuggets are good enough for Usain Bolt... The Last Time the Olympics Were in Beijing, Usain Bolt Was Eating 100 Chicken Nuggets a Day (yahoo.com)
Just plain old sandwiches to eat in the car on the way home? But...
Bread machine to avoid shop bread with all the additives. It really only takes 5 mins of prep to use it if you keep a box in the cupboard with all the ingredients and scales/measuring spoons ready to go.
Then the obvious fillers - Peanut butter, decent ham/cheese, etc.
P.S. ours was having Pediasure shakes daily for quite a while to supplement the picky eating / ARFID limitations. Bit different to the protein shakes targeted at athletes/gym crowd.
What time does he start/finish training? How long after eating before he thinks he can train properly?
Bearing in mind that the average Brit is overweight are you sure he isn't just where he should be ? Weeksy jr. doesn't look 'insanely low' on pictures as an example.
Where is he w.r.t. puberty, bulking up etc? If you're sticking 10+ hours a week thro' a junior, and sticking a lot of wasted time driving, then protein shakes might not be an absolute disaster as late night eating isn't great.
[i]Bearing in mind that the average Brit is overweight are you sure he isn’t just where he should be ? Weeksy jr. doesn’t look ‘insanely low’ on pictures as an example.[/i]
This was a thought of mine too - kids are supposed to be skinny, it's just that most of them aren't nowadays.
Training sessions are 7-9pm with 45 mins travelling either side, so he will tend to eat spag bol etc maybe an 1hr before training starts. Then when he gets home he will have some toast/cereal/tea cake etc when he gets home. He doesnt like eating generally within 30 mins of finishing training or a match.
Matches tend to be 1-3hrs travel away, so if its a morning KO he will eat porridge for his breakfast and then a cereal snack bar etc 30 mins before the match etc. If its afternoon KO again porridge for breakfast and then spag bol etc in a heat retaining container probably 1.5hrs before KO.
Its when he is home between meals, he just eats lots of not great stuff. When hes not on a training night he can demolish a portion twice the size that I have but then be hungry 45mins later.
Smoothies are a good idea, and to be fair we have talked about him trying them out.
This was a thought of mine too – kids are supposed to be skinny, it’s just that most of them aren’t nowadays.
Fair comment, but even compared to other lads on the team who look athletic, he has much less body fat, ie can see every bone and the muscles are defined off the bone. Literally nothing to pinch
[i]Training sessions are 7-9pm with 45 mins travelling either side, so he will tend to eat spag bol etc maybe an 1hr before training starts. Then when he gets home he will have some toast/cereal/tea cake etc when he gets home. He doesnt like eating generally within 30 mins of finishing training or a match.
Matches tend to be 1-3hrs travel away, so if its a morning KO he will eat porridge for his breakfast and then a cereal snack bar etc 30 mins before the match etc. If its afternoon KO again porridge for breakfast and then spag bol etc in a heat retaining container probably 1.5hrs before KO.[/i]
This all sound fine
[i]Its when he is home between meals, he just eats lots of not great stuff. [/i]
[i]he will demolish the cupboard of ‘snack bars’ [/i]
Get rid of the cupboard of 'snack bars' (there was a time before such things existed, remember), replace it with a toaster, some (ideally wholemeal) bread and a selection of jams, peanut or other nut butters, nutella, etc etc etc. I used eat about half my bodyweight in toast every day as a teenager.
This was a thought of mine too – kids are supposed to be skinny, it’s just that most of them aren’t nowadays.
This.
We're so used to seeing rotund tweens plodding about, we forget that humans are meant to be thin. It sounds like he's busy and healthy, and TBH it also sound like he's getting macros and calories in.. the snacking is cos he's a teen. I agree that trying to get him to eat healthier snacks is probably beneficial, but if he's burning tonnes of calories just existing (as 14 YO boys do) AS WELL as the sport, then I probably wouldn't worry too much.
DrP
Nothing wrong with whey protein.
I make my daughter smoothies in the Nutribullet, well it's my post ride one, but I split it with her.
I add a scoop of plain unflavoured protein powder, milk, some oats, a banana, mixed frozen berries and a big dollop of full fat greek yogurt. She loves it, and imo it's pretty good nutrionally. It also includes a good amount of fibre, which is lacking in kids diets as they much prefer processed crap.
9pm plus 45 minute drive.
Eat as soon as possible after the exercise, ie have the food in the car.
Cereal, good butty, milk etc
I have a fussy, skinny teenager and I've had a lot of success making stews - which everyone can obviously enjoy.
Chicken (made with thighs) is the current favourite, also add spuds, carrots, cabbage, onion, whatever.
And serve with buttered bread.
Also, macaroni cheese is very popular - serve with some meat for more protein.
Get him to eat more eggs. Plenty of protein, fat, micronutrients etc and will fill him up for longer. Have some hard boiled eggs in the fridge for snacking. Have some frittata in the fridge for snacking. Endless varieties of omelette are possible. Add a couple of fried or poached eggs on top of whatever else he is eating.
Peanut butter is great for a quick high protein filler.
Have more dairy products in the fridge. Milk, yogurts cheese - all packed with excellent quality protein, fats and micronutrients.
Chorizo or salami are also great for snacking on.
Maybe instead of chicken nuggets try him on some spicy chicken drumsticks or wings?
Get some good quality honey from a local beekeeper for a healthy sweet snack.
The best way forward is to get him eating more at mealtimes and less snacking in between. The best way to fill him up at mealtimes is to increase the amount of fat in the meals. Don't just think or protein - fat is the best macronutrient for increasing satiety because it takes the longest amount of time to digest, it also containts the most calories per gram.
He says these shakes dont fill him up, even if they help his body, so he still goes and its processed bread, biscuits etc when he gets home
Have some good quality wholegrain bread in the house instead of processed white crap. He wouldn't turn down bacon sandwiches or cheese on toast surely?
We give our lad bananas and chopped apples to quell the huger pangs after school so he doesn't then eat crap when he gets home. We also try not to have too much crap in the house.
We've found doing something w lots of flavor (for us - paella w chorizo/chicken and lots of paprika) gets woofed down when other stuff doesn't. That can also be eaten cold out of tupperware following day. Easy to eat in car on way home)
Also cold pasta salads w chicken or tuna and and interesting stuff (peppers, toms, cucumber) is good for post game/school days to hit the hunger. Can make a big batch to last a couple of days.
Cook lots of Bolognese sauce or chilli con carne and freeze portions in freezer bags, and then really quick to cook and feed getting home so not waiting ages to prep from scratch.
Whole meal bread and cheese and chorizo in the fridge works well too for a quick hit.
Work out variations of what healthy food he will eat, and mix into transportable meals.
Could bulk up a protein shake by making it w milk and blitzing a banana in to make a milkshake.
I listened to a Science of Sport podcast where a sports nutrition scientist said that it was really difficult to get enough food into a young athlete in the OP jnrs position. With particular reference to footbsllers as it happens. Youngsters need even more food than grownups cos they are still growing.
So I conclude the OP is right to be concerned.
As suggested above, high calorie healthy ingredient smoothies is one approach.
One of our daughters is very active (netball at school and in a club, lots of horse riding, doing DoE and is a Sports Leader) – she likes the added protein yoghurts and adds extra fresh fruit to them. She also likes eggs so we often make batches of hard-boiled ones.
[i]The best way forward is to get him eating more at mealtimes and less snacking in between.[/i]
We're talking about a 14 year old lad, not an office worker. Getting a 14yr old not to snack is just pushing water uphill. At fourteen I ate breakfast at eight, something at breaktime about half ten, lunch at twelve, a cheese sandwich when I got home at three, dinner at about six, probably second helpings of dinner, then a few rounds of toast before I went to bed at about half-nine/ten.
Good post from Jamz above re. eggs & chicken.
One of my kids is particularly keen on those chicken tenders that are like big nuggets, they come in some nice spicy flavours like katsu & cajun.
And I make big spanish omelettes with potatoes and veg in. Chorizo works great in that too.
Get him to help in the prep/cook for the family meals,good chance to educate and talk about nutrition in sport.
+1 for the batch cooking,so you save time and he will learn some life skills.
cupboard of ‘snack bars’
I can't resist eating crap if it's in the house. If you do the shopping, don't buy junk food, go with something healthier/slower energy release.
We’re talking about a 14 year old lad, not an office worker. Getting a 14yr old not to snack is just pushing water uphill. At fourteen I ate breakfast at eight, something at breaktime about half ten, lunch at twelve, a cheese sandwich when I got home at three, dinner at about six, probably second helpings of dinner, then a few rounds of toast before I went to bed at about half-nine/ten.
That's a wonderfully helpful insight into your eating routine as a 14 year old, I really had no idea about such things. Thanks very much 👍
My daughter is 14, type 1 diabetic, and loves sport, so we have the literal highs and lows of diabetes, not helped by her being slightly obsessed with healthy food, which normally would be a good thing, but often she could eat salad every day!
When she does netball, i pre-make a smoothie for her, glug of almond milk, big dollop of proper greek yogurt, a scoop of Huel strawberry protein powder (not the meal replacements, the actual protein powder), handful of frozen berries and some flaxseed, she can then consume it on the way home from sport, and loves it as it just tastes like a milkshake to her really.
She tends to have a banana and a snack size Soreen bar on the way to sport.
Kids don't tend to listen to their parents when it comes to eating sensibly...any change the football club has a nutritionist that would be able to have a chat and make sensible recommendations that may be listened to more?
thanks in some ways all quite reassuring that there is no magic bullet, just keep trying !
He wont touch and egg or cheese - believe me we have tried !
the football club has a nutritionist that would be able to have a chat and make sensible recommendations that may be listened to more?
it appears to be a weak side of his club, but yes we are not far off talking to his coaches, to see if they can have more joy than us as most likely he will listen more to them than us as most are ex professional players.
Science of Sport podcast where a sports nutrition scientist said that it was really difficult to get enough food into a young athlete in the OP jnrs position
Ive just tried googling it and cant find, I would be interested listen if you have a link?
British Cycling have a chat today at 4pm about nutrition...was in a members email earlier this week...
[blockquote]Ive just tried googling it and cant find, I would be interested listen if you have a link?[/blockquote]
I am fairly sure it is this one, from 2021
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4rxSX7wqaXXX2jXGTxQSgR
My 15yr old can be really picky at times and when it's like that she can really hit rock bottom. After exploring nearly every avenue when it comes to quality nutrition for active growing bodies, I've found the most practical thing to do is just give her what she wants/craves. In our case it's driving through for a box of nuggets on the way home in supplement to what's fresh on the table at home.
My son is that age and comes home from school and makes himself an omelette or scrambled eggs most days as a 'snack' before he heads off to the gym or YouTube watching or whatever, and then still has room for tea later on! Maybe you can teach your son some basic cooking so he can make what he likes?
My son races bmx at a high level, trains/races 4-5 times a week plus gym work and school sport. He’s 14, 5’11” and prob pushing 70kg. We have the same thing with food, he hates eggs but loves French toast (maybe worth a try?) so every morning he has two slices of wholemeal bread/2 eggs, a smoothie with 1.5 bananas, apple, berries, yoghurt and plant protein. Has a massive bowl of cereal when he gets home from school, then a normal meal in the evening. So basically 4 meals a day. Often a protein shake after training too. I would say his diet is ok but could be better - but I think just eating is half the battle.
When you're eating to fuel a body for sport, you really need a different mindset to usual eating for enjoyment.
My 11 year old plays football and races bikes and I have the same concern about his diet.
"Eating is fuel"
Yeah, this can lead to some boring repetitive meal plans but it doesn't stop you from having your favourite foods once in a while.
For breakfast, I give my son, an egg, porridge with whole milk and fruit. Sometimes he'll have greek yoghurt with fruit instead of the egg.
Lunch at school he takes a packed lunch of a chicken sandwich, with some fruit and salad. And maybe some crisp or cereal bar.
Evening meals are nearly always homemade, and include plenty of veg, meat/fish and rice/potatoes/pasta. Eating as a family helps as we'll all eat the same foods.
My son is still stick thin but then I was at his age.
Good luck 👍
I have a 14 and 17 yr old doing a lot of sport. Kayak racing and hockey. Their club had a nutritionist in that was really helpful. They make their own snacks and have settled on lots of berry smoothies with banana milk yoghurt oats and peanut butter. Lots of peanut butter on toast, although bagels were recommended for higher calorie. Tuna pasta by the ton. Omelettes. Milk was suggested as a good after exercise drink. Dosnt need to be the chocolate variety that is so popular. Also kids are meant to be thin, Active kids look like a rake or ripped if they out on any muscle.
He’s active and he’s growing well, what’s the problem?
Smoothies aren’t particularly healthy by the way.
Wouldn’t that depend on what you a/ were putting in a smoothie and b/ what the alternative is that a 14 yr old is going to want to stuff in their face after a 2 hour training session.
Not really. Smoothying something is processing it, which removes a lot of the benefits. They’re not particularly bad, but neither are they particularly good either.
Smoothying something is processing it, which removes a lot of the benefits
Nonsense. A smoothie (a good one) is fruit that is mashed up then consumed. The same as what you do with your teeth, more or less. I used to make one with two oranges, a lime, a banana and a mango. I'm not sure I'd eat that lot manually.
And the point about supplements is that they are supplements not replacements. So you eat all your fruit and veg and whatever, but on top of that you get extra calories and protein from supplements, if youi're doing a lot of training. You don't replace anything healthy.
Smoothie can be very healthy. It's juice that is less good because you strain out all the fibre and it tends to be high sugar.