Help with nutrition for a 16-year-old boy.

[delila]

I have a 16-year-old son who is stubborn as a mule when it comes to eating. He has to get up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for school. He does not like eating that early. He says it makes him nauseated. So, I started giving him some high-protein Ensure (he likes Ensure) and a piece of fruit in the morning. He does not drink at school except at lunch, maybe will buy a water. Will not eat. I have put things in his backpack and he comes back with it. I guess its not cool to eat in front of the other guys. Then he comes home complaining of a headache and being tired (DUH!!). Keep in mind, this is a high A student (but is an airhead somedays). I try to push what I can on him at dinner. He likes most of his vegetables raw, does not care for meat, except for chicken and maybe pork chops. Typical teenager, pizza, burgers, etc.

This child catches a cold this time every year. I have been keeping him on a multivitamin (Centrum) and orange juice (which has helped tremendously). He has missed 3 days of school (unexcused) because of the cold. The physician gives me antibiotics to keep in the house for sinus infections that are guaranteed to come with a cold, so I do not run to the doctor's office for every cold (it could get expensive with 8-10 colds a year).

Any suggestions for a supplement would be appreciated. He only exercises during the summer (at 12:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.) and very little during the school year. I have tried explaining that he needs to eat, but I could get more of a response walking outside and talk to my F-150 (at least I would not get that "look". You know the look).

Pleeeease help me. I am desparate. I have gone through this every school year since he was in pre-school. I can't take it anymore and I am ready to send him to school wrapped up in Saran Wrap if that is what it takes.

Thanks so much for any help!!!!

[bhaputi]

My opinion - you can only lead by example and hope for the best. If you have tried, I say cut the apron strings and let him starve on his own. He is basically an adult at this point (I know, sucks to hear that), so he needs to make his own decisions.

[DanVanVliet]

My opinion - you can only lead by example and hope for the best. If you have tried, I say cut the apron strings and let him starve on his own. He is basically an adult at this point (I know, sucks to hear that), so he needs to make his own decisions.

X2 If he dosent care why should you. He will come around my son did.

[mustan9]

I have a 16-year-old son who is stubborn as a mule when it comes to eating. He has to get up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for school. He does not like eating that early. He says it makes him nauseated. So, I started giving him some high-protein Ensure (he likes Ensure) and a piece of fruit in the morning. He does not drink at school except at lunch, maybe will buy a water. Will not eat. I have put things in his backpack and he comes back with it. I guess its not cool to eat in front of the other guys. Then he comes home complaining of a headache and being tired (DUH!!). Keep in mind, this is a high A student (but is an airhead somedays). I try to push what I can on him at dinner. He likes most of his vegetables raw, does not care for meat, except for chicken and maybe pork chops. Typical teenager, pizza, burgers, etc.

Wow! That sounds just like me in high school! I was exactly the same.

- when your young and growing it's hard to eat early in the morning. When he says he gets nauseated he'll telling the truth. I use to get sick eating early in the morning. Don't worry about it. Hunger will come on it's own. Just pack him something to eat later.

- During high school I skipped lunch all the time. I started loosing weight, and my mother took me to the doctor. He recommend I drink Ensure or Boost. He's lucky you can buy healthy supplement drinks for him. Keep it up!

- A lot of kids don't eat at lunch because their way to busy hanging out with the friends. Friends you hang out with that skip eating lunch are most likely up to no good. Find out what's going on. It might be nothing.

- It wasn't until the end of high school. That I learned to sit down by my locker, eat my lunch, and then go hang out with my friends. Recommend he takes 10 minutes to eat before heading for the caff or where ever it that he's spending his time.

- I main reason I didn't eat lunch was because I was smoking! I rush out to have a smoke, because I've been waiting all morning. It blocks your hunger, and then your back in class. So you never eat lunch. I did quit later in my 20's.

- I eat very limit meat in my teen years. My parents just didn't cook it. Chicken was the only meat ever served. If he likes burgers then cook him burgers. He's got to get his protein. Just cook lean burgers he won't notice.

He's very lucky to have a Mom that cares about what he's eating.

[delila]

I know ya'll are right, but I am so tired of him being sick. He has already had trouble with attendance due to sinus infections (took 6 months before I could convince the doctors to give me an antifungal for him, took 2 doses, cleared completely). He complains he is tired of being sick and I am tired of hearing it (damn tired). Must be nice to be 16 and know absolutely crap (as my father used to tell me).

As far as setting an example, I have to admit I was not the best example in the eating right department until the past 4 months. Something snapped, I finally got it, and now I am trying hard. He calls it my midlife crisis (works for me, its cheaper than the old muscle cars I would like to own). My husband is only going to be home for a few weeks this year (6 to be exact), so I had to get my health straight to keep up with all the work here.

Thanks guys!!

[jawter]

He has to get up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for school. He does not like eating that early. He says it makes him nauseated.

I have always hated eating first thing in the morning myself and for years. I have to force myself to eat and like your son the breakfast sits like a lead brick in my stomach.

Try making breakfast one of the last things in the morning routine before he heads of for school that way his body has a chance to wake-up, also make the meal small and energy packed with sugar for quick energy and protein for energy later in the day.

Since your son has to get up at 5:30am be sure he gets to bed by no later than 10pm, otherwise he will not get the sleep he needs.

Typical teenager, pizza, burgers, etc.

Try finding out what his friends eat for lunch or just give him lunch money so he can buy it. At the age of 16 and for the next few years image is everything and eveything effects your image. It's the BS we went through when we were that age.

[delila]

Wow! That sounds just like me in high school! I was exactly the same.

- when your young and growing it's hard to eat early in the morning. When he says he gets nauseated he'll telling the truth. I use to get sick eating early in the morning. Don't worry about it. Hunger will come on it's own. Just pack him something to eat later.

- During high school I skipped lunch all the time. I started loosing weight, and my mother took me to the doctor. He recommend I drink Ensure or Boost. He's lucky you can buy healthy supplement drinks for him. Keep it up!

- A lot of kids don't eat at lunch because their way to busy hanging out with the friends. Friends you hang out with that skip eating lunch are most likely up to no good. Find out what's going on. It might be nothing.

- It wasn't until the end of high school. That I learned to sit down by my locker, eat my lunch, and then go hang out with my friends. Recommend he takes 10 minutes to eat before heading for the caff or where ever it that he's spending his time.

- I main reason I didn't eat lunch was because I was smoking! I rush out to have a smoke, because I've been waiting all morning. It blocks your hunger, and then your back in class. So you never eat lunch. I did quit later in my 20's.

- I eat very limit meat in my teen years. My parents just didn't cook it. Chicken was the only meat ever served. If he likes burgers then cook him burgers. He's got to get his protein. Just cook lean burgers he won't notice.

He's very lucky to have a Mom that cares about what he's eating.

Actually, this is his mother. I am working on his father (using pure guilt trips). I got the weightlifting bug about 4 months back (don't dare say bodybuilding because it would take an entire construction crew for me). I know at school the big problem is he is busy socializing with the guys. Seems like he could stuff something in his mouth in between sentences though!!

I know he is not smoking because he rides my butt about it all the time. I have already been told, "No smoking when I get my house and car. You can freeze your behind off outside." He's absolutely right.

[lukamar]

Something snapped, I finally got it, and now I am trying hard.

So will he. Normally kids at that age eat everything around. If he's not overweight I'd let him eat anything he wants even food that would make us look like a bus.

[Captain Ahab]

Try to see if you can get him to have what I have for breakfast.
I mix up 1/3 cup oatmeal (Quaker Oats) ? cup of yogurt, ? cup grapefruit juice, (you could just use milk) ? cup mixed (frozen or raw) berries (straw, blue, black etc.), 2 tbsp EFO?s, 1 scoop of Beverly International?s Ultimate Muscle protein powder (usually vanilla but could be chocolate or cookies and cream) in a blender. This shake gets me through from 8am until after my workout at about 11.00am without me getting any hunger pangs. This would get him through until lunch and give him slow digesting carbs and if need be or if possible you could even give him a made up protein shake for his lunch. He could keep it in a thermal container and all he would have to do is shake it up a bit and drink the darn thing. Not that I recommend him drinking most of his meals but if you need to get more nutrition into him this is one way.
Raw veggies are a great thing for him to enjoy eating and it is good he likes them that way. How about lightly micro waved so that they are still firm but warm and so the whole family could eat the same thing. Chicken is good for him up to a point and pork chops can be good as you can find pretty lean loin chops.
His shakes can also include a good tablespoon full of peanut butter (good protein) and he could have a shake before going to bed so that you may be able to rev up his metabolism and he might end up finding himself hungrier once that starts to happen.
I would venture to say that his system is pretty sluggish and once you could get it revved up he would have to eat because he would be hungry more so than he is now.
As far as a multi vitamin, there are so many theories on what is good and what is not but just the fact that he is taking it is a good sign.

[Captain Ahab]

I hate it when the numbers don't show so I wrote them out. Sorry for the problem.
See if you can get him to have what I have for breakfast.
I mix up one third cup oatmeal (Quaker Oats type) one quarter cup of yogurt, one half cup grapefruit juice, (you could just use milk) one half cup mixed berries (straw, blue, black etc.), 2 tbsp EFOs, 1 scoop of Beverly Internationals Ultimate Muscle protein powder (usually vanilla but could be chocolate or cookies and cream.

[delila]

Thanks so much. I am going to try that. I had him try my protein powder one day and he did not like that too much, but I am thinking that since he likes milkshakes, I might be able to sneak some in there without him noticing.
Everything else sounds like I could do without too much argument. Not there at lunch, would just have to hope for the best.

Thanks so much!!!

[Dem_Gnomes]

There may be something to the "eating in the morning makes him queasy." Make him go to bed earlier, or go out and buy a pregnancy test, make him take it, show him he isn't preggers, and then make him go to bed earlier.

From what you describe, he doesn't need supplements. Supplements make it seem like it's okay to not eat. What he needs is food! Try breakfast bars, or instant grits or instant oatmeal. (I'm guessing that Cap'n Crunch has been tried and failed.)

As for the whole "teenager food" thing, that's a combination of grease, salt, and culture. As long as his burgers have onions, lettuce, and tomatos on them, they may not be all bad. But don't let him eat just plain pizza, or just fast-food burgers. Make him do some of the cooking/grilling.

I'd recommend that you sit him down and run the numbers on how much CASH MONEY it costs to visit the doctor, getting pills so his ass can recover from the colds and viruses he picks up because he is degrading his immune system by starving himself. Then explain to him that you will come to school and eat lunch with him. Then do it. About a week of this should get the job done.

In the mean time, explain to his friends that he doesn't eat lunch, and that he's a "sickly child" and is always getting colds and what not. Plead with them (be gushing, ham it up!) to remind him to eat his lunch. This will absolutely mortify him, and his friends will nag at him after you stop. It should get the job done, especially if you mention a follow-up week in 2 months to make sure he's still eating.

The thing is, you don't need to sneak him some kind of vegemeatamin tablet to encourage him to have stupid eating habits. You need to demonstrate that parents who voluntarily stuck their hands in green runny **** and mysterious orange vomit to clean him up when he was a baby aren't too embarrassed to give him a boot to the head when he starts doing dumb stuff.

[Captain Ahab]

I have to respectfully disagree with Dem Gnomes on a couple of things.
Regarding your son taking supplements; I would like to say that while I agree that he doesn?t need most supplements at his age (and while protein powders are a supplement) but if you can?t get the person to consume the appropriate amount of nutrition then the protein powders become a necessity. They are used in hospitals around the world to make sure that certain patients get the required nutrition and while your son is not at that point it is still very important at this stage of his life that he gets the proper nutrition to make sure that he completes his genetic growth etc. and reaches his potential. I hope that you or someone he looks up to can stress this point to him.
Regarding the oats I suggested for the morning shake. It is best to have the raw, steel cut type oats like the kind you get at the bulk food stores or in boxes like the slow cooking Quaker Oats, rather than the instant varieties as they go through a chemical process that takes an enormous amount of the nutrients out of them. That is why you see all the bodybuilders and health professionals talking about not eating instant oatmeal. The same goes for grits, the slow cooking ones have the best food value.
As for breakfast bars I would rather he not eat them. They are so full of sugar and corn syrup etc. that they have very little nutritional value and set the person up for a sugar crash later in the morning.
Early in my daughters university life along with the fact that she wanted to diet down and look thin she tried to exist on coffee and toast in the morning and a bunch of water throughout the day, and soon found herself crashing and losing focus. This continued until I stepped in and told her that the one stipulation to living totally rent free at home was that she had to eat 2 meals that I provided for her. One was the breakfast shake similar to the one I mentioned and the second was a supper that I prepared. She relented and consented (not an easy thing for her to do) and soon found herself craving lunch and doing much better in school. She also lost the weight she wanted but only after she started eating more.
When I was a teenager I couldn?t get enough to eat and today?s teenagers all want to go without food. It is not easy being a teenager or a parent to one either. Best of luck.

[delila]

There may be something to the "eating in the morning makes him queasy." Make him go to bed earlier, or go out and buy a pregnancy test, make him take it, show him he isn't preggers, and then make him go to bed earlier.

From what you describe, he doesn't need supplements. Supplements make it seem like it's okay to not eat. What he needs is food! Try breakfast bars, or instant grits or instant oatmeal. (I'm guessing that Cap'n Crunch has been tried and failed.)

As for the whole "teenager food" thing, that's a combination of grease, salt, and culture. As long as his burgers have onions, lettuce, and tomatos on them, they may not be all bad. But don't let him eat just plain pizza, or just fast-food burgers. Make him do some of the cooking/grilling.

I'd recommend that you sit him down and run the numbers on how much CASH MONEY it costs to visit the doctor, getting pills so his ass can recover from the colds and viruses he picks up because he is degrading his immune system by starving himself. Then explain to him that you will come to school and eat lunch with him. Then do it. About a week of this should get the job done.

In the mean time, explain to his friends that he doesn't eat lunch, and that he's a "sickly child" and is always getting colds and what not. Plead with them (be gushing, ham it up!) to remind him to eat his lunch. This will absolutely mortify him, and his friends will nag at him after you stop. It should get the job done, especially if you mention a follow-up week in 2 months to make sure he's still eating.

The thing is, you don't need to sneak him some kind of vegemeatamin tablet to encourage him to have stupid eating habits. You need to demonstrate that parents who voluntarily stuck their hands in green runny **** and mysterious orange vomit to clean him up when he was a baby aren't too embarrassed to give him a boot to the head when he starts doing dumb stuff.

Been there done that, but thanks anyway. Trust me, he is used to me embarrasing him by now. He got smart with me one day and p****d me off. I showed up at school to pick him up wearing my nightgown, robe, and slippers, and holding a poster board with his name on it. You can't get worse than that. His friends even expect it now.

Thanks anyway!

[mustan9]

My father use to come into the kitchen. Hold up a 4 foot long hose, and tell me how his mother would force feed the chickens back in Italy.

I'd resist at first, but when he'd get the pliers to hold open my mouth I'd start cleaning my plate.

Maybe that will work with your son. Worked perfectly for me!

Mind you, I'm now scared to water the lawn for some strange reason?

[delila]

I have to respectfully disagree with Dem Gnomes on a couple of things.
Regarding your son taking supplements; I would like to say that while I agree that he doesn?t need most supplements at his age (and while protein powders are a supplement) but if you can?t get the person to consume the appropriate amount of nutrition then the protein powders become a necessity. They are used in hospitals around the world to make sure that certain patients get the required nutrition and while your son is not at that point it is still very important at this stage of his life that he gets the proper nutrition to make sure that he completes his genetic growth etc. and reaches his potential. I hope that you or someone he looks up to can stress this point to him.
Regarding the oats I suggested for the morning shake. It is best to have the raw, steel cut type oats like the kind you get at the bulk food stores or in boxes like the slow cooking Quaker Oats, rather than the instant varieties as they go through a chemical process that takes an enormous amount of the nutrients out of them. That is why you see all the bodybuilders and health professionals talking about not eating instant oatmeal. The same goes for grits, the slow cooking ones have the best food value.
As for breakfast bars I would rather he not eat them. They are so full of sugar and corn syrup etc. that they have very little nutritional value and set the person up for a sugar crash later in the morning.
Early in my daughters university life along with the fact that she wanted to diet down and look thin she tried to exist on coffee and toast in the morning and a bunch of water throughout the day, and soon found herself crashing and losing focus. This continued until I stepped in and told her that the one stipulation to living totally rent free at home was that she had to eat 2 meals that I provided for her. One was the breakfast shake similar to the one I mentioned and the second was a supper that I prepared. She relented and consented (not an easy thing for her to do) and soon found herself craving lunch and doing much better in school. She also lost the weight she wanted but only after she started eating more.
When I was a teenager I couldn?t get enough to eat and today?s teenagers all want to go without food. It is not easy being a teenager or a parent to one either. Best of luck.

I am still think your plan is the way to go. I like the steel cut oats, but pressed for time in the morning, so I use the old fashioned oatmeal (red and blue box). Use the steel cut on weekends. I do those in a slow cooker overnight with dried cranberries.

Thanks so much again, hope to hear (read) more from you as I start advancing with myself.

[Dem_Gnomes]

I have to respectfully disagree with Dem Gnomes on a couple of things.

CA,

I'm with you on the nutrients.

The point of my post was not "here's a diet that will be healthy for him," because the problem is the kid isn't eating. I was trying to provide a plan for psychological warfare. Get the kid used to eating something (anything) by feeding him quick and easy food, and recruiting his friends to rag on him if he doesn't eat.

I think that once she has him in the habit of eating, it would be easy to switch from quick oats to slow oats. But she needs to break him out of that "I'm too cool to eat" crappy attitude.

[delila]

My father use to come into the kitchen. Hold up a 4 foot long hose, and tell me how his mother would force feed the chickens back in Italy.

I'd resist at first, but when he'd get the pliers to hold open my mouth I'd start cleaning my plate.

Maybe that will work with your son. Worked perfectly for me!

Mind you, I'm now scared to water the lawn for some strange reason?

Can't say I blame you. I would think home repairs might be an issue too. Must be a dad thing.

[delila]

CA,

I'm with you on the nutrients.

The point of my post was not "here's a diet that will be healthy for him," because the problem is the kid isn't eating. I was trying to provide a plan for psychological warfare. Get the kid used to eating something (anything) by feeding him quick and easy food, and recruiting his friends to rag on him if he doesn't eat.

I think that once she has him in the habit of eating, it would be easy to switch from quick oats to slow oats. But she needs to break him out of that "I'm too cool to eat" crappy attitude.

It's more "I am too cool to bring my lunch" at school I think. The school cafeterias here are terrible. We ended up with a case of food poisoning at one school last year. I would feed that garbage to my dogs.

Guess I could try a REALLY big stick to bring home the point!!!

[Baldsnake]

When I was 16 I loved a shake made from a large scoop of chocolate ice or strawberry cream/milk/2 scoops of protein. I also loved P-nut butter sandwiches made with whole wheat bread and honey. I did this every afternoon after school and before going to the gym.

[Captain Ahab]

I am still think your plan is the way to go. I like the steel cut oats, but pressed for time in the morning, so I use the old fashioned oatmeal (red and blue box). Use the steel cut on weekends. I do those in a slow cooker overnight with dried cranberries.

Thanks so much again, hope to hear (read) more from you as I start advancing with myself.

You do not have to cook the oats.
Just chuck them into the blender with the rest of the ingredients and turn that thing on to puree.
One of the reasons that this breakfast shake is so great is that the prep time is next to nothing and no, there are no big yucky globs or anything. The oats just get pureed with everything else including any berries you want to throw in.
I look forward to hearing and seeing more from you as you move further along.