My child is always hungry and overweight.

I'm not going to lie, some kids seem to always be hungry. Sometimes this is completely normal and they will grow out of it soon enough. But if you find yourself wondering if there's something more to the story that no one has bothered to tell you about yet, then this is for you.

Today, we're going to talk about exactly why your child might be always hungry and how you can curb those cravings so your child's appetite doesn't turn into a bigger problem.

As a child weight management specialist, this is one of the most frequently asked questions I encounter. And it's a major problem since we want to feed children that are hungry - and yes - children with excess weight do also get hungry.

With time, a pattern emerged

These children didn't just get hungry when they ran around and played all day long or during a growth spurt- they got hungry every two hours, even if they had just eaten a full meal! They would eat and then within 20 minutes think it is snack time!

And if they didn't get food, a meltdown would start.

When I started to see this pattern in my patients, I began asking myself why?  If a child eats and is full, shouldn't they stop eating when their body tells them they are satisfied?  Why would these children need food so shortly after eating?

I noticed three reasons emerged to explain these insatiable appetites, so if your child is hungry all the time, see if any of these ideas seem true for your child.

The three main reasons for an insatiable appetite.

I will go into each of these in more detail today, but for now we will focus on the first and most common reason: eating quickly digested foods.

So here are the reasons your child is always hungry.

Most kids eat a mixture of healthy foods and less healthy foods.

Each meal has a different time to digest and this is going to vary from child to child.  Some foods just take longer for children's bodies, because it takes more energy and resources for their body to break down these real whole food ingredients. Good examples might be fresh fruits, whole grains and a lean protein. These healthy meals take time to digest.

But when the child's diet is made up of less healthy food things like refined carbs. Pastries and bagels, processed meals, and fruit juice are some examples. Kids can eat these foods and their body's digestive system will be done with the meal in no time.

And then they'll ask for more food!

This is because these foods are digested so quickly that by the time your child realizes he or she isn't hungry anymore- it has already been processed through his or her small intestine into bloodstream and stored as body fat.

And they really are hungry. If you are up for it -try it yourself.

Try an experiment for yourself

What would happen if you ate a hand full of 30 wheat thins? Most people would consider this an ultra-processed food. Would that keep you full until the next meal? Compare this to if you ate an apple, a chicken drumstick and a cup of caesar salad (this combination have about the same amount of calories as the hand full of wheat thins).

I bet the apple, chicken and salad would keep you full for much longer!

Snacking on these quick-to-digest foods will lead to a hungry child.  When we give our kids food that takes time to break down, they can feel more satisfied until their next mealtime.

Furthermore, these eating patterns can lead to childhood obesity and other health problems over time, such as diabetes and heart disease.

But it seems like my child is overweight but has mostly healthy eating habits?

Parents may notice that their child with extra weight and extra hunger eat mostly healthy foods.

What I look for are highly processed foods - like foods made from flour, (especially white flour) like pastries and bagels, foods that are processed (and the fiber is broken down) like fruit juice or smoothies and packaged foods like chips, cereals, bars and fruit-based snacks (like fruit leather or fruit gummies).

Many children can tolerate these foods without developing health problems or weight gain. But many kids, especially overweight children, seem to be more prone to excess hunger when they consume these foods.

Emotional Eating

First, let's define emotional hunger and physical hunger.

Emotional hunger is when the child eats because they are sad, bored, angry, lonely or frustrated. Some children learn to comfort themselves by eating. This can happen at any time of day. I see emotional eating often out of boredom when a child is watching TV or playing video games. Emotional eating typically involves food that does not take much energy for your body to break down - like candy or chips.

Emotional hunger feels different then physical hunger - it may feel more urgent or anxious - and often comes with strong cravings for specific types of foods.

Physical hunger takes time to develop - typically about 2 hours after your last mealtime. People often describe physical hunger in their stomach.

This chart might help you understand the differences in the different types of hunger.

Eating habits that lead to a healthy weight

Help your child learn to eat when experiencing physical hunger, and try to prevent eating for emotional hunger.

• Enjoy family meals. Eat at the dinner table, free from electronic devices

• Help your child eat all meals and snacks at the table. Parents can model this behavior for their child.

• Avoid boredom by limiting screen time for your child and help your child find physical activities that they enjoy. (A walk or bike ride with the whole family is a great way to start)

Most children can learn to determine if they are experiencing physical hunger or emotional hunger. A registered dietician can help your child learn to eat when physically hungry and how to avoid eating for emotional reasons

Rare medical causes that can cause excess hunger.

So let's say that your overweight child is physically active, will choose healthy foods, avoids emotional eating and eating while watching TV (or other screen time), snacks regularly at the table but still has a weight problem (and a hunger problem).

This might be a great reason to see your family doctor to see if there is a medical condition that might be contributing.

Your child's doctor will review your family history, child's height and weight, calculate your child's body mass index and review your child's health. They may also refer you to a registered dietician to see if they can identify a nutrition pattern that might lead your child to gain weight and feel hungry.

Genetic Contributions to weight

There are significant contributions of genetics to appetite and a child's weight. Not all children have an identifiable medical cause for weight gain, but some do, and finding that out can be a big deal for a family.

Some real medical conditions that can affect your child and your child's weight and your child's doctor can help you determine if additional testing is appropriate.

For example, one gene, the MC4R gene helps regulate appetite and hunger. Mutations in the MC4R gene can cause excess hunger and weight gain and is fairly common — affecting around 5% of people with early childhood obesity. In one study in JAMA, carriers of MC4R gene mutation consumed three times as much food as their siblings with the normal MC4R gene.

There are other conditions that are also rare but may not be obvious to you - like genetic mutations, syndromes, endocrine disorders and eating disorders. Here is a partial list of these conditions, their symptoms, and how to test for them.

Sometimes your doctor may find a medical explanation for why your child is overweight.

If they do find a medical explanation, there may not be a specific treatment for it. So it is important to think through how that information will help (or not help) your family before testing.

Things to consider

For one family, knowing there is an identifiable named medical explanation for the weight will be helpful, but for another family it may not. Genetic counseling could help parents walk through the benefits and risks of genetic testing for your child in your particular circumstance.

It is also important to remember that even if a child has an identifiable medical reason for being overweight or having excess hunger, the majority of weight management treatments will be based on healthy eating and activity choices. You can find more about how to help your child loose weight here.

Path to better health

So if your child's insatiable appetite is causing difficulty for the family, the good news is that there is a path to better health for your child. By making healthy choices with food and activity, you can help create a positive environment where your child feels loved and supported - one in which they have the opportunity to learn habits that will last them a lifetime. And as they develop those new habits, we can work together to help them learn to value their body and self-regulate eating when they are hungry so that they can maintain a healthy weight.

The best time for your child is now, before the habits of excess appetite become cemented in their life patterns.

So don't hesitate to reach out for support if you feel like your child's hunger is a problem. There are people who want to help - your family doctor, registered dietitians, and obesity specialists.

Together we can work towards finding solutions that will lead to a healthy life for your child.