Sep. 15--MARK KENNEDY: Karen, I need some advice. My two sons, ages 7 and 2, seemingly never stop eating. I guess I shouldn't worry since they are both on the thin side. Still, from the time they get home from school and day care until bedtime, they can't seem to get enough to eat. They'll eat a good dinner and still go back the kitchen three or four times before bedtime, always complaining that they are hungry. Is this normal for little boys? And if it is, what will it be like when they're 17 and 12 instead of 7 and 2?

KAREN NAZOR HILL: I went through the same thing with my boys, Mark. At one point, I was even concerned they had tape worms (as gross as it sounds), so I took them to the pediatrician to check it out. My boys were (and still are) good eaters, meaning they ate most vegetables and anything else they were served at meals. There was never a weight issue, both have always been tall and thin. The pediatrician told me the boys were always hungry because they were exceptionally active, and for me not to worry, but to make sure they didn't snack on junk food.

MARK KENNEDY: That's good to know. Besides an occasional sugar-free popsicle the boys are mostly snacking on fruit and yogurt. So I don't worry too much about them getting empty calories. And they love chewable vitamins -- to them their one-a-days are just another snack. My older son is obsessed with jump rope at the moment. Any given night he might do 1,000 jumps -- he's done as many as 300 in a row without missing. I guess if I was doing several hours of aerobic exercise a day, I'd be hungry, too. Still, I wonder how we'll pay the grocery bills when they are teenagers. Any advice on nutritious snacks to keep around that won't send us to the poor house?

KAREN NAZOR HILL: I can't guarantee it won't send you to the poor house, because our grocery bill was one of our biggest monthly expenses (remember, I had four children in the house). Snacks were also treats the kids could eat during a swim meet (they were year-round swimmers) such as sugar-free Jello, granola, Chex mix, frozen yogurt, and, I've got to be honest, a limited supply of cookies and ice cream. Typically, we purchased one bag of cookies each week. With six people in the house, the "bad" treats disappeared quickly with each of us only getting a limited amount, so I never felt that my kids were overindulging in junk food.

MARK KENNEDY: I just consulted a government Web site that says an active 7-year old, like my older son, needs about 1800 calories a day. Meanwhile, a full-grown man like me, needs about 2,200 calories. When you take into account the fact that I weigh almost three times as much as my 7-year-old, it puts things into perspective.

KAREN NAZOR HILL: That's amazing but it does make sense. My 2-year-old granddaughter is a bundle of energy. So, this evening, when she's twirling around in circles burning calories, maybe I'll join her in some twirling of my own. I could use some calorie burning.

E-mail Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com.

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