Should I be worried by her eating habits?
By mrsl2008
@mrsl2008 (634)
March 6, 2009 2:18pm CST
My eldest daughter turns 11 next week & will be starting high school in September. She dances at an academy on a regular basis & is the youngest in her grade with the eldest being about 17.
Few the past few days she has returned home with her packed lunch almost as it left the house. It's been minus the small choc bar & her choobs.
She has always been a picky eater but seems to be eating less and less. We have tried to encourage healthier eating, trying new things & getting her to make her own. She eats like a sparrow and has always been slender.
Do you think I should do away with any nice things in the house eg. Choc bars, sweets etc in hope that she'll eat her dinners/packed lunch/fruit?
I don't know wether to be worried or not. She doesn't know why she hasn't been eating properly, or so she says! Could it be nerves now she knows what school she'll be attending??
If anyone can offer a bit of advice I would be very grateful!! x
MrsL x
2 people like this
8 responses
@tinkerick (1257)
• United States
6 Mar 09
No, it's most likely a temporary phase and doing away with sweets and treats completely will just make her want them more and sneak them when she's out of the house.
All my kids go through different phases of eating. My oldest goes through junk food phases all the time. My middle daughter is on a yogurt kick right now. And my youngest, you never know from day to day what he will eat. He changes his mind about the same food item all the time!
As a teen, I lived on junk food. My lunch money was spent on snacks. My friends all said I always had some junk food in my hand every time they saw me in school hallways. (Mind you, I was an athlete at the time and so was very physically active.) Those habits didn't catch up to me until now when the calories no longer burn away instantaneously. 
Just keep doing what you have been doing and eventually she'll probably go back to the old routine.
Just keep doing what you have been doing and eventually she'll probably go back to the old routine. 2 people like this
@tinkerick (1257)
• United States
6 Mar 09
My family is spoiled. I usually end up making 2-3 different things for dinner. Even when I run out and get fast food - I usually have to go to 2 different places to fit everyone's tastes.
I don't mind. It's always been in my head that my kids will eat what they like (I hated being forced to eat my veggies as a kid). Since I still don't like too many veggies even as an adult, I don't force them on my kids, although I do encourage them to try.
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@mrsl2008 (634)
•
6 Mar 09
I'm glad I may be worrying for nothing. I'll ride it out and see what happens. Hopefully it is just a phase & she'll just pick up where she left off.
How do you keep track of what to cook for everyone in your house??
Thanks for the reassurance
MrsL x x
A choob is a form of Yogurt for kids.
1 person likes this
@SEOFocused (2)
• Canada
7 Mar 09
I understand your concern being a parent myself of a 3 year old son (only one) who hardly eats anything. We are in so much trouble feeding him that we didn't have any other choice but to ask for professional help. Now were are going to the nutrition clinic one a month, having home vistis by dietitian, OT (occupational therapist) who is working on his motor skill development as he still cannot bite or chew, and waiting for few other appointment for his development and behavioral assesment to identify where the problem is. We are doing this drill for 3 months already and the way it seems, it will take many more months till we see some result as the issue looks like more behavioral that physical. So I just want to tell you that do what you can do and never give up. Best wishes.
2 people like this
@gdesjardin (1918)
• United States
7 Mar 09
I might be a little worried, as I would be concerned that she is trying to keep her weight at bay because she is in dance. I used to dance when I was younger, and there was so much emphasis put on my weight. It was drilled into us to watch what we eat and keep our weight down. She might be just eating the choc. to keep her energy up. Hopefully your daughter is just a picky eater and she doesn't have any weight issue problem. Good luck to you.
2 people like this
@xuanlingfang (258)
• China
7 Mar 09
The nutritionist always tells us that we should eat all kinds of food in order to keep a banlanced nutrition. If I were you, I may feel a little worried. Since your daughter's diet can not provide her necessary elements for health. Even for the purpose of controlling weight for the dance, she still needs to have more other food. Such as fruits, Mixed Grain Rice, mushroom, etc. When I was a small child, my parents would not force me to eat, they just made the food I need more delicious for me to eat. In this case, I tended to eat them even I do not like it. :)
2 people like this
@writer811 (56)
• United States
7 Mar 09
You are a good parent to ask that question. Diet changes can be dangerous, but only if they are dramatic. Fruit sounds like a good idea with your daughter. It's a sweet food that isn't unhealthy. Nature's natural candy. An increase in the consumption of choclates and sweets is never very healthy.
2 people like this
@katb28 (225)
•
6 Mar 09
hi there in most cases children just go through fads so its probs nothing to worry about although there is a lot of presure in sports like dance yo maintain a low waight, i would probs be watching for her wareing lots of baggy layers to hide her body or if she drops alot of waight but if you are genuinly worried just take her to the doctors for a medical and tell her you just want a thougher check up before she starts high school, her body will bwe going through normal changes at the moment anyway
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@mrsl2008 (634)
•
6 Mar 09
Hi Katb & thanks for the response.
I don't think I'll need to take her to the docs just yet as I think that will scare her. I'll keep an eye out for the baggy clothes etc & to be honest I'm probaly worried more because of the pressure aspect of dancing.
Thanks for the tips!!
MrsL x
1 person likes this
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
8 Mar 09
If your daughter doesn't eat much that means even when she eats fruit and vegetables she isn't getting very much fiber. If she isn't getting enough fiber she may not be eliminating enough waste. This will cause her to not be as hungry. Nerves won't make her skip a meal; if anything being nervous would cause her to eat more. Because of her activity level it is extremely important for her to have proper nutrition for blood sugar levells and so forth. Tell her if she doesn't try to eat more of the healthy foods she could have vitamin deficiencies and have health problems when she gets older.
1 person likes this
