Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
At 13 she should be dishing up her own dinner. I would also encourage her involvement in meal preparation, that way she can give opinions on ingredients. Just because she has not mentioned it much in the past does not mean she enjoyed the food, perhaps she was just more passive about it.
At 13 she should be dishing up her own dinner. I would also encourage her involvement in meal preparation, that way she can give opinions on ingredients. Just because she has not mentioned it much in the past does not mean she enjoyed the food, perhaps she was just more passive about it.
Interesting thing is she is my sous chef and seems very interested in cooking and nutrition. She likes to cook and the other night I gave each daughter recipes to make for supper, discussed them , especially the timing so both would be ready at the same time. They loved it and wouldn't let me in the kitchen. i couldn't even ask questions or peek. They did very well.
She is in charge of salads and does a terrific job but she won't eat one. Now if I place fresh tomatoes, carrot sticks, homemade dressing on a plate on the table she will pick them but it appears it is the greens she objects to. Just this morning I made baked french toast with pecan strudel topping. Pecans, brown sugar, butter and flour and she was picking off the pecans! I couldn't believe it as I put them in just for her. Last month they were her favorite! I'm thinking there is a bit of rebellion going on too.
At 13 she should be dishing up her own dinner. I would also encourage her involvement in meal preparation, that way she can give opinions on ingredients. Just because she has not mentioned it much in the past does not mean she enjoyed the food, perhaps she was just more passive about it.
My husband is 75 and he doesn't dish up his own dinner either. We've just evolved our meals this way with them setting the table with silverware and beverages and we handle the hot pans. I can guage better how much to serve each person too. Used to be if I let her serve herself she wouldn't leave enough for others in the family. We are going through a major shift here.
Interesting thing is she is my sous chef and seems very interested in cooking and nutrition. She likes to cook and the other night I gave each daughter recipes to make for supper, discussed them , especially the timing so both would be ready at the same time. They loved it and wouldn't let me in the kitchen. i couldn't even ask questions or peek. They did very well.
She is in charge of salads and does a terrific job but she won't eat one. Now if I place fresh tomatoes, carrot sticks, homemade dressing on a plate on the table she will pick them but it appears it is the greens she objects to. Just this morning I made baked french toast with pecan strudel topping. Pecans, brown sugar, butter and flour and she was picking off the pecans! I couldn't believe it as I put them in just for her. Last month they were her favorite! I'm thinking there is a bit of rebellion going on too.
I doubt it's rebellion. I would be surprised that a kid would rebel by avoiding foods they enjoy. Perhaps her tastes are changing/evolving or she is craving autonomy.
Also, just because she doesn't appear to be interested in fashion doesn't mean that by middle school, she hasn't been exposed to body image issues. Peers, even ones who are simply classmates, are strong influences.
If she's healthy I wouldn't worry about it, and I'd certainly allow her to be her.
When I was about that age, I decided to give up meat. I watched something on PBS about how meat was prepped and I was done. Also, oddly enough, I stopped eating onions or anything with garlic. Why? I didn't want my breath to smell. Finally, I decided to eat yogurt all the time. Why? All of my friends loved yogurt.
Btw, I am of Korean descent. And I *love* Korean food. All Korean food has garlic. I gave up food that I loved and started eating nasty yogurt just because of my friends. Teens do weird things.
Also, fyi being slender doesn't exempt teens from body image issues.
... sometimes "accidently" leaves her lunch at home and says she just isn't hungry.
That was the only part that raised the flag a teeny bit. Certainly don't bug her but I would keep an extra eye out for things. Body image begins to be more important at that age.
Body image disorders can be very subtle. Don't be too assured that she doesn't have one just because you don't think you see the signs. "Forgetting" lunch more often could even be a sign.
The *average* age for white females first period in usa is currently 12.88. Sooner for black and Hispanic kids. So she should be getting hers soon. She could be seeing larger hips and thighs and becoming worried about her size. Remember that she won't get her period until her body can support it so if she doesn't have enough body fat or calorie intake, it could be delayed far past "average age."
To not want salads and/or onions indicates to me that she is worried about smells or odors and/or her body is craving more processed carbs or meat. Which makes sense given her age and height and stature. I'm of the belief that a body *usually* craves or is hungry for what it needs.
It's common to still have energy even though your food intake is low. Your body goes into starvation or ketosis. Sounds more scary than it is and some people actually believe ketosis is healthy for us. (Probably isn't but I'm not a nutritionist or biologist, etc.) "Starvation mode" could be as little as one day after no to low caloric intake.
Personally, as a kid and even now, it's not uncommon for me to go 1-2 days without eating much and then on the next day eat all the calories I need(ed) for the last day or 2.
I know many people who "forget to eat" and are less driven by hunger or the "hunger switch" just has a much higher threshold. I've found that most often this happens with leaner bodies and I think there is also research to back this correlation up.
I offer no solutions because I don't know your daughter but just a few things to maybe consider...
At 13 she should be dishing up her own dinner. I would also encourage her involvement in meal preparation, that way she can give opinions on ingredients. Just because she has not mentioned it much in the past does not mean she enjoyed the food, perhaps she was just more passive about it.
Mine was helping in the kitchen since she was 7 years old. Now she is 10. She can cook for her self in an emergency. Potato curry she knows how to cook few salads she knows as well rice or the pasta she knows very well. IN the morning she make her own breakfast as well school lunch, some times box does not fit. I enjoy watching over her shoulder while she preparing
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We've just evolved our meals this way with them setting the table with silverware and beverages and we handle the hot pans. I can guage better how much to serve each person too. Used to be if I let her serve herself she wouldn't leave enough for others in the family. We are going through a major shift here.
. I enjoy watching over her shoulder while she preparing
