Teen DDs unhealthy eating habits

[QueenofQuirkiness]

My two teenage daughters, DD15 and DD13, have terrible eating habits which has become particularly apparent to me recently. They both just want to eat loads of sugary fatty crap instead of proper meals, and think it's alright to eat biscuits and mars bars for breakfast... I leave the house very early so there is nothing I can do except tell them to eat a proper breakfast, which they ignore.
I have no idea how to make them eat healthily, DH and I are mostly healthy and encourage them to follow suit. I can't even talk to them about weight as they are both petite and slim, and probably burn off most of the food. I'm just worried about the effects on their health, and any advice on how to change their unhealthy habits would be much appreciated

[yeOldeTrout]

It's a phase they need to go thru, I find.
Who buys the junk food, how do they get access to it? Think about the parts you can control; you have control over your own shopping.

[specialsubject]

Stop buying the biscuits and mars bars .

[Lilaclily]

Why is it in the house?

Or do they go to the shop on the way to school?

I see teenagers eating sweets crisps etc on the way to school everyday , I'm sure their parents don't know

[FeckinCrutches]

Don't fill the cupboards with junk?

[burgundyandgoldleaves]

I think it's a phase as well. Could you compromise a bit and ask for a piece of fresh fruit along with the mars bar?

[QueenofQuirkiness]

I agree that I have been to lenient in the past, and I am definitely going to stop buying as many treats, however they are teenagers and I don't want to completely ban them from all junk food, I just want to teach them to eat in moderation and particularly not to eat junk food for breakfast.
As for buying things from the shop, I am pretty sure neither of them do this, they don't take money to school (cashless catering system), and it's mostly just bingeing on sweet food in the mornings, but eating relatively normally for the rest of the day. I think I might buy small amounts of junk food, but perhaps keep it hidden until after school so there is no option of eating it for breakfast. This seems a bit dramatic, but I think it might be the only way?

[yeOldeTrout]

Does anyone really need Mars Bars in the house?
I have a policy of buying the most boring biscuits possible.

Today I found DD eating granola for lunch. Out of the box, by the handful. Sigh.

[modernfemininity]

I have teens who eat junk. They are slim too, like yours, and though they like healthy food - they just take the quickest, laziest route to meal prep. I buy individually wrapped things for lunches and they will snack on these as a meal replacement if I let them get away with it. I have a rule - this stuff is convenience for when you need a packed meal, and definitely not for when you're too lazy to make toast.

So, I do find it helps if there is a plateful of something healthy ON THE WORKTOP so they don't even have to open the fridge.

Chopped carrots, savoury pastries, easy peel satsumas. It also works for stuff I want eaten up- they know it's up for grabs.

Also I bought a small butcher block just for the toaster - it is out all the time - and I move the loaf from the cupboard to sit adjacent to it!!

Gotta box clever with teens.

[lljkk]

yeah, get in there quick. Bag of cashews, box of sweet black grapes, delivered to their bedroom door. So they don't ferret around in kitchen trying to find the high sugar stuff instead!

[QueenofQuirkiness]

Thanks for all all the suggestions, I think I will buy 'boring' biscuits instead of mars bars or chocolate digestives. I don't mind there being some treats in the house, because I don't want to completely ban them from eating them, or give them food issues, I just want to help them get the right balance.
I think I will also replace some treats with sweet but healthy foods like dried fruit, because I think it's the sugar they're craving, and there won't be any treats available until after school because they clearly can't be trusted not to have a sugar fest for breakfast
I like the idea about making healthy food more accessible as well, something else to try

[GeorgeTheThird]

I'm in the same situation with one of mine. I'm just decided I'm going to stop buying biscuits and stock up on cheese, crackers, fruit and nuts, breadsticks and hummus. If it's not there he can't eat it. Sadly I baked a cake yesterday so that will keep him going for a few days. Another downfall of his is hot chocolate. When that jar's gone I'm not buying another.

[Graphista]

It's hard.

My daughter takes after my dads side of the family all skinny minnies no matter WHAT they eat!

But... Talk to them about thin on the outside fat on the inside

Is even though their unhealthy diet is not affecting their weight it will be making their hair, skin, teeth and nails in poor condition plus make them more likely to develop diabetes, anemia etc

My grandad (the holder of the skinny genes) had a full Glasgow fry every morning, a bacon or slice roll mid morning, bacon egg and chips for lunch, soup (made with beef fat), mince n tatties with a tiny amount of veg type meal for dinner which was usually doused in salt and sauce, followed by a pudding usually sponge type with custard then supper would be 4-6 slices of thick toast with loads of butter and at least 2 mugs of tea (full fat milk 4 sugars) - tea throughout the day too.

He did a manual job so lack of knowledge back then plus thinking he needed all those calories for his job was the excuse. He died of a stroke at 64 didn't even get to retire.

Compromise and control. Have foods easy to eat/prepare/find available to them, don't have the junk in the house (not the same as banning altogether) and it sounds like they wouldn't have cash to buy on way to school so - sorted!

[Aroundtheworldandback]

My ds 16 buys himself crisps for lunch every day. Nothing I can do, so every evening I make sure he has a good meal with piles of fruit. I know when he'll be at uni it'll be custard creams for every meal so I'm getting into him whatever good I can now till he developes a shred of common sense, which I'm not holding out for.

[specialsubject]

The dried fruit will rot their teeth and pork them up (eventually) as much as the mars bars, although with more nutrition.

As teens they will get away with it for a while.