Skipping Lunch

[whitecloud]

My dd was complaining that queues for lunch very long now she is in upper school (is 14). She started taking cheese wraps to school but have found out in last week that is bored with them and has only been having a bag of crisps for lunch. I feel it isn't enough and there has recently been publicity about how bad meal skipping is for growing teens. Have tried to tell her this with predictable (don't lecture me) teenage response. Persuaded her to take a sausage roll today. Usually eats a lot when gets home and says her friends do same.

Am not sure how much of an issue to make of this. If I insist will do opposite, but don't want to just leave it. You let them grow up and do things for themselves and then find out they ain't doing them....sigh!

Any advice, please would be very welcome.

[ParisFrog]

From my experience there is quite a lot of peer pressure not to eat during lunchtime. Mainly cos teenage girls spend their lunchtimes gossiping, and with a full mouth it's harder!

Maybe suggest fruit that is easy to pick at, eg. satsumas or grapes. What about those yoghurt drinks too?

I would avoid making an issue, my BF at school ALWAYS threw her lunch away, you can't force her to eat at school if she doesn't want to.

[BrigitGraveKnicker]

My DD went through a very worrying non-eating phase in the summer which started with her not eating her lunch- she said she wasn't hungry/ flet sick etc.It then progressed to refusing other meals and got so bad we were nearly facing an eating disorder. Her weight dropped to 6 and a half stone (she is 5'3") and she was like a bag of bones. Not quite anorexia but not far off it.

Thankfully I recognised the signs and stamped on it very quickly and with the help of the doctor and a wonderful practise nurse we got her back on track. She ate totally normally through the summer.

When she went back to school after the summer holidays, peer pressure reared its ugly head again but fortunately one of the teachers noticed what was happening and got straight on the case ensuring she ate her lunch.( DD goes to a very small school- not sure if this sort of intervention would be possible in a bigger school.)

I think it depends on why your DD is not eating and how she eats at other times of the day as to how worried you should be but she will not perform as well at school in the afternoons if she has not eaten.

[sdr]

I find what we call "snacky lunches" works well with girls. Raisins, small packs of wrapped cheese, pot of fruit (grapes, satsuma segments), pepperami sticks. Things she can easily eat while standing and chatting.

Brigit is right and you do need to keep a watch though.

[whitecloud]

Thanks for the suggestions, ladies. Things to eat quickly would be a good idea. I'll keep an eye on it and try not to obsess too much - it just makes them worse!