Teenage girl and food fascination

[Twickerhun]

Dd is 11. She is fascinated by food. She is quite picky about what she eats and constantly will ask what’s for the next meal and constantly asks for snacks.

If she is given a free reign with food (like at a buffet) she will pile as much as she can on her plate and return as often as she can. I try to stop her going totally ott but she has no self control at all to know when to stop. If we eat out she will goose the biggest meal on the menu and get upset if she isn’t also allowed a started and a pudding. Is this normal?

We were at a christening the other day and she sat herself down at the buffet table and just kept eating. I was out of the room but a friend told me she ate more than half the food that was put out, leaving others without any food - she just hoovered it all up (whilst other people were being very English and hanging back). She doesn’t see why she shouldn’t eat it if it’s there. I don’t know how normal this is and if she will learn to regulate her eating at some point or for how long we need to continue to help her manage her portion control.

Not uncommon, but don't think it's normal relationship with food and if she were mine, I'd be keeping a close but subtle eye on things.
It's hard because you don't want to make an issue out of her eating (and create more of an issue of her general relationship with food)....
I have a friend whose DD was like this from as soon as she could walk, when she would snatch food - any food - out of other toddlers' hands. She was quite overweight by the time she was 12 and has since developed a more conventional eating disorder (anorexia). I can see the relationship betoween the e/d and her lifelong love of food, but I can't see what caused her interest in food / greediness at such a very early age.