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Original poster

Frustrated my 15 yr old dd is hardly eating during the day, when at school.

85 replies

Picklemeyellow · 02/10/2023 07:57

I have tried all kinds of foods to put in her lunch box but she will only eat a packet of crisps and a cereal bar.

She says her friends are the same. I have even paid for her to have school lunches but she chooses Pringles and other crap.

I have tried various sandwiches, rolls, wraps, pasta, crackers and cheese. Different fruits. Carrot sticks and hummus (which she eats loads of at home) but they all come back uneaten.

Admittedly, I was the same at that age and my mum would cook me a good breakfast to go to school on but dd will only have a slice of toast and even that gets half eaten.

She doesn’t appear to have an eating disorder as she eats as normal when at home. I make sure she has a healthy snack when she gets home as she is understandably starving, and I always serve a healthy dinner but how on earth do I encourage her to eat something a bit more substantial (and ideally healthy) when at school?

Does anyone else have this issue with their teens?

OP posts:
Goodornot · 02/10/2023 08:01

No but I did that as a teen.

I'm now a healthy weight adult. I still don't like breakfast much and can skip lunch sometimes.

Just leave it. She eats normally when she is home. If she's hungry so be it. Humans needing 3 meals a day is a social thing rather than based on any science.

She'll be fine

Unless · 02/10/2023 08:02

I don't have any advice I'm afraid but just wanted to say me and my sister both did this as teens and both eat normally as adults!

SoLongAndThanksForAllTheVaricoseVeins · 02/10/2023 08:04

I was very similar, as were many teens I knew. There’s nothing more uncool for a 15 year old than a full lunch box of mum-prepared food devoured with gusto. She will be fine.

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Nomoreclots · 02/10/2023 08:05

My dd is 14 and is exactly the same..exactly! She eats well in the eve and weekends..just not at school..says its too disgusting.

Runnersandtoms · 02/10/2023 08:06

Two if my teens barely eat during the day, if they take food it's just crisps and biscuits. If the older one (college) buys food it's McD chips. Drives me mad. They tend to come in and eat cereal at 4pm 🙄 I've decided there's no point stressing about it. I just try and get balanced meals into them at home.

Moomoomo · 02/10/2023 08:07

I remember doing this as a teen as well. No body issues at all, there were just much more fun things to be doing than eating.

My daughter takes a packed lunch to school and it normally comes back with just the sandwich eaten (or thrown away, who knows!)

Zola1 · 02/10/2023 08:08

Nomoreclots · 02/10/2023 08:05

My dd is 14 and is exactly the same..exactly! She eats well in the eve and weekends..just not at school..says its too disgusting.

Yeah exactly this here as well 🤣 eating dinner in school is disgusting and the food is horrible but taking your own food is disgusting too

She will live. They all do it. Mine is almost 14, takes a squares bar or crisps sometimes. I just nag her to eat breakfast before school and she is ready to eat something when she gets home.

Valhalla17 · 02/10/2023 08:08

I did that too as a teen....making up for it now!

Will she have maybe a smoothie type drink in the morning? Banana, oats, oat milk/milk...bit of cocoa, peanut butter if she likes it

That way she's not eating but she's getting something down her for energy

Eddyraisins · 02/10/2023 08:10

Same here. The moment they saw the Dinner lady resuing those pasta pot things. That was it. Too disgusting.

Ohdearwhatnow4 · 02/10/2023 08:10

Our secondary only have 40 min lunch which isn't long. Mine also don't drink much if anything at school as toilets are rank. But they do eat and drink at home. Try getting her to ear weetabix or something in morning as it's slow release

Ohdearwhatnow4 · 02/10/2023 08:11

Sorry ended too soon.
So any slow release food, banana, you can get small bananas I believe.

lucysmam · 02/10/2023 08:13

My almost 14yo is the same - small breakfast at home, packs some sort of cereal bar in her bag for during the day, comes home and eats properly 🤷‍♀️

She doesn't really enjoy eating in front of people so avoids it if she can (unless out with me, then she will eat).

ColonelSpondleClagnut · 02/10/2023 08:18

Yeah my teens are the same. Tbf school smells weird, it's crowded, there's often nowhere to sit and eat properly....
I don't worry as long as they're eating ok at home.

PinkFrogss · 02/10/2023 08:18

If her friends are the same do you think it’s led by them/one of them?

If she eats normally at home, isn’t losing weight, and doesn’t seem bothered about it I’d keep an eye on it but leave her to it tbh. Maybe prepare or have the food in for a healthy snack when she gets home from school, and then have a slightly later dinner.

Nomoreclots · 02/10/2023 08:26

Oh and doesn't drink much either...toilets are also disgusting and full of other kids vaping

sunshineandshowers40 · 02/10/2023 08:29

I never ate at secondary school and eat ok now (possibly under eat). My middle DC also doesn't eat much at school, I personally wouldn't worry if they are eating at home.

bzarda · 02/10/2023 08:30

I was exactly the same as a teenager, looking back I think I was embarrassed to eat in front of people.

As a teacher now all teenage girls seem to eat very little - they'd rather run around gossiping, in and out of the toilets or walking around laughing in big groups.

I wouldn't worry, if she's eating at home just carry on and she'll eventually grow out of it.

SusanSHelit · 02/10/2023 08:34

I did this quite often as a teen, primarily because I didn't actually have time for a decent lunch by the time I'd traipsed from one building to the canteen, queued up outside to get in and found a table. You'd have about ten minutes to bolt something down before you had to leave for the next lesson which was inevitably bloody miles away.

We had 35 minutes for lunch. How long does your dd get?

Needmorelego · 02/10/2023 08:34

How long does she get for lunch and is there actually somewhere to sit and eat.
Many secondary schools have stupidly short lunch break (25 minutes or less) and there's not enough seats.
Where I live 90% of teens come straight out from school and go to the nearest chicken and chips place because they don't actually have time to eat at school.

SallyWD · 02/10/2023 08:34

My DD is the same - she says the queue is too long to buy something at school so I made her sandwiches etc which I kept finding in her bag going mouldy!
There's nothing more I can do. I can't go to school and force her to eat.
She has a huge breakfast and eats a lot once she gets home so I just leave her to it now.

Original poster
Picklemeyellow · 02/10/2023 08:37

Goodornot · 02/10/2023 08:01

No but I did that as a teen.

I'm now a healthy weight adult. I still don't like breakfast much and can skip lunch sometimes.

Just leave it. She eats normally when she is home. If she's hungry so be it. Humans needing 3 meals a day is a social thing rather than based on any science.

She'll be fine

I’m the same. I very rarely eat breakfast and only a light lunch.

Dd is probably just taking after me.

OP posts:
Original poster
Picklemeyellow · 02/10/2023 08:40

SoLongAndThanksForAllTheVaricoseVeins
She does roll her eyes when I suggest certain foods. She won’t even take a lunch box as she says everyone laughs at lunch boxes, it all just gets stuffed in her bag!

OP posts:
Original poster
Picklemeyellow · 02/10/2023 08:41

Nomoreclots I suppose they’ve hit that super self conscious stage of life. The fact she eats happily at home makes me feel a little better.

OP posts:
Original poster
Picklemeyellow · 02/10/2023 08:43

Nomoreclots · 02/10/2023 08:26

Oh and doesn't drink much either...toilets are also disgusting and full of other kids vaping

Yep - I think we have the same child lol!

OP posts:
Original poster
Picklemeyellow · 02/10/2023 08:44

lucysmam I remember being the same at that age, super conscious of eating in front of others.

OP posts:
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