What do your teens eat?

[Eversince]

I find my late teens dc don’t seem to like traditional cooked food like cottage pie, roast dinner, curry, lasagne or anything I used to cook for the family when they were growing up. Now all they seem to want is fast food eg burgers and fries, sushi, pasta or noodles. They would live off takeaways given the choice.

Even lunches are tricky these days. They don’t seem to just have a sandwich like I would and they didn’t even like packed lunches in school.

I am wondering what other teens eat and are they similar to my dc? (Also to say they are quite capable of making their own food but the mess is horrendous and I don’t like everyone doing their own thing except a toastie or something in the microwave plus I do all the shopping anyway.) Thanks 😊

DD (19) has always been fussy but has become slightly more adventurous and now likes more expensive variety of food.
For lunches she'll have bagels with a 1-egg omlette, or bacon and avocado, or chicken and avocado.
DS (nearly 16) eats a lot more in volume but usually cheaper food like bananas, flapjacks, leftovers from dinner or pasta.

DD doesn't like spicy food so no to chilli or curry. DS eats spicy but also dislikes the beans in chilli but both would eat meatballs, spag bol, lasagne, roast dinner etc (in fact they virtually stage a mutiny if we dont have a roast dinner on a Sunday!)

17 year old son eats pretty much anything. However, if we left him to his own devises he’d eat beige rubbish or takeaways - mainly out of laziness than food choices though.

I’m so happy to see other teenagers not touching UPFs. I simultaneously think my daughter is right, whilst worrying that it’s so unusual.

Just a wee heads up: in Texas, if there are beans in it, it ain't proper chilli 🤠

DS is almost 15 and has always been a tricky eater. Will eat cheese sarnies for lunch and shreddies for breakfast every day. Every day he has raw carrots, apples and a banana. But dinners are literally chicken with yorkshires, eggs with plain pasta, or cheese and tomato pizza. Plus snacks. I really worry about him and make him take supplements as he has been anaemic in the past.

My two will eat most things. My DDs favourite meal is a roast dinner, she’ll regularly ask me to make one and is learning how to do it herself. My DS loves spaghetti and meatballs, tbh anything with pasta is a winner for him. Meals in my house include Spanish chicken, curry of all sorts, stir fries, fried rice, grilled chicken and salad (with walnuts, pomegranate seeds, feta cheese). They love a good burger or hot dog with salad and fries, or parmentier potatoes. We also do fajitas and burritos.

They can both be picky about vegetables but I know what they’ll eat so it’s not a problem that they don’t like some things. They both will have fruit throughout the day.

If they’re taking lunch to school they like a homemade soup with croutons and the usual yoghurt and crisps, or hot pasta with a tomato or pesto.

My DS is funny about food, he doesn’t like eating out because he’s never sure how the food will be cooked, it’s too inconsistent for him so if it’s not McDonald’s he’d rather not eat out or have takeaway. He’d always prefer something cooked by me. It’s miles away from when he was 4 and would only eat chocolate Ready Brek!

My kids always ate what I did. My son did like to cook his own meals, but that was because he’s extremely health conscious so lots of skinless chicken and veg. My DD is quite strict likes lots of fruit and veg and whole foods. They were never fussy.

Yes it's most likely just a phase to be outgrown

Literally anything that isn’t nailed down 😂. DD is 15 and there isn’t anything I can think of that she wouldn’t eat! She’s very slim but constantly eating (she’s tall though). She makes healthy choices a lot of the time - fruit for snacks, sushi for lunch, soren loaf, cooks stir fry’s a lot, etc but she also likes the typically crap processed stuff - over the summer some days she’s only eaten things like instant noodles and chocolate / crisps but as she is very balanced generally and is happy to eat whatever I serve her for dinner, I think it equals out

By choice yes he would eat crap.
We've been away for a couple of days abd he ate supermarket pizza, knock off Nandos and a pot noodle.
Usually he has a sandwich or wrap for lunch and whatever he is given for tea. He doesn't have breakfast.
We eat all sorts but it does tend to lean towards his preferences as his dad and I have broader palates.
At school they go out for lunch (17 in 6th form) but they have a meal deal or a bakery sandwich or sometimes the lunch deal at a local Italian.

Actual meals
Bolognaise
Meatballs
Sausage pasta
Sausage casserole
Cajun chicken pasta
Fajitas
Sticky Vietnamese pork
Paprika pork
Lemon and herb chicken
Very occasionally a roast but he's not keen
Pulled pork

Utter utter shite and crap.

Brought up healthy eating & cooking, but I choose my battles, don’t pay for any of it, so crack on kids.

Dd15 was easy to feed as a toddler and went through a very fussy “phase” that lasted until she was 12. Since then she has been a lot easier to feed - she will eat most things now except seafood, string cheese, or mushrooms.

Happily enough she prefers healthy food - if left to her own devices she will eat loads and loads of fruit (at least better than biscuits). She’s a very slender size 6 and 5’6 and still growing.

Her favourite foods are ramen, pasta, salmon teriyaki, Thai and Chinese food, roast dinners and recently decided she likes steak and salad!

She actively dislikes pizza but would happily eat McDonalds or Nando’s on a regular basis.