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AIBU?

To be concerned my daughters diet is very measured

52 replies

jecklandhyde · 10/07/2017 18:38

She's slim but healthy weight at the moment.

She eats junk food. Today she had two mr kipling bakewell tarts and 2 chocolate digestive biscuits.

BUT, sweet food is the only junk food she has. She would NEVER tuck into a big bowl of lasagne, creamy mash, macaroni cheese, pizza for example. She wouldn't eat a take away.

All her main meals are low fat. For example for breakfast she will have overnight oats made with no fat yogurt, oats and fruit.

Lunch is something like a baked potato, beans and tuna

dinner is then wholemeal bread with soup.

She has snacks of wholemeal toast,ham, sometimes a small amount of cheese(2 babybel at most) inbetween meals.

I don't believe she has the recommended level of fat in her diet at all. Yes she has sweet treats but it's not in an enormous amount and wouldn't equal the recommended amount of fat from that.

She seems to eat very low fat meals so she can eat sweet treats and not go over calories but she isa hugely against eating any savoury foods that aren't low in fat.

She won't eat nuts or high fat meats as she says she would rather eat fat from cake!

Does this diet seem the right amount of recommended calories?

Would you be concerned or is this normal?

I know lots of people like to eat healthy but this is a bit restrictive. I don't overeat but I do eat fattening savoury meals at times.

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NaiceToMeetYou · 10/07/2017 18:40

That sounds like a very good diet to me!

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lmer · 10/07/2017 18:41

Some people just don't like savoury stuff? I wouldn't be to worried sounds like a good diet

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user1457213512 · 10/07/2017 18:43

TBH I think posts like this just show what a messed up attitude to food we all have. Her diet sounds balanced and healthy ish. Would you rather she was eating Big Macs all day every day?

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caffeinestream · 10/07/2017 18:43

Her diet sounds fine to me!

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jecklandhyde · 10/07/2017 18:46

She just has such an aversion to ANY high calories savoury foods.

I don't think she enjoys them particularly so doesn't want her calories to come from them. But it's worrying that she will barely eat any slightly more fattening foods.

It's not junk food I want her to eat. Just things like oily fish, avocado etc. She wouldn't even eat them.

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CMOTDibbler · 10/07/2017 18:46

I think its not so much the content of her diet, but the fact she's so rigid about what she eats - not ever eating a hot dinner would be a bit worrying. OP, would she have something different if you went out? Or does it always have to be soup for dinner?

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jecklandhyde · 10/07/2017 18:47

She will eat a hot dinner but it's always something low fat. Tonight I made lamb shank with mash, gravy and peas. It's really not that fattening but she won't eat it.

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Sirzy · 10/07/2017 18:48

How old is she?

Doesn't sound anything to worry about to me

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jecklandhyde · 10/07/2017 18:48

If we go to a restaurant she will order a proper meal but substitutes mash or chips for baked potato.

She won't won't fattening meats like burgers or hot dogs.

Won't eat cheesy sauces.

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WillRikersExtraNipple · 10/07/2017 18:48

OP is right, she needs some healthy fats, especially at her age. Nuts, avocados, oily fish, full fat dairy not low fat.

Fat is not the enemy, fats are necessary, especially for teenage girls!

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jecklandhyde · 10/07/2017 18:49

She is 16.

She won't drink whole milk. She will have semi skimmed but will only make lattes from skimmed milk.

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CurlyhairedAssassin · 10/07/2017 18:58

Sounds fine to me. A lot of people have too much saturated fat. Maybe, though, she needs to be taught about GOOD fats. Will she eat oily fish for example. Salmon. She could have that with noodles and an Asian style dressing with some broccoli etc. Her skin and her need that sort of fat to look good.

Choosing a baked potato over chips or mash is not a bad choice and something most of us could do with doing.

Soup and bread as a main meal isn't great though.

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CurlyhairedAssassin · 10/07/2017 18:59

The lamb shank she could have had with new potatoes. It would worry me that she wouldn't eat it.

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ephemeralfairy · 10/07/2017 19:02

Sounds like she needs a lot more fruit and veg in her diet to me! I agree about the 'good' fats.

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WillRikersExtraNipple · 10/07/2017 19:02

Just because some people have too much fat it doesn't make it good that growing girls don't have enough fat!

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HeyRoly · 10/07/2017 19:04

I don't think you'll get a reasonable answer here OP where under eating and restricted diets are seen as totally fine.

I actually think you're right to be concerned that your DD might be on a path to restricted eating. It definitely sounds like she has a few hang ups around food.

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sysysysref · 10/07/2017 19:04

Sounds like an excellent diet to me. Eating 2 Bakewell tarts and 2 chocolate digestives is a lot to me and suggests she doesn't have a problem. I wouldn't eat more than one of those and only once a week or so, def not more than that

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CurlyhairedAssassin · 10/07/2017 19:06

No-one is saying that, Will! I'd rather my teenage daughter (or son for that matter) be conscious they are having fat of the right type - oily fish, avocado etc than be stuffing their face with a Big Mac and burger to get their daily fat needs. Bad habits are hard to break.

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WillRikersExtraNipple · 10/07/2017 19:10

YOU said exactly that! "Sounds fine to me. A lot of people have too much saturated fat" quote.

It's not fine, it's far too low in fat and is not a balanced diet, and not eating with the family is a very bad sign in a teenage girl.

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CurlyhairedAssassin · 10/07/2017 19:11

I think she sounds mis-informed about food rather than too restrictive. Only thinking about her fat intake for her main meals could mean that in her mind she's doing the "right thing". She's not REALLY avoiding fats obsessively if she's eating fatty snacks so I wouldn't be too worried if that were me.

I get the feeling she's trying to choose what she sees as the healthy option at main meals, "to be healthy", which probably then doesn't fill her up. Hence the need to snack on (nice) crap between meals.

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CurlyhairedAssassin · 10/07/2017 19:12

SATURATED fat, Will. Saturated. Not fat, full stop.

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CurlyhairedAssassin · 10/07/2017 19:12

No-one needs saturated fat in their diet as part of their daily fat requirements.

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WillRikersExtraNipple · 10/07/2017 19:14

No-one is talking about specifically saturated fat. But you've fallen for the "saturated fat is evil" line which we now know to be nonsense.
Certain saturated fats contain key elements for immune health, amongst other things.

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WillRikersExtraNipple · 10/07/2017 19:15

OP is talking about her child who is trying to avoid ALL fats, so why are you talking only about saturated fats?

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PurpleDaisies · 10/07/2017 19:17

Has she always eaten like this? I'd be most worried if she'd suddenly changed her diet. Has her weight gone down?

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