is 15yo dd eating too much?

[nuttyveg]

i've posted on teenagers, but i haven't gotten many responses, so i thought i'd post here for traffic.
15yo dd has been eating more recently and i don't know if it's too much or not, she's a healthy weight, not like a beanpole but not fat.
today she's had
2 slices of vegan cheese on seedy toast and a milky coffee made with oat milk and stevia for breakfast
about 5 wedges, 4 mini falafels, 3 oreos and a small handful of salt and vinegar crisps for lunch
4 more oreos as a snack
and will be having chickpea and roasted vegetable soup for dinner with a slice or two of seedy bread
and homemade apple cake with custard for pudding
and she usually has a bowl of cereal with oat milk before bed, so i imagine she will tonight too.
thank you for any responses

I think that 7 biscuits in one day is a lot.

I also can't see the problem with having a light meal if you know that you are having a filling pudding.

But I agree with pps that it doesn't seem to be a lot of food, but heavy on carbs & low on fruit & veg.

We’ve had a rather junky day today here. Dd finished zoom college today for half term and we had a takeaway.

But to give a comparison

Breakfast seeded bagel & cream cheese
Snack flavoured rice cake piece of fruit
Lunch - katsu rice pot. Small Yoghurt
Snack Baby bel light
Dinner Thin crust pizza with Sweetcorn
Cookie

On other days she might have Greek yoghurt and fruit for breakfast. A rice cakes/ fruit/baby bel/small piece of soreen as snacks. Bowl of soup and slice of Wholemeal bread or tuna & salad pita bread for lunch and then tofu, rice noodles & veg or chickpea & veg tagine & cous cous.

it's not a lot but it's quite carb heavy

"Bowl of Greek yoghurt with berries and honey, peppermint tea
Cheese roll, bag of crisps, apple (school-provided lunch)
packet of skinny popcorn, handful of grapes
4 sausages, good 2 handfuls of oven fries, peas, fried egg
4 big spoonfuls of Ben & Jerry's chocolate brownie ice cream
1 ice pop"

That's 3 meals. OP's daughter has 4 meals a day.

@Comefromaway i'll tell dd about some of the meals you listed, and see if she fancies anything.

"I think that 7 biscuits in one day is a lot."

It is, but nobody who likes Oreos can stop at one or two. I usually have a whole pack (but don't do it all the time and wouldn't then have a big meal as well).

My dd isn’t vegan, but she enjoys vegetarian & vegan food sometimes.

She makes lots of salads using put lentils, quinoa, cous cous, Sweetcorn, spinach etc.

I would be concerned that you are policing and counting everything that goes in her mouth...who does that?

Gosh I have two teenage boys and I would t put what they eat up in here as would be slated , both mine are on the opposite spectrum of eating one barely nothing the other loads , but they both are healthy and well within healthy weight ranges so I just go by that , and encourage a prize of fruit before picking a snack , but both would prob eat a packet of biscuits on one sitting

I really wouldn't be worried. You've said the Oreos were a treat and that she's generally good with fruit and veg.The Vegan Society do a good supplement which would take care of B12 and many other vitamins and minerals. Encourage plenty of variety in fruit, veg, nuts, nut butters and don't rely on vegan products like vegan cheese and fake meat too heavily. Being vegan means you both together need to understand her nutritional requirements but it's really not difficult.

Does she eat less on other days though? Admittedly my dd is only 11 but I've noticed that some days she seems to eat a lot and others not so much so it balances out. This isn't a conscious thing on her part and I'd never ever mention it to her, along with not mentioning diets, criticizing my own weight/size etc. I'm super conscious of eating disorders (due to my upbringing) and am v chilled about food to a point. We have plenty of healthy food in and biscuits, yoghurts, fruit. I think it's particularly hard on kids at the moment because they're not getting the exercise they normally would eg netball and hockey training, running clubs, swimming lessons etc and I think it's unwise to put kids on a "diet" but better to focus on getting them moving more.

crimsonlake, It's parent's responsibility to make sure their kids are eating healthy. It's not policing and counting.

I think it's OP who has the issue. You're having soup for dinner because you're having a pudding?! Another competitive undereater

Also I think it's a really shitty way to measure someone's food intake over one single day and report it for us all to see.
Some days I eat three meals and hit about 12 portions of fruit and veg
Some days I grab a handful of biscuits rushing around all day and have a pasta pesto dinner.
Now everyone is critiquing the amount of veg or her b12 levels. And you've also purposely chosen a day that she's eaten and binged on biscuits which you know she was looking forward to and homemade cake which you also mentioned is a treat. If you said your daughter consistently eats cake and biscuits all day every day then maybe and just maybe would you have a right to start a thread. I think it's a pretty shit thing you've done and I think you should feel ashamed of writing down everything she's eaten today knowing full well she's had more treats that's normal

i will write what she eats tomorrow too, so it's not just based on today, when she ate the biscuits.

@formerbabe you don't know a vegan alternative to animal protein and fat... seriously?

No OP! Stop writing what she's eating! Just give her access to healthy balanced meals with treats and exercise! She's a healthy weight and is getting out for dog walks. Just leave her alone I think you have an unhealthy attitude to this

Sounds good. Needs more veggies but teens do eat more then fully grown adults without issue

Also you've stated in your OP she's eating more than normal. So we're in lockdown, she hasn't seen any friends, all her normal activities inc transport to school etc are off limits. It's natural people will be eating a little bit more. I'm not advocating emotional binge eating or using food as a crux. But the internet is awash with people adding a few lbs after being in their house for 9 weeks... give her a break!!

My 15yo DS2 would eat that plus about 12 Weetabix

i will write what she eats tomorrow too

I'm sorry but this is bizarre, you need to get yourself a hobby.

I bet her late night bowl of cereal before bed is also just a slightly new habit because she's going to bed later, because she's not in her normal routine of waking up and going to school and wearing herself out.
Honestly I feel sorry for her that her day of food has been posted online for people to read and critique. It's made me feel quite sad!

I do think your level of concern is worrying.
Is what she's eaten today a perfect example of tip top nutrition? No. Is it normal? Completely. And that should be celebrated! Aiming for perfection is more disordered than a bit of refined carbs and junk here and there. And as someone with the hangover of an eating disorder you should be celebrating that normality not wondering whether you need to restrict it?!
You've said you will bake with her tomorrow and suggest some meals to her in response to this thread. They are both responses based around food, just leave what she eats alone!! Seriously!! Don't have any response to this thread apart from checking yourself. I can't believe you know what she eats in that much detail. I can see the kitchen from wherever I am downstairs and I would have no idea what everyone in my family had chosen to eat. Let it go. Even if she does put on weight do nothing about it unless she asks for help.
If you had binge eating disorder you should be able to see the joy of watching her enjoy a few Oreos and not hoovering the whole packet then descending into a shame spiral. I'd be proud of that and her ability to regulate. I'd class cereal before bed as a snack not another meal and I wouldn't make supper a soup just because there's pudding.
Please, don't respond like there's a problem or something that needs changing as there isn't. Stop monitoring what she eats. If she wants to be vegan she's old enough to manage the health aspects of that herself. It's also telling you didn't come here asking if what she was eating was healthy for a vegan you came on to see if you needed to restrict it. No you don't. Even if her diet did need 'restricting' that wouldn't be your decision. Leave her be, it sounds like she's doing well, has non-disordered eating and you should be pleased and reassured by that. It's a reflection on the good job you've done.

That doesn’t sound like a lot of food to me, I’d say it’s too little if anything. I’m the same height as your daughter, eat more than that daily and am at the lower end of a healthy weight for my height.

I had anorexia from the age of 11 and would have lost weight on that amount of food during my teens. Teens need a greater intake than adults, although it differs between person depending on a few factors.

Just read you’re going to note what she eats tomorrow too. Please don’t even let her catch the slightest hint that you’re watching what she’s eating or interested in her weight. You’ve already said yourself she’s a healthy weight. One tiny sign from you could be enough to make her more aware of her intake and be the catalyst for a lifetime of watching what she eats.

I understand your fear of not wanting to pass your eating disorder on but the best way to do that is stand back and let her eat what she feels she needs.