14 year old daughter won't eat breakfast

[Cneasta]

This is very frustrating. My 14 year old just won't eat breakfast on school days. She gets up early and then spends ages showering, makeup, hair etc, I've talked to her several times about the importance of breakfast and she (I think) sees it as a way of asserting her independence to say she hasn't time. its awful, she was always really good to have breakfast. Does anyone experience the same thing?

Use a nutribullet. I hate eating in the morning but find that if I have a nutri bullet I do feel a bit more alert and less stressed out.

Fekko that what we use, it is fab isn't it?

I’m going to disagree with many posters here (as i’m a qualified food scientist).

Breakfast is important. The body has been in a state of fast overnight and the body and brain needs fuel / energy post that fast.

Breakfast provides nutrients that if skipped the body finds it difficult to compensate for later in the day.

Research has shown that those who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight (as the body is so hungry it will consume more later).

Breakfast provides glucose for the brain to function so it improves memory and function. This is important for children in a learning environment.

Eating breakfast has been proven to have long term health benefits - it reduces obesity, heart disease, reduces high blood pressure and reduces diabetes.

It is important.

I also use one of those industrial strength behemoths for the heavy duty juicing (trust me, you don't want to nutribullet a beetroot) and it is a nightmare to clean. The Bullet is so easy and comes with the cups (and spares).

I have never been a breakfast person. I really can't manage to eat before about 10-ish. Makes me bloated. I can do smoothies though, so a Nutri Ninja was one of my best purchases - I'd sort it all out the night before, then store in the fridge & just blend for 20 secs in the morning. Take to work. I have the small 300ml cups, as the standard cups can contain a lot of calories, even if you use really healthy stuff!

I've just realised - I haven't eaten yet today. I often just don't. It's totally fine for some people.

My sons won't eat breakfast either. They do eat a Nakd bar on the way to school though. They're doing well academically and are neither overweight nor underweight so I don't think it's a huge problem.

Unless your genuinely worried about her health because of it I would just pick your battles - I stopped eating breakfast around 13 and only very rarely have anything even now.

Thanks for all your comments. I agree that her body needs it Northern Spirit - I also know I'm fighting some kind of power struggle. She hates going to school and is tense going to school and somehow this translates into her not wanting to eat. But there's also a point where I'm overworrying about it. I've explained many times about concentration etc and eating and the mornings. I might try and find out what one of her youtube heroes eats! Good idea foodiefil.

There's a lot of evidence that intermittent fasting is better for health and concentration. As long as she's eating enough in a 24 hour period, it really doesn't matter.

My brother used to do this and he compromised with our mum by taking a smoothie to drink on the way to school? Failing that he would be handed a piece of toast as he left the house to eat on the way.

I hated eating breakfast too at that age but now I need a decent brekky to start the day. Don’t force it, just have nice things available and encourage her to take something with her. The more you go on at her, the more it will become about control and less about food, in her mind at least.

My ds doesn't like breakfast either (coeliac and not keen on the bread or cereals) so we have protein for breakfast - some cooked chicken, cheese, ham etc keeps him going.

14yr old DS isn’t keen on breakfast either. I normally get him to eat a yogurt and a smoothie but he wouldn’t be bothered if I didn’t persuade him

I make sure he’s got money in case he wants to buy something as breaktime

I stopped eating breakfast as a teenager and still don’t have it now. I genuinely don’t get hungry until lunchtime. Not sure what the issue is here so longer as she’s eating well otherwise?

OP, pretty much every single person has suggested you let it lie, and that it's not worth fighting over. But your response is I agree that her body needs it Northern Spirit - I also know I'm fighting some kind of power struggle.

So you're going to ignore all advice, ramp up the power struggle and turn this into a you vs DD battle.... Good luck with the rest of her adolescence OP. You're going to need it.

It’s not worth a daily battle. Encourage, offer to buy/make her what she fancies, but don’t make it an issue that you big dread every morning. Maybe send her off with a croissant in her bag for mid morning?

Breakfast is very important. If she won't eat a "proper" breakfast, the encourage something like a Belvita. Less time and mess, which is what puts some people off at that time of the morning.

Northern I've no doubt you are an excellent food scientist but if someone doesn't feel like eating why the fuck would you make them? It's all these 'rules' that confuse people and lead to over-eating. What about relying on what your body tells you?

We've all lost touch with what our bodies tell us ....

Mine has an Actimel, at least it’s something!

Intermittent fasting has be tested on adults and has been proven to show some benefits on rope that are overweight and/or people who have type 2 diabetes or onset of diabetes. Not on children going through puberty.

Nothing wrong with my metabolism.

I don’t eat breakfast (by your definition)

Of course I actually do break my fast at some point during the day, most commonly between 12.30 and 3.30pm.

I don’t eat ‘breakfast foods’ either for the most part. I stopped eating cereal etc at around 10yo

What exactly is the problem?

DD has phases of being unable to eat breakfast (due to wider issues around anxiety).

When this flares up I encourage her to either make a smoothie which she seems to find easier to drink or to take a breakfast bar or banana to eat at school or whilst walking there

@TwitterQueen1 - no need to swear. I didn’t say force them to eat. I stated the benefits of eating it. Why has the girl stopped? We don’t know. Is it because she isn’t hungry or is it a body image issue?

I have a 12 year old niece who even at 10 was saying she was fat and didn’t want to eat in case she got fat. Young girls are under tremendous pressure now and eating disorders are in the rise.

My DS [16] won't eat breakfast before school either as he says it makes him feeling queasy. He's been like this for at least a couple of years.

He is a good weight and height and is healthy. 6'3" and 11.5 st. He eats a normal lunch, dinner and another snacky dinner before he goes to bed at 10pm. He seems ok with this routine.

At that age I used to have a cup of tea and take a slice of cold buttered toast to eat at morning break. I am now retired and still don't eat until I've been up a couple of hours.