Teenage Daughter's Eating Habits

Have you tried "inspiring" her with healthy messages like showing her a "SELF" magazine or watching Biggest Loser together?

My family was not very healthy while I was growing up. I went to college and was exposed to healthy, inspiring messages that taught me how I could be a strong, healthy woman by doing some very basic things - like eating breakfast and doing 30 minutes of something every day.

Inspiration worked better than anyone telling me I HAD to do something. Does she aspire to be athletic? Healthy? Strong? Then, there are tools out there that can help her be those things while giving her good messages that include how important it is to eat breakfast...and maybe a granola bar, rather than a poptart. :)

I am 27 and I don't like to eat breakfast either, but I try to eat a little something. I either eat a fruit and cereal bar, have 2 glasses of apple or orange juice or I will rarely drink a carnation breakfast drink. You might want to try to offer these to her.

We all remember what it was like as a teenager, It's just NOT COOL to eat in the morning. I, even now, don't really get hungry in the morning until I've been up for at least an hour.

Perhaps if you work together to pack a little something for her every morning so she can eat in her homeroom or on her way to class that may help. Be sure she has input on the snacks though so she can look cool eating it around her friends. (Poptarts are just not cool enough for her friends to see her eating them.) She may pick Gatorade or a Caribou coffee granola bar, rice krispy bar, etc...something not very healthy, but at least it's food. Also, if this plan works, check with her homeroom or 1st class teacher to make sure it's ok for her to eat in there. Once a pattern is set-up, start a walking regiment with her this summer...but do it with her if she'll go, and stress the healthier eating choices throughout the day.

Hope this helps.

I agree with the ones stating that breakfast is vital because of the increase of metablolism and for the brain. When nothing is eaten for breakfast, your body thinks that you are starving it so anything you do eat in the afternoon, it will store all the fat it can to keep it going. Something you might want to think about is that sugar is a big source of fat just because the sugars you do take in turn to fat. You also might want to get her to stop eating 3 or 4 hours before she goes to bed. This will help her to be hungry in the morning. I'm not a health buff, but I do know that not eating several hours before going to bed and eating breakfast in the morning are very important.
You might want to try and get her to eat a healthy snack in between meals. You should eat every 2 hours or so. This helps keep your metabolism up all day instead of spiking. Letting your metabolism spike is not good because it is harder to lose weight.
I hope this helps a little.

M. B

I have a friend who was just like your daughter. His mother had diabetes. He was postive he would never get it. His though was only old people get it. He was not old, he was a teenage. Nothing I said or his mother said help. But of course computer were not around at that time wish they were. He is now 35 years a serve diabete, with nerve damage to his legs, very over weigh. He is lucky to walk with a crane from the house to the car. He no longer can work.

Maybe you can go on some site on the computer show her sites of what can happen to your body when you become diabete. How important it is to eat properly, sense you are a diabete it runs in the family. These sites might also help you. Sometimes with teenages if the mother is not taking care of herself, teenages think why should I. At least thats the attuide my friend had. His mother was overweigh, but did eat breakfast. But also eat food that she should not of been eating. Try to make this short. Mother and son are now both in a wheel chair and do not work, or really do much of anything. He is going to lose his legs soon due to the sores not healing. They now have started to change but its a bit late sense they have the diabete nerve damage which can not be fixed. Hopes this helps. I am not trying to be rude or mean just telling you what happen with my friend and mother.

Some people are just not breakfast eaters. I need breakfast asap, but my husband and son need to be up for awile before they eat, if they eat at all. I would stick with the easy, on-the-go breakfast items: poptarts, gogurt, granola bars, breakfast bars, snack size bags of crackers, etc. Let her go to the store with you and pick out a few things.

Let your daughter know that eating breakfast is not only good for your brain but it also jump starts your metabolism (burning fat)when you skip breakfast your metabolism goes into a fasting stage (conserving calories) which can cause weight gain. Pop tarts not a good idea, carbs process quickly causing you to get hungry more quickly. Choose things like an egg, yogart or a high protien alternative. I hope this helps. Who ever thought not eating can make you overweight.

I am a firm believer in good nutrition, however it is also very difficult to find that good nutrition. We live in a culture of processed, convenience foods and it is really hard to find the right balance of nutrition. I recently found a nutritional supplement that I absolutely love. I have only been using it for 6 weeks and I already lost 11 pounds and I have more energy. I was very skeptical so I had my doctor look at it and he said there is nothing harmful in it and it looked like it was just a good balanced formula. (I am also a breastfeeding mom and it is perfectly safe for breastfeeding.) The thing that is nice about this supplement is that it is in a powder form so you drink it as a shake. Your body uses more of the nutrients and they go straight to the cells for quick absorption. A lot of people have seen improvements in their blood sugar levels. There are also meal replacement shakes and it may be easier for your daughter to get some nutrition in her if she can drink a shake. You can check it out at www.reliv.com If you see anything you like I can help you get the product.
Just my thoughts, I really hope you can find something that works, 15 is a hard age. My thoughts are with you!
~M.

I.,

If she is not eating in the morning to try to avoid gaining weight, maybe you could approach it with her that not eating in the morning actually makes it more likely that she will gain weight. Ideally, she should eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day so that her metabolism is constantly engaged and her body becomes a fat burning machine. Breakfast is absolutely the most important meal because the longest time has elapsed since the previous meal. It's imperative to kick-start that metabolism in the morning (not to mention the needed nutrients). There is so much research about what a good breakfast does for people's productivity that there is just no denying that it is a necessary start to your day. Maybe that approach won't work with her but it's worth a try. Also, try to encourage less sugary things in the morning. Cereal is so easy and there are many that are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Or a low fat cereal bar is easy to grab on the go. Just check the nutrition information and find the one with the least fat and sugar. Good luck...I hope you can convince her to start eating breakfast!

M. Harris

She may just be one of those people who just doesn't eat breakfast. I know that breakfast has been something I have had to make myself do. When I was that age (much to my mother's dismay) I rarely ate in the mornings.

Is it hectic in the mornings? If she runs late or is shooed out the door it may be hard for her to eat.

You could try to get a breakfast shake down her or maybe a piece of toast and an apple on the go.

Does she have a favorite food?? Maybe you could have it ready for her in the mornings.

It may take awhile for breakfast to become a habit.

Luck to you!

Hey I.,I am not a breakfast eater either. I do feel kids need to eat something to get their brains going. One of my daughters likes the slimfast meal replacement bars or I buy the cans of slimfast drink already mixed up so she just drinks out of can or puts over ice and goes. that has made a big difference. the choc royale is really good, i like it too! The strawberry and creme is nasty, in our opinion.
good luck!

Hi I.,

I remember I rarely ate breakfast in high school. I don't think most teens do.

My kids make shakes for breakfast. But when they were in high school, their sleep was more important and they basically got up 5 minutes before they were suppose to leave for school.

I represent a wellness company, they have an Access Bar I use to keep my blood sugar stable. Cereals make it worse. They also have breakfast bars that are loaded with fiber but taste so incredibley delicious!

If you would like to learn more, let me know.
http://300green.com/yourchoice

If your daughter's blood sugars aren't in danger, than I wouldn't worry too much. I think it's just a phase they go through. High school is a big deal. Hormones in girls go crazy. I remember those days. I think I surviced on an apple for lunch a day.

Best Wishes & Have a Blessed Easter!

J.

If your daughter is concerned about eating breakfast because she is afraid of her weight, then you need to explain to her that when she sleeps, her body slows itself down, especially her metabolism. One of the reasons breakfast is so important is because it starts your metabolism back up. The act of chewing and digesting raises your metabolism rate which is why most people are hungrier at lunch when they eat breakfast than when they skip it. Perhaps something a little healthier than a poptart would be more appealing? (I'm not trying to preach, and I myself am also overweight but that's why I've done so much research on food). Also if the issue is about her fearing being overweight, there is an awsome web sight called CalorieKing.com where she can look up the caloric value of any food, from fruits and breads to her favorite restraunts.

Also, another important reason for eating breakfast is for her brain. If she values getting good grades, this approach may be helpful. The brain needs carbs to function, and after waking up it is especially important to get her brain functioning at top notch with some carbs.

Without any additional information on what she says is her "reason" for not eating, that is about all the advice I can give. I wish you both the best of luck!

P.S. Recent studies show that a high percentage of people who are overweight and diabetic, then lose the extra weight also lose the diabetes. The study was conducted with diabetic patients who had gastric bypass. And now I think I am preaching so I stop now.

I'm assuming both you and the school nurse have explained to her that eating breakfast will most likely make her eat less later in the day and that breakfast does not have to be something like pancakes or a poptart but can be maybe just a piece of fruit and some orange juice? Maybe you can make a deal with her to both sit down together in the morning and eat your "good for you" breakfast together. Can you agree with her to BOTH try to eat better so she had a partner?

Is your granddaughter worried about her weight? If so, that is the biggest reason she should be eating a good breakfast. When she skips meals, her body creates energy by burning up her muscles, which starts the body on a cycle of burning her muscles and storing the excess energy as fat. A good, balanced breakfast will give her body the fuel it needs to start the day. If she learns to eat properly - high fiber, lower carb - she can burn excess fat while giving her body what it needs. A friend of mine knows a lot about proper eating and, from time to time, runs classes for people to teach them how to eat a "low glycemic" diet. Contact me privately and I can share her name and number if you are interested. Good luck!

Hi I.,

Her body is not like yours and I don't think you need to test her or worry about her glucose levels in the morning (assuming her body weight is not overweight). A low-end-of-normal reading for you might need to be addressed because you either don't have the insulin production or the acceptance of insulin that a non-diabetic would have.

The low reading is typical for anyone who hasn't eaten anything in 4-6 hours, maybe more, but it's normal in the morning considering you've been sleeping for hours on end. After going hours without food, your body releases glucagon, switches to glycogen stores, and begins to utilize energy from her fat cells. This isn't a bad thing, it just doesn't show up on a glucometer. If her blood sugar is in the 50's or 60's she might be hungry but she's not dying. If it's in the 70's she might not even be hungry.

Studies have shown that students who eat breakfast perform better in school, so I would try encouraging breakfast for her to improve her attention span and performance throughout the day....but overall it's more important that she learn to listen to hunger cues and eat when she's physically hungry vs. eating when it's convenient.