Is this Enough Food??

Okay, I was thinking about getting my daughter healthier now that I, aswell am taking a new league. SHe is very Small. She doesn't Eat very much food. do you think this is enough food for a 12 year old, 79 lb. girl, at 4"8?? NO, I'm not cutting my daughter cold turkey of food, She doesn't have to be so strict with this..at ALL. I don't want her leading into anorexia. But if she WERE to only eat these foodds is that okay? Keep in mind...she will have other snack throughout the day..most likely..if she is hungry.

 

Breakfast: CHOBANI Pomegranite Greek Non-Fat Yogurt (150 Calories) *1 Single Served Container*

Snack: Peach (38 Calories) *Medium Sized*

Lunch: Chicken With Rice Healthy Choice Soup (90 Calories) *1 Cup*

Snack: Sugar Snap Peas (35 Calories) *2/3 Cup*

Dinner: Portobella Mushroom Burger and Broccoli (117 calories) *Patty, and Broccoli-1/2 Cup)

Desert: Popsicle's Sugar-Free Fudgesicle (40 Calories) *1 Pop*

Snack: Blueberries (83 Calories) *1 Cup*

That doesn't seem like much to me, but if she's eating when she's hungry and not voluntarily restricting herself, I'd say let her trust her own appetite. Maybe ask her if she's really full or just trying not to eat too much, and encourage her to eat more if she wants to. Obviously don't punish or force her to eat anything, but let her know it's ok if she doesn't for some reason.

Thanks, For replying. I agree...but when I Mentioned this "menu" i should have been more clean..I would just stock the fridge with these healthier options..not make a meal planner for her.  I was just representing these options as if she were to choose the options. Just example.

Oh. Never mind.

That's a lot healthier than my parents ever fed me at 12. Good job.

Thanks--I think Starting young but nt restricting sweets or "the good stuff" is a good way to start childhood

i jsut quickly did the math. this is between 600-700 calories. no. it is not enough food for a 12 year old. let her eat. she's going to have problems when she is older if you don't. my little brother was a chubby kid, and no one else in my family is fat. we are active and always made sure he was as well. he is slowly but surely thinning out quite nicely. and he eats what he wants, still enjoys junk with his friends, and is one of the happiest people i know. if she is small why are you doing this anyway? i'm sorry and i do think it is great you are trying to get her to eat healthy, just make sure it doesn't backfire. one of my good friend's mom's was a health freak. the kids were trained to eat super small portion and eat healthy. my friend was superthin until about 10th grade when she discovered she could get food on her own. now at age 20 she's gotten pretty chunky despite her mother teaching her "good habits". just don't go overboard you know?

I understand you don't want to starve your daughter, but the total for all those items is only 533 calories. That is nowhere near enough, even for a very small 12 year old, even with additional snacks. Bear in mind that CC recommends that the minimum for totally sedentary 5'0" teens on a diet is 1500 calories.

I know she is tiny now, but her body still has a lot of growing to do. If she wants to grow taller, develop strong bones and go through the changes of puberty she will have to eat a lot more than that.

Aside from being very low in calories, these foods are all fat-free. Teens and children don't need a low-fat diet - fat helps bones absorb calcium, and kids and teens need all the calcium they can get. I would switch the yoghurt to full-fat and buy real icecream. Real foods are so much healthier than ones with artificial sweeteners imo.

If she has a very small stomach she can eat small portions of calorie-dense foods like granola, nuts, avocado and cheese. You can also saute her veges in olive oil or cook with butter or oil to keep her calories up.

Good luck!

I just wanted to chime in here because I have exactly this situation only smaller...  My daughter has always been very small and doesn't eat very much.  Her pediatrician once told me any calorie is a good calorie.  She be will turn 12 this month and just made 70 pounds on the scale. 

She plays hockey and decided to try out for a new team this year which would have her playing with girls and sometimes boys who are 14 years old (and really big).  Well, she made the team and then stated she wanted to play this team and her old team.  After much debate we agreed, but then she went through a growth spurt where she got taller but not any heavier.  She looked like a stick figure, all muscle and no body fat.  Off to the doctor we went and he sent us to a nutritionist.  The deal is she can't play both teams if she loses weight so we have put the plan in her hands and she can choose to do this or not, I don't want food issues.  Here is the food plan from the nutritionist:

Breakfast - Two eggs, english muffin, fruit, 1 cup vanilla soy milk

Snack 1 - 1 ounce walnuts or other nuts, capri sun or juice box

Lunch - 6 ounces protein, one cup starch, two serving fruit or vegetables

Snack 2 - two snacks like cheez-its or crackers, 1 cup vanilla soy milk

Supper - 6 ounces protein, 1 cup starch, two serving fruit or vegetables, 1 cup vanilla soy milk

Snack 3 - Something sweet, cookies, cake, ring dings

Protein Drink or Ensure after every practice and game.

She has done a great job sticking to this plan and according to the nutritionist (we don't weigh her at all) she has gained plenty of muscle eating this way through the summer.  We hope it will continue through the season which goes from 8/17/09 - 5/15/10.  Sorry this is so long, I hope it helps you get some ideas for your daughter.

Hey

Sorry for throwing my tuppance worth in.. My 6 year old is 36lb. She would probably eat about the same amount - very little & basicly grazes all day. I have done the freaking out, been to different doctors & the answer has always been the same..... "What are you worrying for - she will eat when shes hungry " .... I have noticed though she rarely eats high fat/ high sugar foods... mainly bananas & yogurt.  But i heeded what they said &  I no longer try to force feed her & shes as happy as the day is long. Now she is the smallest kid in the school & prob will be smaller than the infants when she hits 6th class.......

I guess I don't understand what you're asking--is this what she chooses to eat or is this what you are suggesting she eat? Even with other foods, this is probably not enough. She should have over 2000 calories for her growing body. If she has a hard time eating enough foods, she should be getting more calorie dense foods.

At this point, since she is small and not struggling with weight, I would not push a strictly healthy diet. As others said, she does need fats. What you can do is stock things that are healthier--as you said you were planning on doing--and encourage her to have a wide variety of foods. I think liking a lot of different foods is more likely to help her later in life when she has to focus on healthy eating. Teach her how to cook things and avoid overly processed foods (due to the outrageous amounts of sodium, especially in "kid's" foods). Instead of soda, stock juice. Have lots of fruit and veg options for snacks. So on.

Like I said, maybe I'm not understanding what you are asking. It sounds like you are wanting to have your daughter eat healthier, but she shouldn't be on diet foods. Let her eat yogurt with fat in it, throw some cheese on her broccoli. And sometimes sugar substitutes can be more harm than help.

Thank you, But, I'm saying this is what she chooses to eat. I was kindof in a rush--and now I've got a few people on my back. Well, Yes, this is what my daughter would likely go to the fridge and take, and I just put it up in a menu, for CC to give me some help. I will try to get her some Healthy Fats, like nuts, avacado, salmon, ect. Any other suggestions? Again, Thanks for the help

No offense, but 550 calories is not enough. This is very similar to what I ate when I was secerly anorexic. If you give your daughter this amount of food, she is going to think that 550 calories is a normal amount, probably causing her to undereat. Her body will not be able to grow, because we need energy to do that! Ever seen a teen eat during a growth spurt?

Also, on a side note - I hope you're eating more than this yourself too.

She isn't starving her daughter. This is what the girl chooses to eat on her own.

Maybe you do need to start portioning out food for her. Make sure you serve her enough calories, and let her eat however much she wants. At least then she'll see what a reasonable portion size is, even if she doesn't finish it.

Original Post by antiferret:

She isn't starving her daughter. This is what the girl chooses to eat on her own.

I haven't seen anyone say she was intentionally starving her daughter, or even that this what not what the girl would choose on her on. The point was, even if it is what she chooses to eat, it's not enough food.

Don't buy low fat/sugar free/diet crap food. Buy full fat foods and make her eat them. You are her mother.

Original Post by mabenner1:

Don't buy low fat/sugar free/diet crap food. Buy full fat foods and make her eat them. You are her mother.

 Exactly!!!

You can teach her to eat healthy without giving her all of the low fat stuff.  For example, instead of the nonfat yogurt, buy the regular fat stuff.  Instead of the healthy choice soup, either get the regular stuff, or make a big pot of your own soup full of lots of veggies and chicken.  These are just a few things.  Veggies and fruits are good, but a growing child needs fat in her diet.  The good fats, such as avocados (maybe make some guacamole), and nuts, and olive oil.  Maybe sautee the veggies in a little olive oil.  Meat is good too.  Lean chicken is great, and fish is a good choice as well.  What about some dairy?  Does she like cheese or milk?  Would she eat some cottage cheese?