question about daughters eating habits

Question
Hello, I have two children a son 13, and a daughter almost 11.My son's eating habits are pretty good and I've noticed that in the past year, he is even more open to trying new things. The problem is with my daughter. She rarely eats 3 balanced meals. During the school week I cannot get her to eat breakfast,I'm lucky if she eats a bite of fruit. If she doesn't like the lunch I gave her then she'll just eat the veggies and juice or other snack.It boggles my mind how a young growing child can go several hours without much in her stomach. When she gets home, she does make up for it though. She'll eat quite a bit from about 3pm to 9pm.She does eat a lot of fruit but she LOVES sweets and junk food. Surprisingly, she is not overweight. SHe is actually the right weight for her age and height. But I'm afraid as she hits puberty,this might change. I have tried getting her involved in making her lunch but all she wants are hot dogs and sometimes pizza but it has to be the bought kind not homemade(pizza).Alot of foods she eats at home she will not even consider taking them for lunch.SHe tells me that they don't taste the same when heat up at school.I love to cook and try new things but am really discouraged with her.I ask her over and over what she wants to eat and most of the time she says hot dogs.I told her that hot dogs are not very nutritious and I will not make them very often. Do you have any ideas for me? I am really at my  wits end trying to get her to eat properly. Thanks for your time.

Answer
Carol don't buy the junk foods and sweets and she won't eat them at home. Leave those foods for parties and holidays. Chances are if she's not overweight now, unless something drastic occurs, she won't be overweight in the next year when puberty hits full force. True she should eat a well balanced breakfast, but again she's at the age where she likes to make her own decisions. She actually will learn from watching you eat a well balanced meal, instead of being told to. Get her to take a vitamin daily to cover any voids. A good lunch is any sandwich, a fruit, and a milk. To get her off the hot dog kick and make her think about what she eats, tell her about the 10 year old hot dog found in the garbage dump still whole. It had so many preservatives in it, even the bugs or the elements wouldn't touch it. Good luck, Laura Kraemer,Slimkids.com

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