My 12-yr-old daughter still eats like a toddler- pasta, fruit...relatively healthy, but very limited. it is impacting her social life. what can we do?

Eating Issue: Talk to her, she's 6th/7th grader, not in kg/1st grade. Needs to eat 6 times/day: 3 major meals, moderate amount (breakfast, lunch, dinner), 3 snacks in between. Items: vegetable, fruit, salad, meat, fish, egg, milk. Will drink lot of water between. Half of plate will be vetetable/fruit/salad, 1/4th protein (meat/fish/egg), 1/4th. Carbohydrate(bread/rice/pasta). Visit her ped if think eating disorder.

Don't force it.: You can give her vitamins, and you should keep sweets and juices away from her, but pasta and fruit isn't a bad diet, and at some point, social pressure may prove a better incentive to diversify than anything you can do.

Food restriction: Fighting about food is a very good route towards an eating disorder. If you can diversify within your child's chosen limitations - different sauces for pasta, interesting combinations of fruit, your child may well be eating more healthily than most children in the country! Like a toddler, offer different tastes at mealtime and make sure that the food in the house is healthy. No junk food!