Carbs

[cameo]

My 15 year old daughter eats healthily.
No crisps, biscuits,cakes, fried food, take-aways ect.
But she says she is eating too many carbs and she wants to reduce the amount that she eats.
An average day for her is:
Breakfast - oatflakes or wholemeal toast
Lunch - cheese and ham sandwich
Dinner - spaghetti bolognaise / chilli / grilled chicken with veg and potatoes.
Is this too many carbs? If so what alternatives are there?
She is not overweight but feels like she is.
What can she have to snack on? She eats fruit everyday but doesn't like salad.

Any help or advice would be gratefully recieved.

[Ethel]

She should not exclude carbs from her diet - they are essential for energy and stamina. They are the fuel her body needs.

Without them she will feel more hungry and 'snack'.

Get your daughter to read this little article - good advice for a healthy body:

http://www.ivillage.co.uk/dietandfitness/nutri tion/carbs/articles/0,,248_160000-1,00.html

Her diet looks good - varied with all the essentials she needs.
At 15 she is still growing. Her shape will change over the next year or two, and plenty of exercise will help her get the shape she wants.

[cameo]

Thanks Ethel.
I do worry about her. Like most teenage girls she has a very low self-image.
I am very proud of her for cutting out the 'junk food'. She has been very good in that department. Even when she is socialising with them she will always opt for the healthier alternative.
As I'm just a mother and I don't have a Phd in Nutrition I get very frustrated as to what to give her!!