Should You Let Your Teen Diet? Mother's Decision About Daughter Sparks Debate: 'A Wake-Up Call'

Diet culture seems to be one more thing parents have to worry about when it comes to raising their children.

A mother took to Reddit to ask other parents whether or not she should allow her 15-year-old daughter to go on a restrictive diet — and received mixed responses.

The unnamed mother, 44, said her teenage daughter, Marie, was “complaining about her weight” and had asked to “go on a low-calorie diet,” which she later revealed would mean consuming 1,200 calories or less for a 5-foot-4, 150-pound girl who is enrolled in multiple sports.

The National Institutes of Health says inactive girls Marie's age need 1,800 calories, while moderately active and very active girls need 2,000 to 2,400 calories, double what the teen wanted to eat.

“I told her I didn't think it was healthy for a girl her age to diet, and that she was beautiful the way she was,” the mother wrote.

“Since then, she’s been pouting and making comments like, ‘You’re just trying to make me fat like you!’ and I’m wondering if I’m really an asshole.”

The mother insisted that their home contain “healthy options” like fruits and vegetables, with the only proviso that most meals are cooked with the youngsters’ needs in mind. Both are “notoriously fussy eaters and have sensory issues,” so the family cooks whatever the youngsters eat.

“Marie is mad at me because I won't let her follow a low-carb, low-calorie diet, and my husband tells me I should let her do whatever she wants,” she continued, adding that she took her daughter to a doctor who determined that “her weight was normal.”

Other Reddit users told the concerned parent that it appeared her daughter was suffering from “body image issues,” warning the mother of the “harmful impacts” a restrictive diet could potentially have on her child's growth.

Other users suggested taking Marie to a therapist, dietitian or clinical nutritionist who could help the teenager, alarmed by the early signs of disordered eating, such as extreme calorie restriction.

“I have a daughter who developed anorexia nervosa, who spent a month in the hospital and two months in a care center,” warns one Internet user. “That's how it starts. You want to eat healthier or you try to lose weight.”

“Not all diets turn into eating disorders, but every eating disorder starts with a diet, and the immediate fixation on calories is a big red flag in this area,” someone else commented.

“This seems like a good opportunity to have an informed and open conversation with your daughter about some of these topics.”