My 12 year old won't stop eating raw onions, could it be a vitamin deficiency?

[Anonymous]

I have a 12 year old 7th grader DD. For the last 6 months she has been coming home and asking for a raw onion. She eats a WHOLE raw onion with salt or dipping it in vinaigrette or lemon and oil. She's a good eater, she eats just about everything, including all her veggies. She has a small breakfast (scrambled egg, or an eggo waffle, or peanut butter toast, or something similar with a cup of milk), then she has a school lunch and I cook well balanced dinners. She swims 4x a week for 1 1/2 hours, so she's very active. Her weight is perfect for her height, she's slim, but athletically built. Could her body be asking for a vitamin and that is why she's eating so many onions? I like onions, we put them in sandwiches, and I chop an onion as the base for many of the diners I cook. But eating a large onion raw, every day after school seems like a lot (and stinky). I let her because it is a vegetable, and it can't hurt her to eat it, but I think it is strange. Has anyone encountered anything like this?

[Anonymous]

Ask your pediatrician.

[Anonymous]

I would have her take a multivitamin if she doesn’t already. I just googled “onion craving” and there are some suggestions for why someone might crave onions. Though she might just like them—kids are weird.

[Anonymous]

Could she be the biological offspring of my mother, who counts onion sandwiches and onion ‘salads’ as her two favorite foods?
Some people just love onions.

[Anonymous]

It could be a sign of low-level disordered eating-low calorie bulky food+salty+sour. Personally I ate a ton of pickles, and ate fairly normal meals at home and restricted when my parents weren't there or weren't paying attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It could be a sign of low-level disordered eating-low calorie bulky food+salty+sour. Personally I ate a ton of pickles, and ate fairly normal meals at home and restricted when my parents weren't there or weren't paying attention.

THIS! I am a nutritionist and high consumption of "zero" foods is a common a first sign. Pickles, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, carrots, etc.

[Anonymous]

OP I think the possibility of the start of an eating disorder should be considered, because I would always keep my eyes open for it in swimmers or other athletes who exercise a lot.

Your child is on the slim side already you say, and at age 12 is probably going through pubertal growth spurt PLUS she's doing all that swimming. She is using up a ton of calories. You say her weight is perfect for her height, but get ahold of her historic growth charts from the pediatrician. As an example, say she was always around 75%ile for BMI for her age, but now is only 50th%ile BMI for her age. Technically you would say that's perfectly normal/average BMI for her age but it isn't normal for HER, it represents a drop for HER. And this is an early warning that anorexia could be developing.

My son developed an eating disorder around this age, and yes an early sign was craving hot pickled peppers. Every single day. He ate normally at first but later cut out more and more foods.

I wouldn't freak out or anything but I would check your daughters historical weight pattern and how many calories she is eating every day (approximately) and maybe offer her some more high calorie foods like high calorie, high fat smoothies etc. Just make sure she is getting all the nutrition she needs as an athlete who is also probably going through a growth spurt. These kids can need up to 3000 calories + a day! When they come home from school or practice they really need a full meal as a "snack" not an onion.

Keep your eye on her.

[Anonymous]

PP again -- before everyone jumps on me for saying that a girl liking to eat onions - eating disorder...

it isn't weird to like to eat onions and that doesn't mean you have anorexia. But coupled with her age and the fact that she is a swimmer, plus OP said she eats a small breakfast and a school lunch and "well balanced" dinners makes me think there's at least a possibility she might not be getting enough calories to fuel her growth as well as her exercise 4x/week.

Ask her teammate's parents what the girls are eating as a snack after school. I bet it has a lot more calories than an onion and some olive oil.

[Anonymous]

If she is swimming 1.5 hours, four times a week, she should be ravenous. My mom had to double the food when both my sister and I swam. That small of a breakfast and a school lunch, and it seems like she should be really hungry after school. I would keep an eye on it for sure, and possibly suggest adding something more caloric to her snack.

But, she might just really like onions.

[Anonymous]

Did your kid just read a book called holes? Or maybe that’s not the title but there is a book about two boys stuck without food but they discover onions everywhere and they are delicious. My kid went through a raw onion phase after reading this book.

[Anonymous]

She could be craving sulfur.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could she be the biological offspring of my mother, who counts onion sandwiches and onion ‘salads’ as her two favorite foods?
Some people just love onions.

My father-in-law was like this. He would hold a whole peeled onion in his hand and eat it like an apple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I think the possibility of the start of an eating disorder should be considered, because I would always keep my eyes open for it in swimmers or other athletes who exercise a lot.

Your child is on the slim side already you say, and at age 12 is probably going through pubertal growth spurt PLUS she's doing all that swimming. She is using up a ton of calories. You say her weight is perfect for her height, but get ahold of her historic growth charts from the pediatrician. As an example, say she was always around 75%ile for BMI for her age, but now is only 50th%ile BMI for her age. Technically you would say that's perfectly normal/average BMI for her age but it isn't normal for HER, it represents a drop for HER. And this is an early warning that anorexia could be developing.

My son developed an eating disorder around this age, and yes an early sign was craving hot pickled peppers. Every single day. He ate normally at first but later cut out more and more foods.

I wouldn't freak out or anything but I would check your daughters historical weight pattern and how many calories she is eating every day (approximately) and maybe offer her some more high calorie foods like high calorie, high fat smoothies etc. Just make sure she is getting all the nutrition she needs as an athlete who is also probably going through a growth spurt. These kids can need up to 3000 calories + a day! When they come home from school or practice they really need a full meal as a "snack" not an onion.

Keep your eye on her.

I'd echo this post. My athletic DD developed anorexia right before turning 12. For the amount your girl is exercising, I would expect her to eat more than the meals you've described. A filling and low-calorie snack is a great way for a restrictive eater to satiate the craving for food without adding many calories. Please watch her weight and also keep an eye out for any other odd behaviors, such as adding extra exercise (e.g. doing situps or pushups around the house, or running in place). Those were hallmarks of my DD's early stages of anorexia.

FWIW, my girl is now 15 and healthy as can be, but it was a tough couple of years.

[Anonymous]

Search to see if there is any "teen wisdom" out there related to eating raw onions. I remember being a teen and had a friend who 'heard' about some great new diet that was basically smoking cigarettes and eating cottage cheese with peppercorns. It was her first step down the path to anorexia.

[Anonymous]

I think I'd start by saying, "Why onion? Maybe I should have some too." And see what teen wisdom flows from that.