Being a teenager is not easy, being the mother of one is harder still. Mood swings, rudeness and rebelliousness are one thing, but what to feed them to keep them healthy?

My daughter has a good appetite but lately she has become very picky: she even announced that to me with a certain pride in her voice. I have been exposing her to all kinds of food since she was born and now at sixteen, she has become quite a nightmare to feed.

One day she adores meatloaf and the next day it makes her gag. On Saturday she likes beef soup, on Sunday she cannot stand the scent of it. It’s so hard to keep up with these palate swings and she is treating our home like an a la carte restaurant, ordering off the menu according to her humor.

She loves fancy restaurants but also thinks that Burger King is the bomb. Gatorade, sugary juices and coca cola make her swoon but a glass of plain water, which is good for her, makes her cringe.

There is hope for her though. Fruits and seafood are a passion of hers: strawberries, bananas, pineapples, octopus, ceviche, sushi: all good stuff but not exactly cheap.

Last week she did announce that she was not loving shrimp too much though. Another taste-swing?

Lord, give me patience.