Does my 4 year old have an eating disorder?

[rachvt]

My 4 year old daughter has never been an enthusiastic eater. Recently she's becoming worse, average daily intake would consist something like a bowl of oats in the morning, about two-third cup of food for lunch, and one or two-third cup of food for dinner. She would not eat no matter what we tried. She's now about 103 cm tall and weighs about 15 kg, though she was born 3.55 kg and measured 50 something centimetres at birth full-term. Her weight gain dropped from the 50th centile at birth to just below the 25th centile now for the last 3 years. The only food she eats are junk food which we always limit to a bare minimum or ban completely since we don't eat junk food. As far as proper home cooked meals go, she would only eat spaghetti bolognaise and nothing else. She would not eat no matter what we did and would just throw a tantrum if we made her sit at the table until she would finish at least half of her food.

I feel I'm at my wit's end here.  
What can I do?!!
Should I just make her spaghetti bolognaise day in day out for lunch and for dinner? Which is not very practical and probably not the healthiest thing to do...

Any advice???

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

there is another forum on medhelp that deals with children's behavior.  Fights over the control of food are not uncommon, but your daughter has taken it to the extreme and  is risking her health...please contact the other forum, or a specialist in child behavior, like a psychologist or psychiatrist.

[rachvt]

P.S. In addition, she has been quite poorly in health ever since she started diminishing the already small amount of food she used to eat. Comes down with fevers or flus quite frequently these days - about two to three times a month if she goes to school, and about once or twice a month during vacations. She also seems to have lesser energy than kids her age, she hates any kind of exercise, dancing, walking or activity, preferring to just sit or stay put in one spot all day. I'm just a bit concerned, but maybe I'm overeacting?