Planning healthy meals and snacks for teens can be difficult. Because healthy foods aren't always the most pleasing to the palate, teens who aren't concerned with maintaining good health often will choose items that taste good but have poor nutritional value. Parents and caregivers can help by devising meal plans that will meet dietary needs and offer enough variety and creativity to keep teens interested.
Food Pyramid
In general, the healthiest meal plans for teens are based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid, which recommends daily servings of fruits, vegetables, low fat or nonfat dairy products, lean proteins and grains, especially whole grains. The pyramid also calls for limited consumption of foods that are high in fat, sodium, cholesterol or sugar. Meals in a plan that abides by the food pyramid should feature items from different groups and include lots of variety. Examples are a chicken and vegetable stir fry with brown rice, oatmeal with yogurt and fresh fruit, and bell peppers stuffed with lean meat, low-fat cheese and sautéed vegetables. Preparing meals based on the food pyramid has another advantage as well. According to the Cleveland Clinic, foods rich in nutrients and antioxidants can help prevent cancer and boost the immune system's activity.
Personalized Plan
It's easier to get your teen to eat healthy foods regularly if you base each meal on items that he or she enjoys. If your daughter loves berries, for example, serve healthy, high-fiber granola with fresh or dried berries, include them on the side with savory meals and toss them in salads. You can also modify a teen's favorite foods to make them healthier. Bake muffins with whole grains instead of refined white flour, prepare pancakes with shredded fresh vegetables in the batter and use reduced-fat products to make desserts instead of full-fat items. Finally, allow your teen to have choice in his or her meal plan. Go grocery shopping together, cook meals as a team and plan healthy snacks ahead of time, as KidsHealth.org recommends.
Vegetarian Plan
According to MayoClinic.com, people who follow vegetarian diets tend to eat less fat and fewer calories, weigh less and have lower cholesterol levels. You can also save money on groceries by buying less meat or not buying it at all. Vegetarian teens should focus on eating foods from the food pyramid, including fruits and vegetables, and replacing lean meat with plant-based proteins such as beans, low-fat yogurt and eggs. It's also important to be creative with vegetarian meals. Teens can quickly get bored of having pasta or rice with vegetables, so make an effort to seek out new recipes and prepare foods in new ways. Cooking Light recommends veggie "pigs in a blanket," carrot cake pancakes and peanut butter and banana rolled tortillas.
Weight Loss Plan
Teens who are trying to lose weight can abide by any eating plan as long as it includes a variety of healthy foods and limits their total consumption of calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar. Additionally, any weight-loss diet plan should be combined with a regular exercise routine that will help burn off extra calories from food.
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