An ideal diet for adolescents contains all the nutrients necessary for them to grow and remain healthy while going through several growth spurts during the period between the ages of 12 and 18. Adolescents require a diet that accommodates their necessary calorie intake while ensuring that they eat a variety of foods to give them the proper nutrients.
Expert Insight
A diet for adolescents should include a variety of healthy foods in order for them to receive an adequate amount of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, vitamins and minerals. Allina Hospitals and Clinics advises that a diet for adolescents should be low in fat and sugar to ensure that your child remains at a healthy weight and to prevent the risk of health problems.
Calories
The amount of calories adolescents require per day depends on their age, gender and weight. Tufts Medical Center suggests that adolescent girls require about 2,200 calories per day while adolescent boys require between 2,500 and 3,000 calories per day.
Meals
Adolescents require carbohydrates for energy, protein for healthy growth and maintenance of muscle, and dietary fat to provide essential fatty acids and to maintain healthy skin by absorbing vitamins such as A, D, E and K, according to Tufts Medical Center. Teen Growth recommends that adolescents eat three meals per day as well as two snacks per day that include healthy foods. The website further suggests arranging your meals so you eat foods rich in protein at least twice a day and eating foods containing calcium about four or five times a day.
Considerations
Adolescents who play sports or who are otherwise physically active throughout the day may require more calories than adolescents who are less active in order to maintain a healthy diet. Drugs.com recommends consulting a doctor about whether an adolescent should take vitamin or mineral supplements because they may not be necessary if he eats a balanced diet.
Warning
A diet for Adolescents should not include an excessive amount of junk foods or fast foods because of their high fat and sugar content. Allina Hospitals and Clinics reports that foods that are already high in fat and sugar can cause your child to eat too many calories. Adolescents who do not eat a wide variety of healthy foods may not get enough of the nutrients necessary for proper growth and development. Eating foods that are high in fat and sugar too often can put your child at risk of becoming overweight.
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