Teens are constantly exposed to advertisements for fast foods and unhealthy snack foods. Helping teens make choices that lead to a good diet is challenging. Adults can help teens to make good diet choices by letting them participate in menu planning, cooking, grocery shopping and connecting bad food choices to body image and long-term health.
Nutrition Guidelines for Teens
Teens need to eat a daily balanced diet of 3 cups of low-fat or fat free dairy: cheese, yogurt and milk; 5 ½ ounces of proteins: lean meats, beans, poultry, fish, eggs and nuts; 6 ounces of grains, which is six to 11 servings: bread, pasta, rice and breakfast cereal; 2 cups of fruits: fresh, frozen, dried or canned; and 2 ½ cups of vegetables: dark green, orange, peas and dry beans.
Eating three meals a day and healthy snacks between meals will help teens achieve a good diet. It is important for a teen to begin his day by eating breakfast. His intellectual performance and behavior are negatively impacted when he does not begin his day with a nutritious breakfast. A balanced breakfast at home can be cereal and milk with fruit or hard-boiled eggs with English muffins.
Vegetarian Diet
With careful planning, teens who are vegetarians can achieve a balanced diet that meets the daily requirement for protein, vitamins B-12 and D, iron and calcium. The daily requirement for protein must be met in order for the body to grow and maintain muscle. Vegetarians are the most vulnerable for meeting this daily requirement and should eat a variety of foods that will provide complete proteins, such as brown rice and beans. When menu planning, she should choose soy-based and fortified foods. For example, consuming a soy beverage will help meet daily needs for vitamins B-12 and D, calcium and protein.
Good Nutrition for Teen Girls
Adolescent girls need to eat foods that will increase their absorption of calcium and iron. Teen girls should consume 1,300 mg of calcium per day. This can be achieved by consuming calcium-fortified foods such as cereal and orange juice, and eating foods high in calcium such as leafy greens, such as spinach. If she drinks soda instead of milk, she can hurt her health later in life; she might develop bone fractures and osteoporosis. Teen girls need to consume extra iron in their diet because they lose iron during menstruation. She should eat red meat, nuts, beans and enriched whole grains.
About Teens and Fast Food
Lets just face it--teens love to eat out with their friends and most of the time they are choosing restaurants that offer fast food, such as hamburgers and pizza. When eating out he can avoid the extra calories by not ordering super-sized meals, choosing grilled chicken and small hamburgers, opting for grilled chicken salads with low-fat salad dressing and choosing water or low-fat milk instead of sugary soda.
