What Is A Healthy Diet For A 16 Year Old?

The teenage years can be trying, and not just in the form of peer pressure, academic challenges and conflict with patents. According to a 2007 study published in the journal "Chest" and conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, at least one in three teenagers consumed insufficient amounts of beta-carotene, fruits, vegetables, several vitamins and omega-3 fatty acid from their diets.

Though the unhealthy eating habits of teenagers have become something of an accepted stereotype, it's important for a 16-year old to have a healthy diet.

Protein

The Food and Drug Administration suggests that teenagers get somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 g of protein daily. This is a vital aspect of a healthy diet, as protein injects energy, contributes to organ health and builds strong bones. The amino acids provided by protein also rebuild muscles, which is especially important for teenage athletes.

Chicken, fish, nuts, beans are just a fee examples of high-protein foods.

Calories

A 16-year-old should ingest between 2,000 and 2,500 calories daily, though teens that are very active or have naturally fast metabolisms may require more in order to avoid lulls in energy. Calories should come primarily from foods with other nutritional value such as protein, rather than junk food.

If your 16-year-old is devouring calories like its her job, it may be due to more than nutritional unawareness. A 2002 study by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston found teenagers that slept less than eight hours nightly ate 245 more calories daily than peers getting sufficient sleep.

Fruit

Fruits are often ignored by calorie- and carbohydrate-crazed 16-year-olds, and that's not a good thing. Aside from being generally low in calories, fat and sodium, fruits contain various vitamins that aid general health, as well as antioxidants that reduce inflammation throughout the body.

The latter point may be a good selling point to a fruit-unfriendly teen. According to many reports, including the book "Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles," the antioxidants in fruit can help skin regenerate, thereby reducing acne breakouts.

No Alcohol

In a survey by The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 39 percent of high school students reported they they'd consumed alcohol in the month before the survey was conducted. Alcohol consumption by teenagers can be an early predecessor for disease, most notably alcoholism, and can hurt their performance in the classroom and in sports. Alcohol also has little positive nutritional value, but plenty of empty calories.

Carbohydrates

Most teens love pizza, and while it does have plenty of carbohydrates---needed to fuel the body with energy---that's no necessarily a good thing. A healthy diet for a 16-year-old should include more complex carbs than the simple carbs that come in pizza and other sugary and starchy foods and junk food. Such foods provide only a brief energy spike, followed by a crash that tells the body it's time to eat again.

Convince your 16-year-old to incorporate more grains, vegetables and brown rice, and he'll benefit immediately.