Teenagers can be finicky eaters because they are concerned with their image. Some would rather eat junk than focus on nutritious foods. Providing a healthy and well-balanced dinner for your teen will teach him about the importance of healthy eating. According to Hope Ricciotti and Vincent Connelly, authors of "The Healthy Family Cookbook," teenagers who eat healthy family dinners are more likely to incorporate good nutrition into their lives as well as consume more nutrient-dense foods than teens who do not eat a healthy dinner.
Pasta
Ricciotti and Connelly report that pasta can be a healthy dinner for teenagers. You can create pasta dishes using a variety of healthy ingredients based on your teen's personal tastes and favorite foods. Whole wheat pasta, which will supply fiber to help your teen maintain good digestive health, provides the base for sauces, vegetables and other toppings. Tomato-based sauces are high in vitamins and minerals and low in fat. Adding sliced vegetables, such as squash, peppers or eggplant, will increase the nutrition. Lean meat, such as chicken or shrimp, provides protein, zinc and iron, important minerals as your teen continues to grow. Ricciotti and Connelly add that your teen can add his favorite seasonings, such as fennel, rosemary or oregano, to complete the pasta meal.
Pizza
Pizza is a favorite food among the teenage crowd, but most fast-food slices are high in saturated fat and do not include healthy ingredients, notes Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, author of "I'm, Like, So Fat!: Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices About Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World." You can recreate pizza as a healthy dinner for your teen by using nutritious ingredients rather than high-fat meats and cheeses. Start with a whole wheat crust; purchase a mix or buy an already-prepared crust at the grocery store. Add low-sodium tomato sauce and encourage your teen to choose her favorite toppings. Provide low-fat cheese, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, spinach and lean meats, such as ham, so your teen can customize her pizza according to her tastes.
Soup
Soup is an easy way to increase your teen's intake of vegetables, lean meats and healthy spices, note Ricciotti and Connelly. Start with chicken, beef or vegetable broth and then add as many nutritious ingredients as you like. Encourage your teen to help you select ingredients and discuss why each choice is healthy. Include potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, beans, lean beef or chicken, shrimp, spinach and a variety of spices. Use low-sodium broth to help reduce the sodium intake, and include more vegetables than meats to increase your teen's intake of vitamins and minerals. Serve the soup with a slice of whole wheat bread to increase the fiber content of the dinner.
References
- "The Healthy Family Cookbook"; Hope Ricciotti and Vincent Connelly; 2004
- "I'm, Like, So Fat!: Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices About Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World"; Dianne Neumark-Sztainer; 2005
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