Growing teens need solid nutrition, a balanced diet and an abundance of calories daily. Proper growth and development, which often continues until the age of 19, is difficult to achieve with crash diets or eating plans that limit or eliminate entire food groups. It's important that teens understand the long-term repercussions of poor nutrition during their developmental years. There are many free healthy eating plans available online that are designed to meet the nutritional needs of teenagers.
HelpGuide.Org
Helpguide.org provides , all-around information on the components of a health building diet. Well written in language simple enough for even young teens to understand, the information includes the sorts of foods that contribute to good health and what foods increase risk of adult diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. There is also a section that provides guidance on healthier options at a variety of fast food chains, which would be of keen interest to most teens interested in learning how to create and maintain a healthy yet satisfying diet.
Mealsmatter.Org
Mealsmatter.org promotes the "family meal," providing teen-friendly recipes and meal plans that are nutritious and low in fat and sugar. Nutritional information per serving is provided with each recipe, making it easy to track calcium, iron, sodium, and vitamins C and A, as well as carbohydrates, protein and calories. Each recipe can be linked to your own online cookbook, which automatically creates a shopping list for you. This site is available in Spanish.
SparkTeens.Com
SparkTeens.com is a free diet and nutrition resource for 13 to 17 year olds. SparkTeens provides meal plans for weight loss and weight maintenance, teen friendly recipes and a calorie counter to check the nutritional value of favorite foods. Fitness and nutrition experts respond to questions posted by teens about diet and exercise. The information on the site is age appropriate and positive in nature.
Take Charge of Your Health
Published in August 2009, "Take Charge of Your Health" is a healthy eating brochure produced by the Weight Control Information Network, an information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Institutes of Health. The "Take Charge of Your Health" eating guidelines provides teenagers with information on portion sizes, as well as what foods contain the vitamins and minerals required by growing teens for strength and development. Ideas for smart snacking, packing a healthy lunch, making wise choices in beverages and establishing realistic goals for weight loss round out this guide for healthier eating.
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