Good nutrition is essential for the healthy growth and development of adolescents. Eighteen percent of American adolescents were obese as of a 2007-2008 report, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To reverse this trend, many adolescents need to be more active. If you are planning meals for an overweight adolescent, consider meals that are more nutrient dense but also lower in calories. Evidence strongly suggests adolescents who skip breakfast are at higher risk for becoming overweight, as reported by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Basic Nutrition Guidelines for Adolescents
Prepare meals low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars for your adolescent. You are better off preparing food by grilling, baking or broiling, as opposed to frying. You should choose fresh meats, rather than smoked, and fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Serve your adolescent low-fat or fat-free dairy products and whole grain breads, cereals and starches instead of refined starches. Limit pies, cakes, candy, cookies and sugar-containing soft drinks.
Recommended Serving Sizes
If you are planning meals for an adolescent, include 3 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk products, according to the USDA. This can include milk used in recipes, low-fat yogurt and low-fat cheeses. Also include at least 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day. Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily. Select loin or round cuts of meat. Include 6 oz. protein per day from a variety of high protein sources, such as beef, pork, chicken, fish, tofu and eggs. Choose six servings per day of whole grains including brown rice, whole wheat pasta and whole grain breads.
Snacks
You should feed your adolescent three meals a day or smaller meals, with snacks between. Choose healthy snacks, such as salads, fruit, baked chips, fig bars, bottled water, rice cakes, veggies with salsa, string cheese, frozen fruit bars, fruit sorbet or a low-fat frozen yogurt. Low-fat microwave popcorn is also a healthy, low-calorie, high-fiber snack.
Choose Healthier Fats
Limit your teen's fat intake as much as possible. Recommended daily servings of fat for an adolescent are 1 to 2 tbsp. per day. When fat is necessary, choose unsaturated ones, such as olive, canola, safflower, sunflower, corn and soybean oils. Healthy fats also include small servings of nuts like walnuts, almonds, peanuts and cashews. A serving of nuts is about 1/2 oz. Limit use of butter, stick margarine, coconut and palm oils. Limit use of mayonnaise and salad dressings. Read the label on food packages and look for items low in total fat.
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