A teenage girl's concern about weight can prove both healthy and unhealthy. If you are simply conscientious about eating a healthy, well-balanced diet and getting adequate amounts of exercise, your attitude will serve you well at this age and throughout life. If, however, you are concerned only about weight loss, calorie-counting and fad dieting, these concerns can cause both physical and emotional harm.
Diets
Teenage girls should not follow strict weight loss diets. At this age, you're still growing and require a balance of nutrients each day to develop properly. Diets also tend to focus on temporary results. Permanent lifestyle changes, including a commitment to following a well-balanced diet will prove healthier. Health foods, such as protein bars, energy drinks and other natural resources, are best used to supplement a healthy diet, not replace one. You should also consume these in moderation and with the approval of a health care professional.
Food Pyramid
Teenage girls can use MyPyramid, an educational tool provided by the USDA, to help make healthy food choices. MyPyramid can help you create a healthy food plan based on age, weight and level of physical activity. Teenage girls require approximately nine servings from the bread and cereal food group, such as whole wheat bread and oatmeal, daily. They also require 2 or 3 servings from the dairy food group like low fat yogurt. Additionally, a teen girl should get four servings of vegetables and three fruit servings each day. Apples, blueberries, broccoli and spinach are healthy choices. MyPyramid recommends that teen girls get approximately 6 oz. of meat daily. Lean meats, such as fish and poultry, are preferred over fatty and processed meats.
Calories and Nutrients
Girls between the ages of 14 and 18 require between 1,800 and 2,400 calories daily, depending on how active they are and how much they are currently growing. Protein should make up 10 to 30 percent of those calories; carbohydrates should make up 45 to 65 percent. Fish, lean cuts of meat and nuts provide healthy protein. Try to choose foods that contain complex carbohydrates over foods containing simple carbohydrates. Total fat should make up approximately 25 to 35 percent of daily your calories. Unsaturated fats and omega-3 are healthier than saturated fats. Teenage girls also require approximately 1,500 mg of sodium, 26 g of fiber and 1,300 mg of calcium each day.
Healthy Foods
Dieting, calorie counting and the use of health supplements can cause a teenage girl to become both physically and mentally unhealthy. Cutting calories can result in a deficiency in the nutrients necessary for growth and development. It can also affect brain function and cause depression. Teens should learn healthy eating habits that they can carry with them for life. If you're concerned about your eating habits or weight, consult your physician or a nutritionist, who can inform you about healthy lifestyle choices. You should focus on healthy foods, not on supplements or products labeled "health foods."
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