No single-food diet will make you lose weight without sacrificing the nutrition that developing teenagers need. Teens need a daily supply of calcium, iron and other minerals, vitamins, protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates. Trying to cut calories by consuming more artificial sweeteners or skipping meals makes you less likely to get your beneficial nutrients and more likely to overeat or regain lost pounds. To lose weight for good and still be healthy, exercise daily and make small changes in your diet that reduce calories and increase nutrition.
Drink Milk Instead of Soda
A 12-oz. regular cola gets most of its 137 calories from sugar and has no further dietary value. If you normally drink super-sized sodas, the calorie totals can skyrocket, and if you think that zero-calorie diet sodas are better for you, they're not. Lower-calorie foods and drinks aren't always superior choices when losing weight. Teens need calcium and the vitamin D that makes it accessible to the body every day. According to the USDA, 1 cup of fat-free milk provides up to 30 percent of your daily needs for each of those nutrients, with only 83 calories.
Eat Cereal Instead of Skipping Breakfast
Even when losing weight, your body needs calories for cellular energy, and especially in the morning after a night without food. A low-calorie breakfast of whole-grain cereal offers fiber-rich carbs, significant protein and as much as 100 percent daily values of iron and some vitamins. Choose a low-sugar wheat-bran cereal to get all of that nutrition in about 80 calories or less.
Eat Fruit Instead of Cookies and Cakes
To avoid busting your weight-loss diet by snacking on cookies and cakes, stay on track with the filling fiber in naturally sweet fruit. Most cookies, cakes and other grain-based desserts use refined white flour, an inferior carbohydrate source with reduced fiber content in relatively high calories, compared to fruits. For instance, an apple or orange has 3 g of fiber in 72 calories or less, while a creme-filled snack cake has less than 1 g of fiber in 159 calories.
Eat Healthy Protein Substitutes for Meat
The fat content in most meats makes you pay a high-calorie price for your protein. Lose weight safely by getting daily protein from alternate sources. The National Institutes of Health suggest fish, beans, tofu, soy burgers, eggs, and peanut butter as healthy protein foods for teens to eat.
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