It isn't always easy controlling your weight when you're a teenager who spends long hours with a book, at the computer or working at an after-school job. If you're stuck at a desk more often than running down a soccer field, choose low-calorie meals for good nutrition and effortless weight management. To achieve these goals, follow the suggested serving sizes on food packages, eat snacks only when you're hungry, and hit all the food groups at each meal.
Breakfast
Breakfast cereal makes an idea low-calorie meal for teens when you avoid fatty granola and sugary brands. Splash low-fat milk on top to get your daily calcium. The high fiber in wheat and especially in oat-bran cereals makes you feel full on a small serving, while protein, calcium, iron and vitamins serve your maturing muscles and bones. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a suggested serving of wheat-bran flakes and 1 cup of fat-free milk contain about 160 calories. Get more fiber, vitamins and minerals by adding fruit to cereal or drinking 100-percent fruit or vegetable juice.
Lunch
Fiber-rich whole grains and lean meats and small servings of other protein foods will satisfy you for lunch and get you through the afternoon. Popular teen foods such as wrap sandwiches and burritos make nutritious low-calorie meals when you choose whole-wheat tortillas and lean turkey, chicken, ham or beans as fillings. One cup of plain fat-free yogurt plus 1/2 cup of cut fruit or vegetables as dippers contains valuable protein, calcium, potassium and vitamins in only about 165 calories.
Snack Time
If you get hungry after school, a healthy snack can keep you from overeating at dinnertime. The American Heart Association relates that this is the time for nutrient-rich energy foods, or those that pack big nutrition into small portions. Think 1 tbsp. of peanut butter with sliced apple, celery or carrots, a handful of almonds or pumpkin seed kernels or a few whole-grain crackers and a small package of low-fat mozzarella string cheese. One cup of fat-free milk can even fill you up with just 83 calories.
Dinner
Teens who eat low-calorie meals most of the time can enjoy occasional treats without gaining weight. Use that as an incentive to eat more stir-fried veggies, eggs and brown rice, bean burritos and skinless chicken or tuna and whole-wheat pasta. Fat-free milk with dinner and fruit for dessert helps you achieve your daily values of calcium and vitamin C in under 100 calories per serving.
Member Comments