Adolescence is a time of growth, and the body requires plenty of nutritious food for the process. Teens need more calories than adults due to their growth rate. Many teens are also physically active in sports and other activities, which requires an adequate amount of calories for energy. The exact number of calories needed for teenagers depends on each individual teen's age, sex, and activity level, but there are general caloric guidelines teens can start with.
General Guidelines
In general, teen boys require more calories than teen girls. Boys tend to grow between ages 15 and 19, whereas most girls are done growing by age 15, according to DisneyFamily.com. The recommended amount of calories for teen girls is about 2,200 calories, and between 2,500 to 3,000 calories for teen boys. About 50 to 60 percent of calories should come from carbohydrates, 20 to 30 percent from fat and 10 to 20 percent from protein, according to TeenGrowth.com.
Activity Level
Your activity level will also influence how many calories they should consume each day. Many teens participate in sports and extracurricular activities, and therefore require more calories than sedentary teens. All teens should aim to get about 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week, the Weight-Control Information Network advises. You can determine how many calories you need to eat each day for your activity level by using the USDA Daily Food Plan, which calculates your eating needs based on your age, sex, height, weight and activity level.
Nutrients
In addition to eating the recommended amount of calories for their individual needs, teens should pay attention to what kind of calories they consume. It is important for teens to get enough protein, carbohydrates and fat, as well as iron and calcium. All teens need iron to support rapid growth and teen girls need iron to also replenish blood lost through menstruation. Calcium is vital for teens' bone growth and teeth health, however, most teens do not get the recommended 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily, according to the Weight-Control Information Network.
Unhealthy Calories
It can be easy for teens to give in to the temptation of junk food, fast food and high-fat snacks, because of the easy accessibility of vending machines, fast food restaurants and unhealthy choices available at popular teen hangout places such as malls, movie theaters and parties. Junk food such as candy, fried foods and pre-packaged snacks are high in calories and low in nutrients, which will leave teens feeling hungry and more likely to overeat. Replace unhealthy snacking and eating habits with nutritious foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole grain snack bars, nuts and low-fat yogurt.
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