What Are Some Recommended Foods For A Teenage Male On A Diet?

Losing weight can be complicated if you're a teenage male. You may still be adding normal muscle and bone mass toward maturity. If you need to lose body fat, be sure to get the right nutrients for healthy development as you cut calories. This means eating low-calorie foods from each of the five food groups at every meal. To lose weight, add different low-fat protein, dairy, grain, vegetable and fruit choices to low-calorie foods recommended by the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association.

Iron-Fortified Cereal

Boys need iron and protein for rapid growth periods, and many ready-to-eat cereals offer 100 percent daily values of iron and several grams of protein per serving. Wheat flakes and unsweetened shredded wheat cereals also provide large amounts of important B vitamins for your developing central nervous system. To stay below 100 calories, choose a low-sugar cereal and follow the serving guidelines on the label.

Tuna Fish

High protein, B vitamins, iron and hard-to-get vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium, are packed into canned and fresh tuna fish. Consuming less saturated fat, which increases food calorie counts, can help teenage males lose weight while still preserving their vitamin and mineral intakes. The American Heart Association recommends fish such as tuna as a replacement for higher-fat meats in your diet. Three ounces of water-packed tuna has 99 calories.

Bean Burritos

Beans are low-fat vegetarian sources of protein and iron that compare favorably with meats and fish. Pinto beans offer a similar array of B vitamins but also contain beneficial dietary fiber, which animal-based foods don't have. Fiber makes you feel full while dieting. Make your burrito with a whole-wheat or spinach wrap or a corn tortilla for complementary nutrition. The American Diabetes Association includes bean burritos among healthy fast-food choices. A fast-food or homemade bean and cheese burrito has about 189 calories.

Non-fat Milk

Don't avoid milk to trim calories. Teenage males form most of their bone density by the time they reach age 17, and you need the calcium and vitamin D found in dairy products to do so. One cup of fat-free milk delivers major amounts of those nutrients plus significant protein and vitamin B in just 83 calories.

Spinach

In addition to high iron content, cooked spinach offers nutritional "insurance" to a teenage boy's weight-loss diet. Along with filling fiber and strong protein, 1 cup of cooked spinach fills any nutrient voids with its significant calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, C, E and K, in only 41 calories.