Adolescents who eat from a limited menu of foods or who have erratic eating habits may need help to avoid malnutrition. If your teenagers don't get balanced meals, they may be at risk for one or more nutrient deficiencies. Some diet-related problems, such as low bone density from inadequate calcium, don't present symptoms until physical damage is done. Others, such as iron or vitamin B deficiency, do. Bump up your teens' diets to include enough protein, vitamins and minerals for normal growth.
Healthy Protein
Teens who diet or snack a lot may avoid protein foods, sources of a major nutrient that the National Institutes of Health consider crucial for normal adolescent growth. Boys and girls experience rapid muscle and bone growth spurts, and your teens need 5 to 6 oz. or volume equivalents of protein for cellular growth every day. Healthy choices that limit fat will best control their weight. Serve fish such as tuna and cod, cooked dry beans, lean beef and pork, and chicken and turkey without skin. Peanut butter, almonds and sunflower seeds are also nutritious protein foods, all of which contain iron and B vitamins as well.
Dairy Products
Adolescents need calcium and vitamin D every day in order to form the total bone mass that will carry them through their adult years. Drinking milk at every meal is a good way to automatically build toward a full day's supply. Low-fat yogurt and cheese are additional sources. The American Heart Association recommends 1 percent or fat-free dairy products, in order to control saturated fat and cholesterol intake, calories and body weight.
Whole Grains
Low iron or B vitamins represent a form of malnutrition that can cause anemia, a low blood count that affects the body's entire distribution of nutrients to cells. If your teenagers are feeling more fatigued than usual or experience dizziness or headaches, they may need the iron and vitamin B boosts provided by whole-grain foods. Fortified cereal addresses these deficiencies with 100 percent daily values of these nutrients per suggested serving. Other whole grain choices include oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, rye crackers and popcorn.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables provide the remainder of essential vitamins and minerals that adolescents might not get enough of. The vitamin C and potassium in fruits such as oranges, papayas and bananas promote healthy immune systems and heart function. Vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, red peppers and spinach offer the vitamins A, B, C and E needed for eyesight, blood cell formation, immunity and other body processes.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Protein in Diet; July 2009
- National Institutes of Health: Take Charge of Your Health, A Guide for Teenagers; August 2009
- National Institutes of Health: Milk Matters, Calcium Is Critical
- American Heart Association: How Do I Follow a Healthy Diet?; August 2010
- National Institutes of Health: Anemia
- USDA: Nutrient Database
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