A teen girl may lead a busy life and find that eating a healthy diet is a challenge while on the go. Fast food or skipping meals may be temptations reinforced by peer choices; however, both of these strategies lead to less than optimum nutrition for a growing female teen body. A teen girl can learn to be proactive and take charge of her own nutrition to begin eating a healthy diet by using five tips.
Know What to Eat
The Choose My Plate website promotes portion control and recommends that one half of a meal plate should contain fruits and vegetables. The other half holds lean protein and grains, at least half of which are whole grains. Low-fat or nonfat milk should round out the meal. Teen girls need 1,300 mg of calcium daily found in dairy products, green leafy vegetables and fortified soy products. They also need 15 mg of iron daily found in meats, beans, soy and fortified cereals.
Remove Temptations
Tempting, less nutritious foods are a road block to a healthy diet. A teen girl can remove those temptations from her home kitchen, bedroom, school locker and desk or anywhere else where junk or processed foods are stored. She can also encourage healthier eating habits with friends by finding restaurants and other places to hang out where nutritious food is served. An occasional high calorie snack or fast food meal can still be enjoyed.
Snacks
Stock up on healthy snacks that a teen girl can take with her. Substitute water or zero calorie drinking water for sugary sodas. Choose whole grain crackers and granola bars that do not contain high fructose corn syrup. Low-fat yogurt pretzels are another alternative that can satisfy between meal hunger. Add chopped veggies such as carrots and fruit such apple slices to a bag instead of eating potato chips which are high in fat.
Know Target Weight
The Body Mass Index (BMI) gives a teen girl an idea of how much body fat she has based on her height and weight. However, if she is an athlete, the BMI may overcalculate her fat amount due to the weight of developed muscles. A doctor can help a teen girl correctly calculate her target body weight and decide whether any weight gain is appropriate for her age or due to poor eating habits.
Food Journal
It is very easy to skip meals, to make poor nutritional choices or to overeat when a teen girl is very busy or stressed. Friends' choices can also influence coping strategies. A food journal makes it easy to record meals and snacks and what a girl was feeling while eating. Noticing patterns of skipped meals or binging while upset or tired may help a teen girl discover she needs other ways to cope with emotions such as exercise or time with friends.
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