Since most teenage girls face busy school days, a nourishing lunch break provides fuel for energy. Teenage girls should eat foods packed with nutrients for development, balanced mood and overall health. When a young girl maximizes fat-burning potential without using ineffective, restrictive low-calorie diets, she will eventually acquire a lean physique, according to Dr. Eric Braverman, founder of New York's PATH Medical Center. A teenage girl striving to achieve healthy body weight should incorporate nutritious lunches.
Nutritional Requirements
Teen girls' rapid growth and maturing bodies call for high levels of nutrients at breakfast, lunch and dinner. They need at least nine colorful fruits and vegetables a day, five or more whole grains and three calcium-rich foods, according to Oregon dietitian Elizabeth Somer. They should also eat foods rich in protein, zinc and iron, such as lean meats, legumes and low-fat dairy products. They can get extra vitamin D with lunch in the form of fortified milk or juice to protect against depression, cancer and bone loss. They should also consume omega-3 fats found only in cold-water fish and foods fortified with a vegetarian or algal omega-3 DHA, to boost mood, mind and memory and promote healthy blood vessels.
What to Include
The brown-bag lunch should include the four food groups: A whole grain, at least one colorful fruit or vegetable, a low-fat milk product or calcium-rich alternative and a protein-rich item. Include 100 percent fruit juices. Sneak in healthy choices: Take a low-fat muffin packed with fruit instead of a cupcake. Skip the designer yogurt and buy nonfat or low-fat, plain yogurt and sweeten it with fresh fruit or jam. Buy a roasted chicken and use it all week for sandwiches.
Positive and Negative Effects
An unhealthy diet results in weight gain and a host of other problems – dull hair, fatigue, sleep problems, moodiness, clouded thinking. When a teenager’s self-esteem is low, she often compensates with a cycle of unhealthy food choices, including some of the lunch items offered in most school cafeterias. Somer says school lunches are packed with fat, salt, sugar, refined grains and calories. If a teenage girl eats a healthy lunch, it not only helps her maintain a lean figure, but also lowers her risk for diseases, colds and infections.
Convenience Food
If you are a teenage girl trying to lose weight, Somer advises you stay away from fast food restaurants. Create your own convenience foods using leftovers. Make extra servings of healthy dinners for the next day's lunch. When you put together a dinner salad, chop up extra vegetables – carrots, jicama, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes – and add them to your lunch. Make big batches of soups, stews, enchiladas and casseroles for lunches throughout the week. Freeze foods in individual portions. Purchase half gallons of beverages and use a lined, portable drink container. Be prepared, so you don’t end up at a drive-through at lunchtime.
Parental Involvement
As long as a teenage girl is not yet driving, her parents are the gate-keepers for food coming into the house. Parents should not bring home empty calories such as processed foods, chips and fast foods that will tempt their daughters. They should provide healthy food choices and encourage their teenagers to pack brown-bag lunches most days of the week.
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