Healthy eating during the teen years can have an impact on a teen's health in both the present and later in life. Teenagers go through rapid stages of both hormonal and physical changes. Eating a balanced diet may help a teenager avoid unnecessary weight gain, keep his energy level high and give him a foundation for a healthy lifestyle as he progresses into adulthood.
Significance
Teenagers and adolescents are not immune to the obesity crisis in America, according to the report "F as in Fat 2011." The study indicates that 18 percent of teens are obese. Obese children and teenagers whose body mass index places them in the obese category are at double the risk for premature death than those of a normal weight. Additionally, 20 percent of teenagers in the United States suffer from high cholesterol levels, which increase a teen's risk of developing heart disease. Teaching teens how to stay within a healthy calorie level, choosing mainly wholesome foods and encouraging an active lifestyle can make a difference in their overall physical and emotional health. (See Reference 1, page 106)
Fruits and Vegetables
Less than 20 percent of teenagers eat enough fruits and vegetables, according to the "F as in Fat" report, a publication of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. While simply eating raw vegetables and fruits will help teens meet their fruit and vegetable requirements, other ideas for including fruits and vegetables into a teen's diet include serving vegetables and fruits with dips such as hummus for vegetables and strawberry yogurt for fruits. Show your teen how to peel an avocado to make homemade guacamole, puree fruits and ice in a blender for a quick fruit smoothie or give him a variety of chopped vegetables to make his own customized salad.
Meats and Dairy
Teens may enjoy eating fried meats from fast food restaurants, and dairy in the form of ice cream or milkshakes, but these foods contain unhealthy saturated fats and many calories. Teens can get the 45 g to 60 g of protein needed from baked chicken breasts wrapped in whole-wheat flour tortillas, grilled fish, or a piece of flat bread topped with black beans, brown rice and reduced-fat cheddar cheese. Encourage your teen to choose turkey pepperoni over pork varieties, make a tofu scramble for breakfast or switch from high-fat dairy to fat-free dairy.
Grains and Fats
A teen may not believe that whole-grains taste as good as white flour breads until he tastes a flavorful banana muffin made with whole-wheat flour, tries rye crackers or realizes that whole-wheat spaghetti fills him up more completely than pasta made with white flour. Teach your teen that he needs healthy fats for energy and heart health. Show him the nutrition label on foods, and how to look on the internet to examine the fat content of his favorite foods. Encourage him to avoid all foods with trans or saturated fats, and eat mainly baked meats, salad dressings made with olive oil and use nuts and seeds rather than sodium-filled potato chips as snacks.
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