What Foods To Avoid & What Foods To Eat For Teenage Girls Trying To Lose Weight

If your doctor has suggested you lose weight to reach a healthy weight range for your height, you might be confused as to what to eat. As a teenage girl, strict dieting could disrupt your growth, development and hormone cycles. Instead, focus on consuming moderate portions of healthy, whole foods that offer optimal nutrition with minimal added saturated and trans fats, sugars and refined grains.

Significance

Being overweight as a teen girl can cause poor self-esteem and depression, affecting school performance and social relationships. Overweight and obese teen girls are at risk of developing diabetes and early onset of heart disease and high blood pressure in adulthood. Your menstrual cycle could be affected as well, and you might experience early puberty. As a teen, you are overweight if your body mass index is in the 85th percentile for your age group, and you are obese if your body mass index is in the 95th percentile. If you are concerned about your weight, speak to your doctor before undertaking any weight loss measures.

Poor Food Choices

Processed and fast foods are poor choices for any teen girl, especially if you are trying to lose weight. These foods tend to be calorie dense, meaning they contain a high number of calories per serving, while providing little nutrition. Children and adolescents age 2 to 18 get most of their calories from grain-based desserts – think cookies and cupcakes – pizza and soda and energy drinks, reports the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" released in 2010. Ready-to-eat cereal, chips and dairy desserts also are in the top 10 for calorie sources for this age group. Most of these foods contain refined grains, meaning they are highly processed with minimal fiber and vitamins and minerals added in artificially, rather than being intrinsic to the food. They also contain added sugars, which increase the calorie load without offering any nutrition.

Fats

Many processed products also contain trans fats, a man-made fat that can raise your risk of heart disease and might cause you to gain weight, reports a study in the October 2003 issue of the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.” Saturated fats also are calorie-dense and might raise your risk of heart disease as you get older. You still need 20 percent to 30 percent of your calories to come from healthy fats such as those found in olive oil, nuts or avocados to regulate your hormones and support vitamin absorption.

Foods to Include

Fresh fruits are a source of nutrients and antioxidants that support a healthy body. They also might satisfy your sweet tooth with fewer calories than baked goods. You also should eat more fresh vegetables, but avoid dousing them in butter or creamy dressings that contain saturated fats and excessive calories. Small amounts of low-fat or olive oil-based dressings are your best options. A teenage girl needs adequate iron for proper red blood cell function; low-calorie, healthy sources include lean beef, dark meat turkey and dark leafy greens. Eating more seafood can help you get essential protein and omega-3 fatty acids that support brain development, without overloading on saturated fat or calories. Calcium is essential to building bones, so eat 3 cups per day of low-fat milk or dairy equivalents such as plain yogurt or low-fat cheese. Skimping on carbs means denying your body of energy, but choose moderate portions – ½ to 1 cup per meal – of whole grains such as brown rice, oatmeal or whole wheat pasta.