Teenage girls can fall under the influence of mass media exposure of super thin super models and develop eating disorders to mimic them. Help young women establish a healthy way of eating, by encouraging them to help you shop and prepare eat a variety of whole foods. Follow the sensible dietary details in the "My Food Pyramid" series developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Refrain from commenting on minor weight gain: instead, encourage teenage girls to be physically active rather than diet to lose weight, advises the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Allow Girls to Help Shop for and Prepare Food
Let teenage girls learn gradually about good nutrition from direct experience with your guidance. Bring them with you to the grocery store and allow them to select what they wants to eat. If that is sugary breakfast cereals and diet sodas, let them have them. After they consumes them, ask them how they feel: high on sugar or later crashed out on the blood sugar drop? Explain how foods with refined sugar do that and prepare whole grain toast with peanut, almond or soy butter with fruit-only spread and low-sugar, low-fat hot cocoa or chocolate milk. Over time, they will make choices that give them energy.
Remove Pressure to Eat Only Healthy Food All the Time
Take the pressure off. If you strictly ban all junk food, teens will find it on their own or eat a very restricted diet, creating nutritional imbalances that can set them up for osteoporosis or delayed menses. Instead, set an example by preparing simple, nutrient-dense meals, asking for their help. They might decide what kind of pasta sauce to eat or make the fruit salad. If girls eat junk food once in a while that is OK--they know they can eat healthy food at home.
Prepare Several Smaller Meals for Finicky Teens
Provide mini meals and snacks that will be appealing to teens' palates. According to the USDA food pyramid, encourage teens to eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins (visible fat removed), legumes, whole grains, low- to non-fat dairy foods and non-saturated oils, such as olive, canola, flax and hemp seed oils. For example, breakfast can be low-sugar, low-salt cereal and two percent milk and fresh fruit or waffles with honey and low-fat yogurt. Lunch can be pizza made with whole grain English muffins topped with low-salt pasta sauce, skim mozzarella cheese and olive oil and a small mixed green salad. Set out snacks of low-salt trail mix, fresh fruit, low-sugar cookies, crackers and low-fat strawberry and chocolate milk to tantalize teens' taste buds.
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