Teenagers and nutrition By Charley Fowler and Courtney Clements Teens have the freedom to make their own choices, are eating out more often, visiting fast food restaurants more often, and getting their lunches from school vending machines. Expecting teenagers to bring a brown bag lunch to school or to snack on carrot sticks when everyone else is eating chips probably is not realistic. Adolescence seems to be synonymous with erratic eating habits as the typical teenager’s life fills up with friends, sports and homework. Yet adolescence is also a time of rapid growth and development that makes healthy eating habits even more important. Therefore, it is critically important that teenagers are encouraged to make nutritious food choices. Healthy eating is the best possible way to: have energy all day long, get the vitamins and minerals you need, stay strong for sports or other activities, reach your maximum height if you are still growing, maintain the weight range that is best for your body, and prevent unhealthy eating habits. Tips for healthy eating 1. Don’t skip meals – plan for meals and snacks. Believe it or not, three meals and two snacks are best to maintain both energy levels and healthy weight. You are more likely to overeat or choose nutrition-poor foods when you skip meals and are over-hungry. 2. Learn about simple, healthy ways to prepare foods. Think about baking, boiling, grilling, stir-frying, or microwaving as healthy ways to cook foods instead of deep frying your foods. 3. Sugar is “empty energy” – avoid getting too much. Lots of sugar is found in dessert like cakes, cookies and candies. Make a place for these foods once in a while, but don’t give up nutrition-rich foods to do it. 4. Pay attention to your eating and your body. Slow down when you eat. Try to relax and pace yourself so that your meals last at least 20 minutes, since it takes 20 minutes for you to feel full. Listen to your body. Eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full will help your body to balance its energy needs and stay comfortable. 5. Stay healthy and happy – avoid “diet thinking.” There are no good foods or bad foods. All foods can be part of healthy eating, in moderation. YOU are more important than your weight or body size – believe it! And your health and happiness can be hurt by drastic weight loss plans.
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