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TEEN NUTRITION: HELPUNG TEENS MAKE HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES
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.
What can you do to improve the health of your teenager?
Teens have the freedom to make their own choices, and are eating out more, visiting
fast food restaurants more often, and getting their lunches from school vending
machines.
Expecting teenagers to bring a brown bag lunch to school when their friends are
eating at fast food restaurants, or to snack only on carrot sticks when everyone
else is eating chips, probably is not realistic.
With teenagers, it works best to teach them how to make better
choices (even if they are not perfect choices) whether they are eating at home,
school or in restaurants. Improving eating habits among teens is crucially important
for two reasons (among others): building strong bones and preventing obesity.
- The foundation for a lifetime of strong bones is built during the teen and young
adult years until about age 30. This represents their peak bone mass - the strongest
their bones will ever be. Yet, research indicates that teenagers are not getting
nearly enough calcium to build strong bones and that can lead to osteoporosis later
in life.
- Maintaining normal weight is critically important since obesity often leads to diabetes-type
2, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, conditions once seen most commonly
in adults. For adults as well as children, the best way to treat and prevent these
problems is a combination of healthy diet and exercise. In addition, positive eating
patterns fostered during the teen years are very likely to last a lifetime.
Tips for parents
- Teach teenagers that eating "healthier" does not mean giving up their favorite foods
altogether. For many teenagers, it means cutting down on portion size and adding
foods with nutritional value to their diet - having a smaller bag of chips along
with an apple or switching from higher fat chips to pretzels, for example.
- Acknowledge that teenagers will eat fast foods, yet encourage buying the smallest
portion sizes available or sharing a super-sized meal with a friend. Also, encourage
teenagers to make beverage choices that are nutritious, such as milk, rather than
always selecting sodas.
- Model good behavior - eat well, exhibit a healthy attitude toward food, display
a good body image and lead an active lifestyle yourself!
- Encourage nutrition label reading. Emphasize key teen nutrients
that may be in short supply - such as calcium and iron. Starting the day with a
bowl of cereal with milk is a great way for teens to get more calcium.
- Remind teenagers to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Skipping meals does not help
with weight loss and it might keep them from getting all the nutrients they need.
- Encourage teenagers to choose an activity they enjoy and to exercise for at least
30 minutes to 60 minutes most days of the week.
At times, it may be hard to believe that teenagers will grow up into individuals
who will make good decisions about their nutrition and activity choices; however,
your nutrition education efforts will go a long way toward helping them to do just
that.
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