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FAQs:

What is Teen Nutrition?

Teen nutrition involves making sure that teens eat healthy foods to help them grow and develop normally, as well as to prevent obesity and future disease. Following dietary guidelines recommended by research and medical professionals supports proper nutrition. The guidelines include selections from different food groups to provide the vitamins and minerals teens need as they grow through puberty and into adulthood. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid recommends how many servings a day an adolescent should eat of each food group, such as milk, vegetables, fruits, fats, and meats. By sticking closely to the guidelines, parents can ensure their teens get a well-balanced diet that supplies the vitamins and calories they need to stay healthy and support growing bodies and active lifestyles.

Why Do We Need Good Nutrition in Adolescence?

Adolescents need more nutrients than adults because they gain at least 40 percent of their adult weight and 15 percent of their adult height during this period. Inadequate intake can lead to delayed sexual development and slower linear growth.

What Nutrition Should You Give an Adolescent?

Adolescence is the second-fastest growth stage in life after infancy. The adolescent’s growth spurt during this period creates an increased need for many nutrients. Eating right assures an adequate amount of key nutrients: calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and D. Some teens have a need for even more nutrients if they are active in sports, following a special diet, have an eating disorder or are pregnant.

What Does Poor Diets Do to a Teenager’s Body?

Aside from weight issues, poor diets deprive your teenage child of essential nutrients that contribute to their growth and development. Aside from starving the body of energy and nutrients, eating disorders have unique effects on a teenager’s body due to their body still being in a state of development. Diet pills and liquid mixtures aimed at substituting food are often uncertified by doctors and can lead to organ damage. Self-induced vomiting can cause bleeding and ulcers in the oesophagus as stomach acid is highly acidic and also damages the teeth. But the most shocking long-term health impact of poor diets is that it may possibly cause an early onset of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in teenagers and even children. A 2017 American study found that the number of youths with type 1 diabetes was increasing at a rate of 1.8% per year, while that number for type 2 diabetes was at 4.8%.

What are the Factors Influencing Nutrition of Teenagers?

Here are the factors influencing nutrition of adolescents:

1. Lack of knowledge in the family and community about the importance of nutrition during adolescence

2. Lack of food because of socio-economic circumstances

3. Inequitable distribution of food in the family wherein girls being denied nutritious food

4. Poor dietary intake of food and vegetables rich in iron

5. Poor bioavailability of iron in the diet

6. Hookworm infestation

7. Diseases like Malaria

8. Bad cooking habits (over boiling vegetables and straining water, removing husk from wheat, eating polished rice and straining rice water, etc.)

9. Perpetuation of a vicious cycle of malnutrition and infection, which might begin, even before birth and may have more serious consequences for the girl child

How Many Snacks Should a Teenager Eat Every Day?

Most teenagers need between 1-3 snacks per day, depending on energy needs and physical activity levels. Teenagers should eat every 3-4 hours throughout the day. Snacks should be around 100-300 calories each. Teen athletes likely need additional snacks such as pre-workout and post-workout snacks to fuel and refuel their bodies during physical activity.

Benefits of Healthy Eating in Adolescents

1. Proper nutrition promotes the optimal growth and development of children and adolescents.

2. Healthy eating helps prevent high cholesterol and high blood pressure and helps reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.

3. Healthy eating helps reduce one´s risk for developing obesity, osteoporosis, iron deficiency, and dental caries (cavities).

4. Eating a healthy is associated with improved cognitive function (especially memory), improved mood reduced absenteeism, and better performance in school

Healthy Eating Plan for Teens

Eating healthy is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and is something that should be taught at a young age. The following are some general guidelines for helping your teen eat healthy. It’s important to discuss your teen’s diet with their healthcare provider before making any dietary changes or placing your teen on a diet. Discuss these healthy eating recommendations with your teen so they can follow a healthy eating plan:

1. Eat 3 meals a day, with healthy snacks.

2. Increase fiber in the diet and decrease the use of salt.

3. Drink water. Try to avoid drinks that are high in sugar. Fruit juice can have a lot of calories, so limit your teen’s intake. Whole fruit is always a better choice. 

4. Eat balanced meals.

5. When cooking for your teen, try to bake or broil instead of fry.

6. Make sure your teen watches (and decreases, if necessary) their sugar intake.

7. Eat fruit or vegetables for a snack.

9. Decrease the use of butter and heavy gravies.

10. Eat more chicken and fish. Limit red meat intake and choose lean cuts when possible. 

Considerations in Preparing Healthy Meals for Teens

These are some helpful considerations as you prepare meals for your teen:

1. Arrange for teens to find out about nutrition for themselves by providing teen-oriented magazines or books with food articles and by encouraging them and supporting their interest in health, cooking, or nutrition.

2. Take their suggestions, when possible, regarding foods to prepare at home.

3. Experiment with foods outside your own culture.

4. Have several nutritious snack foods readily available. Often, teens will eat whatever is convenient.

5. If there are foods that you do not want your teens to eat, don’t bring them home.

Foods Included in a Healthy Diet for Teens

Having consistent meals and snacks that provide healthy sources of protein, fat, and fiber-rich carbs is best for teens.

Here are some examples of healthy foods to include in a teen’s diet:

1. non-starchy vegetables: like broccoli, leafy greens, peppers, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, and zucchini

2. starchy vegetables: like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash

3. fruits: like berries, pears, apples, citrus fruits, pineapple, grapes, and bananas

4. protein sources: like fish, eggs, lentils, chicken, and tofu

5. whole grains: like brown rice, oats, quinoa, whole grain bread, and barley

6. nuts and seeds: like almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and natural peanut butter

7. beans and lentils: like chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, and lentils

8. healthy fats: like olive oil, nut butters, avocados, egg yolks, full-fat yogurt, and cheese

9. dairy and non-dairy substitutes: like unsweetened yogurt, cheese, coconut milk, and cashew milk

10. healthy snack foods: like trail mix, hummus and vegetables, cottage cheese, and nut butter with fresh fruit

Foods like these should make up the majority of a nutritious teenage diet. However, it’s perfectly healthy for teens to enjoy their favorite foods as well, even if they’re not considered the most nutritious. After all, enjoying meals and snacks with friends and family is an important part of teenage social interaction and celebration.

Foods to Avoid by Teenagers

A lot of the foods that taste good to teenagers, aren’t good for their bodies, and don’t actually make them feel good in the long run. Here’s a list of popular foods teenagers enjoy but should actually avoid:

Fried and Fatty Meats– Meats like bacon, ribs, hot dogs, burgers, fried chicken, and even chicken nuggets and pepperoni are full of unhealthy fat and calories and shouldn’t be consumed regularly. Instead of fried, fatty meats, choose baked and lean meats like chicken, turkey, lean beef, and even fish. It’s okay to have fatty or fried meats occasionally, but stay within a balanced portion size and choose other healthy sides at your meal.

Soda– Soda is technically a beverage, not a food, but it’s still one of the worst things for a teenager to get addicted to. The high sugar content (or artificial sweetener content) is not good for a growing teenager. The recommended amount of added sugar for a teenager is 25 grams per day, about 6 teaspoons. A typical 12 oz can of soda has about 39 grams, that’s already too much sugar for the day. If your teen doesn’t like drinking plain water all day, try flavoring it with fruit slices, cucumber slices, or other spices and seasonings.

Sugary Drinks- Other sugary drinks besides soda can add a lot of sugar and calories to a teenager’s diet that aren’t necessary. It is better to eat your calories than to drink them. Popular drinks that should be limited are fruit-flavored beverages (many fruit flavored beverages are mostly sugar and artificial flavors with less than 10% juice), energy drinks and sports drinks, juices, etc. 100% juice isn’t a bad choice, but it’s better to be eating the whole fruit to get dietary fiber. Teenagers should limit juice to 8 oz a few times per week.

Caffeine– Caffeine is a stimulant that isn’t even a great choice for many adults, but especially shouldn’t be used for kids or teenagers. Caffeine decreases calcium absorption, and as a stimulant it can cause problems for teenagers such as sleep problems and trouble paying attention in school.

Too Much Coffee or Tea– It isn’t a great idea for teenagers to become addicted to coffee and tea. It has caffeine, limits iron absorption, and certain sweetened types can have too much sugar, plus some coffee drinks are extremely high in calories and not doing you any favors nutritionally. If you need a sweet or energizing drink in the morning or during the day, switch to 100% orange juice or a fruit and veggie smoothie.

French Fries– Fast food options are sure convenient at times, but they aren’t providing many good nutrients for a growing and developing teenager. French fries are fatty and salty and too high in calories, not a good combination when you need a balanced diet. Try to switch for a side salad or fruit when available.

Potato Chips– Chips are a popular teenage snack, but can be too high in calories, fat, and salt. Choose instead to fuel up with whole grains like whole-wheat breads and pasta, or snacks like hummus and veggies with whole grain crackers. Even popcorn can be a good choice if it doesn’t have too much butter and salt, try some other flavorings for a better balance.

Highly processed snacks and other “junk” foods– Think Oreos, Cheetos, Pop tarts, packaged cookies and cakes, chips, sugary breakfast cereals, granola bars, candy bars, sugary candies, vending machine foods, etc. These foods aren’t offering any good nutrition and can quickly fill up a teenager’s diet and take the place of better foods that provide fuel and better nutrients, and could leave teenagers deficient in some crucial nutrients.

Boxed Macaroni and Ramen Noodles– These aren’t necessarily the worst foods, because they aren’t all full of bad ingredients, but they aren’t full of many good ingredients either and they are a popular staple for teenagers, especially because these packaged meals are cheap and easy for a teenager to prepare by themselves.

Macaroni and Ramen noodles are also high-processed and don’t contain much of any good nutrients, you aren’t doing yourself any favors by consuming these regularly. Add lots of veggies and a protein, or make a homemade macaroni or pasta dish instead.

White Bread- Sorry if you like white breads, white breads are made from refined wheat and they are low in fiber and nutrients. White breads offer little nutritional value, poor energy, and rapid spikes in blood sugar. Instead choose whole grain breads, pastas, tortillas, crackers, cereals, etc.

Other Foods Teenagers should Limit:

1. Sugary breakfast cereals

2. Pastries, cookies, cakes

3. Sweetened yogurts- some lowfat yogurts have a lot of sugar!

4. “Diet Foods” such as low-carb and gluten free products may seem healthy but often tend to have a lot of added fat and sugar to make up for other missing ingredients

5. Ice cream– sorry, ice cream is loaded with sugar and fat

6. Most fast food meals

7. High mercury fish– high levels of mercury can be harmful for teenagers and children. High mercury fish includes king mackerel, marlin, shark, swordfish, and some of the more expensive cuts of tuna. These shouldn’t necessary be avoided, just limited in appropriate servings of about 3-4 oz. Most teenagers aren’t eating high levels of seafood anyway, so this shouldn’t be an issue for most adolescents

Healthy Breakfast Options for Teens

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It can help with memory and concentration at school, and give you energy to study and play. Regular breakfast eaters tend to have a healthier weight than those who skip breakfast.

Look for breakfast cereals that are high fibre and low fat and with not too much added sugar or salt. Here are some healthy breakfast options:

1. porridge with honey and cinnamon

2. muesli with yoghurt

3. fresh fruit and yoghurt

4. higher-fibre cereals

5. multigrain toast with a boiled or poached egg

6. baked beans on toast

7. raisin toast

8. pita bread with olives and feta

9. melted cheese and vegemite on toast or an English muffin

10. crumpets with jam

11. banana milkshake or fruit smoothie

12. pancakes with yoghurt and fruit.

Healthy School Lunch Options for Teens

If you don’t look forward to your school lunch, then change what you are preparing. School lunches don’t have to be boring. Does a parent or carer usually make your school lunch? If you don’t like what they make for you, talk to them about what you would like instead. Tell them what sandwich fillings you like, or what your favourite healthy snacks are.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Chicken, grated carrot, cucumber and cream cheese pita bread

2. Turkey, cheese and salad on multigrain bread with cranberry sauce

3. Vegetable and lentil soup in a thermos with a bread roll

4. Smoked salmon, salad and cream cheese bagel

5. Leftover pasta with lots of cooked vegetables

6. Quiche and salad

7. Cheese and salad sandwich

8. Boiled egg and salad on multigrain with a smear of mayonnaise

9. Ham, cheese and spinach wrap

10. Cold cooked cheese, salad and lean meat quesadillas

11. Chicken with avocado and salad in a grainy bread roll

12. Beef, tomato and lettuce sandwich with tomato chutney or salsa

Consequences of a Poor Diet in Teens

1. A poor diet can lead to energy imbalance (e.g., eating more calories than one expends through physical activity) and can increase one´s risk for overweight and obesity.

2. A poor diet can increase the risk for lung, esophageal, stomach, colorectal, and prostate cancers.

3. Individuals who eat fast food several times in a week are at increased risk for weight gain, overweight, and obesity.

4. Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can result in weight gain, overweight, and obesity. 

5. Reduced food intake (anorexia nervosa) and disrupted eating patterns might increase the risk for lower dietary quality and under nutrition. In turn, under nutrition can negatively affect overall health, cognitive development, and school performance.

There is substantial evidence that inadequate diets affect adolescents´ ability to learn and work at maximum productivity. Under nutrition increases the risk of poor obstetric outcomes for teen mothers and jeopardizes the healthy development of their future children.

Nutritional Needs During Adolescence

Healthy habits like eating breakfast every day and not skipping meals should be emphasized. Parents who want their children to make their own eating choices should provide plenty of support and healthy meals at home. Adolescents need more calories, calcium, zinc, protein, iron, and most vitamins.

Calories

Adolescents’ energy needs depend on BMR, activity level, and the need to stimulate pubertal development. For teenagers, this means consuming more calories to keep up with their increased activity and development. Teenage guys need more calories since they are larger and heavier than their female counterparts. They need between 2500 and 2800 calories a day to maintain their weight. However, teenage girls need roughly 2200 calories a day to maintain their weight.  Teenagers should eat lean protein sources, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits to achieve these nutritional needs.

Protein

During the teenage development surge, protein is essential for maintaining muscular mass. Females 11 to 14 years old have a greater protein demand per unit of height than males 15 to 18 years old.  Every day, the average teenager needs between 45 and 60 grams of protein. Teenagers often consume chicken, steak, eggs, and dairy products to achieve this protein requirement. Nuts, soy foods, beans, and tofu are other good sources of protein.

Calcium

During adolescence, bone mass reaches a maximum of 45 percent. For this reason, children must have enough calcium in their diets. One thousand and one hundred and thirty-five milligrams of calcium a day is recommended for adolescents between the ages of 9 and 18. According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, milk, cheese, yogurt, calcium-fortified drinks, and cereals are the best sources of calcium for teenagers.

Iron

A lack of iron in the circulation may lead to anaemia, which can be fatal. Male adolescents need 12 mg of iron a day, whereas female adolescents need 15 mg. It’s a good idea to eat a wide variety of foods rich in iron to ensure that you’re getting enough.

Zinc

Gene expression and protein synthesis are dependent on zinc. It’s critical in adolescence since it aids in physical and sexual development. There is a link between zinc deficiency in males and stunted growth. Fish, shellfish, and red meat are excellent sources of zinc, as are complete grains and legumes. Breakfast cereals enriched with zinc are also a good source of zinc. Its insufficiency is a common problem among adolescent vegetarians, particularly those who avoid animal products.

Vitamins

Vitamin A, B6, E, D, C, and folic acid deficiencies are common among teenagers. On the other hand, adolescents who consume the recommended daily allowance of nutrients do not suffer from vitamin deficiencies. As a supplement, you may address these needs.

Nutrition and Activity Tips for Teenagers

1. Provide regular daily meal times with social interaction. Demonstrate healthy eating behaviors.

2. Involve teens in selecting and preparing foods and teach them to make healthy choices by giving them the chance to select foods based on their nutritional value.

3. Select foods with these nutrients when possible: calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. 

4. Most Americans need to cut the amount of calories they consume. When it comes to weight control, calories do count. Controlling portion sizes and eating non-processed foods helps limit calorie intake and increase nutrients.

5. Parents are encouraged to provide recommended serving sizes for teens.

6. Parents are encouraged to limit a teen’s screen time to less than 2 hours daily. Instead encourage activities that call for more movement.

7. Teens need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most days for good health and fitness and for healthy weight during growth.

8. To prevent dehydration, encourage teens to drink fluid regularly during physical activity and drink several glasses of water or other fluid after the physical activity is completed.

Sources:

Encyclopedia

NIH

Healthline

Fueling Teens

Cincinnati Childrens

Infonet Biovision

Stanford Medicine

Active SG Circle

The Women’s

Gunjan IVF World

Vikaspedia

 

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 (in the United States) immediately.