Healthy diet for teenagers

Introduction

If you are a teenager or have teenagers at home, than information about the healthy diet for teenagers are important to you. Teenagers spend a lot of energy and grow very quickly, so good diet is in their best interest. All those studying, sports, dances, football games and heartbreaks need a good backup, and healthy food can be one of them.

Because of all these physical and mental activities, and due to a speed they grow, teenagers need healthy diet to keep them in good shape, both mentally and physically. Lots of iron and calcium are needed per day, together with adequate number of calories and good nutricients, in order for them to grow and develop.

Tips for healthy eating for teenagers

Daily requirement for calories may vary for teenagers just as for adults, but average calories requirements for teen girls are around 1,800 to 2,100 and around 2,200 to 2,700 for boys. This may sound a lot, but keeping in mind over activities the teenagers are involved in, during the day, it makes sense. Here are some tips for healthy eating of teenagers;

If your child is overweight, and entering into teenage years, you can help it to form some healthy eating habits, and to avoid non healthy ones. Very important thing is not to bother too much a child that needs to loose some weight because it can have opposite effects. Support in home and understanding, together with adapting daily diet to healthy one, are the best solutions.

Also you should ban all non diet beverages, including a fruit juices as well, because of high concentration of artificial sweeteners in them, especially if children use too much of it. Short walk before bed time is also a good idea.

Try to never skip breakfast, and always have some proteins in it, for providing energy, and also piece of fruit and some complex carbohydrates. Teenagers usually do not make bad food choices by themselves; it is you as well who should learn first the value of healthy diet and the pass it on to your child.

At lunch time, you should encourage you kid to prefer and make the best healthy food choice from restaurant or cafeteria. If you pack them lunch or snack by yourself, make sure that the meal has enough complex carbs, vegetables, fruits and lean proteins.

Try to eat supper together as family as much as you can. This may be a problem with everyone’s schedule as hectic as it is, but studies shows that teenagers who eat dinner together with their families, have better and healthier eating habits.