Teenage's Diet

Teenagers require a wide variety of food from all the five healthy food groups – vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy and proteins. Healthy foods have necessary nutrients that are vital for growth and development during puberty and adolescence. 

It is advised for teenagers to limit their intake of salty, fatty and sugary foods, low fiber foods and drinks with caffeine or a lot of sugar.

Teenagers go through huge physical changes during puberty. They need something to fuel these physical changes, which means a diet of healthy food is necessary.

Your child’s level of physical activity and the stage of development determine exactly how much healthy food they require. If you observe carefully, you will notice that your child has a bigger appetite which is simply their body’s way telling them to eat more.

WHAT IS HEALTHY FOOD?

Healthy food for teenage children includes a variety of fresh foods from all the five food groups:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Grain foods
• Reduced fat dairy or dairy free alternatives
• Protein

Each food group serves a different purpose and contains different nutrients, which your child’s body requires to grow and function properly. This is the reason why it is important to eat a range of foods from across all the groups.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables provide your child energy, vitamins, fiber, anti-oxidants and water. These nutrients help protect your child against various kinds of diseases later in life, including heart problems, tumors, stroke and many more.

It is important to encourage your child to choose fruits and vegetables at every meal and for snacks. It should include fruits and vegetables of different colors, taste, texture and be fresh and cooked.

Ensuring that they are thoroughly washed before eating them removes dirt, bacteria and chemicals. The skin is edible too and it also contains nutrients.

Grain Foods

Grain foods include bread, rice, corn, noodles, breakfast cereals, oats, polenta and barley. These provide lots of energy which your child needs to grow, develop and learn.

They have a low glycemic index, like wholegrain pasta and bread will give your child lots of energy which will last for long and keep their tummies full for longer period.

Reduced Fat Dairy or Dairy Free Alternatives

Key dairy foods such as milk, cheese, butter and yoghurt are good sources of calcium and protein. In puberty, your child requires more calcium to help them reach peak bone mass and build strong bones that will last a lifetime. So it in a parent’s best interest to encourage their child to drink milk twice daily and consume cheese and yoghurt.

If your child does not like dairy products or has some allergy, it is important for them to switch to dairy free alternatives that are rich in calcium – for example, tofu, nuts, seeds, kale and calcium-fortified foods like cereal, bread and soy milk. Not all alternatives are calcium-fortified, so always make sure to read food labels.

Protein

Protein rich foods include fish, eggs, chicken, lentils, chickpeas, pulses, nuts, tofu and lean meat. These foods are very important for your child’s growth and muscle development, especially during puberty.

These protein rich foods contain other vitamins and minerals like iron and omega-3 fatty acids which are particularly important during adolescence.

• Iron fuels your child’s muscle growth and increase in blood volume. Girls require extra iron because of their menstruation cycle.
• Omega-3 fatty acids helps in your child’s brain development and learning process.

Protein from animal sources have zinc and vitamin B12 too.

HEALTHY DRINKS

Water is the healthiest drink for your child, in fact for any person. Its also the cheapest and the easiest available drink. Most tap water are rich in fluorine that helps in strong teeth.

Reduced fat milk is also a good drinking option for teenagers. Its rich in calcium which is essential for bone development.

JUNK FOOD

It is extremely important that you tell your child to try to limit the intake of junk food in their diet. These include pizza, burger, hot chips, potato chips, instant noodles, cakes, lollipops, patties, fried foods, pastries etc.

These items are not only high in salt content, saturated fat and sugar and low in fiber but also they increase the risk of obesity and overweight and other health conditions like type-2 diabetes. 

Limiting sweet drinks like sport drinks, soft drinks and flavoured is the best course of action as they are high in sugar but low in nutrients. Too many sweet drinks can lead to obesity, weight gain and tooth decay.

Caffeine rich foods are not also recommended for teenagers as it can limit the amount of calcium tat the body can absorb. It is also a stimulant which means it gives a temporary artificial boost to people. Too much of it can cause sleep problems and as a result hampers concentration in schools and on work. Food and drinks with caffeine include coffee, tea, chocolate and energy drinks.