Healthy eating, diet and exercise advice for teenagers

Give them just half an opportunity and teenagers will eat junk food! While you cannot control what they eat while away from you outside the house, you should and you can induce them to eat healthy at least while they are in the house.

Teenagers often suffer from tiredness, acne, and low energy, increased susceptibility to illness, constipation and moodiness. Most of these problems are related to unhealthy diets. Here’s how we can create healthy eating for teenagers:

A teenager still has a lot of growing to do and so needs proper nutrients to get them through a typical school or college day. Teenagers need an average of about 2,000 calories per day and lot of carbs, proteins, calcium and iron. If your teenager participates in a lot of sporting activities then he (or she) could need up to 2,800 calories per day.

The best ways we can ensure our kids eat well is by educating them on the relationship between food and the body and leave it to them to make the right choices when they eat outside the house. Within the house there are a lot of things you can do to encourage healthy eating plan for teenagers.

Reduce availability of junk food by 80% and substitute with wholesome snacks

For example, instead of buying 10 bags of chips per week, reduce that to 2 bags. Each morning before you leave for work, prepare a couple of turkey or tuna sandwiches and keep them in the fridge. You could also prepare a jug of chocolate milk shake or fresh fruit juice. Let your teenagers know what’s in the fridge.

Make sure your teenagers eat a healthy breakfast

Don’t take no for an answer. A healthy eating breakfast is a must otherwise your teenagers will feel lethargic, dull and lack the concentration required to do well in studies and sports.

If your teenagers won’t be home for lunch, pack them a good lunch box

Encourage your teenagers to come home for lunch. However, if they can’t make it for lunch at least ensure they carry a nutritious lunch as well as a fruit. Apples or bananas are easier to eat and don’t mess your hands.

Have breakfast (if possible lunch), and dinner with your teenagers

Research indicates that teenagers who eat with their parents tend to be healthier and have a healthy eating menu when they're older. Teenage girls who have meals regularly with their parents have fewer incidences of eating disorders.

Make sure the dinner menu includes lots of fruits, vegetables, healthy salad dressing and protein

Make sure the dinner you cook includes lots of fruits, vegetables and good lean protein. If possible, include your teenage kids in planning the healthy eating food or even helping you with the preparation. Encouraging their participation in the meal preparation will reduce their resistance to eating wholesome nutritive food.

Break down resistance by using portion control plates and portion scoops

You might face a lot of resistance from your teenagers for eating vegetables. Show them a portion control scoop and encourage them to eat just one scoop. Later on you will have to work at encouraging them to take additional scoops of vegetable but that’s a different issue. By showing them a scoop they know the quantity you will put on their plate. Also, if you use portion control plate that has food group demarcations on them, you can encourage your teenage kids to take servings of all the variety of food that is on the dining table.

Check it out also for Weight management program and Healthy Eating Weight Loss

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