Teen Health and Nutrition
Teen Health > Teen Health and Nutrition
Every teen needs to know good nutrition for their health. Good nutrition consists of nutrient filled breakfast every morning. A nutritious breakfast will add energy to a teenager's body until it is time for lunch. Smoothies make a great breakfast for a growing teen. Place a banana, milk, yogurt and some honey into a blender and make a delicious drink for your child to have for breakfast. Add a side of whole wheat toast and the breakfast is complete. Cereal, eggs, or even a left over slice of pizza is more nutritious than nothing at all. Teen health is very important in the growing years and a breakfast every morning will keep a your teen's health in good shape.
Great choices for lunches would be a tuna fish sandwich, some sliced carrots, or celery sticks. Sliced oranges, or apples are a great dessert for a teens lunch. If your teen buys lunch at school, usually schools have nutritious foods that are served daily. You may not be able to control what your teen eats outside of your home, but at least while your teen is at home, fill the refrigerator and cupboards with healthy nutritious foods.
Teen health is very important for a growing child. The nutrients they take in at a young age will play an important role in their future. A teen who does not get all of their vitamins and minerals from their food may become anemic or get sick very easily, when a teen who has always eaten healthy will not catch every cold or flu bug that comes around.
Teen girls need extra nutrients during their adolescent growth spurts which usually begins around the ages of ten or eleven and reaches it's peak around the age of twelve. It is usually completed around the age of fifteen. Boys also need extra nutrients during their growth spurts which usually start around age twelve or thirteen and peaks around the age of fourteen. It usually ends around the age of nineteen. During these crucial years, teen health should be top priority for parents and they should receive all of their needed vitamins and minerals to ensure healthy growth.
The calorie intake of a rapidly active athletic fifteen year old boy is usually around 4,000 calories a day just to maintain his weight. An active teen girl at the same age may only need about 2,000 calories a day to avoid weight gain. Parents should be sure to educate their children about the importance of teen health and stress healthy eating habits to them. Invite them to help make dinner and explain the nutritional value of each vegetable your cut up and how it will improve their health. Explain how being very active and exercise daily will give them overall good health along with a nutritional well balanced diet.
You too can learn something from teaching your teen about health and making the right choices in foods and exercise to live a long and healthy life.