It is observed that teenagers hang out with friends, visit fast food outlets and consume snacks. This leads to consumption of high amount of calories, sugar and fat and dearth of significant minerals and vitamins. During teenage and puberty stage, the body requires more calories and important nutrients like zinc, iron, calcium, protein and folate. During adolescence, the most important nutrients are iron and calcium.
Iron and calcium
Iron assists the blood to supply oxygen to the muscles. It is also helpful for the immune system to fight disease and for the function of the brain. In case of girls, due to menstruation, the need of iron increase. If iron rich diet is selected, it helps to maintain optimum function of the body. As there is skeletal growth during teenage, the body absorbs more calcium from the foods. If the body is not supplied with sufficient calcium while the bones are growing, the result is that the bones become weak and are more susceptible to fracture. It is the expert’s opinion that for 5 percent raise in adolescent bone mass, the possibility of bone fractures in the later part of life decreases by 40 percent. In teenage, the recommended amount of calcium is 700 mg per day. Thus, the diet must be rich in protein.
A healthy diet for teenagers is described below.
Calcium rich foods
3 to 4 servings are recommended per day. One serving consists of 1 cup of calcium fortified soy beverage + 1.5 oz cheese + 1 cup of low fat milk or yoghurt or milk pudding.
Protein rich foods
2 to 3 servings are advised per day. One serving comprises of 0.5 cup cooked beans (soya, chickpeas, lentils etc) + 4 tablespoons peanut butter + 3 oz tofu + 3 eggs + 3 oz part of chicken, fish or meat. It must be noted to select lean meat and poultry without skin. Also vegetarian protein sources must be chosen. Due to this, the consumption of artery clogging saturated fats is decreased.
Rice and options
6 to 7 servings are advised per day. One serving is made up of 4 biscuits + 0.75 cup ready to eat cereal + 1 bread bun, bagel or pau + 2 small chapati + 1 cup noodles or pasta + 2 slices of bread + 0.5 bowl rice. For enhancing the fiber intake, whole grain sources have to be chosen.
Vegetables
2 to 3 servings are recommended per day. One serving is made up of 0.5 cup vegetable juice + 1.5 cup salad greens + 1 raw carrot + 1 cup cooked non-leafy vegetables + 0.5 cup cooked leafy vegetables. The leafy green vegetables provide folate. The yellow-orange and orange vegetables supply beta carotene.
Fruit
2 to 3 servings should be taken per day. Each serving consists of 0.5 cup canned fruit (juice packed) + 0.5 cup 100 percent fruit juice + 1 cup cut up fruit + 1 slice watermelon, pineapple, melon or papaya. If a variety of fruits are taken, it boosts up the fight against cancer. The vitamin C input can be increased by selecting citrus fruits.