Adolescence is the second most important period afterInfancy is a period of rapid growth and development of a child's body. This sudden spurt of growth and other changes is associated with hormonal, cognitive and emotional changes that make a teenager especially vulnerable during this period of his life. During this time, there is an increased demand for calories and nutrients due to a sharp increase in growth and development in a short period of time. And during this period, the lifestyle and eating habits of teenagers change significantly. They feel like adults and independent, and begin to choose dishes and products at their own discretion, expanding or, conversely, narrowing the healthy options of their diet. Adolescence can be divided into three stages. Early adolescence (11-12 years) is characterized by the onset of puberty and increased cognitive development. Middle adolescence (13-15 years) is characterized by an increased desire for independence and experimentation in relationships with others. Late adolescence - youth (16 - 21 years) - is a time to make important decisions about finding your place in society and acquiring a profession. Poor, unbalanced nutrition at any of these stages can have far-reaching consequences on a teenager's cognitive development, leading to decreased learning ability, poor concentration, and ultimately poor academic performance. But most importantly, an unbalanced diet will lead to poor health.
Possible consequences of malnutrition
Poor eating habits and constantPoor nutrition practices increase the incidence of chronic diseases among adolescents. Of great concern is the increase in obesity and obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. For example, a diet with insufficient iron intake increases the incidence of iron deficiency anemia. The typical adolescent diet includes sugary sodas, pizza, chips, and the like, and does not contain enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Poor nutrition deprives the growing body of essential nutrients, which can cause the following problems:
- Persistent dizziness;
- Increased fatigue;
- Weakening of the immune system;
- Tooth decay;
- Problems with joints;
- Friability of bones, high risk of fractures;
- Low growth;
- Girls have irregularities in the menstrual cycle.
We want to reach out to teenagers and tell them about what proper nutrition should be like in order to stay healthy and become a full-fledged adult.
General recommendations on nutrition
Dear teenager!Eating healthy means that you make sure you get the right balance of all the nutrients your body needs every day. A balanced diet includes:
- Fruits and vegetables;
- Low-fat or low-fat milk and dairy products;
- Low-fat meat, poultry, fish, legumes, eggs and nuts;
- Products from whole grains.
In addition, it is a low-fat diet.saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, salt and sugar. What else does your body need? Calcium Calcium helps strengthen bones and teeth. This substance is very important, because by getting enough calcium now, you can significantly reduce the risk of bone fractures in the future. Calcium also affects muscle contraction and relaxation, is involved in the blood clotting process, helps the body resist stress and performs many other useful functions. What foods are rich in calcium? These are milk and dairy products, hard cheeses, cabbage, beans, various nuts and seeds, rice, lentils, broccoli. Protein Proteins are used to "assemble" and "repair" tissues, such as muscles and internal organs. If there is not enough protein, the muscles become weak and flabby. A teenager's diet containing enough protein will help him get stronger and maintain a high energy level. If someone needs to get rid of excess fat and at the same time strengthen muscles, then this person's diet must include protein foods. What foods can you get protein from? These are lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, nuts, eggs, tofu cheese. You can also include seafood (lobster, squid, mussels, shrimp, crab); milk with any percentage of fat, semi-fat cottage cheese, kefir and yogurt. What types of fats are there? Fat is also an important nutrient. It helps the body of teenagers grow and develop, maintains healthy skin and hair, and is a source of energy. But keep in mind that not all fats are healthy. Fat consumption should be limited to 25 to 35 percent of total calories each day. Unsaturated fats can be part of a healthy diet, but only as long as you do not consume too much of them (because they carry too many calories). The best sources of fat for the body:
- Olive, rapeseed, sunflower, corn and soybean oil;
- Fish such as salmon, trout, tuna and whitefish;
- Nuts: walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews and others.
Saturated fats, unlike unsaturated fats,can clog arteries and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Saturated fat is found mainly in animal products and some vegetable oils:
- Butter;
- Whole milk;
- Cheese;
- Fat meat;
- Coconut and palm oil.
Trans fats are particularly harmful to your health, especially your heart. Trans fats are most commonly found in:
- Bakery products such as cookies, biscuits, muffins, donuts;
- Dry snacks, such as crackers and chips;
- Margarine;
- Fried food.
Replenish your body with iron ForTeenage boys need iron to support their rapid growth, as most boys double their muscle mass between the ages of ten and seventeen. And for teenage girls, iron is important not only to support growth, but also to compensate for blood loss during menstruation. To get iron, eat the following foods:
- Fish and seafood;
- Lenten beef;
- Cooked beans: peas, beans, beans;
- Buckwheat;
- White cabbage:
- Potatoes brewed in uniforms;
- Spinach.
Whole grains Cereals help usget more energy. Whole grain foods, such as whole grain bread, brown rice, and oatmeal, tend to have much more nutritional value than processed grains. They also help you feel fuller while eating less. So it's a good idea to include whole grain foods in your teen's diet.
How to organize a diet
Both you and the older members of your familyprobably have a pretty busy schedule, which can cause problems with healthy eating. So it would be good if you listened to our recommendations. Start your day with breakfast Did you know that eating breakfast will help you study better at school? Having breakfast can increase your attention span and memory, you will have more strength and energy, and you will feel less irritable and restless. Breakfast, which is part of a healthy diet for teenagers, will help you maintain proper weight now and in the future. Be sure to have lunch! Whether you eat at school or at home, you should have lunch in any case. This meal should cover one third of the food needs for the whole day. If you grab chips, cookies or candy instead of lunch, you will simply get a lot of calories, but not so many nutrients. If you haven’t had lunch yet, have a healthy snack – a sandwich on whole grain bread, fruit, low-fat yogurt, mixed nuts. Have dinner with your family For many teenagers, lunch consists of eating on the run, and dinner is replaced by snacking on all sorts of things in front of the TV. Try to get rid of the habit of constantly munching on something all evening, and sit down to dinner with your family. Believe it or not, this is how you will have a much higher chance of getting more fruits, vegetables, and other foods containing vitamins and minerals that your body needs. In addition, a joint family dinner will help you relax and recover after a busy day. You will be able to chat with your family, tell them how your day went, listen to what interesting things happened to them today.
How to eat so as not to get better?
Perhaps every teenage girl is concerned about howshe can maintain a normal weight and not gain weight, even if her figure is in perfect order. But here too we can help and give a number of recommendations. Limit fast food Like many other teenagers, you too may love to go to pizzerias and other fast food establishments. If so, you are probably consuming a lot of extra calories with sugar and fat. Did you know that one serving of a hamburger, French fries and sweetened cola contains more calories, fat and sugar than many other things you could eat during the day? Think about it! Reconsider your attitude to drinks Lemonades and other sweetened carbonated drinks have almost completely replaced milk and water for both children and adults. But these drinks are more like a dessert than a regular drink, because they contain a very large amount of sugar and calories. In fact, carbonated sweet drinks contribute to obesity in children and teenagers. Keep this in mind and try to stick to water and semi-skimmed or skim milk. Watch how much you eat Research by scientists has shown that people eat more than usual if they are given too much food. So how can you control how much you eat? Use our tips:
- Do not eat in front of the TV. It is easy to lose the account of the one you eat, if you are keen on watching;
- Eat slowly, so that your brain can get a message on time, that the stomach is already full;
- Do not skip meals. This can lead to the fact that you eat more calorie foods during the next meal.
Eat right and you will always be healthy! We recommend reading:
