Meeting Your Teen’s Nutritional Needs
As children reach their teens they increasingly become more independent and autonomous. They are also more likely to eat outside the home. In such a scenario as a parent you need to become more cautious whether your child’s nutritional needs are being met or not.
Some Facts About Teenagers Diet
Growing Autonomy
Teenagers often eat out with friends instead of family. They start gaining control over their food choices and often experiment with fad diets, new trends and a variety of foods. In this process of experimentation they often forget to check the health quotient of their meals that leads to various health problems.
What Teenagers Are Concerned About
Athletic prowess and body image have gained much popularity among today’s teenagers. In fact, a majority of them ignore their long term health while running after this ephemeral image. They tend to limit calories and fat to lose weight and in the bargain forget about the health of their cardiovascular system. Teen athletes are also vulnerable to using ergogenic supplements that are often untested and may have serious side effects.
Nutritional Needs
Iron, calcium and a total calorie intake are of primary concern to keep a teenager healthy. Studies show that teenagers’ diets often lack sufficient amounts of iron and calcium to support growth and health.
How can Parents’ Help
As a parent you can positively influence your teen’s diet in more ways than one.
Structured Meals
Ask your child to eat at least one meal with the family. This will give you a chance to incorporate healthy foods in your child’s diet and also talk to him\her about their day and experiences.
Healthy Snacks
Stock your house with healthy snacks like fruit, breads, bagels, juices, string cheese etc. so they are easily available when your child is hungry.
Talk To Your Child
Instead of criticizing your teen about their food choices, talk to them about healthy foods. Encourage them to consider adding fruits and milk to their lunch time in school. Don’t make food the topic of struggle at home. It will do more harm than good. Unless you notice that your child is losing too much weight than is healthy or seems to be relying more on diet supplements than whole food, you need not be too worried and let them experiment.
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