Simple tips for healthy eating for teens

Teenagers very often go on a diet, suffer from the shortcomings of this diet... and still gain weight or, on the contrary, are treated for anorexia. Healthy eating for teenagers is not about depriving themselves of the foods they love. Healthy eating means feeling great, accumulating more energy, stabilizing their mood and being healthy. A teenager can easily expand their range of food choices and learn to maintain a tasty, healthy diet.

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Tip #1: Set yourself up for success

To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet and the benefits it will bring, you need radical changes. If you approach the changes gradually and responsibly, the result - a great mood and a good figure - will come sooner than you think.

Simplify your approach to dieting. Instead of constantly stressing over counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think about your diet in terms of food color, variety, and most importantly, freshness. This should make it easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that use a few fresh ingredients. Your diet will gradually become healthier and tastier.

Start slowly and gradually making changes to your eating habits. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight will certainly not be successful. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating yourself or abandoning the new diet plan. Take small steps, such as adding a salad (with vegetables, fruits) to your diet once a day. Or switching from butter to olive oil in your cooking. Once your small changes become a habit, you can continue to add healthier foods to your diet.

Each change gradually improves your mood and your health. Remember, teenagers: you don’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to completely eliminate all your favorite foods from your menu. Do you like being healthy? To feel good, get more energy, and reduce the risk of developing diseases, improve the condition of your skin, hair, and nails, don’t allow yourself to return to cakes and fatty fast food. But introduce any changes to your diet gradually.

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Think about what you drink and eat

Water. It helps cleanse our body systems of waste and toxins, but many teenagers ignore this simple remedy. So it turns out that they quickly get tired in class only because they are dehydrated. Then teenagers suffer from a lack of energy and headaches. They can also mistake thirst for hunger and snack instead of drinking a glass of water. Very good advice from nutritionists: if you want to eat, drink water. If you don’t want to eat after that, then it was thirst. This way you will protect yourself from excess calories.

Snacks. Find something you can snack on. It could be berries, nuts, raisins, prunes. These products (not smoked sausage and fast food) will motivate you to choose healthy food, which will gradually become your habit.

Tip #2: Moderation is the key to good health

Teens often think of healthy eating in a maximalist, all-or-nothing way, but the key to healthy eating is moderation. But what is moderation? How much is eating in moderation? It depends on the teen and their eating habits. The goal of healthy eating is to develop a diet that can be followed for life, not just for a few weeks or months or until the teen reaches their ideal weight. So try to think of moderation in terms of balance. Even though some diets offer only one food (mono diets), teens need to maintain a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

For most teens, moderation and balance in eating means eating less than they currently eat. In practice, this means that teens eat much less of the unhealthy stuff (unrefined sugar, saturated fat). But they also eat less of the healthy stuff (like fresh fruits and vegetables). But this doesn’t mean cutting out all the foods you love. Eating ice cream for breakfast once a week, for example, is considered moderation, as long as you don’t also have it for lunch and dinner, and then wash it down with a whole box of donuts and a pizza with sausage. If your teen eats a chocolate bar one day, those 100 calories should simply be subtracted from dinner. If you’ve eaten dinner and are still hungry, just grab an extra serving of fresh vegetables.

Try not to think of certain foods as completely off-limits. If you ban certain foods or food groups and then relapse, you will feel weak and guilty about all the deadly sins. If you are craving sweets, salty foods, or other unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating those foods as often. Later, you will find that the cravings have diminished.

Eat smaller portions. Portion sizes have increased all over the world in recent years, especially in restaurants. When your teen is dining out, there is no need to order gigantic portions. At home, it is easier to use smaller plates and adjust the sizes. If you are not full, try adding more green leafy salads, vegetables or fresh fruit. Visual images will help you understand normal portions. A portion of meat, fish or chicken that your teen eats should be the size of a deck of cards, a slice of bread should be the size of a CD, and mashed potatoes, rice or buckwheat should be the size of a standard light bulb.

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Tip #3: It's not just what a teenager eats that's important, but how they eat.

Healthy eating is more than the food on the plate, it is also how a teenager thinks about food. Food is not just something a teenager ingests between classes, it is a culture of eating.

Eat with others whenever possible. Eating with other teens, parents, and guests has numerous social and emotional benefits, and it helps model healthy eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.

Take the time to chew your food thoroughly and enjoy it. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. Teenagers tend to rush through their food without even having time to taste it. This is wrong – chewing slowly will help you eat much less.

Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or drink a glass of water to see if you are thirsty or hungry. You need to stop eating before you feel full. The feeling of fullness comes 20 minutes after a teenager starts eating, so you need to do it slowly.

Eat a full breakfast and then eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can boost your metabolism, and then a couple of light snacks throughout the day (instead of the standard three large meals) will be enough. This will allow your teen to conserve and increase energy and improve metabolism.

Don't eat at night. Try eating breakfast and lunch during the day once a week, then waiting 14-16 hours before breakfast the next morning. Recent studies have shown that this simple diet regulates a teenager's diet, but only when they are most active. This fast can give your digestive system a long break and help regulate weight. After dinner, it is best to avoid foods high in fat and calories.

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Tip #4: Include colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet

Fruits and vegetables are the basis of a healthy diet. Especially if we are talking about a teenager who is growing and developing rapidly, and also spends a lot of energy. Vegetables and fruits are low in calories and rich in nutrients, they are saturated with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.

Try to eat colorful fruits and vegetables every day and at every meal, the more variety the better. Colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than white ones. It is very good if a teenager eats about 5 different vegetables or fruits per day.

Greens. These can be bright green or dark green lettuce leaves. Cabbage, carrots, beets, broccoli are just a few options for vegetables that are rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.

Sweet vegetables. Sweet vegetables such as corn, carrots, and beets will allow a teenager to satisfy his or her desire to eat something sweet, so as not to reach for cakes and reduce cravings for high-calorie flour sweets.

Fruits. Fruits are very tasty. They are pleasant to eat, so it will not be difficult for a teenager to include fruits in his diet. They will quickly replenish the body with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Berries reduce the risk of cancer, apples provide fiber for better peristalsis, oranges and mangoes are rich in vitamin C.

It is important to get vitamins from food, not from pharmaceutical drugs

Antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables will protect against many diseases and boost immunity. Today, advertising offers many pharmaceutical products with vitamins and minerals, but research shows that this is not the same thing.

Taking food supplements every day has a completely different effect than eating right. This is because vegetables and fruits contain a well-balanced complex of vitamins, which are also easily absorbed by the body. A teenager's body may not absorb or accumulate pharmaceutical supplements.

Tip #5: Eat More Healthy Carbs and Whole Grains

Carbs from vegetables and fruits, not from flour, and whole grains are a source of long-lasting energy for teens. In addition to being tasty and filling, whole grains are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants that help protect teens from coronary heart disease, some cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown that kids who eat more whole grains have healthier hearts.

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How to quickly identify healthy and unhealthy carbohydrates?

Healthy carbohydrates (known as good carbohydrates) include whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy carbohydrates are digested slowly, helping your teen feel full longer and maintain normal blood glucose and insulin levels.

Unhealthy carbohydrates (or bad carbohydrates) are foods like white flour, sugar, and white polished rice that have been stripped of all their nutrients. Unhealthy carbohydrates are digested quickly and can cause spikes in blood glucose levels in a young teenager's body.

Tips for Choosing Healthy Carbs

Include whole grains in your healthy diet, including wheat, brown rice, millet, barley. Experiment with different grains to find the ones you like best.

Try rotating different grains as a first step to switching to whole grains. If brown rice or whole wheat pasta aren't appealing at first, start with one and try another the next day.

Avoid refined foods such as bread, cheap pasta, and breakfast cereals.

Tip #6: Enjoy Healthy Fats and Avoid Unhealthy Fats

A big mistake teenagers make is to avoid all fatty foods. Kids think they gain weight from them. But they don’t. In fact, healthy fats are essential for nourishing the brain, heart, and cells, as well as hair, skin, and nails. Foods rich in omega-3 fats are especially important and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, improve mood, and help with concentration. Sea fish and seafood are the richest sources of healthy fats.

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What to add to a healthy diet?

Monounsaturated fats come from vegetable oils such as canola oil, peanut oil, olive oil, as well as avocados, nuts (eg almonds, hazelnuts) and seeds (eg pumpkin, sesame).

Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 - fatty acids found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats include sunflower, corn, soybean, flaxseed oil and walnuts.

Remove this from your diet

Saturated fats, mainly from animal sources, including red meat and whole milk products.

Trans fats, which are found in chocolate products, margarine, crackers, candies, cookies, fried pies, baked goods and other processed foods with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Tip #7: Don't Avoid Protein

Proteins give teenagers energy, lots of energy. Protein in food is broken down into 20 amino acids, which the body needs for growth and energy, which is necessary to maintain cells, tissues and organs. Lack of protein in a teenager's diet can slow down their growth, reduce muscle mass, immunity, weaken the heart and respiratory system. Proteins are especially important for children, whose bodies grow and change every day.

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Here are some tips for incorporating protein into a healthy teen diet.

Try different types of protein. Whether or not you're a vegetarian, trying different protein sources such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas, and soy products will open up new possibilities for healthy eating.

Beans: Black beans, white beans, and lentils are good options.

Nuts. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts.

Soy products: Try tofu, soy milk, and vegetarian sandwiches for a change of pace.

Avoid salty or sweet nuts and beans in large quantities.

Reduce protein intake. Many teenage boys eat too much protein, thinking it will increase their muscle mass. Try eating less protein. Focus on equal portions of protein, whole grains, and vegetables.

Focus on quality protein sources such as fresh fish, chicken or turkey, eggs, beans or nuts.

Tip #8: Be sure to add calcium to your diet to strengthen your bones.

Calcium is one of the essential micronutrients that a teenager's body needs to stay strong and healthy. Calcium is an important micronutrient for a teenager's bone health, as well as for the health of their teeth and nails.

Teens also need a daily dose of magnesium, as well as vitamins D and K, which are substances that help calcium do its job.

The recommended dose of calcium for a teenager is 1,000 mg per day. He should take vitamin D and calcium if the teenager does not get enough of these vitamins and minerals from food.

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Good sources of calcium include:

Dairy products. Dairy products are rich in calcium in a form that is easily digested and absorbed by the body. Sources of calcium include milk, yogurt, and cheese.

Vegetables and greens. Many vegetables, especially leafy green salad, are a rich source of calcium. A teenager needs turnips, mustard, green parsley and dill, cabbage, lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, kale, pumpkin, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, mushrooms.

Beans: This is another rich source of calcium, black beans, white beans, peas are very good in this quality.

Tip #9: Sugar and salt should be limited in a teenager’s diet

If you are on the road to success and include proteins, fats and carbohydrates in your diet, there are some foods that can get in the way of healthy eating. These are sugar and salt. Salt retains fluid in the body, contributing to the accumulation of toxins and obesity. Sugar provides a lot of extra calories, also contributing to excess obesity in teenagers.

Sugar

Sugar causes teens to have highs and lows in energy and can cause weight problems. Unfortunately, cutting back on the candy, cakes, and desserts that teens love is only part of the solution. It is extremely difficult to control the amount of sugar a teen consumes each day. Large amounts of sugar can be hidden in foods such as bread, canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauces, margarine, instant mashed potatoes, frozen dinners, fast food, soy sauce, and ketchup. Here are some tips for reducing sugar in your teen’s diet that will benefit your body.

Avoid sugary drinks. One bottle of Coke contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar. That's more than the daily recommended amount! If you feel thirsty, drink still water with lemon or fruit juice.

Eat foods that contain natural glucose. These include fruits, bell peppers, and natural peanut butter. These foods will help satisfy your sweet tooth.

Salt

Most teenagers consume too much salt. Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure and other health problems in teenagers. Try to limit your salt intake to 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day, which is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt.

Avoid processed or packaged foods. Processed foods, such as canned soups or frozen dinners, contain hidden salt that far exceeds the recommended daily intake.

Be careful when choosing food outside the home. Most restaurants and fast food places are loaded with sodium.

Choose fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables, which are loaded with salt.

Cut back on salty snacks such as potato chips, nuts, and salted cookies.

Try slowly reducing salt in your diet to give your taste buds time to adjust to the new diet.

Healthy nutrition for teenagers is a big job, which a teenager can do with the active help of their parents. But the result will please you - a good figure, healthy skin and shiny hair, and energy to spare.