Youth week in New Zealand is in May so it is appropriate to look at nutrition issues facing teenagers.
We all know that teenagers can be difficult to feed - on the one hand they can be starving and nearly eat you out of house and home and on the other they can be picky and difficult. It can be a time of experimentation and trying new eating regimes, such as a vegetarian diet.
It is also a time of growth and this means that making good food choices is important. Teenagers have a higher need for protein and carbohydrate to meet their growth needs. It is important to base the teen diet around plenty of whole grain breads and cereals, fruit, vegetables and lean meats, with low fat dairy products. High fat and high sugar foods and drinks should be regarded as treats and only used occasionally - as they should at all stages of life.
With the increased growth rate, the need for iron increases as blood volume rises. This is also a time when blood loss can increase due to the onset of the menstrual cycle. For these reasons it is important to include iron-rich foods in the diet, such as lean meat, chicken and seafood. A good intake of fruit and vegetables will help iron absorption from plant-based foods.
Calcium needs are also high at this time. Girls, however, will often decide at this time to stop drinking milk, thinking that it is fattening. Adolescence is a vital time for skeletal development and it is important that teenagers consume adequate calcium, ideally from low fat milks which are a better source of calcium than standard or homogenised milk. Make sure these products are available at home, and encourage your teenagers to drink them. Great snack options can be based around milk drinks, cheese and yoghurt - all low fat varieties, of course - to help ensure adequate calcium.
Many teenagers are involved in sporting activities after school. Making sure they are well fuelled for training sessions is important for their health and to help them maximise their performance. I often see teenagers who go straight from school to a training session without eating a snack or having a drink beforehand. Planning and remembering to take an extra snack to school to have before such training sessions is important. Taking an extra sandwich or roll, extra fruit (fresh or a pottle of fruit), crackers, cereal bar, or a fruit muffin would all be good options in the school bag. If there is time eat at home first, where options might include a milk drink, yoghurt, breakfast cereal, baked beans, spaghetti, crumpets, toast and the like.
While there is a lot of focus on obesity we cannot ignore the fact that there is an increasing prevalence of eating disorders at a young age. Children become intensely aware of body image around the age of 12-13 and in some cases even earlier. According to the Agencies for Nutrition Action, 1994, females have a higher rate of dissatisfaction with body image than males and are more likely to feel social pressure regarding their body shape and size, and consequently compare themselves to the ‘ideal’ body image.
Anorexia and bulimia are complex disorders and no single factor can be blamed for their development. However parental beliefs and behaviours can be an influence on children and adolescents and how they view their own body size. Therefore it is very important that from a young age appropriate attitudes to shape and body size are fostered through positive comments which help build self-esteem. Early detection of attitudes which may indicate an eating disorder is also critical and, while it may be frightening to ask for help on such issues, the earlier that support and treatment is initiated the more likely it is that a good outcome will be achieved.
Research shows that most teenagers do know what is good for them when it comes to food. However they are easily influenced by taste and what is easily accessible to them. The important thing is to make sure that healthy options are available at home to enable them to make appropriate choices. Keeping them well fuelled is vital at a stage when they are growing so rapidly, face huge educational demands and are developing social independence.
Fiona Boyle is a registered dietitian and nutritionist. She runs a private practice and gives nutrition advice to individuals and families to help meet their health needs and personal goals.
Article Teenage Nutrition written by Fiona Boyle