Parents’ Guide for Teen Nutrition

Adolescence is the stage of life wherein one starts to engage in a lot of activities. Going out with friends, joining clubs, going in to sports, school works, and other activities fill their day to day schedule.

It is also the time where they show rapid body development. Thus, more attention should be put on their diet and eating habits.

Unlike toddlers, you can’t ask teenagers to bring lunch box in school while their friends and schoolmates are eating out at a restaurants or fast foods.

A possible solution for this dilemma is by teaching them how to eat healthy. This doesn’t mean that they have to give up their favorite foods. It’s just being smart in making your food selections.

You can start by cutting the serving sizes. Instead of giving them a bag of chips, serve it in smaller bowl. At the same time you can add some more nutritious alternative like fruits or whole-wheat bread.

Acknowledge that teens will go to fast foods, but you can encourage them to go for smaller size meals or have them share a super-sized meal with friends.

Be a role model. You must exhibit good eating habits and healthy lifestyle. Serve nutritious food at home.

Teach them the importance of label reading. Emphasize the nutrients that are needed for their development.

Remind them to always eat on time. Skipping meals may help them lose weight but it also means that they are not getting anything especially the nutrients that they need to get through every day.