Our Experts: Is My Teen Eating Right? Food & Nutrition Tips for Teenagers

My youngest brother is 16 years old and 6 feet tall: a long, lanky kid who looks down on his much smaller “big” sister from time to time. Like many teens, my brother is a busy athlete and always on the run. His problem is often pushing himself too hard and not eating enough of the right foods to meet his nutrient needs. This results in low energy and mood. For other teens, the pull of our food culture, dominated by fast and processed foods, leads to overeating and weight concerns. Among children and teens ages 6-19, over 15 percent are overweight and this number is rising. Although you may find, to your chagrin, that you aren’t the primary influence on your teen’s eating habits anymore, you do still have a role. The choices that you make inside and outside of your home can have a pretty large impact on their eating habits and health.

1.Give Them Room: For teens today, it is all about independence. Many make or are given money to buy food outside of the home. You won’t be able to control the decisions that they make but you can help influence them by teaching your kids how to make wise choices. Show them how to read food labels and compare nutrients in foods to choose the most healthy or (least unhealthy) option. Sit down and eat meals with them when you are home together. Each day try to have breakfast and/or dinner with your child. At least then you will have a say in the content of one or two of their main meals. Many studies have shown that teens that eat regular meals with their families have better eating habits, better quality diets and communicate more with their parents.

2.Work together: Plan meals, go shopping and cook with your teen. This is a lost art, but part of becoming an adult is understanding how to make these choices. Get your teen started on the right direction by showing them how to read and follow recipes to prepare a week’s worth of meals. Start with simple lessons such as: how to boil an egg, make rice and spaghetti, sauté broccoli and zucchini, bake fish and chicken. If you give them these basic skills now, hopefully when they get to college they won’t have to rely on packaged noodles and canned ravioli for 4 years.

3. Offer the Best:This doesn’t mean expensive or specially grown food. The best foods have lots of the things that teens need the most: vitamins, minerals, fiber, healthy fats and not too much sugar or sodium. These foods include options such as whole grain breads, cereals and pastas, brown rice, popcorn and oatmeal- all high in fiber; fruits and vegetables which can be enjoyed fresh, frozen, canned or dried-good sources of vitamins; unsalted nuts and seeds which are full of healthy fats, minerals and protein, low-fat dairy like yogurt or skim milk which are high in calcium and vitamin D and lean meats, eggs, beans, fish and tofu which are good sources of iron and protein.  Offer these types of foods at meals and snacks for a big nutritional punch.

4. Be Active:Besides helping with weight loss and management, exercising for at least 30-60 minutes per day can be a bonding and fun experience with your teen. Create opportunities to walk, bike, run, dance, jump, jog, swim or skate with your teen. Any sport that you both enjoy can be fun and relaxing and a time to encourage communication and cooperation. Most of all, remember to offer give your teen the independence to make their own choices. They may not appreciate all of your efforts to teach them and keep them healthy now, but here’s hoping that one day they will thank you.