Healthy Eating

GOOD FOOD, GOOD LIFE - Healthy Eating for Teenagers

Good nutrition is really important during teenage years. A healthy diet needs to help healthy growth and development and importantly, help to train them for a lifetime of healthy eating behaviours.

Teenagers have different needs

These years are a huge period of growth and development, so good nutrition is necessary. During puberty, the need for most nutrients increases. Appetite often increases, so it’s important to have plenty of healthy foods around. As teenagers gain more independence, it can also be tempting for them to eat more snack foods and fast foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt and low in other more important nutrients.

Choosing a healthy diet during teen years

The best way to make sure teenagers are getting all of the nutrients they need, is to eat mainly from the five food groups:

• Plenty of different vegetables, including legumes
• Fruit
• Whole grains such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa and barley
• Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds
• Reduced fat milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or their alternatives

Body image – a big concern for teenagers

During adolescence, teenagers grow and develop at different rates and it is sometimes hard for them to accept these changes. Many teenagers have unrealistic ideas about how their body should look.

Being overweight or underweight can be a worry for teenagers. It is important to continue to eat a healthy diet and not follow fad diets or restrict whole food groups to lose weight. This is not recommended and can be very dangerous.

Eating as a family is important

Teenagers who usually eat together with at least one other family member often have a healthier diet. Eating with family also lowers the risk for overweight and obesity. If family mealtimes are a priority, with a positive atmosphere this helps to have healthier outcomes for young people.

Take a family approach to cooking and healthy eating

Choosing and enjoying a diet that has a variety of foods from each food group, along with regular physical activity will help teenagers, and all the family, to grow, develop and live a healthy life.

Reference - Dietitians Association of Australia