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Really, a healthy diet for teenagers, how's that work?
I know, I know, you may be skeptical of how you could possibly pull off getting your teenagers to eat healthy. They're never home and they don't listen, right? Well, don't despair, you can do what you can do, make your best effort, and hope that it will have some impact on them. I'm sure it will.
So what's a parent to do with their teens to keep them eating healthy? Teenagers have a lot of growing to do and truly need an abundance of vitamins, minerals and other good stuff. My kids are still small, so they don't have all the choices that older kids do. Teens are exposed to so much junk, it can be a real challenge.
I think the greatest advice is to do your best to eat regularly with your teen. I do understand how difficult this could be for working parents and busy teens who may also be working. The value to eating together, though, is so much more than just providing a healthy diet for teenagers. Having a meal together is a great time to talk about their lives. And yes, even though I'm old now, I do recall that teens don't want to talk to their parents about much. But you gotta try to keep those lines of communication open, right?
In the March 2009 issue of Family Circle, a great article said, "Teens who eat regularly with their families have better diet and are more likely to get high grades and experience overall psychological well-being. They're also less likely to abuse substances and suffer from anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating." So it's so worth the effort to coordinate schedules.
A healthy diet for teenagers is similar to that of an adult or kid's healthy diet. It's just that it is so much MORE. When they get into those big-time growth spurts, it's amazing how many calories they can burn through. I can only imagine, as my kids are little, and I'm sometimes astounded at how much those little munchkins can put away. You want to make those calories count as much as possible, not just be empty waste like candy bars and soda. Keeping a good supply of healthy foods available at home is a great way for the whole family to eat better.
One specific concern is calcium intake. Calcium is a very important component in a healthy diet for teenagers. Getting enough calcium may not be that difficult but if your teen drinks much soda, they can be offsetting that calcium consumption. Soft drinks contain phosphorus which can cause calcium loss.
I'd recommend on-the-go items you can toss to them as they run out the door. Apples, of course, are perfect. Ziploc bags, while not great for the environment, are super for packaging a healthy snack. Nuts or dried fruits are excellent choices.
I think in the end providing a healthy diet for teenagers is much the same as for the rest of us. Making the effort is half the battle. Instilling good habits early will help. Do what you can. One other suggestion I really liked was to make one night their night to cook. Plan it ahead so you have the ingredients needed. When I moved out on my own, I really didn't know how to prepare my own meals. So there was about a year where I mostly ate Hardee's and cereal. Perhaps this could have been avoided had I been more involved in meals at home. Probably not, but it's worth a shot!
