Why Is It Important For Teens To Eat Healthy?

There are short term benefits to leading an unhealthy lifestyle and short term disadvantages to living an unhealthy lifestyle. Poor dietary habits will result in poor concentration and memory. Eating unhealthy will limit your exercise capabilities and prompt weight gain. Healthy eating will help teens, gain muscle mass, grow taller and appear finer

Eating unhealthy causes poor sleep and feelings of depression and anger therefore eating healthy will help you feel better, have more energy throughout the day and help you be happier.   

There are also long-term benefits to leading a healthy lifestyle and consequences to leading an unhealthy lifestyle. Such as diseases like heart disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes can all be products of an unhealthy lifestyle. Long term habits such as eating healthy will help you prevent diseases, live longer, live fuller, be more active in your older age and overall improve you health in the long-run.

Sources: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/short-term-effects-bad-eating-habits-2579.html
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/healthy-eating-teens.aspx
http://www.rosecityhealth.com/blog--news/does-food-really-get-you-all-your-rda-of-   nutrition
http://www.naturalhealthstrategies.com/heart-disease-prevention.html

Factors That Affect Caloric Intake

Boys 14-18 years old whom are somewhat active needs 2,400-2,8000 calories per day. 

Girls 14-18 years old who are somewhat active need 2,000 calories per day

Gender affects caloric intake requirements. Boys have less body fat and more muscle mass compared to girls and muscle burns more calories than fat, therefore they must have a larger caloric intake.

Activity affects the amount of needed calories. Someone who is more active needs more food because they are burning off calories and using up energy therefore they must consume more compared to someone with a less active lifestyle who does not need to consume as much.

Age is another variable. Teens are growing and need more food because we are in a prime time of change. Our bodies need to be fueled with the correct amount of food to ensure maximum growth, which will assist our changing bodies, compared to a person who is finished with their years of growth and can eat less.

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/downloads/calreqtips.pdf
https://www.healthunit.com/outdoors-the-ultimate-playground
http://www.123rf.com/photo_9155015_cartoon-teen-relaxing-on-the-sofa-he-is-eating-a-snack-and-has-a-soft-drink-handy.html

Macronutrients In a Regular Teen

Macronutrients are types of food that provide energy. The three macronutrients in nutrition are carbohydrates, protein and fats.

                                            

Carbohydrates are a main source of fuel and energy. All tissues and cells can use glucose for energy, and is needed for the central nervous system, kidneys, brain, muscles (including heart) to function properly. It is also stored in muscles and the liver to use later for energy, and is important in intestinal health and waste elimination. Carbohydrates are made up of 50% oxygen, and like fats, they usually have less than 5% nitrogen or none at all.

Carbohydrates are starchy foods, such as grain, potatoes, etc., as well as fruits, milk and yogurt. They are also veggies, beans, nuts, seeds, and cottage cheese, but in smaller amounts. 45%-65% of daily calories should be carbohydrates.

Proteins aid in growth, tissue repair, immune function, making essential hormones and enzymes. They also provide energy when carbs aren’t available and preserve lean muscle mass. They consist of 15-25% nitrogen and about an equal amount of oxygen.

                                

Protein is found in meats, poultry, fish, meat substitutes, cheese, milk, nuts, legumes. Also in smaller quantities in starchy foods and vegetables.10%-35% of calories should come from protein.

Fats are used for normal growth and development, energy, absorbing certain vitamins, providing cushioning for organs, maintaining cellular membranes, providing taste, stability and consistency to foods. It largely consist of hydrocarbon chains, containing 75-85% carbon.

           

                

You can find fats in, meat, poultry, nuts, milk products, butters and margarines, oils, lard, fish, grain products and salad dressings. 20%-35% of calories should come from fat. 

Although fats have a bad reputation for causing weight gain, there are good and bad fats.

There are the saturated fats, unsaturated fats and trans fats. 

Saturated fat is in meat, butter, lard and cream and has an increased risk for heart disease.

Unsaturated fat can be found in olive oil, avocados, nuts and canola oil. Substituting this for other fats decrease risk of developing heart disease. 

Finally, there is trans fat. This can be found in baked goods, snack foods, fried foods and margarines, and is also an increased risk for heart disease.

Sources: http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/macronutrients.htm
http://www.diet.com/g/macronutrients 

http://galleryhip.com/carbohydrates-foods.html

http://remywright.blogspot.com/2014/01/thursday-thoughts-ed-87-macronutrients.html

http://yourfoods.net/turkey-a-high-protein-food/

http://chestsculpting.com/good-fats-vs-bad-fats-are-all-fats-good/

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/what-are-saturated-fats-definition-types-function-examples.html

http://lovingthemes.com/unsaturated-fats-and-trans-fats/

Key Micronutrients In a Teens Health

For a growing teenager, there are many micronutrients that play a vital role to orchestrate a range of psychological functions. Some of the main micronutrients that teens need are Calcium, Vitamin A, Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin C.

Calcium is important for proper mineralization of growing bones, attainment of peak bone mass, and reduction of risk of bone fracture and osteoporosis in adulthood.

Vitamin A is essential for growth and development, normal vision, supporting normal reproductive function and immune function

                                      

Zinc is also essential for growth and development and immune function, as well as neurological function and reproduction. 

                                                    

Magnesium is important for structuring in bones, cell membranes and chromosomes. It is also required for various cellular processes, including ion transport across cell membranes, cell signaling, and cell migration.

Vitamin C a highly effective antioxidant and is important for skin, bones, connective tissue as well as growth and development.

                               

Sources: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/lifestages/adolescents/

http://learn.fi.edu/learn/brain/micro.html

http://cooking.info-hub.net/2013/03/a-high-calcium-diet-how-it-helps-and-what-to-eat/

http://healthfuldietandnutrition.com/2013/05/vitamin-a-rich-foods.html#.VIX2P2TF_Ak

http://blog.tranquilene.com/magnesium-for-stress-and-anxiety/

http://www.ministryofstrength.com.au/essential-vitamin-minerals-series-vitamin-c-2/

Foods Teens Should Limit or Avoid

Some foods teens should limit or absolutely avoid because it's unhealthy and can cause bad eating habits. Some foods are:

Candy bars like MilkyWay. One MilkWay bar has seven grams of saturated fat in it, which is only 35% of the candy bar. It also contains 31 grams of sugar in it. There are no vitamins or protein value in one. Most candy bars contain a similar amount of sugar and fats, if not more. 

                   

Sodas like Coca Cola is another food one should limit. A 12 ounce can of Coke has a whopping 39 grams of sugar in it. It also contains 45 grams of sodium and has no protein value in it. Many types of soda contain a similar amounts of sugar and fat.

                      

Packaged Pastries like Twinkies are also an unhealthy choice. A single package of Twinkies has four and a half grams of saturated fats in it which is 23% of the cakes. There are 360 milligrams of sodium, and 33 grams of sugar, which is more than a MilkyWay bar. Almost all packages pastries contain a similar amounts of sodium and sugar.

               


Sources: https://www.milkywaybar.com/nutrition 

https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/coca-cola/coco-cola-classic-%2812-oz%29
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-hostess-twinkies-i113361

3-Day Meal Plan For An Average Teen

Day One:

1. Breakfast:
1. Granola bar
2. One cup of 2% milk
3. A handful of craisins
4. 2 boiled eggs

2. Lunch:
1. A tuna salad on whole wheat bread with romaine lettuce, tomatoes
2. A bag of baked tortilla chips
3. An apple
4. One cup of  2% milk

3. Dinner:
1. A bowl of beef chili with beans,
2. One baked potato,
3. Steamed green beans,
4. A glass of ice water

4. Snack: String cheese and a peach

            

Day Two:

1. Breakfast:
1. Two cups of Greek yogurt with fresh berries and granola
2. A piece of whole wheat toast with butter
3. One cup of 2% milk
2. Lunch:
1. A turkey cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and low fat mayonnaise.
2. A whole banana
3. A bottle of water
4. A cup of rice
3. Dinner:
1. A grilled 8 ounce chicken breast
2. A side salad
3. One cup of brown rice
4. ¾ cup of Pinto Beans
5. One cup of 2% milk
4. Snacks: One cup of nuts and an orange

    
   

Day Three:

1. Breakfast:
1. A poached egg on a whole wheat English muffin with Swiss cheese
2. A sliced up apple
3. One cup of 2% milk
2. Lunch:
1. A peanut butter banana sandwich on whole wheat bread
2. One cup of almond milk
3. A cup of baby carrots with low fat ranch
4. Half of a sliced cucumber
5. ¾ of a cup of quinoa
3. Dinner:
1. A 8 ounce grilled steak
2. 2 cups of steamed vegetables
3. 2 slices of sourdough bread with butter
4. A glass of ice water

    D.  Snacks: Apple with peanut butter and two cheese

Sources:http://efed.aces.uiuc.edu/eaters/3daymenu_eat.html 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/02/food-pyramid-usda_n_870375.html

http://b730lifetimefitness16.blogspot.com/

Conclusion

Overall, an average teen can do many things to stay healthy. For example, limiting the "bad" foods to eat, making healthier choices and how much of each food should be eaten. We hope you have learned something that can help you stay healthy and make better choices when eating.