Healthy Diet for Teenagers

Healthy diet for teenagers is eating foods from complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, proteins from different healthy and lean sources, eating foods that are high in fiber and low in sugar and salt.

Teens need to eat healthy to stay strong, to have an ongoing energy to carry on during the day and in sports activities, to maintain a healthy weight, to feel better, to obtain the essential minerals and vitamins and more..

Healthy Diet for Teenagers- Tips:

• Do not diet until you turn roughly 18, when you complete your internal and external development. Just learn to eat healthy or you may end up with weight problems and unexpected illnesses when you are an adult.

• You just have to eat breakfast as it is the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast leads to eating heaps more later on.

• Be careful with your calcium, vitamin C and D intake for healthy bone development and to avoid low bone density.

• Take healthy foods with you if you will be out of the house throughout the day, rather than buying more expensive and less healthy foods.

• Do not eat the skin or fat of the meat, remove any visible fat before cooking.

• Keep away from fried or deep fried foods. Choose grilling, baking, boiling, roasting and stir frying instead.

• Sugar is addictive and empty calories. Cookies, chocolate bars and cakes should be eaten as little as possible. They make you put on weight easily and cause decays on your teeth.

• Do not drink soft drink and limit alcohol intake, have fresh juices instead. And water is simply the best drink you can have.

• There is no need to deprive yourself of candies, cookies, burgers and other junk foods but they should be eaten once in a while, not regularly.

• Snack on fruits and nuts if you are craving sweets, they have much better nutritional value than candies.

• Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes contain good amounts ofdietary fiber and there is a lot of good in fiber for your health.

• Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. Do not overeat and definitely do not undereat.

Healthy Diet for Teenagers- Meal Ideas:

Breakfast:

• Porridge with banana, sultanas and nuts.

• Low sugar, high fiber cereals.

• Banana – strawberry shake with milk or soy milk, whey protein powder and ice cubes.

• Whole grain muffin.

• Whole meal or multi grain toast with a thin layer of peanut butter and/or low fat spread and honey.

• Eggs and baked beans on toast.

• No sugar added fruit juice.

Lunch:

• Fruit salad- mixed sliced fruits.

• Whole grain sandwich with healthy ingredients- tomato, cucumber, lettuce, boiled eggs and tuna.

• Home made burger with whole meal bread, lean meat or vegetable burger, tomato, lettuce, low fat mayonnaise, very little ketchup.

• Tasty salad with tuna, corn, lettuce, tomato, garbanzos, cucumber and low fat dressing.

• Lentil soup, tomato soup, asparagus soup, chicken soup, vegetable soup.

• Whole meal pizza with Mediterranean vegetables and chicken.

• Low fat – low sugar chili con carne and rice.

• Any healthy leftover meal from dinner of the previous night.

Dinner:

• Roast meat and vegetables with brown rice or baked sweet potatoes.

• Seafood or fish with vegetables and potato puree.

• Low fat pasta bolognese and salad.

• Steak, salad and rice.

• Pasta with chicken, sauteed mushrooms and pesto.

• Pasta with fancy mixed vegetables.

• Stir fried noodles with vegetables and chicken or prawns.

• And any other low fat, high fiber, low sugar and salt meals you can think of, just remember not to feel bloated at the end of your meal, stop when you are full.

 

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