Adolecent Nutrition
Adolescent Health
Introduction
Your child's nutrition is important to his or her overall health. Proper nutrition can also prevent many medical problems, including becoming overweight, developing weak bones, and developing diabetes. It will also ensure that your child physically grows to his or her full potential. The best nutrition advise to keep your adolescent healthy includes encouraging him or her to: Eat a variety of foods, balance the food they eat with physical activity, choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits, choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, choose a diet moderate in sugars and salt, and choose a diet that provides enough calcium and iron to meet their growing body's requirements. One can also help promote good nutrition by setting a good example. Healthy eating habits and regular exercise should be a regular part of one’s family's life. It is much easier if everyone in the house follows these guidelines, than if one’s child has to do it alone. Everyone should also buy low-calorie and lowfat meals, snacks and desserts, low fat or skim milk and diet drinks. Avoid buying high calorie desserts or snacks, such as snack chips, regular soft drinks or regular ice cream (Feeding Your Teenager, 2007).
General Nutrition
The Food Guide Pyramid was designed by the US Dept. of Agriculture to promote healthy nutrition in children over two years of age. It is meant to be a general guide to daily food choices. The main emphasis of the Food Guide Pyramid is on the five major food groups, all of which are required for good health. It also emphasizes that foods that include a lot of fats, oils and sweets should be used very sparingly (Feeding Your Teenager, 2007).
The Food Pyramid shows a range of servings for each food group. How much one actually eats depends on their age and activity level. Teenage boys who are active require about 2800 calories and should eat the highest range...
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