Teenagers have a reputation for bad eating habits. They go overboard with junk foods and fast foods, follow fad diets, skip meals and don't get enough of the nutrient-rich foods that their growing bodies need. Such extreme eating habits can have serious long-term effects.
The risks of the typical teen diet
Many teenagers don't get the important nutrients they need the most in their peak growth years. Teens' diets are often very low in vitamins and minerals such as iron and calcium. Iron helps build muscle mass and blood supply. A diet low in iron can put menstruating girls at risk for anemia.
Most teens aren't getting the calcium they need for strong bones. Peak bone growth occurs up to age 18. During the teen years, kids need 1,300 mg of calcium a day, which is about four servings of dairy products. Kids who don't get enough calcium during these crucial years raise their risk of getting osteoporosis in later life.
Teenagers also tend to avoid fruits and vegetables, which are great sources of disease-preventing phytochemicals. In one survey, only about two out of 10 teens had eaten the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day during the week before the survey.
Dieting: the road to eating disorders and obesity
In this age of super-thin models, most teen girls and many boys are concerned about their weight. In their efforts to lose or control their weight, teens may:
- Restrict food, sometimes by cutting out entire food groups
- Skip meals
- Fast for 24 hours at a time
- Use diet pills or other substances without a doctor's advice
- Vomit or take laxatives or diuretics
- Smoke cigarettes
In fact, these efforts often backfire. Research has shown that teens who go on restrictive diets are more likely to become obese or develop eating disorders than teens who focus on healthy eating and exercise to control their weight.
What parents can do
Parents can't control what their teens eat, but they can influence the way their children eat. Here are five tips to help encourage healthy eating in teens:
- Eat meals as a family. Kids who eat meals with their family tend to eat more fruits and vegetables, consume fewer sodas and have better eating habits as young adults.
- Give teens a choice in foods rather than insist they eat what you put in front of them. Make sure the choices are nutritious ones.
- Find creative ways to include healthy foods in their diet. For example, offer calcium-fortified yogurt or puddings for dessert, and give them calcium-fortified orange juice with breakfast. Serve soft-shell tacos made with low-fat meat, part-skim mozzarella cheese and fresh tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers.
- Set a good example. If your kids see you eating a healthy, varied diet, they're more likely to do the same. Likewise, if you diet or obsess about your weight, you could be setting your kids up to have problems with food.
- Limit screen time. A teenager who sits in front of the TV or computer screen for hours on end is not out exercising. Exercise helps build bone, strengthens the heart and is a healthy way to control weight.
