Healthy diet for teenagers, like what? & bull; hello healthy

As a teenager, your body is going through many changes that tamper with self-confidence and emotional well-being; all of this needs to be supported by a healthy and balanced diet.

By eating a varied and balanced diet as indicated in the NHS Healthy Eating Guide, your body should be able to get all the energy and nutrients it needs from the food and drink you consume, allowing you to grow and develop optimally.

Who says diets are bad for teenagers? Read on to find out how to stick to a healthy diet without worrying your parents.

Adolescent nutritional needs recommendations

Teens should eat three main meals and two or three healthy snacks per day. Accidentally skipping meals will not help your weight loss program to be successful and is actually bad for your general health, as you will lose out on many important nutrients. Also, regardless of the reason for your diet (losing or maintaining weight), you still need to track calorie counts to ensure your body burns more energy in one day than you absorb.

The number of calories a teenager needs each day varies depending on a number of factors, including age, gender, height and weight, and level of physical activity. In addition, the need to lose, maintain, gain weight, and other factors affect how many calories should be consumed. As a guide, reported by the US Ministry of Health:

Young men

Recommendations for the nutritional needs of young men (personal doc; source

Young Girls

Recommendations for the nutritional needs of adolescents (personal doc; source

In general, approximately 1,800 calories should be consumed per day. If you exercise for at least 30 minutes per day, you can lose between 0.5 and 1 kilogram per week with a daily intake of 1,800 calories.

Some of the important nutrients to pay attention to are iron, vitamin D, and calcium.

What young girls need to pay attention to

If you are planning to lose weight by limiting their intake of fat and protein, their menstrual cycle could be disrupted which has the potential to affect their fertility and future bone health. You will lose a fair amount of iron each of your menstrual cycles. This means that you should seek to make up for this lost amount by eating iron-rich foods in your diet, such as lean red meat, eggs, fortified cereals, dried apricots, spinach, kale, broccoli, oats, and whole grains.

However, iron is also of great benefit to boys. Iron provides a key role in cell replication, so it is important that all adolescents eat a balanced diet to meet their growing needs. Rapid growth, coupled with a poor lifestyle and diet, can lead to iron deficiency anemia which can make adolescents look and feel tired or short of breath, have difficulty concentrating, and affect mental and physical development.

Healthy breakfast for teenagers

Teens who regularly eat breakfast perform well in school and tend to eat healthier throughout the rest of the day, according to the Nemours Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on children's health.

Choose a quick and easy meal for breakfast so you don't have to worry about what to eat on a super busy morning. Teens need lots of whole grains every day, so a whole wheat bread sandwich with peanut butter or avocado slices and hard boiled eggs is a good choice. Add a glass of skim milk and a few pieces of fresh fruit for a calcium and vitamin boost. Overnight oats - a recent health trend; mix of yogurt, oats, granola and fruit - is a quick option (you can make it the night before); the same goes for a plate of scrambled eggs or an omelette with sausage or grilled chicken breast, or a bowl of ready-to-eat cereal with low-fat milk and stuffing with fresh fruit chunks.

Drink a glass of water instead of a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. Fruit juices are high in calories (unless they are homemade, without added sugar and milk), so limit your intake.

Healthy snacks for teenagers

Teenagers are familiar with what is called a snack. But, snacking doesn't always make you fat. The trick is to make sure delicious but healthy food is always there at home when you want it. Make sure there are plenty of snack choices that can do as much good for the body as the main meal.

You can choose between half a stick of good quality dark chocolate, a bowl of unsalted nuts and seeds, yogurt, savory popcorn, or dried fruit (raisins, sultanas); a banana or apple slice and peanut butter; or your favorite fruit chips.

A filling lunch for teenagers

Instead of snacking randomly, why not start bringing supplies to school? Food provision is a sure guarantee of the fulfillment of well-controlled nutrition. Prepare your lunch menu the night before.

Mix up the lunch menu with a blend of starch protein and carbohydrates. Empty carbohydrate foods will only supply your body with a temporary supply of energy, so you will feel sleepy more quickly in the afternoons when your body loses energy. The key, choose healthy carbohydrates that support blood sugar balance. That means, stay away from plain bread or a mountain of portions of rice!

Choose a whole wheat bread sandwich covered with shredded beef, salmon, tuna, turkey, or chicken breast, accompanied by a bowl of fresh fruit salad or try the healthy version of spring rolls: fill in moist spring rolls with lean beef or chicken slices with cucumber slices, bean sprouts, tomatoes, and sweet and sour sauce. Drink a glass of real fruit juice (without sugar and milk) or skim milk. Avoid sodas or other sugary drinks.

Have a healthy dinner without having to worry

There is no problem with eating at night, as long as you watch the portions. Teenagers generally need 150 grams of protein each day.

Fill (at least) half of your dinner plate with colorful fruits and vegetables. Accompany your intake of vitamins and minerals from both with a protein boost from nuts and seeds. Butter fried rice with spinach and peas filling, quinoa with sauteed vegetables, or whole-wheat pasta with tomato sauce are all good choices.

Provide plain water or hot tea as a companion for your dinner. Nearing bedtime, it never hurts to snack. Choose half a cup of fat-free yogurt with a fruit topping, or a scoop of your favorite low-fat ice cream.

Planning a healthy diet doesn't mean it's boring

Planning a healthy diet is only one way to better manage your life. To stay healthy and keep your body at its best, you need to start eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and do this consistently. It's not an exact science, just about changing your eating habits so you don't turn to potato chips, chocolate, or other "empty" snacks when you're hungry.

However, having a healthy diet does not mean you can no longer indulge yourself in your favorite foods. Once you've gotten used to the rigorous four-week planning, start introducing one "off" day a week - whether it's a Saturday night for the week with a friend or partner, or in the middle of the week as a fun escape from the stress of schoolwork. If you spend six days eating healthy (or five, in certain weeks), indulging yourself in a pizza pan, fast food restaurant fried chicken, or burger and fries is no big deal. But still, first and foremost: avoid sugary drinks as much as possible.

Don't forget to exercise, OK!