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Teens at the Table
The American Medical Association Weighs in on Nutrition and Young People
How healthy is your adolescent's lifestyle? Many young people go to one of two extremes: either they a) eat a lot of junk food, get little exercise and end up overweight, or they b) struggle with a negative body image and 
deprive themselves of needed nutrients in their quest to be model-slim. And even if they fall into neither category, most adolescents (and their parents) have such busy lives that fast food often trumps balanced, nutritious, home-cooked meals.
When you consider that the way a young person eats often establishes a lifelong pattern, you'll realize that now is the time to change those habits for good.
If you have any doubt about what – and how much – your adolescent should be eating, look to the American Medical Association (AMA). The subject is covered thoroughly in the American Medical Association Family Medical Guide (Wiley, 4th Edition, 2004). Here are some facts and advice excerpted from this indispensable reference book.
However, once this growth spurt ends, they can quickly gain unwanted pounds that will be difficult to lose as they get older. Girls usually stop growing by age 15 and tend to be less physically active than boys. Girls (and inactive boys) can easily become overweight if they consume more calories than they burn. Most of the beverages (including soda, fruit juices and whole milk) that teens drink are also very high in calories.
