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Teens at the Table
The American Medical Association Weighs in on Nutrition and Young People
Many teens have busy schedules that allow little time for nutritious meals. They find it easier to eat fast food meals and processed snacks, which tend to be high in calories and fat. As a result, an increasing number of American teenagers are overweight and beginning to have many of the health problems associated with obesity, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and early signs of heart disease. Parents have little control over their adolescent's diet outside the home so they should stock up on nutritious snacks – such as fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat yogurt and cheeses and whole grains – and resist buying high-calorie processed foods.
The tremendous physical growth that occurs during puberty requires good nutrition. To meet their energy needs throughout the day, teens should eat at least three healthy meals, including a good breakfast. Teens often eat on the run. A wide variety of healthful foods available at home – such as fresh fruits, low-fat cheeses and yogurt and cut-up raw vegetables with a low-fat bean dip or salsa – may help keep teens from eating the high-fat, high-sugar, high-calorie foods they normally reach for first. Sodas and diet sodas have little or no nutritional value.
Calcium
