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World Food Day 2021: The Right Food For Adolescent Growth

World Food Day 2021: The Right Food For Adolescent Growth
Encourage your child to eat healthy foods rather than junk food.

Adolescent nutrition is important because lack of nutrients can harm an individual's growth and development. On World Food Day 2021, let's talk about the essential nutrients adolescent children need.

Written by Editorial Team |Updated : October 16, 2021 10:45 AM IST

World Food Day is an initiative by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the UnitedNations to combat the issue of hunger and ensure healthy diets for all. Celebrated every year worldwide on 16 October, the day also marks founding day of the United Nations FAO. Speaking to the HealthSite on this occasion, Dt. Meenaz Ahmed, Consultant Nutritionist and Dietitian, Motherhood Hospitals, Banashankari, Bangalore talks about the right food for adolescent growth.

"Eating healthy is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle and should be taught to children from an early age. But before making any dietary changes or putting your adolescent on a diet, you should consult with his or her health care provider," she said.

She also shared some general guidelines for assisting your adolescent in eating healthy foods.

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Tips for healthy eating

According to the dietitian, parents should discuss the following healthy eating recommendations with their adolescents in order to ensure that they adhere to a healthy eating plan.

  • Drink plenty of water. Avoid drinks with too much sugar. Fruit juice is high in calories, so limit your adolescent's consumption. Whole fruit is always preferable.
  • Consume balanced meals.
  • Eat three meals a day, along with some healthy snacks.
  • Minimize your salt intake while increasing your fibre intake.
  • When cooking for your adolescent, try to bake or broil instead of frying.
  • Make sure your adolescent monitors and reduces their sugar intake.
  • Have more fruits and vegetables
  • Consume less butter and heavy grains

Essential nutrients for adolescents

Dt. Meenaz noted that poor nutrition and low activity levels in adolescence are linked to the development of chronic conditions such as heart disease and obesity. Below are some important nutritional intakes they need:

Grains

Grain products such as wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain. Whole wheat, brown rice, and oatmeal are a few examples.

Vegetables

Vegetables should be diverse. Choose vegetables that are dark green, red, or orange, as well as legumes (peas and beans) and starchy vegetables.

Fruits

Any fruit or 100% fruit juice makes as a member of the fruit group. Fruits can be eaten whole, cut up, or pureed whether they are fresh, canned, frozen, or dried.

Dairy

Dairy food group includes milk products and many foods made from milk. Choose products that are fat-free or low-fat, as well as those that are high in calcium.

During puberty, your child requires more calcium to achieve peak bone mass and build strong bones for life. Encourage your child to consume a variety of dairy products each day, such as milk, cheese slices, yogurt, and so on.

Protein

Go protein light. Select lean or low-fat meats and poultry. Change up your protein routine by eating more fish, nuts, seeds, peas, and beans. These protein-rich foods contain vitamins with extra minerals, such as iron and omega-3 fatty acids, which are important during adolescence.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Oily fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help in your child's brain development and learning.

Iron

Iron promotes muscle growth and increases blood volume in your child. Girls require extra iron because of their menstrual cycles.

Nutrition and activity tips for teenagers

  • Make them eat on time and ensure they follow regular daily mealtimes with social interaction and demonstration of healthy eating behaviors.
  • Involve children in food selection and preparation and teach them to make healthy choices by allowing them to choose foods based on their nutritional value.
  • Parents are expected to provide children with recommended serving sizes.
  • Parents are encouraged to limit their children's video, television, and computer use to less than 2 hours per day and to replace sedentary activities with more active activities.
  • For good health and fitness, as well as a healthy weight during growth, children and adolescents require at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most days.
  • Encourage children to have more fluids regularly during and after physical activity is completed to avoid dehydration.

Conclusion

Ending the conversation, Dt. Meenaz stated: Adolescent nutrition is important because lack of nutrients can harm an individual's growth and development. Teenagers are becoming more self-sufficient and making their own food decisions. Many teenagers experience a growth spurt and an increase in appetite, necessitating the consumption of nutritious foods. Teenagers are more likely to eat meals away from home than adults. Their peers have a large influence on them as well. Many teenagers place a high value on meal convenience and may overindulge in unhealthy foods such as soft drinks, fast food, or processed foods. As a result, encouraging your child to eat healthy foods rather than junk food is critical.