Refrigerators and pantries across the country
are bracing for the seasonal assault from teenagers who are now done with
school and will eat most of their meals at home for the summer months.
Even if they’re not home to supervise meals,
parents can and should still take the initiative to make sure their hungry
teens have healthy fare to eat, said Kristen Kizer, R.D., L.D., a clinical
dietician with Houston Methodist Wellness Services.
“While it’s important to eat healthy at every
age and stage, the growth and physical maturation occurring during adolescence
makes good nutrition all the more critical,” she said.
“Teens are growing, meaning that their cells
are diving rapidly. This means increased calorie and protein needs, as well as
increased need for vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin D, iron, and
folate.”
Kizer explains that about half of peak bone
mass is established during the teen years, making calcium and vitamin D intake
an area of focus, especially since teens tend to replace milk with sugar
beverages like soda or sports drinks.
Teens who don’t get adequate calcium and
vitamin D during this time head into adulthood with less than optimal bone
density, setting themselves up for osteoporosis and bone fractures years later.
In addition, starting and maintaining good
eating habits is critical at this age, as it’s estimated that 90 percent of
overweight and obese teens will remain overweight or obese as adults.
In addition to keeping meals and snacks
healthy, Kizer recommends keeping meals simple—requiring little prep time or
cleanup. (See recipe ideas below).
“Most teens aren’t thinking about chronic
disease 30 years down the road, [so] reminding them that the foods they choose
now have an impact on their appearance, athletic performance, or academics can
help them make healthier choices,” Kizer says.
“Girls especially may be struggling with body
image issues, so helping them select foods that will make them physically feel
well can also improve their mood and emotional health,” she says.
Guacamole
and Baby Carrots. “All this simple guacamole requires is
jar of salsa and some avocados. You mix them together and you have an instant
dip for veggies,” Kizer says.
She recommends baby carrots because they’re
already washed and ready to eat. “The vitamin C in the salsa will keep the
guacamole from turning brown and the healthy monounsaturated fat from the
avocado will keep your hungry teens satisfied,” she says.
Wholesome
Pasta. Whole wheat rotini, veggies, and pasta
sauce can be combined for a simple, healthy pasta dish. “Pasta is versatile and
can easily be made in large quantities. Take a bag of frozen mixed veggies
together with a jar of pasta sauce and heat up in a sauce pot,” Kizer says.
To make it easy for your teenager to heat up,
Kizer suggests putting everything in the refrigerator in a covered glass
container. “All your kids have to do is grab the complete meal and heat it up …
and with all the sauce and vegetables, they won’t even know they’re getting a
healthy dose of fiber, magnesium, manganese, and selenium,” she says.
Greek
Yogurt With Fruit. “I prefer to add frozen fruit to Greek
yogurt over fresh because it makes it a cool, refreshing treat, and as the
fruit melts, the juice spreads throughout the yogurt, making it sweeter,” Kizer
says.
She suggests buying 32-ounce containers of
yogurt and adding your teenager’s favorite fruit. “The extra protein from the
Greek yogurt will keep your hungry teen full, and he or she will also be
getting fiber from the fruit, as well as vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and
calcium.”
Cereal. When you don’t have time to leave something prepared, cereal is
always an easy alternative. “Keeping a box of lower-sugar cereal on hand can be
helpful when teens are around. I suggest something with no more than 6 grams of
sugar, like Kashi’s Heart-to-Heart or Honey Sunshine,” Kizer says.
“Original Cheerios can also be jazzed up with
some vanilla extract and cinnamon, or PB2, a natural, dried peanut butter
powder that can make plain Cheerios taste a lot more like their peanut butter
variety without all the added sugar.”
Indulgences. Rather than full-fat, fried potato chips, keeping baked chips
on hand, as a healthier indulgent can be a good compromise between you and your
teen. “Sunchips, Kellogg’s popped chips, or Kashi’s black bean chips are also
tasty, yet less indulgent snacking options,” Kizer says.
“For desserts, Skinnycow ice cream sandwiches
are hard to beat for 150 calories and 3 grams of fiber. For those who prefer a
fruit-based dessert, try a 100 percent frozen fruit bar.”
For teens who consider pizza an entire food
group, finding a whole-wheat, thin crust and emphasizing veggies rather than
high-fat meat like sausage and pepperoni can reduce the damage associated with
full-fat, deep-dish varieties.
From Newswise
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