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December 2003
Teenager + Eating Healthy = A Better America!
By Brooke Aronoff
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It's a fact that teenagers across America are dying for the body of Tyra Banks or anxiously wanting to loose weight to fit into their favorite pair of jeans. No matter how hard they try, teens can't resist that biggie fry or the extra large milkshake when it comes down to deciding what to eat for dinner.
Not only are teens overeating, they are overlooking what they put into their mouth ultimately causing them to gain the extra weight they are trying so hard to loose. The teens of today lack the education on how to keep a balanced diet. Adults need to stress the nutrients required for healthy living because they are living proof that the way we eat when we are young, determines our body shape for the future.
In an issue of the School Food Service Research Review, it portrays that teens are not consuming enough iron, calcium, vitamin A, and beta-carotene adequate for a healthy diet. The cause for this has a lot to do with the family. Teens with late night working parents (over 70%) are left to themselves to choose their meal for dinner which usually consists of throwing chicken nuggets in the microwave or heating up pizza from the night before.
In a recent research from Yale New Haven Health, more then 70% of teens eat less then the recommended amount of vegetables, 55% say they don't receive enough fruits, and 47% say they don't receive enough dairy products. The researchers also found that teens who consider themselves overweight skip breakfast in the morning and lack good eating habits.
According to Jo Ann Hattner, a clinical dietitian at Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, California, the most beneficial way for teens to watch their weight is to limit the amount of high-fat foods and to balance it with fruits and vegetables.
"Eat a wide variety of foods to keep from getting bored, and keep portion sizes reasonable so that you can have your slice of cake and loose weight too." says Hattner.
As a young adult, it is important to keep active and exercise so teens not only see a difference in their weight but also feel good about themselves. It is paramount that families make an effort at the dinner table to discuss healthy eating habits and what they can do to change their eating lifestyle. With this improvement, the teens of the future will evoke a positive and contagious chain of healthy happiness.
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Andrea Haber