Should Your Child Try Nutritional Supplements?
Tips to Influencing Your Teens Diet
It's 9:00pm and your teen is in front of the TV with another soda and an open bag of nacho chips. Between football practice and a part time job, you can't remember when he was last home to sit down for dinner with your family, and you know that you haven't seen anything green pass his lips in a long time.
It can be a challenge to motivate your adolescent to eat a healthy diet. First of all, she's not home as much, and you can't follow her around to assure that she eats right. And what's more, she may not know-or even care-that healthy eating habits are more important now than ever.
But you can be successful. What it takes is an understanding of how your teen's food choices today affect future health-and the ability to translate this information into reasons that will make a difference to your child now.
Increased Nutrient Requirements
Adolescence is a time of rapid growth; in fact, nearly a fifth of adult height and half of adult weight are gained during this time. And nearly half of the maximum bone density for life is accumulated during the teen years. Because of this increased development, nutrient requirements are increased, too-especially those of calcium and iron.
Good nutrition during adolescence is also important in preventing overweight and obesity, conditions that increase the risk for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and even some kinds of cancer.
Getting Started
If you're knowledgeable about what nutrients a teen needs and you've taught healthy eating habits since your child was small, then good for you! Your job will be considerably easier. But if, like many of us, you're not exactly certain what constitutes an ideal diet, then it's not too late to learn. An excellent resource is the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, (www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/) published jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Once you have an idea what your teen should (and shouldn't) be eating, try these tips for encouraging healthier habits:
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff: Your goal is improvement, not perfection. Teens want to fit in, and they won't be agreeable to munching celery sticks while the other kids are enjoying potato chips. But take opportunities while shopping together or eating out to discuss healthy food choices and possible substitutions for unhealthy choices—such as popcorn instead of potato chips. But keep it short and sweet: teach, don't preach.
Find Short Term Benefits of Healthy Eating: Your child probably won't care that she may develop osteoporosis when she's 60 because her calcium intake is low now.
But it might impress her to know that studies have found that teens that consume 1200 mg of calcium per day are stronger and suffer fewer broken bones than those having less calcium in their diets. If good eating results in better appearance, greater strength or athletic ability—it is more important to your child than long term consequences of a poor diet.
Make Healthy Eating Fun: This doesn't mean making elephant shapes out of his pancakes! But even teens enjoy food fun, such as a fruit bar (with yogurt dip) offered during a sleep over, or a grilled veggie cookout. Encourage your child to help plan and prepare meals with you, too—a wonderful way to spend time together while learning.
Model Good Eating Behavior: Just because your child is growing older doesn't mean that she doesn't still take her cues from you. Now is the time to show her the benefits of healthy eating—at any age
Remember the Exercise: The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans stresses the importance of exercise in addition to a healthy diet. Find opportunities to enjoy active time with your child, walking, rollerblading, swimming—or anything that keeps your body moving.
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Parent - Pawling, NY
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