Teenage Nutrition
Nutritional advice for teenagers
Teenage nutriton in this context relates to the age range 10-19. This is the time when a teenager is experiencing the most hormone change and therefore their dietry requirments may need to be adjusted to cope with this and many other factors that are changing in their lives. We at guernseymums.gg are pround that a local nutritional expert has agreed to write an article on this subject for us. Helen Sylvester has set up her own company, Pure Nutriton, locally based in Guernsey. Read more about Helen in the website listed below
www.pure-nutrition.co.uk
" Teenage Nutrition (Ages 10-19)
By Helen Sylvester (Nutritional Therapist)
Bsc. (Hons) Nutritional Therpay, DipCNE, MBANT, NTC Registered Practitioner.
The teenage years are a time of hormonal and physical change, and total nutritional needs are higher in this life phase than any other time in life. There are final growth spurts and an increase in bone density so optimal nutrition is important for future health.
Different nutritional needs between the sexes are apparent in adolescence as adipose or fat tissue grows in girls; whist muscles develop in boys. Dietary reference values, which are issued by the Department of Health, indicate an increased need for many vitamins and minerals as children reach adolescence. Calcium is especially important for boys, as their peak bone mass in early adulthood is 25-30% greater than that of girls. Girls have a requirement for additional iron and may become anaemic when they start menstruating if their requirements are not met. With a higher number of girls going on weight loss diets, they are at greater nutritional risk.
It may also be a time when your children are becoming more independent and the media and their peers may influence their dietary behaviour so you may have less control over what they eat.
Having easy to prepare healthy food available for them can be helpful and social eating for teenagers is important. Dips such as hummus made with chickpeas served with raw vegetables are nutritious and snacks such as dried fruit and sugar free cereal bars containing nuts and seeds can be good sources of minerals. Smoothies can be a quick snack made using natural yoghurt; a banana and a handful of berries and nut butters such as cashew, almond or hazelnut contain essential fatty acids. Fatty acids are essential for numerous functions including the formation of hormones, for energy production, cell division, immune responses and brain function (21% of the brain is made from essential fatty acids).
If your teenager expresses an interest in going on a restricted diet such as vegetarianism, ensure they have some information on healthy vegetarianism. It can be just as healthy as an omnivorous diet as long as well-informed choices are made."
Reference List
Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the Untied Kingdom. 12th ed. Norwich: TSO; 2003.
Garrow JS, James WPT, Ralph A. Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 10th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2000.
Marino DD, King JC . Nutritional concerns during adolescence. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1980. 27 (1), 125-39.
Olivier S, Healthy Food for Happy Kids: An a-z of nutritional know how. London: Simon & Schuster; 2004.
If you require more information regarding this or any other family nutritional issue you can contact Helen directly on
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