Healthy diet for teenagers

[jemma13]

Hey gals.. well we all need a healthy diet.. and im gonna post this for all you teens on what we should be eating.

We need-
milk products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream) 2 to 3 servings per day
meat/eggs (red meats, poultry, fish, and eggs) 2 to 3 servings per day
grains (breads, cereals, rice, pasta) 6 to 11 servings per day
fruits (juice or solid fruit) 2 to 4 servings per day
vegetables (juice or vegetables): 3 to 5 servings per day

We all need to eat 3 meals a day. I get a F grade for this one.. I never eat brekky! But here is why eating Breakfast is essential!Breakfast is essential. Skipping breakfast can compromise performance at school. For dieters, skipping breakfast usually doesn't lead to weight loss. All meals should contain fruits or vegetables, as well as grains. Meat or milk should be included in 2 of the meals.

Eating snacks are a habit. Snacks are unnecessary for good nutrition but harmless unless you are overweight. If you like snacks, try to eat more fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Include an adequate amount of iron in the diet
Avoid excessive salt.
Avoid excessive pure sugars
Know what to eat before exercise.

[Sarrazanna]

Yeah, eating brekkie actually speeds up your metabolism(spel?), which actually can help you lose weight! This is because when you sleep, you don't eat - OBVIOUSLY! So you may not have eaten for 8 hours or more. So when you eat brekkie you are BREAKING THE FAST (thats why its called breakfast). You are also waking up you metabolism that hasn't had to do any work for about 10 hours. This means that your metabolism will be faster for the rest of the day, and burn the food you eat throughout the day better. If you don't eat breakfast however, you metabolism is sluggish for the whole day and doesn't break down the food you eat that well.. so you can put on weight. So.. what I am trying to say is... NOt eating brekkie is NOT going to help you lose weight (contrary to popular teen belief) - but can actually make you put on weight - and make your eating habits for the rest of the day go out of wack! See, there actually WAS a reason for your mum saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

[jemma13]

nice work. im sure lots of people didnt know that, and you said it well. Good job

[smile]

how much is a serving?

[Sarrazanna]

depends on what kind of food.. Some packaged foods have a serving size on the back. If you are wanting ideal serving sizes for you, I know that a serving of meat should be the size of your palm (without the fingers) and a serving of fruit/vegetables should be what can fit in your hand, and a serving of carbohydrate should be the size of your fist... And remember when dealing with meat and carbohydrates, you should only have one serving per meal.

[jemma13]

The most commonly used guide for food choices is the food guide pyramid. The pyramid makes the following recommendations concerning the number of servings of each food group that you should consume each day:

1. Bread, cereal and other grains – 6 to 11 servings.
2. Fruit – 2 to 4 servings.
3. Vegetables – 3 to 5 servings.
4. Milk, yogurt and cheese – 2 to 3 servings.
5. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts – 2 to 3 servings.
6. Fats, oils and sweets – Use sparingly.

[bigdshen]

In addition to eating breakfast, something good to do is eating five small meals a day...and try to get different nutrition in each meal. Make sure you have protein, vegetables, some good carbs (whole grain, no refined sugar...), and lots of fiber. That's really key...getting lots of fiber. Not only does it regulate your digestion, but it'll help drag all the toxins out from your intestines.

I always say...try not to eat anything white. No white bread, no white sugar, no white rice...etc. And the no white rice thing is hard for me because I'm Chinese! Traditionally, we eat white rice with every meal!

[jemma13]

Wow thats interesting.