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Sample diet for a teenager. Fundamentals of a healthy diet for teenagers. A large amount of protein is found in

Fourteen-sixteen years is the most unpredictable, rapid age, the time of active formation of the endocrine glands. If it didn’t work out before the age of 16, then with age it will be very difficult or almost impossible to change eating habits. And this threatens not only overweight, but also serious health problems. Due to development at this age, there is an increased need for and nutrients.

Therefore, a poor monotonous diet deprived of parental control can lead to the following problems:

Dizziness and flickering of "flies" before the eyes.
Increased fatigue.
Decreased immunity.
Joint diseases.
Brittleness of the bones.
Violations menstrual cycle in girls.
Decreased performance and concentration.
Wasting or obesity.

Diet

Improper nutrition will sooner or later lead to health problems.

14-16 years is a time of active growth, which is accompanied by increased appetite. The task of parents is to explain to the teenager the harm of irregular dry food, to find an alternative to chips and buns, for example, dried fruits and nuts.

Meals should be four times a day:

Breakfast - 25%;
Lunch - 35-40%,
Afternoon snack - 15%,
Dinner - 20-25% of the daily nutrient requirement.

Breakfast should include an appetizer, a hot meal and a drink. As a snack, there can be vegetables or fruits, cheese or cottage cheese, salads. As a hot porridge, vegetable stew, meat, fish. Drink in the form of hot tea, compote, jelly, milk.

Breakfast options for teenagers:

Cottage cheese casserole with raisins or chocolate sauce.
Oatmeal, milk porridge with dried fruits or berries.
Millet milk porridge with banana, apple or raisins.
Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, with meat, green pot or vegetables.
Cottage cheese pancakes with sour cream or jam and yogurt.
Buckwheat milk porridge with vegetables.

The child often receives lunch at school. It should consist of soup, a second course (side dish with meat or fish), a third course can be a drink with cookies, yogurt, etc.
For an afternoon snack, a child can be given fruit, cottage cheese, vegetable salad.
For dinner you can cook:

Meat cutlets with vegetables;
Curd casserole with apples;
Omelet with pasta;
Porridge with dried fruits;
Vareniki with jam or berries and fruits;
Fish soufflé with stewed carrots.

Before going to bed, as an option, you can offer a glass of kefir, milk.

The calorie content of food is calculated as follows: approximately 1.8 kcal should be consumed per 1 kg of body weight. This means that a teenager should eat about 3000 per day, and at - 3500 kcal. Boys during this period have a particularly high need for energy, and it is not uncommon that others are struck by their increased appetite.

Quality composition of food

The qualitative composition of food is as follows: the ratio, and - 1:1:4.

Squirrels

The average protein requirement per 1 kg per day is 2–1.5 g, moreover, 50% of it should be animal protein (beef and poultry meat, fish, dairy products). It has a paramount role, because it is a structural material for growth and immune system needed for muscle strength. With a lack of protein in the body, the brain suffers, and the child gets tired faster, the immune system cannot cope with infections.

Dairy products, in addition to high levels of protein, are rich in calcium, and meat is the main source, while fish is rich in phosphorus and minerals.

On a note! Protein content in 100 g of product:
Meat - 25 g,
Hard cheese - 25 g,
Fish - 20 g,
Milk - 3 g,
Eggs - 12 g,
Nuts - 28 g,
Bread - 8 g,
Beans and peas - 5 g.

Fats

The daily requirement for fats is about 100 g. For a teenager, the role of fats is in the synthesis of sex and other steroid hormones. More useful are butter and sour cream. Vegetable fats are useful due to the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and animals - thanks to fat-soluble and. 70% of incoming fats should be of vegetable origin and only 30% of animal origin.

On a note! Sources of vegetable fats:
Vegetable oils (99.9% fat),
Nuts (50-60%),
Oatmeal (7%) and buckwheat (3%) cereals.

Sources of animal fats:
Lard (90% fat),
Butter (75%),
Sour cream (about 30%),
Cheeses (15–30%).

Carbohydrates

The daily requirement for carbohydrates is 10–15 g per 1 kg of body weight (depending on physical activity, ambient temperature, etc.). The main function of carbohydrates is to provide the energy needs of the body. Sources of healthy carbohydrates for a child are cereals, vegetables, bread, legumes, greens, fruits, berries, and not buns, cakes and sweets. Vegetables are also the main source of vitamins and minerals, and the dietary fiber they contain. You can read about how to choose fresh and and in our relevant articles.

Liquid

The body's need for water in children and adolescents is higher than in adults, and is 50 ml per 1 kg of body weight (in adults - 30-40 ml). It is useful to drink mineral water, teas, vegetable and fruit juices. Carbonated drinks are not able to quench thirst, they irritate the gastric mucosa, contribute to bones and teeth, and can cause.

Norms of consumption of vitamins, macro- and microelements for a teenager

Fresh fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins, micro and macro elements in the spring and summer.

A teenager must receive with food required amount macro- and microelements, vitamins. In summer, it is enough to eat a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits (berries), and in the winter-spring period, you can drink a course of vitamin preparations. It is believed that by eating six fruits a day different color, we fill the need for all essential vitamins and minerals!

Calcium (1.2 g/day) and magnesium (300 mg/day) are needed to build bones and teeth, and magnesium also relieves excitability nervous system, helps to cope with insomnia, has a beneficial effect on the heart muscle.

Phosphorus (1.8 g / day) is necessary for metabolism, normal functioning of the nervous system and brain, muscles, liver and kidneys.

Iron (15–18 mg/day) is necessary for hematopoiesis and oxygenation of the body.

Sodium (4 g/day), chlorine and potassium (4 g/day) normalize water-salt metabolism, acid-base balance, potassium removes excess water and sodium from the body.

An exception

Foods that become the main cause of obesity in adolescents, i.e. they should be excluded from consumption completely:

Chips, sodas, chocolate bars and candies.
Sauces industrial production(ketchup, mayonnaise, adjika, etc.).
Products from processed meat (sausage, ham, sausages).
Bakery products and fast food.
Fried (especially cutlets and potatoes, fried pies).

There should be mostly homemade food. Vegetable soups, cereals (you should not get carried away with semolina and oatmeal), bread, seafood, dairy products (whole milk and kefir, cheese and cottage cheese), eggs, weak tea, it is important to stew and bake chicken meat, lean pork, beef. Potatoes can be consumed no more than twice a week in boiled or baked form. Pasta can only be eaten from durum varieties wheat. Do not abuse sweet and starchy foods.

In a teenage diet, you can arrange fasting days, on which you can eat kefir, buckwheat on the water and fresh / baked fruits. But it is recommended to arrange such days a maximum of one day a week. Calorie content - up to 1000 per day. A more significant decrease in nutritional value and the more complete hunger on fasting days will cause various disorders in the body of a teenager, including overexcitation of the center of appetite in the brain, which can lead to a breakdown: the child will eat everything around and eventually gain more than he lost before .

Physical activity plays a significant role, it will be enough to do something for two hours two to three times a week. Any will do a sport, as long as it brings pleasure to a teenager (running or swimming, yoga or dancing, rollerblading or skating, skiing, wrestling and boxing, playing sports, football, volleyball - the list goes on).

Diet menu for teenagers

Ideal breakfast option for teens buckwheat porridge.

Caloric content: daily calorie intake should be reduced by no more than 20%. This means: for girls - about 2500 calories per day, and for boys - 3000. Moreover, if the child is actively involved in sports, we increase this calorie content by 20%.

Daily diet: 30% fat, 20% protein, 50% carbohydrates.

For breakfast you can serve:

croutons with hard cheese / 1 soft-boiled egg or scrambled eggs / cottage cheese casserole with fruit or rice / buckwheat porridge;
1 tomato or cucumber;
tea/milk/kefir.

For second breakfast:

fat-free yogurt;
fruit/vegetable.

Lunch should consist of the first, second and third:

vegetable soup;
spaghetti / stewed vegetables / baked potatoes / porridge, which are accompanied by meat;
vegetable salad (seasoned with vegetable oil);
juice / tea / compote.

Zinc is found in liver, beef, legumes, various nuts and seeds.

Vitamin A is rich in liver and p, pumpkin, apricots and carrots, viburnum, spinach, parsley, butter, cream.

It is required to exclude provoking foods: salty, fatty, smoked and fried, while eating more cereals, vegetables and dairy products.

Children are mirror reflection their parents, therefore, teaching children healthy eating, you yourself need to adhere to it, thereby setting the right example for your child.

To set yourself up for success, think about planning healthy eating and the benefits that it will bring need radical changes. If you approach changes gradually and responsibly, the result is good mood and a good figure - will be sooner than you think.

Simplify your approach to dieting. Instead of the constant stress of counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think about your diet in terms of color, variety, and most importantly, freshness. This should help make healthy choices easier. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes where you can use a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and tastier.

Start slowly and gradually make changes to your eating habits. Trying to make your diet healthy in one day, of course, will not be successful. Changing everything all at once usually leads to self-deception or abandonment of a new eating plan. Take small steps like adding salad (with vegetables, fruits) to your diet once a day. Or in cooking, switch from butter to olive oil. Once your small changes become a habit, you can continue adding healthier foods to your diet.

Each change gradually improves your mood and your health. Remember, teens, you don't have to be perfect, and you don't have to cut all your favorite foods off the menu entirely. Do you enjoy being healthy? To feel good, get more energy, as well as reduce the risk of developing diseases, improve the condition of the skin, hair and nails, do not allow yourself to go back to cakes and fatty fast food. But make any changes to your diet gradually.

Think about what you drink and eat

Water. It helps cleanse our body systems of waste and toxins, but many teenagers ignore this simple remedy. So it turns out that in the classroom they quickly get tired just because they are dehydrated. Then teenagers suffer from lack of energy and headaches. They may also mistake thirst for hunger and snack instead of drinking a glass of water. Very good advice from nutritionists: if you want to eat, drink water. If after that there was a craving, then it was thirst. So you protect yourself from excess calories.

Snacks. Find something to snack on. It can be berries, nuts, raisins, prunes. These foods (rather than smoked sausage and fast food) motivate you to choose healthy foods that will gradually become your habit.

Teenagers often think about healthy eating in an all-or-nothing way, but key feature healthy eating is moderation. What is moderation? How much is it to eat in moderation? It depends on the teenager and his eating habits. The goal of healthy eating is to develop a diet that can be followed for life, not just for a few weeks or months, or until a teenager reaches their ideal weight. So try to think of moderation in terms of balance. Even though certain diets offer only one food item (monodiets), teens should maintain a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

For most teenagers, moderation and balance in eating means eating less than they currently eat. In practice, this means that teenagers eat much less unhealthy foods (unrefined sugars, saturated fats). But at the same time, they also eat less healthy food (such as fresh fruits and vegetables). But that doesn't mean cutting out all the foods you love. Ice cream for breakfast once a week, for example, can be considered moderation if you don’t also eat it at lunch and dinner, and then eat a whole box of donuts and pizza with sausage. If one day a teenager eats a bar of chocolate, these 100 calories should simply be taken away from dinner. If you have eaten dinner and are still hungry, just grab an extra serving of fresh vegetables.

Try not to think of certain foods as a complete ban. If you ban certain foods or food groups, and then break loose, you will feel weak and blame yourself for all mortal sins. If you're craving sugary, salty, or other unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and don't eat those foods as often. Later you will realize that the thrust has decreased.

Eat smaller portions. Serving sizes worldwide in Lately have grown, especially in restaurants. When your teenager is out dining, don't order giant portions. At home it is easier to use smaller plates, adjust the size. If you're not full, try adding more green leafy salads, vegetables, or fresh fruit. Normal portions will prompt you with visual images. A portion of meat, fish or chicken that a teenager eats should be the size of a deck of cards, a slice of bread should be the size of a CD, and mashed potatoes, rice or buckwheat should be the size of a standard light bulb.

Council number 3. It's not just what a teenager eats that matters, but how they eat.

Healthy eating is about more than food on the plate, it's also about how a teenager thinks about food. Food is not just something that a teenager swallows between classes, it is a culture of eating.

Eat with other people whenever possible. Eating with other teens, parents, and guests has numerous social and emotional benefits, and allows for healthy eating habits to be modeled. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.

Take time to chew your food thoroughly and enjoy your food. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. Teenagers tend to rush before they even taste the food. This is wrong - chewing slowly, you can eat much less.

Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you're really hungry, or drink a glass of water to see if you're thirsty or hungry. You need to stop eating before you feel full. The feeling of fullness occurs 20 minutes after the teenager began to eat, so you need to do this slowly.

Eat breakfast in its entirety and then eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can boost your metabolism, and then a couple of light snacks (instead of the standard three large meals) will suffice throughout the day. This will enable the teenager to save and increase energy and improve metabolism.

Don't eat at night. Try to eat breakfast and lunch once a week during the day, and then wait 14-16 hours before breakfast the next morning. Recent studies have shown that this simple diet regulates the nutrition of a teenager, but only when he is most active. Such unloading can give your digestive system long break and help regulate weight. After dinner, it is best to avoid foods high in fat and calories.

Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet. Especially if we are talking about a teenager who is intensively growing and developing, and even spending a lot of energy at the same time. Vegetables and fruits are low in calories and rich in nutrients, rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.

Try to eat colorful fruits and vegetables every day and with every meal, the more variety the better. Colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than white ones. It is very good if a teenager eats about 5 different vegetables or fruits a day.

Greenery. It can be bright green or dark green lettuce leaves. White cabbage, carrots, beets, broccoli are just a few vegetable options rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.

Sweet vegetables. Sweet vegetables such as corn, carrots, beets will enable the teenager to satisfy his desire to eat sweets, so as not to reach for cakes and reduce cravings for high-calorie flour sweets.

Fruit. The fruits are very tasty. They are pleasant to eat, so including fruits in the diet will not be difficult for a teenager. They quickly replenish the body with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Berries reduce the risk of cancer, apples provide fiber for better peristalsis, oranges and mangoes are rich in vitamin C.

It is important to get vitamins from food, not from pharmaceutical preparations.

Antioxidants and other nutrients in vegetables and fruits will protect against many diseases and improve immunity. Today, advertising offers many pharmacy preparations in vitamins and minerals, but studies show that this is not at all the same.

Daily intake of nutritional supplements does not give the same effect as proper nutrition. This is due to the fact that vegetables and fruits contain a well-balanced complex of vitamins, moreover, easily perceived by the body. Pharmaceutical supplements teenage body may not perceive and accumulate in the body.

Tip #5: Eat More Healthy Carbs and Whole Grains

Carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits, and not from starchy foods, products from whole grain- a source of lasting energy for a teenager. In addition to being delicious and filling, whole grains are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants that help protect your teen from coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown that children who eat more whole grains have healthier hearts.

How to quickly identify healthy and unhealthy carbohydrates?

Healthy carbohydrates (known as good carbohydrates) include whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy carbohydrates are digested slowly, helping your teen feel fuller for longer and maintain normal blood glucose and insulin levels.

Unhealthy carbs (or bad carbs) are foods like white flour, sugar, and white polished rice stripped of all useful substances. Unhealthy carbohydrates are digested quickly and can cause spikes in blood glucose levels in a fledgling teenager.

Include whole grains, including wheat, brown rice, millet, barley, in a healthy diet. Experiment with different grains to find those. which you love the most.

Try alternating between different grains as the first step in switching to a whole grain diet. If brown rice or pasta durum wheat is not very appealing to you at first, start with one thing and try another the next day.

Avoid refined foods. For example, such as bread, cheap pasta, breakfast cereals.

Council number 6. Enjoy healthy fats and avoid unhealthy fats

A big mistake teenagers make is to avoid any fatty foods. The kids think they're getting better from it. But it's not. In fact, healthy fats are essential for nourishing the brain, heart, and cells, as well as hair, skin, and nails. Foods rich in omega-3 fats are especially important and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, improve mood and help focus. Marine fish and seafood are the richest sources of healthy fats.

What to add to a healthy diet?

Monounsaturated fats come from vegetable oils such as canola oil, peanut oil, olive oil, as well as avocados, nuts (eg almonds, hazelnuts) and seeds (eg pumpkins, sesame seeds).

Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats are sunflower, corn, soy, linseed oil And walnuts.

Remove it from your diet

Saturated fats, mainly from animal sources, including red meat and whole milk products.

Trans fats found in chocolate, margarine, crackers, candy, cookies, fried pies, baked goods, and other processed foods with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Protein gives teenagers energy, lots of energy. The protein in food is broken down into 20 amino acids, which the body needs for growth and the energy needed to maintain cells, tissues and organs. A lack of protein in the diet of a teenager can slow down his growth, reduce muscle mass, immunity, weaken the heart and respiratory system. Proteins are especially important for children, whose bodies are growing and changing every day.

Here are some recommendations for including protein in a healthy teen diet.

Try different types proteins. Whether or not you are a vegetarian, trying different sources of protein such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas and soy products will open up new possibilities for healthy eating.

Beans. black bean, white beans lentils are good options.

Nuts. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts.

Soy products. Try tofu, soy milk and veggie sandwiches for a change of course.

Avoid salted or sweet nuts and beans in large quantities.

Reduce your protein intake. Many teenage boys eat too much protein, believing it will increase their muscle mass. Try eating less protein. Focus on equal servings of protein, whole grains, and vegetables.

Focus on quality protein sources like fresh fish, chicken or turkey, eggs, beans, or nuts.

Tip #8: Be sure to add calcium to your diet for strong bones

Calcium is one of the essential micronutrients that a teenager's body needs to stay strong and healthy. Calcium is an important trace mineral for a teenager's bone health, as well as for the health of teeth and nails.

Good sources of calcium are

Dairy products. Dairy products are rich in calcium in a form that is easily digested and absorbed by the body. Sources of calcium are milk, yogurt and cheese.

Vegetables and greens. Many vegetables, especially leafy green lettuce, are a rich source of calcium. A teenager needs turnips, mustard, green parsley and dill, cabbage, lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, pumpkin, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, mushrooms.

Beans. This is another rich source of calcium, black beans, white beans, peas are very good in this capacity.

Council number 9. Sugar and salt in the diet of a teenager should be limited

If you're on the road to success and include proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in your diet, there are some foods that can get in the way of a healthy diet. It's sugar and salt. Salt retains fluid in the body, contributing to the accumulation of toxins and fullness. Sugar provides a lot of extra calories, also contributing to the excessive fullness of a teenager.

Sugar

Sugar causes a teenager's energy ups and downs, as well as weight problems. Unfortunately, cutting back on the sweets, cakes, and desserts that teens love so much is only part of the solution. The amount of sugar that a teenager consumes every day is extremely difficult to control. A large amount of sugar can be hidden in foods such as bread, canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauces, margarine, mashed potatoes fast food, frozen dinners, fast food, soy sauce and ketchup. Here are some tips for the benefit of a teenager's body to reduce sugar in the diet.

Avoid sugary drinks. One bottle of Coke contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar. This is more than recommended daily! If you feel thirsty, drink still water with lemon or fruit juice instead.

Eat foods that naturally contain glucose. These are fruits bell pepper, natural peanut butter. These foods will help satisfy your sweet tooth.

Salt

Most teenagers consume too much salt. Consuming too much salt can cause high blood pressure in a teenager and lead to other health problems. Try to limit your salt intake to 1500 to 2300 mg per day, which is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt.

Avoid processed or prepackaged foods. Processed foods, such as canned soups or frozen dinners, contain hidden salt that far exceeds the recommended daily allowance.

Be careful when choosing food out. Most restaurants and fast food establishments oversaturate their food with sodium.

Choose fresh or frozen vegetables over canned vegetables that are loaded with salt.

Cut back on salty snacks like potato chips, nuts, and salty biscuits.

Try slowly reducing the salt in your diet to give your taste buds time to adjust to the new diet.

Healthy eating for teenagers is a big job that a teenager can do with the active help of their parents. But the result will please you - a good figure, healthy skin and shiny hair, and more than enough energy.

One of the main components of health. This becomes especially important during adolescence. After all, it is then that the second growth leap of the child occurs - the moment when his growth accelerates sharply. During this period, the body needs a maximum of nutrients and vitamins. And given how behavior changes during puberty, how hard it is to get a teenager to eat healthy food, the issue of healthy and tasty nutrition is of paramount importance. Let's figure out how to make a complete menu for a teenager.

Key Nutrients

To ensure proper nutrition for teenagers, you need to adhere to a number of rules and principles. One of the basic rules is the correct ratio of the main nutrients, or nutrients: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. After all, about 40% human body consist of these substances, while the remaining 60% is water. The optimal ratio of these nutrients to ensure the normal growth and development of a teenager's body: 1 part of proteins, 3 parts of fats and 5 parts of carbohydrates.

The value of proteins

Ever since school, we have heard more than once that proteins are the main construction material organism. However, what does this phrase mean?

First, virtually every substance in our body is made up of protein. Hormones are blood proteins, thanks to which we do not bleed at the slightest injury - also proteins, RNA and DNA, which contain hereditary information - again a protein, hemoglobin, which transports oxygen to cells and tissues, also has a protein structure.

Second, proteins are made up of amino acids, eight of which are essential. That is why they are called "indispensable", since they can only be obtained from the outside, with food. By themselves, they cannot be synthesized in the body. And amino acids are not only the "bricks" of our body, but also the most important component of the exchange of water between cells and tissues. By creating pressure in the vessels, which is called oncotic, proteins prevent the flow of water from the blood into the cells, preventing their swelling and death.

Thus, the presence of proteins in the diet is extremely important.

The value of carbohydrates

And if proteins are the building blocks of the body, then carbohydrates are the main source of energy. Being in products in the form of polysaccharides, in the gastrointestinal tract they break down to di- and monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose).

The value of carbohydrates is really huge, since if they are not enough to enter the body, fats begin to be used for energy, and then proteins. A reasonable restriction of simple carbohydrates (pastry products, sweets, etc.) can really be useful, because excess fat will go away for energy, which will lead to weight loss. But a complete rejection of carbohydrates, including complex ones found in vegetables and fruits, leads to anorexia, deterioration in general condition, and a change in blood pH to a more acidic side (acidosis).

This can really be very dangerous, especially for teenage girls who want to be "perfect" so much.

Importance of fats

Many people think that the body does not need fats at all, and when compiling a menu for a teenager, it is better to do without them altogether. However, this is fundamentally wrong. Fat is also an important source of energy. In addition, hated by many cholesterol is part of the sex hormones, adrenal hormones.

Of course, excessive consumption of fats is harmful to the body. It can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, obesity. And this is the background for the development of many cardiovascular (ischemic heart disease, hypertension) and endocrine diseases (diabetes mellitus).

The best solution is to prioritize vegetable fats than animals. They are found in corn and sunflower oil, fish oil. It is interesting that sunflower and other vegetable oils have benefits for the body only in their primary form (for example, in salads), while they are of no value in fried or baked form.

What foods should be removed from the menu

To create a truly balanced menu for a teenager, you need to highlight a list of dishes and products that are not recommended or completely prohibited for consumption. Products containing an excessive amount of animal fats, easily digestible carbohydrates, should be excluded from the diet.

Such favorite foods of teenagers as all kinds of sandwiches and burgers, french fries, chips and other snacks can be called "forbidden foods". After all, they contain a large amount of cholesterol, which is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, causing a violation of blood circulation in the internal organs.

It will also be hard for those with a sweet tooth. After all, flour and bakery products, chocolates should be limited as much as possible when compiling a menu for a teenager. Only the use of one or two sweets per day or one bun is allowed. And for teenagers who are overweight, these products should be completely removed from the diet. It is better to replace them with fruits for a teenager. We already know the dangers of eating simple carbohydrates.

Among drinks when compiling a menu for a teenager, preference should be given to plain water. For a change, you can also quench your thirst with freshly squeezed juices. Factory juices and sodas are high in sugar.

Teen Diet Rules

Before moving on to dietary examples, it is worth analyzing general rules which must be adhered to when providing proper nutrition for a teenager. In addition to the recommendations that have already been indicated in the previous sections of the article, it is also worth noting the following rules:

Eat in small portions, leaving a slight feeling of hunger when eating. After all, the feeling of satiety does not come immediately after eating, it must take time for the impulses from the stomach receptors to reach the hunger center in the hypothalamus and tell him that the food has arrived. This "delay" often leads to situations where the teenager eats too much.
The main meal should be in the morning. Many are accustomed to eating a small portion of breakfast or not having breakfast at all, but to eat up in the evening, having come from school. However, this is fundamentally wrong. The peak of digestion activity occurs in the morning hours, so food is best absorbed at this time.
The last meal should be at least 2 hours before bedtime. Many people know about the rule "do not eat after 6", but it is not entirely logical. If a teenager goes to bed at 20:00, then, of course, this rule is true for him. However, does anyone know a teenager who goes to bed at 20:00? So, if he goes to bed at 24:00, it is perfectly acceptable to eat at 22:00. But again it is worth recalling, do not overeat.
The best way to cook food: stew, boil or bake.

The oldest nutritional myth

Soup is not a mandatory dish in a healthy diet for a teenager! Perhaps this phrase will surprise many. After all, we all remember how mom worried every day whether we ate soup today. Yes, this is a really good dish. Boiled meat, vegetables, liquid. However, with the same success, you can eat a salad and drink it with a glass of not cold water. Moreover, soups are also different. In those rich, fatty soups that our grandmothers love to cook so much, there is nothing useful at all. Therefore, if your child likes soup, and he eats it with pleasure - to health, if not, you should not force him.

Examples of dishes for the menu

Simple and delicious food can also be healthy! Mom does not need to spend a lot of money buying food in eco-shops and spend the whole day cooking. Here are examples of dishes that take only a couple of hours to prepare, and you can feed the whole family with them:

cottage cheese casserole with pumpkin and dried apricots;
baked fish with vegetables;
pumpkin porridge with rice;
boiled sausage.

Cottage cheese casserole with pumpkin and dried apricots

Who doesn't love cottage cheese casserole? Many housewives know her recipe from their mothers and grandmothers. However, let's diversify this a bit. healthy recipe, adding pumpkin and dried fruits to it. Dried apricots will be best combined with pumpkin. Casserole is the perfect option for a light and healthy dinner.

pumpkin - 200 g;
cottage cheese - 300 g;
eggs - 2 pcs.;
dried apricots - 50 g;
sour cream - 2 tablespoons;
water - 0.5 cups (100 ml),
sugar - to taste, 2-3 tbsp. l. (if the child is not a big sweet tooth, you can limit yourself to 1 tablespoon).

Cooking steps:

Cut the pulp of the pumpkin into cubes, simmer in a saucepan with a thick bottom until soft.
Mix cottage cheese with sour cream and carefully crush until smooth. Add dried apricots (previously finely chopped), eggs and sugar to the mixture. Mix.
When the pumpkin is cooked, it is necessary to knead it to a puree-like consistency. After cooling, add to the curd mixture.
Evenly distribute the curd-pumpkin mixture in a greased butter baking form. Put in the oven at 180 degrees. Duration of baking - 30 minutes (until a golden crust appears on the dish).

Baked fish with vegetables

Unfortunately, it is often quite difficult to get teenagers to eat fish. However, it is indeed a necessary product in the diet, which is the main source of phosphorus. Below is a recipe for a delicious fish dish for a teenager.

What we need for cooking:

sea fish (ideally - mackerel or pink salmon);
hard cheese - 100 g (salty farm cheeses are considered the most useful, since they do not contain vegetable fats);
carrots - 1 pc.;
onion - 1 pc.;
lemon - a few slices.

Cooking steps:

Well clean the fish from the bones, cut off the head. Rub the cleaned carcass with salt.
Cut the onion, grate the carrots and cheese, mix and add salt to taste.
Cut the fish lengthwise from one edge, but not completely, but so that the second edge remains untouched. Stuff the fish with vegetable and cheese filling. Also put lemon slices inside, they will soak the filling and fish so that it does not dry out in the oven.
Wrap the dish in foil and send it to the oven preheated to 220 degrees for 40 minutes.

Boiled sausage

What teenager doesn't love sausage sandwiches? It is quite difficult to wean children from it, because manufacturers add a lot of addictive flavor enhancers to the sausage. An excellent substitute for purchased sausage can be homemade boiled sausage, a useful recipe for which is outlined below.

What we need for cooking:

chicken or turkey fillet - 0.5 kg;
protein chicken egg- 3 pcs.;
sour cream - 250 ml;
salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking steps:

Grind the fillet with a blender to the consistency of a paste. Add egg whites and sour cream to the chicken paste, salt and pepper. Stir.

The minced meat must be divided into four equal parts, each laid out separately on cling film. Roll them into sausage shapes so that the film wraps them in at least three layers. The ends of the film must be tied with threads on both sides. These manipulations are necessary so that the mixture does not spread over the pan during further cooking.

Boil water in a saucepan. When the water boils, send the sausages there for 40 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a plate and let cool. Homemade boiled sausage is ready to eat!

Salads for teenagers

Few children and teenagers like salads, and vegetables in general. Fortunately, salad is such a dish that gives free rein to imagination and improvisation.

If your child loves chicken, you can make Caesar. If beef or pork - you can cook a warm meat salad. Or you can move away from any recipes. For example, an ordinary vegetable salad can be diluted with a bright berry sauce, which will surely appeal to a teenager. It also goes well with vegetables and gravy. applesauce and mustard. Improvise, come up with new tastes, then your child will definitely discover salads from a new side.

Ration for the day

Well, we already know which nutrients should be contained in the products, and which dishes should be categorically removed from the menu. We also have several simple recipes healthy meals for teenagers. It's a matter of small. It's time to create a rough daily menu for a teenager.

The ideal ratio between meals is as follows: breakfast - 25%, lunch - 35-40%, afternoon tea - 15%, dinner - 20-25% of the total amount of food eaten per day.

Breakfast: buckwheat or barley porridge on water or milk, a few pieces of boiled meat, tomato, cucumber, a glass of tea.

Lunch: baked potatoes, cabbage salad with carrots, seasoned with vegetable oil, optional soup.

Snack: yogurt / fruit biscuit / sliced \u200b\u200bfruits or berries.

Dinner: cottage cheese casserole with yogurt / baked fish.

We hope that after reading this article, you will be able to find the right approach to compiling a healthy and rational menu for a teenager!

All parents want their children to be healthy. However, few adults think about the fact that the activity of the child and his well-being largely depends on nutrition. It is especially important to pay attention to the correction of the diet in adolescents. After all, at this age, the child is going through hormonal changes. Let's talk today about what foods are needed for the growth and formation of a healthy body in adolescent children.

Stages of growing up

Every teenager goes through three stages of puberty, starting at age ten and ending at age eighteen. We invite you to consider the basic principles of a healthy diet for each of the periods of growing up a child.

Age 10-13 years old

During this life period, the child is actively growing, so foods high in calcium should be present in his diet. The lack of this element in the child's body leads to a curvature of the spine, the development of scoliosis, osteochondrosis. In addition, the risk of trauma and bone fractures increases.

Sources of calcium are traditional dairy products: cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, curdled milk, kefir. A child should eat at least 100 g of such food per day.

Age 14-16

On the this stage maturation of the body is the active formation of endocrine glands. It is at this age that teenagers suffer from acne. Limiting fatty and sugary foods in the child's diet will help improve the condition of the skin. The teenager's menu should contain vegetables and fruits containing fiber, as well as whole grains - rice, wheat, corn, oats, rye, buckwheat.

Age 17-18

The body of a teenager at this stage is practically formed, but one should not forget about proper nutrition. Under the influence of hormones, adolescents very often gain excess weight. To avoid such problems, the diet of young people should contain proteins, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Read more about what foods make up a healthy diet for teenagers, we'll talk further.

Healthy menu: principles and rules

If you want your child to develop normally, not get sick and easily endure puberty, then his diet should contain the following set of products:

Meat, fish, poultry and legumes- sources of protein, which is responsible for the muscular frame and all cells of internal organs.
Vegetables, fruits and root vegetables- contain fiber, the main task of which is to cleanse the body of toxins and toxins. In addition, these products protect cells from destruction, as they contain antioxidants.
Nuts, vegetable oils- contain healthy fats necessary to strengthen hair and nails, as well as for the health of blood vessels and joints.
Dairy products sources of calcium. The lack of this element in adolescence develops many problems in the child's musculoskeletal system.
Clean drinking water. For normal functioning of the body, you need to drink an amount of water per day at the rate of 30 mg per 1 kg of body weight.

Sample menu of proper nutrition for a teenager

Ideally, the ratio of meals for a teenage body should be as follows: breakfast - 25%, lunch - 35-40%, afternoon snack - 15% and dinner - 20-25% of the total daily food intake.

First reception food should provide the teenager with energy for the whole day, so breakfast must be in order. Breakfast options: sandwich with butter and cheese; cocoa, tea; yogurt; scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs; porridge with milk; casseroles.

Second reception food must contain liquid food. Young men in adolescence need a complex lunch with first and second courses. Lunch options: chicken broth, borscht, pickle; meat or fish with a side dish of vegetables or cereals. You can supplement this meal with fruits.

afternoon tea options: kefir and other dairy products; fruit; cracker or bread. This meal is also important as it prevents overeating at dinner.

Last reception food should be as light as possible, since in the afternoon the metabolic processes of the body slow down. Dinner options: casserole; light porridge with berries; omelette. Before going to bed, it is recommended to drink a glass of milk with honey.

As you can see, there is nothing difficult in organizing proper nutrition for a teenager. In addition, such a diet is suitable for an adult organism. Eat right and be healthy!

During adolescence, the body grows and develops rapidly, various physiological systems rebuild their work. Therefore, it is very important to monitor what and how a teenager eats. Parents can easily control the diet of infants, preschoolers and younger schoolchildren. It is much more difficult to keep track of the nutrition of adolescents: young people manage their time much more freely, they often have to eat in the absence of adults, snack on the go, dry food. Therefore, adolescents often have diseases of the stomach and intestines, such as gastritis, colitis, and metabolic disorders. Among the diseases of adolescents, diseases of the musculoskeletal system are in the first place, the gastrointestinal tract is in the second place, and metabolism is in the third place. The occurrence of these diseases, as a rule, is associated with malnutrition.

Adolescence is a period of rapid growth, restructuring of body systems, puberty. Often, systems and organs do not develop at the same pace. Teenagers have an increased appetite. But you can’t let them eat everything, you need to carefully monitor the diet.

The energy metabolism of a teenager differs from that of an adult. If an adult at rest consumes an average of 1 kcal per 1 kg of weight per hour, then a 12-year-old boy needs 1.8 kcal under the same conditions. Physical activity a teenager is on average higher than that of an adult - on average, he spends about 600 kcal per day on movement. Enhanced growth of bone and muscle tissue also requires additional energy expenditure: 60-100 kcal per day. In general, the daily energy consumption of a teenager is 2400-2500 kcal. In order for the body's needs to be satisfied, a teenager must eat food worth about 3000 kcal per day, and if he plays sports, then 3100-3500 kcal. The task of adults is to carefully monitor the calorie content of children's food, especially on those days when a teenager is facing big physical exercise.

Not only the calorie content of food is important, but its quality composition. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates should be 1:1:4. At this age, the process of building tissues is underway, so adolescents have an increased need for proteins. The average protein requirement for a teenager is about 100 g per day. It is preferable to eat proteins of animal origin, which are found in meat, poultry, fish. Vegetarianism growing young man strictly contraindicated - this can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which is already common among adolescents, especially girls. The level of iron in the body of a teenager should be monitored especially carefully: intelligence, immunity, and resistance to infections depend on it. To maintain the required level of iron in the body, foods such as beef, veal, and liver are best suited. Sausages and frankfurters, so beloved by teenagers, cannot be compared with well-cooked meat in their value, but it is still better to use them than to do without meat at all.

A teenager should also receive about 100 g of fat. Fats are high in calories and they are used by the body for energy, and the acids that make up dietary fats are important for building cells. Such acids are found in vegetable oils - such oils should make up 1/5 of all fats in a teenager's diet. Consuming enough vegetable oil also favorably affects the condition of the skin, which is very important for puberty. It is important to follow the correct ratio between proteins and fats.

Carbohydrates, easily absorbed by the body, serve as its main source of energy. A teenager needs about 400 g of carbohydrates per day. If there are more carbohydrates than the body needs, then fats are formed from them - thus, excess body fat appears in the body.

A teenager must definitely get enough minerals from food, especially calcium and phosphorus, which are necessary for bone growth. The most favorable ratio of calcium and phosphorus in food for absorption is considered to be 1:1, 7, that is, approximately 1500 mg of calcium and 2500 mg of phosphorus per day. A lack of calcium leads to diseases of the musculoskeletal system: osteochondrosis, osteoporosis, scoliosis and other posture disorders, as well as caries. The main sources of calcium in food are milk, dairy products, especially cottage cheese. Teenagers need to drink milk - high-calorie, not skim.

Adolescents have an increased need for vitamins. If the diet contains natural products, fresh vegetables, fruits, then the child naturally receives the required amount of vitamins.

In the spring, when there are not enough vitamins in food, teenagers become drowsy, their working capacity decreases. During this period, artificial vitamin preparations should be used. However, it is advisable to coordinate their use with a doctor.

Often teenagers suffer from excessive thinness or vice versa fullness. If during this period you do not correct the beginning deviations in metabolism, later this can lead to serious diseases, such as atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension and metabolic syndrome. Adolescents with such deviations need individually selected nutrition. In cases of weight disorders, especially overweight, diets are acceptable, but they must be well thought out and supervised by a specialist. In this case, the teenager should be explained which foods he can consume without restrictions and, on the contrary, the use of which foods will lead to further weight gain and even disruption of metabolic processes. You should also increase physical activity, if they were low. It is important not only to get the amount of essential nutrients and energy the body needs, but also to properly spend this energy through physical education and sports.