Food Facts

Healthy Teenage Diet Tips And Guidelines

• By Rich Health Editorial Team
• March 02, 2025

If a child has been physically and emotionally healthy during the first decade or so of life, he or she is likely to go through adolescence with a minimum of problems.

 

But there still will be problems. Even under the best of circumstances, adolescence is a turbulent period when the body and psyche go through profound and often rapid changes. 

 

The period is usually trying—although in different ways—for both youngster and parents.

 

GROWING UP FOR TEENAGERS

Unfortunately, the body and mind of a teenager do not mature at the same rate. Many boys and girls are sexually mature by the time they are 13 to 15 years of age. Physically, they are ready for mating.

 

But teenagers are not ready for marriage with all of its responsibilities, including parenthood. They are not yet adults emotionally.

The events leading to healthy maturity do not occur according to a predictable timetable. Like members of any other age group, adolescents vary greatly from person to person; their physical growth and emotional development do not always proceed at the same pace.

 

The ‘average’ teenager may or may not bear a strong resemblance to the one who lives in your home.

 

All of this means that some young people will seem to be out of step with their peers. For example, shortly before puberty or in early adolescence, boys and girls pass through a period of preferring to be with members of their own sex.

 

This is a natural and valuable phase of life that soon gives way to the development of an interest in members of the opposite sex.

 

The age of adolescents in a group, such as a class in school, may vary as much as two years, and boys usually reach maturity two years later than girls. Therefore, some young people may be attracted to members of the opposite sex while the rest of the group are not.

 

Or others may wish to remain with members of their own sex, while the ‘crowd,’ has gone on to conventional dating.

 

The influence of the group is particularly strong at this point. Not wanting to be ‘different,’ adolescents will try hard to be like others of their own age. Sometimes this means that they rush through or even miss an important phase of their emotional development, or that they will be forced to remain in it too long.

 

THE HEALTH OF TEENAGERS

Teenagers’ diets tend to be poorly balanced. If a mother provides a well-balanced diet at home, however, there will be no great harm done if her adolescent children gorge themselves with French fries, cokes and hamburgers when they eat out with their friends.

Remember, adolescents’ appetites are enormous; they often eat more than their parents do.

 

THE RIGHT FOOD FOR TEENAGERS

As explained in this post, human beings must have proteins, minerals, vitamins and iron. Protein foods include meat, fish, eggs, and milk, and are essential for growth. Two good sources of protein should be severed at every meal—for example, an egg and a large glass of milk for breakfast, or bacon and a slice of ham instead of the eggs.

 

For lunch, there should be meat or fish or a cheese dish, plus a large glass of milk. Dinner should include a main course of fish, meat, eggs, or cheese with another glass of milk. Between meals, milk should be drunk to make a total of four glasses a day.

Milk not only supplies protein, but it is the best source of calcium and phosphorous, which are essential for building bones.

 

Vitamins should be provided by serving fruits and vegetables; both green and yellow vegetables should be included. Liver, which is an excellent source of all the vitamin B group, should be eaten once a week. A daily addition of vitamin A and D is helpful during this active growth period.

Some margarine is fortified with vitamin A, and milk usually supplies vitamin D. In addition, many parents supplement the diets of adolescents with one or two multivitamin capsules a day. Ask your doctor about this.

 

Iron is needed to ensure rich red blood cells. Girls who are beginning to menstruate may require additional iron to replace what is lost in menstrual blood. Some foods rich in iron are: lean meat (especially liver, heart and kidneys), leafy green vegetables, egg yolk, whole grain and enriched bread and cereals, potatoes, oysters, dried fruits, peas and beans.

 

TEENAGE OVERWEIGHT AND UNDERWEIGHT PROBLEMS

Being underweight to the point of impaired physical well-being is not an important problem among the vast majority of teenagers. On the other hand, being overweight is more prevalent and more serious, both physically and emotionally.

Getting young people to gain or lose weight requires the tact of a diplomat. The following suggestions apply not to only matters pertaining to health, but to other matters in which the parent must exert authority:

1. Never ridicule an overweight child. Ridicule is always cruel, and adolescents are particularly sensitive
2. Do not nag. This defeats its own purpose, especially with adolescents who are usually impatient with parental badgering
3. Give the problem serious attention, with special consideration for the particular youngster involved. Remember that teenagers should be treated as individuals, even though they tend to travel in herds and dress alike.
4. Do not gloss over the problem of overweight. While your teenager may indeed be unduly concerned about what is a purely temporary condition, it is real, distressing and painfully important to him. Give him the respect and consideration he deserves
5. Fall back upon an authority your child will respect, such as a doctor or dietitian