The teenage years are a time of growth and becoming more independent. Teenagers start to make more of their own decisions, including the foods that they eat. You may wonder if it really matters what you eat when you are young. How important is it to eat healthy foods and live a healthy lifestyle when you are in your teen years?
Teenagers should develop healthy eating habits and a good relationship with food and with their body. Those habits and relationships will likely stay with them into their adult years. Their growing bodies and minds need lots of nutrients, so teenagers need to eat foods that are nutrient dense and also foods that they love.
Read on for more information about why healthy eating is important for teenagers, how to help teenagers develop healthy eating habits, and the best things for teenagers to be eating.
Risks of Unhealthy Eating Habits in Teen Years
Maybe you have heard that unhealthy eating can have negative effects, but what does that really mean? Consistent poor eating habits can lead to more immediate consequences as well as issues that could come up down the road. It might be difficult for teenagers to see how their eating habits could affect their future health, but it is something to be aware of!
Some potential risks of unhealthy eating habits include:
- Trouble sleeping
- Poor athletic performance
- Increased stress
- Increased anxiety and depression
- Trouble concentrating
- Poor performance in school
- Weight gain
- Constipation
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Obesity
- Eating disorders
- Etc.
These outcomes shouldn’t be used as a way to scare teenagers into eating healthier. Instead, I think it is usually more helpful and motivating for teenagers to live a healthy lifestyle when they focus on the benefits that they get from doing so. If they are able to notice a difference in how they feel, they are more likely to desire keeping up with those healthy habits.
Why Do Teenagers Have Poor Eating Habits?
It might seem like poor eating habits are just a phase of life that teenagers go through. While this isn’t really true for all teenagers, there are some common eating habits that often begin in the teenage years.
There are many reasons why poor eating habits could develop in the teenage years. Here are just a few:
- Teenagers often spend more time out of the house and more time with friends
- Teenagers might have a job in fast-food or something similar that impacts their eating
- Teenagers tend to stay up later and can have wacky schedules
- Teenagers are influenced by tons of social pressures to look and act a certain way
- Teenagers that participate in extracurriculars can find themselves extremely busy and stressed with all the things they have to do
- Teenagers may struggle to get enough sleep with busy schedules and early school start times
How Do Average Teenagers Eat?
Most teenagers do not have a good understanding of nutrition and how it can impact their body. I blame this for some of the poor eating habits, not just in teenagers, but in people of all ages!
Here are some common eating habits I see among teenagers. Maybe some of them resonate with you or your teen.
- Skipping breakfast due to lack of hunger or oversleeping
- Distracted or mindless eating, often related to boredom or not being able to put away the screens
- Emotional eating to deal with stress, pressure, and other emotions
- Going long periods of time without eating because they don’t have food available, forget to eat, or don’t have time to take a break
- Eating more fast-food because they are out with friends and away from home
- Not getting a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat each time they eat
- Not eating enough fruits and vegetables
- Relying on caffeine for energy, especially when they are not getting enough sleep
- Etc.
Maybe there are more that you can think of to add to the list. However, I believe with a little bit of nutrition education and a desire to feel your very best, many poor eating behaviors in teenagers can be turned around.
Is it Normal for Teenagers to Eat a Lot?
If your teenager seems to eat non-stop, this is usually pretty normal. Teenagers are in a period of growth and development, processes that require more energy. A lot of teenagers are very active as well, involved in sports, in school, working, or participating in other extracurricular activities.
If you are concerned about your child’s eating habits, you shouldn’t make them feel ashamed or overly worried- this can only lead to more problems. A dietitian can help educate you and your teenager about proper nutrition and also about learning to listen to their body’s hunger and fullness cues to know when they are satisfied.
Balanced Nutrition Tips for Teens
Understanding nutrition and the body can get complicated really fast, but the basics of nutrition are simple enough for everyone to understand. If teenagers can apply the basic nutrition principles, they will be set for the rest of their life!
Here are the nutrition tips that I think are most important for teenagers!
- Eat breakfast. After your body has gone for several hours without eating while you are asleep, it really needs a boost of energy to get going in the mornings. Eating breakfast helps regulate your hormones and give you the energy to do everything you need to!
- Don’t go long periods of time without eating. Did you know that if you let your body get overly hungry, you are actually more likely to overeat and choose less healthy foods?
- Eat a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat at every eating occasion. Carbohydrates provide energy for your body and protein and fat help to sustain that energy so that it can last much longer (fat and protein do other helpful things for the body too).
- Eating something is better than eating nothing. In a perfect world, we would want meals and snacks to all be super balanced and nutrient dense, but that is not always possible! Rather than ignoring hunger cues, I would rather teenagers eat something, even if it isn’t super balanced or “healthy.”
- Do not restrict foods. Many people get the misconception that eating healthy means cutting out “junk food.” Teenagers need to understand that all foods have a place in a healthy diet, even if they are not as nutrient-rich as others. Restricting foods can actually lead to food obsessions, disordered eating, binging, and feelings of guilt and shame.
- You can eat at night after dinner. Eating a ton of carbohydrates right before going to sleep might not be the best idea because your body doesn’t need a ton of energy when it is winding down for the day. But, if you feel hungry before bed, having a higher protein snack might actually improve your sleep!
- Eat mindfully. Listen to what your body is trying to tell you. Choose foods that you enjoy and that feel nourishing to your body!
- Remove distractions. Put the cell phone away and shut off the TV. Take a step away from homework while you eat. These simple things will help you be more mindful as you eat so that you can more clearly hear your body’s cues!
- Try to include a fruit or vegetable at every meal and snack. If that seems too overwhelming, just start somewhere!
- Don’t forget about the non-nutrition aspects of health too! Teenagers should also be getting enough sleep, managing their stress levels, and getting daily exercise.
What is the Best Meal Plan for Teenagers?
The best meal plan for teenagers is one that feels satisfying and that meets individual nutrient and energy needs. A meal plan should help you eat healthy and balanced, but should never feel restrictive or limiting.
Since everyone’s body is a little bit different, your needs might be different than another person’s needs. That is the benefit of working with a registered dietitian. They can sit down with you and figure out what works best for your situation!
While it might help teenagers to think through and plan what they will eat for meals and snacks, don’t feel confined to following a set plan every day. Meal planning with a dietitian is an opportunity to learn more about food and your body so that you can make healthy food choices without having a set “plan.”
As a Registered Dietitian, I have written up several different Meal Plans catered to active teens and teen athletes. They are available on my website, or from Amazon.
Summary
Eating “healthy” doesn’t mean not eating any treats or avoiding the foods you love. In fact, a healthy diet is one that includes all of those foods plus other nutrient-dense foods that you also love!
Teenagers should never view healthy eating as restrictive. They should focus on what they can add rather than on what they need to take out. Maybe that means adding in more fruits and vegetables, more physical activity, more mindful eating strategies, or more sleep!
As teens recognize the benefits of healthy eating and taking care of their body, they will likely be more motivated to form those healthy habits that will stay with them and improve their long-term health!
Resources
Thomas L. How fast food affects children’s health. News-medical.net. Updated August 23, 2018.
Fueling Teens is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in other affiliate programs which compensate us for referring traffic.
