0 Healthy Diet Plans for a Teenager

With a significant proportion of teenagers being overweight in many countries of the world, eating light and being lean is what they cherish. The ideal advice for healthy diet plans for a teenager is one which emphasises positive dietary choices. You should not only prepare the plan but also serve what you have jotted down. With three meals full of nutrition daily, including snacks that are healthy for heart, you would have done a favour to your teens.

A Balanced Diet Plan for Teenagers

The diet plan for a teenager should not be based on the latest fad, and neither should it be a crash diet for losing weight. Nutritionists or health experts preparing diet plans for teenagers should take into consideration their present nutrition and evaluate the possible patterns of healthy eating throughout their lives.

Considerations for a good meal plan for teens:

• For example teen girls are in need of 1800 to 2400 calories per day, variations based on height and level of physical activity.
• Boys need calories between 2200 and 3200 with the same basis of variation. However, both are in need of 1300 mg of calcium.
• Foods such as orange juice, fortified cereals, low fat dairy, nuts and leafy greens can provide calcium.
• Carbohydrates should form half or more of the foods eaten daily. A quarter up to one-third of calories should be derived from fats.
• 10-30 per cent of calories should come from proteins.
• If a teen has two healthy snacks every day, it would provide the required nutrition. An example of such a snack is rice flakes with peanut butter or apple.
• Whole grains, fruits and vegetables provide the much needed fibre for preventing unreasonable pangs of hunger.

Sample meal plan for teens

You need to be choosy about your foods when considering various diet plans for teens. For example, avoid chicken salad sandwich and you can include any other sandwich. Limit the intake of macaroni, pasta, rice and cheese to a portion size of less than half a cup.

You can let your kids have these foods once they lose weight. Bear in mind that children less than 11 years of age can easily get rid of one kg in 2 weeks. If the programmes of diet are followed well, the results are very quick in teens.

Sample good meal plans for teens should also be based on the conditions with which a teen is suffering from. Certain foods are not suitable for asthmatics, while some are allergic to different types of foods.