How to Help a Teen Choose a Balanced Diet

Teens enjoy a busy schedule filled with school, friends and extracurricular activities. With teens still growing, good nutrition is just as important as ever. Yet, they're out with their friends eating fast food and drinking sugary soft drinks and coffee drinks. Battling teens over nutrition is a no-win situation.

Instructions

1. Look at the federal government's nutritional pyramid. Nutritionists convinced that government that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to nutrition. The MyPyramid Plan offers teens a personalized eating plan for a balanced diet.

2. Boost a teen's intake of calcium. Teens should receive 1,300 mg of calcium, or the equivalent of three cups of milk a day. While milk is the obvious choice, look at other ways to increase calcium in the diet with cheese, yogurt and calcium-fortified orange juice. Teach teens that a proper calcium intake now decreases the likelihood of problems with teeth and osteoporosis as adults.

3. Make family meals a habit at least once a day. Not only may it be your one opportunity to present your teen with healthy food options, but it is also a chance to bond with your teen. Keep mealtimes stress free by refusing to battle over food. Allow teens to make choices and stop eating when they're full rather than insisting on cleaning their plate. If your teen helps with meal planning and preparation, he is more likely to eat what is in front of him. Plus maybe he'll make wiser choices for a balanced when he's on his own.

4. Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables for better bones and overall health. Teens should choose five or more servings of brightly colored fruits and vegetables each day.

5. Curb fat intake, particularly saturated fats found in meat and daily. Choose lower fat alternatives like lean meat and 1 or 2 percent milk. Keep fat calories at 20 to 30 percent of total calorie intake.

6. Keep only healthy food in the house. This makes it easier to pack balanced school lunches or eat healthy snacks. When your 15-year-old son gets cravings at midnight, he'll be filling himself with yogurt or whole-grain crackers and cheese. Save the sugary, less nutritious food for occasional treats, and limit soft drinks and fruit-flavored drinks. Let your teen reach for the milk or water instead. Reward and show your love to children in other ways besides food.

7. Watch your teen's calorie intake. Teens need the right amount of calories to maintain a healthy weight. Stress healthy food and family exercise with overweight teens. Even more dangerous is too few calories resulting from eating disorders. Eating disorders are prevalent in teens as they become more aware of their appearance. Limiting intake (anorexia) and purging after binging (bulimia) can lead to serious health problems.

Tips & Warnings

• People with an eating disorder often have a distorted view of the body. If you suspect that your teen suffers from an eating disorder, let him or her know that you're worried. Make an appointment with your doctor or a medical professional who specializes in eating disorders.