How to Deal With a Teen's Crazy Eating Habits

While healthy eating is critical for well-being, most teenagers fail to meet the recommended dietary requirements. Their eating habits are often strange, they miss family meals, skip breakfast and often receive the majority of their calories from processed and high fat foods. Read on to learn how to deal with a teen's crazy eating habits.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A selection of healthy foods
• A tolerant, encouraging attitude

1. Teens believe they can do whatever they want with their bodies, and criticism is never helpful or effective. You need to provide your teen with a variety of healthy choices and then allow her to decide when and how much to eat.
2. Teens eat a lot of fast food because it's convenient, cheap and social. You need to educate your teen about fast food. Help them make better choices at a fast food restaurant. Recognize that this will be part of their lives but that they do have some healthier choices. Encourage your teen to make healthier choices.
3. Encourage your teen to drink milk. A low intake of calcium is common among teens, especially girls. The lack of calcium can impair cognitive functioning and put girls at risk for osteoporosis later on. Serve milk at home.
4. Have a supply of healthy, ready to eat foods available for your teen to eat in the morning. Teens would rather sleep than eat. If you provide fruit, yogurt, cereal bars and other easy to grab foods, they are more likely not to skip breakfast.
5. Teens model their parent's behaviors. If you obsess about your weight or severely restrict calorie intake, your teen is likely to do the same. Encourage healthy eating in place of dieting. Be aware of dangerous habits that can lead to eating disorders.
6. If your teen suddenly becomes a vegan or begins a raw food regimen, encourage her to eat healthy foods within her limitations. Remember, experimenting is part of being a teenager.

Tips & Warnings

• Discourage soda and caffeine drinks.
• Snacking can be beneficial to teens, especially if they are eating foods that are dense in nutrients.