Why is it important for teenagers to eat healthy foods?

Eating healthy is often hard for teens. Indulging in snacks instead of proper meals can lead to an excess intake of fat, sugar, and calories and an insufficient amount of vitamins and minerals found in healthy foods. Teens go under a rapid growth of puberty. During this time, the body has an increased need for calories and other key nutrients such as proteins, calcium, iron, folate, and zinc.

Iron Rich Foods

        Iron helps your blood carry oxygen to all your muscles. It is also a prime benefactor with helping your brain function and immune system when fighting diseases. Another thing that happens to girls during their teen years or before is that they start menstruating. During menstruation, a girl's need for iron increases. This is why choosing iron-rich food sources such as beans, collard greens, tofu, and salmon, can help keep your body working optimally.

        A teenager's body will absorb more calcium from foods you eat during puberty compared to any other stage in life. There is an increased need for skeletal growth during the teen years. This signals your body to retrieve all the calcium it can. However, most adolescents are not eating enough calcium-rich foods. With a lack of calcium during the critical teen years, your bones may end up weaker and will be more prone to fractures in the future. Experts estimate that every 5% increase in adolescent bone mass will result in a 40% decrease in the risk of bone fractures later in life.

Calcium Rich Foods

        While calcium and iron is important to a teenager's diet, reducing the amount of saturated fats is also beneficial. The problem with steak is that it contains a lot of saturated fats. Saturated fats are categorized as animal fat, which is solid at room temperature. Even though steak contains high amounts of protein that your body needs, the excess intake of lipids in steak can raise your LDL cholesterol and clock up your blood vessels. LDL is one of the two major blood cholesterol carriers. Its nickname is the "bad" cholesterol because in excess amounts, it will increase the risk of heart attack. To keep your LDL low, teens should eat lean foods to reduce their intake of fat. This is why our group is promoting the Pescetarian lifestyle.

      
By May Chan

Why be a pescetarian?

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19302.jpg

In a pescetarian diet, you are able to consume all essential amino acids, which are found in a variety of foods, while still reducing the levels of saturated fat. A pescetarian diet consists of fish and seafood and everything that a vegetarian would eat. Fish and seafood contain high-quality proteins, iron, very low levels of saturated fats, and essential Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids is highly polyunsaturated and is mainly found in higher fat and cold water fishes like salmon, mackerel, and herring. Diets that contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids will help lower levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which is a storage for of lipids. Everything a teen needs in a healthy lifestyle is found in a pescetarian diet so why consume excess amounts of fat when you can live a lean lifestyle that will benefit you in the future.


http://pescetarianlife.com/


By May Chan

Caloric Requirement of Teens

The amount of calories you get are based on many different types of variations, like age, gender, needs, size, etc. The amount of calories the normal teens, need is between 2000-2500 calories. It's important to get enough calories as a teenager because you are still growing. After the teenage years, men in most cases still need more calories than women, but again there are variations. Normal men need somewhere around 2200-2500 calories and the normal women need somewhere around 1800-2200. There are calorie calculators on the internet if you're still interested. For example, through simple calculations I learned I needed somewhere between 2400-2700 calories a day. The variation here is primarily based on my activity levels.

Pictures: http://www.chartsgraphsdiagrams.com/HealthCharts/calorie-requirement.html
Information: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

By Joseph Verghese

Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, and its Macronutrients

Carbohydrates are composed of simple carbohydrates (sugar), complex carbohydrates (starch), and fiber. Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy in your body. Carbohydrates also has many other smaller functions. Carbohydrate intake is not a precise number due to different factors like weight and needs, but 60-100 g is about the amount a teen should be getting. Carbohydrates are the ones you should get the most of, but reasonable moderation is still necessary. Carbohydrates are found in bread, fruit, vegetables, candy, and milk to name a few.


Proteins are composed of amino acids (which contain elements like nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen). Amino acids, in simple terms are the building blocks of proteins, the individual units. There are many different types of amino acids. Proteins primarily build and repair body tissue like muscles and bones, form enzymes and hormones, and many other smaller but important things. Protein intake varies for each person based on weight and needs, but the normal teenager will probably need somewhere around 70-100 grams. Proteins are found in eggs, chicken, and fish to name some. For vegetarians, you can find them in nuts, beans, and lentils.

Fats are made of fatty acids which themselves are basically composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are basically two kinds of fat, saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fat is one you want to take the least of but it tastes better. Unsaturated fat is healthier for you but it doesn't taste the same as saturated fat. Fat is often shown as something negative due to modern society but fats cushion your body’s organs, maintain healthy skin, and provide energy to name a few. Another kind of healthy fat are the Omega-3 fatty acids which help you avoid cancer, keep your mind running normally, and it maintains and supports heart and vascular health. Cholesterol is often looked upon negatively too, but cholesterol is important as a teen as long as you take the right amounts. To make a long story short, HDL (high density lipoprotein) is the "good" cholesterol and LDL (low density lipoprotein) is the "bad" cholestrol. Intake is about 65-80 grams of fats and is based on needs. Healthy fats are found in avocados, nuts, and olives to name a few. Bad fats are found in meaty foods like cheeseburgers and in some pastry-type foods.

Pictures and Information: http://www.teachnet.ie/gmcweeney/2003/index.html

By Joseph Verghese

Limits and What to Avoid

Pescetarianism is very similar to vegetarianism except for one major difference, seafood. Pescetarian's in many cases are healthier than vegetarians and vegans. If you are a vegetarian you have to rely on other sources of protein since you may not eat meat. They usually rely upon nuts, seeds, beans, soy and dairy. Vegans may not eat meat, or any animal product, so they may not eat dairy. Vegans or Vegetarians have hard times eating enough protein since their options are so limited, but pescetarians have a whole other source of protein, seafood and fish.

Pescetarian are allowed to eat seafood and fish, in many ways, a compromise between being an omnivore (eating meat and plant products) and being a vegetarian or vegan. Though pescetarianism is healthier and a better source of protein, fish and seafood can be high in mercury, so you must limit yourselves and target the fish lowest in mercury. Some fish low in mercury are: butterfish, flounder, herring, salmon, shrimp and freshwater trout. Some fishes to avoid are: marlin, swordfish, halibut and tuna. In most cases larger fish have more mercury.

by Jessie Bersson

Three Day Meal Plan

Day 1

Breakfast: 3 ounces of almonds

o Almonds are a good source of niacin (B2),calcium and protein.

Lunch: 1 baked potato

o Potatoes are a good source of Thiamin, Niacin (B3), Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium.

Snack: 2 ounces of dried apricots

o Dried apricots are a good source of calcium, Beta Carotene and vitamin A.

Dinner: Whole wheat pasta with corn oil and 2 ounces of spinach on the side

o Whole-wheat pasta is a good source of thiamin, folic acid, Vitamin B5, Selenium and Zinc.

o Corn oil is a good source of Vitamin E.

o Spinach is a good source of Vitamin A, Beta carotene, Niacin (B2), Vitamin B6, Folic acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Chromium, Fluoride, Iron, Manganese, Riboflavin and Zinc.

Day 2

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs

o One 70-calorie egg contains a total of 12 essential vitamins and minerals (selenium, riboflavin, iron, phosphorous, calcium, niacin (B3), vitamin A, Vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D, Protein and zinc.

Lunch: 8 ounces of tofu with peanut sauce

o Tofu is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Protein, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Copper and Selenium, and a very good source of Calcium, Protein and Manganese.

o Peanuts are a good source of Thiamin (B1), Riboflavin, Niacin (B3), Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Protein, manganese and Phosphorus.

Snack: 1 orange

o Oranges are good sources of Beta Carotene, Vitamin C and potassium.

Dinner: 6 ounce seared salmon with a scoop of brown rice

o Salmon is in low in mercury and a good source of Thiamin (B1), Niacin (B3), Vitamin B6,Vitamin D and protein.

o Brown rice is a good source of Thiamin (B1), Vitamin B6, Biotin, Magnesium, Manganese and Phosphorus.

Day 3

Breakfast: 3 ounces of oatmeal

o Oatmeal is a good source of Vitamin B5, Folic Acid, Vitamin E, Biotin, Magnesium and Manganese.

Lunch: Salad (lettuce) with vinaigrette

o Lettuce is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Iron and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folic Acid and Manganese.

o Vinaigrette is low in cholesterol.

Snack: 4 medium sized pieces of Broccoli

o Broccoli is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Riboflavin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Potassium and Manganese.

Dinner: Tofu-Spinach Lasagna

o Tofu is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Protein, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Copper and Selenium, and a very good source of Calcium, Protein and Manganese.

o Spinach is a good source of Vitamin A, Beta carotene, Niacin (B2), Vitamin B6, Folic acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Chromium, Fluoride, Iron, Manganese, Riboflavin and Zinc.

By Jessie Bersson