Acid Reflux Symptoms

Posts Tagged ‘teenage eating’

With today’s lifestyle the average teenager may find that they by no means, have healthy eating habits.In between classes they could snaffle some chocolate from a vending machine or hit the local convenience store before going to their next activity. It is tough to keep a close eye on the way that your teenager may or may not be eating.

Teenagers nowadays have a lot on their plates. They have many things that keep them on the go every day from sports practice to social events. Sometimes sitting down and enjoying a healthy home cooked meal is something they don’t want to take the time to do.

With the way that body image is portrayed today in the media, teenagers, especially girls, may also feel that if they eat too much that they will get gain weight. So grabbing a chocolate bar here or there for a quick sugar rush that will provide them with energy may be more appealing to them than sitting at home with mum and dad and eating a full meal.

The way teenagers eat is also affected by the many food fad myths circulating around in the media. They may avoid sugar totally because of someone telling them of sugar causing acne. Or, they may avoid quite innocent salad dressing because they believe the oil will do the same.

Whilst sugar and acne may be indirectly related to some degree, cutting out certain foods in their diet based on incorrect or incomplete information may not be such a good idea. Who knows what other nutrition choices they are making based on such “everybody knows” food myths.

So, what can you do to help your teenager?

As a parent there are several steps you can take to ensure that your teenager is eating well. You can provide a wholesome lunch for them as well as healthy snacks for between classes. If they have an after school activity, try to prepare something they can have “on the go”.

Try to provoke at least a little thought as to what they are eating by reducing the junk food alternatives available to them around the house.

Don’t let them skip a meal. Eating three regular meals everyday will do more for them in maintaining high energy levels and good nutrition than anything else. This additionally helps them maintain their correct weight because of the high calories in junk food causing weight gain.

Begin by buying sodas and flavored waters in low sugar form and progress to sugar-free. If you can ease them over the initial shock and complaining of drinking these products you will have helped them cut down their high calorie intake.

There are lots more things you can do. After a while they will start to occur to you. Never give up. Attempt to engender sensible and balanced eating habits in your teens without the use of force. They possibly wont “get” what you are attempting to achieve or why, and it could casue conflict if you apply too much pressure.

They may feel you are suggesting they are overweight, which could lead to hurt feelings and introspection on the subject. If you don’t watch out for them, who will? There may not be much that you can do to help them get rid of acne; however, just keep in mind that what you are doing will help them to prevent heart disease, osteoporosis and diabetes later in life.

Eating sensibly yourself to set an example is possibly the most improtant thing you can do. One thing a parent has probably learned by the time a child is a teenager is that they may not do what you say but they will do what you do!

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