Dietician Kendrin Sonneville specialises in teenage nutrition, and notes that, though adolescents become more and more autonomous, they still need your help as ‘Balancing school, sport, social activities and work presents a major challenge to eating healthily’. Many teens skimp on the foods that could aid their growth and development, by missing meals and choosing processed and convenience foods over fresh. This means your teen is getting too much fat, salt and sugar, and not enough of the fibre, vitamins and minerals essential for his or her health, both now and later on in life.
Firstly, consider calcium. This nutrient is often overlooked but it is critical to bone density and development. Girls aged 11 to 18 need 800mg of calcium a day, and boys of the same age need 1000mg. Milk is a great source of calcium as it is often fortified with vitamin D, which also helps to maintain healthy bones. The amount your teen needs is equivalent to roughly 4 225ml glasses of milk a day, one glass of which translates to 225g of yoghurt, 40g hard cheese, 225ml calcium-added orange juice or 450g (16oz) low-fat cottage cheese. Hard cheeses are rich in calcium, though they lack vitamin D, but certain yoghurts contain both.
Next, your teenage girl needs extra iron as it’s vital for transporting oxygen to every cell in the body. Girls between 14 and 18 years old need about 15mg per day, where as boys in the same age range need about 11mg. Iron deficiency is common in adolescent females as iron travels in red bloods cells, which are lost in great quantities during menstruation. Iron is crucial for a teen’s brain function, immunity and energy level, and you can find it in both animal and plant foods, such as beef, poultry, eggs, clams, beans, nuts and vegetables such as spinach, green peas and asparagus. You can also get iron-fortified breads, cereal, rice and pasta, as well as multivitamins.
To get your teen eating these vital nutrients, as well as their 5-a-day, paediatrician Dr David Geller advises ‘Each child is different, but most teens are motivated by having more energy for school and sports and looking their best’. Although you shouldn’t focus too much on your teen’s weight loss as a positive motivator, as teens are at high risk of developing eating disorders.
However, learn to pick your battles as power struggles over food can make your teen ‘respond by over- or under-eating just to assert his independence’ says Sonneville. Dr Geller adds that ‘you’re giving teens the skills to use now or at a later date’ through education and the provision of healthy foods at home, and ‘that’s about as much as you can do.’