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Eat three meals a day Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Make sure each meal includes at least one portion of fruit or vegetables (they contain lots of vitamins and minerals) and plenty of starchy foods such as wholewheat pasta, wholemeal bread, or potatoes with their skins.
- Overview
- Why is healthy eating important for teens?
- Nutrient recommendations for teens
- How to build healthy meals
- Eating tips and a basic meal plan for teens
- It’s important to have a healthy relationship with food and your body
- The bottom line
Teenagers have different nutritional needs than adults (1).
From puberty through early adulthood, the body is in a stage of rapid growth. To support proper growth and development, teens need a steady supply of calories and nutrients on a daily basis.
A diet high in nutritious foods can benefit their overall health, but a diet that lacks essential nutrients or provides inadequate calorie intake can directly affect cognitive performance, mood, metabolic health, and more.
Plus, less healthful dietary patterns established during adolescence can increase the risk of health complications later in life (2, 3).
However, following a nutritious diet that covers the body’s needs for macro- and micronutrients can be challenging for teens for many reasons, including food preferences and availability as well as social and parental influences (1).
Plus, teens can be heavily influenced by mass media, including social media, which may have negative effects on body image, dietary intake, and more.
Adolescence is defined as the period between ages 10–19 years old. Early adolescence happens between the ages of 10–14, while late adolescence occurs between the ages of 15–19 (1).
During adolescence, the body goes through rapid growth, including changes in body composition as well as sexual and cognitive development.
Height, weight, muscle mass, and bone density increase significantly, and organs like the heart, brain, and liver grow in size. In fact, 50% of adult body weight is gained during adolescence (1).
Because adolescence is a long period of time that involves significant growth and development, it’s essential to provide the body with optimal nutrition by choosing nourishing foods and consuming enough calories on a daily basis.
Teens should learn the importance of a healthy diet and understand how to fuel themselves appropriately for many reasons, including:
•If teenagers don’t take in adequate calories and nutrients, they can experience health complications like stunted growth, delayed puberty, menstrual irregularities, and other conditions (1).
A note on gender
You’ll notice that the language used to share stats and other data is pretty binary, fluctuating between “male” and “female” or “boys” and “girls.” We recognize that these terms don’t encompass all identities and experiences. However, specificity is key when reporting on research participants and clinical findings, so we use the same language that the studies we cite use. Unfortunately, most sources didn’t report data on participants who were transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, agender, intersex, or genderless. We encourage you to talk with a qualified healthcare professional if you need support navigating how the information in this article may apply to you or a teen in your care. Was this helpful?
Calories
A growing body needs a constant supply of energy. The foods you eat provide your body with calories from the three macronutrients; protein, carbohydrates, and fat (7). Between the ages of 10–13, boys and girls have similar calorie needs. However, boys’ calorie needs increase from 14 on, while girls have the same calorie needs from ages 12–18. Here’s a breakdown of the current estimated calorie recommendations for moderately active adolescents from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (7). Keep in mind that these are calorie estimations that give a general idea of how much kids should eat at specific ages. Calorie needs change based on factors like activity levels, so you may need more or fewer calories per day. For example, teenage athletes participating in physically demanding sports may require up to 5,000 calories per day in order to maintain their body weight (8). You may want to personally estimate your teen’s calorie intake if you’re worried that they aren’t consuming enough, but remember that it’s not generally appropriate for kids to count calories. It’s linked to disordered eating behaviors, especially in young people (9, 10).
Macronutrients
Protein, fat, and carbs are macronutrients, or nutrients your body needs in large amounts. Getting enough of all three each day is important for growth and many other aspects of health (1). The current protein recommendations for kids ages 10–18 range from .38–.43 grams per pound (0.85–.95 grams per kg), depending on sex and age. However, some experts argue that current recommendations are based on outdated techniques and that many teens — like those who are highly active in sports — need much more protein than currently recommended (11). After all, protein is required for proper growth and development, including muscle protein synthesis and skeletal growth (11). Recent research suggests that teen athletes may need about .68 grams of protein per pound (around 1.5 g/kg)per day to replace amino acid loss and to support growth and development (6). Keep in mind that protein needs are highest for 11–14-year-old females and 15–18-year-old males. However, it’s important that all teens, no matter their age, have a source of protein at every meal and snack (1). In addition to protein, teens need adequate amounts of carbs and dietary fat. Like protein, needs for fat and carbs depend on factors like activity levels and sex. In general, kids require between 45–65% of total calories from carbs, 25–35% of total calories from fat, and 10–35% of total calories from protein (7). What’s more, it’s important for teens to get enough fiber in their diet from foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, and nuts. It’s recommended that teens take in between 22–34 grams of fiber per day, depending on age and sex (7).
Fueling your body with the right foods can help you feel your best and support your energy levels so you can excel in school and participate in hobbies that you enjoy.
But many teens rely on quick, convenient foods to fill up, like fast food, sweets, and packaged snack foods.
Most teens have a lot on their plate, so nutrition can sometimes take a backseat after priorities like school, sports, and social lives.
But eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult, nor does it have to exclude foods that are important to your teen’s cultural identity.
When it comes to diet, the most important thing for teens to focus on is fueling themselves regularly. Skipping meals isn’t healthy and can negatively affect mood, energy levels, and academic and sports performance (32).
Although needs vary, most teens need three meals per day plus a snack or two, depending on factors like activity levels and body size.
Keep in mind that teens who are extremely active, such as those who are participating in multiple sports, need many more calories per day and may require additional meals and snacks to maintain their weight.
In addition to eating regularly, choosing meals and snacks made up of nutritious ingredients that provide protein, fat, and carbs helps ensure teens are getting optimal amounts of macro- and micronutrients.
Now more than ever, teens are under immense pressure to look a certain way.
Studies show that exposure to social media significantly increases the risk of body dissatisfaction and body image disorders in teens, which can harm physical and mental health (35).
Social media exposes teens to unrealistic body and beauty standards as well as dangerous “diet advice,” and teens are often tempted to mimic the supposed eating patterns of influencers, models, and celebrities.
It’s completely normal to want to fit in and look a certain way, but it’s critical to never put your health at risk in order to lose weight or change your body.
Your body will change as you grow and develop, and it’s normal to experience fluctuations in body weight during adolescence.
While focusing on fueling your body with nutritious foods and staying active can help keep you healthy and happy, concentrating too much on your food choices, body weight, or activity levels can negatively affect your physical and mental health (36, 37).
Teens require a steady supply of nutrients in order to feel their best.
A healthy diet that consists of regular meals and snacks made up of nutrient-dense foods helps supply teens with the nutrients they need for optimal health.
Plus, a nutritious diet can support academic and sports performance and decrease the risk of health conditions like anxiety, obesity, and heart disease.
Healthy habits like fueling up with a variety of nutritious foods, staying active, drinking enough water, and maintaining a positive relationship with your body can help keep you happy and healthy throughout your teenage years and into adulthood.
- Jillian Kubala, MS, RD
What to feed your teenager. A healthy and balanced diet should include: At least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. Meals based on starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, pasta and rice. Choose wholegrain varieties when possible. Some milk and dairy products or alternatives. Choose semi or semi-skimmed milk where you can.
Teenagers should aim for at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Fruit and vegetables can also help to keep our skin supple and prevent spots! portion is equal to: 1 medium sized banana, apple, orange, peach. 2 small fruits e.g. plums, apricots, satsumas. handful of grapes, cherries, strawberries.
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Feb 27, 2021 · This article looks at the importance of nutrition for teens, important nutrients, what to eat and to avoid, healthy eating tips, and avoiding disordered eating.
Adolescents tend to most often fall short of their daily quotas of calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin D. Unless blood tests and a pediatrician's evaluation reveal a specific deficiency, it's preferable to obtain nutrients from food instead of from dietary supplements.
Healthy Eating for Teenagers. As your teenage years are such an important time for growth and development, eating a healthy and varied diet is essential to receive all the energy and nutrients you need to concentrate well at school and take part in sports and activities.
