Many teenagers eating an unhealthy diet
Posted by kathryn in Nutrition
It may not be surprising to many parents, but a recent survey of the eating habits of 3,800 teenagers found that many teenagers are eating an unhealthy diet. More than a third “rarely or never” eat fruit, while one in five have fast food every day and more than 90% have extra or non-essential foods (such as fast foods, lollies, crisps and sugary drinks) every day.
I’m probably more shocked that two-thirds of teenagers are eating fruit every day , particularly when you compare it to a lot of adults’ diets.
However, teenagers and their growing and changing bodies need good food. If your diet is high in junk, while it contains plenty of kilojoules, it’s almost certainly deficient in the vitamins and minerals so important for the efficient functioning of our bodies. Without a good diet teenagers are going to be more tired, more sick and more moody than they should and could be.
It’s tough getting teenagers to eat well – they’re asserting their independence and are often guided more by friends than parents. As ever, it comes back to education and . . . tapping into their vanity if necessary. Encourage your teenager to eat well because it will make them feel better, it will make their skin better, and they’ll have more energy and vitality.
21 April, 2007
Comments
reminds me of my own diet as a teenager. a sandwich consisting of pieces of hot hash brown squashed between salt and vinegar chips or chocolate and coke for breakfast. does a cherry ripe count as fruit?
Anna, Anna, I’m having palpitations just thinking about that sandwich (and all the salt it contains). I was always one of those daggy kids sent to school with a healthy lunch-box: wholemeal bread sandwich with meat and salad, fresh fruit, maybe a piece of home-made fruit slice. DEFINITELY no chips, chocolate or soft drinks.
Don’t let the word “cherry” in the chocolate bar fool you – is there anything that’s less like an actual cherry?
It’s indeed really hard to contol the eating habits of teenagers. Even if parents prepare healthy foods when their kids at home, some teenagers don’t spend much time with their parents and are more interested in hanging out with friend and eating unhealthy. Another reason for teenagers to eat unhealthy is going to parties.
I agree with you Vic, as kids get older and move into their teenage years it becomes harder and harder for parents to feed them well. Many meals are eaten outside the house and friends have more sway.
I do advise parents to keep on plugging away at the healthy diet messages and making that connection between what you eat and how you feel. Make the best meals possible available at home, encourage your kids to make more healthy choices and educate them on the effects of an unhealthy diet. Most teenagers will go off the rails diet-wise for a while, I certainly did, but if you keep up the good food messages they should eventually get back on track.
I agree with vic that parties is one of the reason for teenagers to eat unhealthy. Beers and other drinks are always served in parties and this will certainly break any diet some of them have.
If parents prevent their teenagers to go out, unhealthy eating of teenagers will probably be minimized. Their allowance gives them the freedom to eat what they want. We all know that most of the delicious foods we have are unhealthy.
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