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Nutrition for Teenagers

The teen years are characterized with spurts of growth and development that are accompanied by physical and emotional changes. The life of a teenager today is fast paced and their food preferences are often different from what their parents may have in mind for them. Most of the food and beverages that have come to become popular with teenagers are found to lack in the essential nutrients and are rich in salt, sugar and refined flour. These foods provide the calories without the nutrients. The health and nutrition of growing children is of utmost importance to give your child a head start in life. You can achieve a healthful, nutritious eating pattern with many combinations of foods from the major food groups. Choosing a variety of foods within and across food groups improves dietary patterns because foods within the same group have different combinations of nutrients and other beneficial substances. However all the required nutritional requirements of teenagers are often not met in their daily meals. It is important to understand the specific needs of the body at this crucial age and provide a nutritional supplement.

Calcium is one of the most important nutrients for the growing teenage body. Bones are living tissue that change constantly, with bits of old bone being removed and replaced by new bone. Help your adolescent child think of his or her bones as a bank account, where (with your help) your kids make "deposits" and "withdrawals" of bone tissue. During childhood and adolescence, much more bone is deposited than withdrawn as the skeleton grows in both size and density. The amount of bone tissue in the skeleton (known as bone mass) can continue to increase until your child reaches his/her mid-20s. Magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D are also important for bone health and foods rich in these should be incorporated in meals.

Iron is a mineral needed by the body in the production of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying part of blood. Without adequate supplies of iron in the body, ATP (cellular fuel) cannot be properly synthesized; thus leaving the child constantly fatigued. In teenage girls the intake of iron needs to be given special attention due to the start of the menstrual cycle.

Vitamins are a group of chemically unrelated, organic nutrients that are essential in small quantities for normal metabolism, growth and physical wellbeing. Ensure that the supplement includes Vitamin A, which maintain good eyesight and avoid related disorders. It is necessary for growth of bones and reproduction system and is found to build the body's immunity system. It also helps with skin problems often that are common in the teen years. Vitamin C is found in foods such as citrus fruits and promotes overall body functioning. It helps in the healing of wounds and broken bones and also assists in the formation of hemoglobin and red blood cells in bone marrow.

Vitamin E helps the body recover from wounds and burns and also improves muscle strength. It also eases menstrual problems. The Vitamin B set of nutrients look after different aspects of body maintenance. While vitamin B1 maintains normal functioning of the nervous and muscular systems, vitamin B2 is a powerful antioxidant and helps in treating infections and stomach ailments. Vitamin B3, B6 and B12 should also be provided in the nutritional add-on as should be folic acid.

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