Where Adolescents Go Wrong

During adolescence, children have re-entered the age of rapid growth, where they are constantly hungry. Providing measured and well-balanced meals becomes increasingly difficult, and many adolescents succumb to excessive and ill-considered snacking. Many studies indicate that this kind of snacking can lower nutritional density of one's entire diet.

The majority of adolescents in the United States are not nearly satisfying their necessary daily intake of fruits and vegetables (2.5-6.5 cups) or whole grain (2-3 oz), and eating way too much sodium. Instead, empty calories form added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for adolescents, impacting the overall quality of their diet. On average, adolescents, both male and female, drink double the amount of full-calorie soda than their intake of fluid milk.

In terms of vitamins, adolescents are typically deficient, but heavily reliant in terms of nutrition, on vitamin D, folic acid, calcium and iron.

VITAMIN D:
FUNCTION: strong immune system
RECOMMENDED FOODS: milk and cereal

FOLIC ACID:
Folic acid deficiencies in adolescents are often the result of skipping meals and low consumption of fruits and vegetables
RECOMMENDED FOODS: green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, peas

CALCIUM:
FUNCTION: strong bones
RECOMMENDED FOODS: yogurt, cheese, rice

IRON:
Without sufficient iron, many adolescents develop anemia
RECOMMENDED FOODS: meats, legumes, green leafy vegetables