Why Is It Important?

Do you see that last chocolate bar sitting on your kitchen table, with a bowel of broccoli sitting close by? Which one do you grab? Like any average teen he or she would grab the chocolate bar. Why? This is because most teens would prefer the sweet tasting taste of the chocolate bar than the vitamin enriched broccoli. The most obvious truth is that the chocolate may seem like a good option but in terms of health; the bowel of broccoli is probably the better alternative.
Probably a better alternative

Living a healthy life is very important for every teen, especially during this period of time where your body does the most changes. This healthy lifestyle would help any growing teen as it helps prevents a lot of health-relate diseases and problems. An example of a health-related disease and problem is obesity. Obesity is a health-related problem since it increases the amount of fat in the body to an unhealthy level, which could lead to other medical issues like diabetes and coronary heart disease (Which is the leading cause of death in America, causing about 425,425 deaths in 2006).

Most of these problems and diseases are caused because of an unhealthy lifestyle, but with this blog you could help prevent these issues for you and loved ones by reading things like:

- How to determine your caloric intake
- The different types of Macronutrients
- What types of food to limit
- A recommended 3-day meal plan

Info From:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4478
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/risk-factors/

Daily Caloric Intake

Calorie intake is important to living a healthy lifestyle for teens. Well, what is caloric intake? Caloric intake is simply the amount of calories a person takes in over a period of time. Well, why is this important for me? This is very important because, to put it simply, it deals with so many aspects of a healthy lifestyle. This is why it is a good idea to know what your caloric intake is and what is the recommended amount of calories you take in, which is hard to do, especially during the teenage years.

Things like activity level, gender, and age (ex. 14-18) all affect a teenager's recommended caloric intake. For example, a male who is moderately active and is between the ages 14-18 needs a different amount of calories than a female who is also moderately active between the ages of 14-18. This is also why determining caloric intake is hard for a teenager, because during this phase the human body undergoes a lot of changes. Things like muscle growth and other uncontrollable things like height are some examples of change. There are ways, however, to see a good estimate on a person's caloric intake like using a caloric intake calculator.

Remember, that caloric intake is important for a healthy lifestyle, because if a person does not watch his or her intake it could result in various health diseases.

Calculator: http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx

Info from:
http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx
http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/teen-calorie-intake.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Understand-Teens-Calorie-Intake&id=1503530

Fats

When you hear the word "fat" you think of a cheeseburger, or a slice of pepperoni pizza, in other words, stuff that would be better left uneaten, right? Well, that statement is half-right. While it is true that a lot of fats, especially saturated fats, can be found in cheeseburgers and the like, that doesn't mean that fats are always bad. In fact, we need fats in order to survive. With that said, that DOESN'T mean that you should scarf down as many hot dogs, french fries, and pizzas as possible. You need to moderate how much fats you eat, and what kinds of fats you eat. Fatty fish, for example, have fat in them, but they also have Omega-3 which is a healthy and important mineral. Other important fat rich foods are nuts, olives, canola oil, and avocados.

Carbohydrates

Another type of macronutrient is a carbohydrate. What is a carbohydrate? Well, besides being another macronutrient, it is also an important nutrient that we need in our bodies. It provides the immediate energy that our bodies need to perform daily activities like walking from place to place or playing outside.

Carbohydrates or "Carbs" are considered "unhealthy" or "something to avoid for weight loss". This may be true, but is only unhealthy for a teenager if taken in unhealthy amounts just like fat. You see there are two types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are also called simple sugars are made up of two different monosaccharide to form a disaccharide. Simple sugars can come in many forms like fructose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, and lactose. Some examples of simple sugar foods are lollipops, white sugar, and energy drinks.An example on simple sugars


The latter (complex sugars) are, as the name states, more complex than its other counterpart. The reason why complex sugars are more complex is because they are comprised of hundreds of monosaccharide that link together. This form of carbohydrates takes a longer time to break down, which results in a longer form of energy than simple sugars. Forms of complex sugars are Fiber and Starch. Starch is a complex sugar that breaks down into simple sugars then into glucose, where it can provide energy for the body. Foods that contain starch are bread, cereal, potatoes, and pasta. Fiber is another form of complex sugars and is the things that cannot be digested in the body, but help regulates the food through the digestive system. Examples of fiber are nuts, whole-grain, and bran foods.
A good source of complex sugars!

Carbohydrates are very important in living a healthy lifestyle. They are the main source of energy that the body needs to perform daily tasks and activities, without them we would feel lousy and tired. The two forms that carbohydrates come in are simple and complex sugars. They both provide a source of energy, but the main differences are that simple sugars are good for an immediate source of energy, while complex sugars provide energy for a longer time. Both are very important, but it is recommended that teens limit the amount of simple sugars they take in and raise the amount of complex sugars they eat.

Info From:
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=1264
http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/carb.html#
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates/
Word Docs from Lifetime Fitness Large class

Pictures From:
http://thejewishstar.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/gatorade-20-oz-line-up1.jpg

Proteins

It's breakfast time. Presented food choices are sugary and sweet Cinnamon Toast Crunch served with whole milk, or a healthier chicken sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce served on whole wheat bread with a tall glass of orange juice. Which is the healthier option? The answer is very clear. The chicken sandwich and orange juice. The chicken sandwich is filled with proteins which can help your body get through the first few hours of the day.

Sometimes, however, the choices aren't always as simple as this. Now it's 11:30. You're hungry for lunch now. You brown bagged another one of those chicken sandwiches, an apple, and a bottle of water. However, one of your classmates is willing to trade your healthy lunch for his lunch: A Big Mac, a large fries, and a can of root beer is what he has to offer. Most teens would jump at this opportunity, after all, a Big Mac has meat in it, which has protein, so it should be healthy, right? Wrong. It may have meat, but that meat is a red meat, which happens to be loaded with saturated fats. The chicken sandwich, on the other hand, is a white meat, and has a lot less saturated fats than a Big Mac.

During adolescence, protein is needed in much greater amounts, especially in boys. This is because during adolescence, most of your muscle cells begin to develop at a much faster rate. You need protein in order to aid in their growth. Not just any protein, though. You need lean protein in order to stay healthy. Red meats have too much fats to be considered healthy in the long run.

Info from:

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/diets-for-teenagers-3096.html

http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Healthy_Diet_for_Teenagers

Foods To Limit

There are some foods that every healthy teen needs to limit. I mean, everybody has to have a limit on everything, but these foods you have to limit more. When I say limit, I don't mean halt yourself from ever touching that type of food again, I really do mean limit. As you have learned in earlier posts, the body needs certain macro nutrients and if you cut off all supply of the certain macro nutrients you need, you won't be able to survive.

You should try to avoid foods that are high in saturated fat, like a big mac, or a double quarter pounder. Saturated fats are linked to many different problems such as increased risk of heart disease/heart attacks, obesity, and many other different things. The fatty deposits can get stuck in your blood vessels, and eventually cause a heart attack.

Try to avoid food with a high amount of sodium. Sodium is important for your health because it helps blood vessels hold water, but you should try to limit your intake of sodium because too much sodium can put your health at risk. Too much sodium will cause you to be thirsty until the sodium-water ratio is put into order, and too much water will cause your body to pump more blood, which will make the heart work harder, which leads to high blood pressure, which increases the chance of cardiovascular disease. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, recommends less than 2,300 mg of salt per day (About 1 teaspoon)

You should also try to avoid foods with too much sugar in them. Not because they cause diabetes, as most people would think, but because too much sugar can cause changes in your liver and can cause a change in the amount of lipids in your body, or it may cause your body to store the sugars as fat, depending on what type of sugars they are. The body needs carbohydrates for energy, and sugars are one way to receive them, but too much can cause devastating effects to your health and to your body.

You can tell most of the time whether or not the product you are eating has too much of the macro nutrient you are looking at through the nutritional facts usually located on the back. Be wary of the serving size though, because the nutritional facts are based on one serving only, and one package may contain multiple servings.

Sources/Links:
helpguide.org
mypyramid.gov
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081203205947AAd6oUe

3-Day Meal Plan

In order to stay a healthy teen, it is important to include all the macro nutrients that were talked about in this blog in all your meals. I have developed an example of a good 3-day meal plan that you can follow if you would like. You may create your own meal plan, but it has to include the right amount of each macro nutrient and the right amount of caloric intake for it to be a well balanced meal plan.

Day 1:
Breakfast:
2 boiled eggs
1 slice of whole grain bread
1 cup of 1% milk
1 banana

Snack:
1 Apple

Lunch:
Turkey & Cheese sandwich
(Whole wheat bread)
(Cheddar Cheese)
(Lettuce)
(Tomato)
1 cup of 1% milk
1 orange

Snack:
1 cup of carrot sticks

Dinner:
Spaghetti with meatsauce & mushrooms
One slice of buttered toast
1 cup of 1% milk

Day 2:
Breakfast:
a bowl of oatmeal
2 table spoons of rasins
1 cup of 1% milk

Snack:
1 cup of strawberries
Low fat cool whip

Lunch:
Tuna sandwich
(wholewheat bread)
1 orange
1 cup of 100% orange juice

Snack:
1 cup of grapes

Dinner:
2 BBQ Chicken Thighs w/ sauce
1 cup of green beans
1 corn on the cob w/ butter
1% milk
1 whole wheat dinner roll

Day 3:
Breakfast:
2 scrambled eggs
1 whole wheat toast
(2 teaspoons of grape jelly)
1 cup of 1% milk

Snack:
An Apple

Lunch:
1 pepperoni pizza slice
1 cup of garden salad
(2 tablespoons of low fat Italian dressing)
1 cup of 1% milk

Snack:
1 cup of low fat chocolate pudding

Dinner:
2 cups of Stove-top Macaroni & Cheese
1/2 cup of peas
1 cup of % milk

Keep in mind though, that eating healthy is only part of it. You have to have at least an hour of physical activity each day because it is important to your health.

Sources/Links:
mypyramid.gov