Introduction

Food is great, but do you really know what healthy eating can do for your body? Healthy eating gives you the energy, vitamins and minerals that your body needs, improves your performance and energy level in sports, helps maintain a healthy weight and even help you reach maximum height! Wow! But, there are also different kinds of foods needed for different people! Active people, especially growing teens, are going to need different kinds, amounts and types of foods in order to keep going during activity!

Recommended Caloric Intake

Teenage Girls (12-17): 1800-2100 calories/day

Teenage Boys(12-17) : 2200-2700 calories/day

The "correct amount" of caloric intake depends on how active the teen is, what body type the teen is and what restrictions of food the teen has. Since we are focusing on an active/athletic teen, an active teen may need more calories for more energy. An example of this would be a teenage soccer player will need more calories per day (for more energy) than a teenage golfer and the golfer will need more than a teen who sits at home or in the classroom all day. If a non active teen is eating as many calories as the active one, chances are the non-active teen is going to be overweight. We also have to remember that there are good and bad kinds of calories. That is true in all types of food. The good parts can help your body, and the bad parts do just the opposite. There are calories in everything we eat but good "fuel food" should include nutrients as well. Good examples of these kinds of foods are Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats, the three main macronutrients.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_normal_calorie_intake_for_teenagers

Macronutrients

Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates, also known as Carbs, are made up mainly of sugars, starches and fiber. They are your primary source of energy as well as protecting the muscles. Carbohydrates Are stored as glycogen in your body. Glycogen is glucose in "storage form". The body looks for glycogen first when energy is needed. Although the amount may differ, the recommended intake of carbohydrates is from about 55%-75% of you daily value of calories. This number can also depend on many factors mentioned earlier. Grains, Fruits, Veggies, Pasta, Dairy Products, Beans and Sugar are good examples of good carbohydrates. Again, there are better sources than others. Sugars are good sources of simple carbs but are not as nutritious as fruits of vegetables, which also offer Vitamin A and C, as well as the carbs.

Proteins:
Proteins are also a very important nutrient for your body. They are made up of amino acids and they produce enzymes, hormones and other substances the body uses. It is a important factor in the immunity system as well as helping to building or repairing body tissue. Why is it important for an active teen? It helps stabilize energy and stamina for the body and prevents fatigue. Protein makes up about 45% of the body so we need about 10%-20% of our daily value of calories. Some good sources of protein includes Fish, Poultry, Dairy Products, Beans and Soy. The most known sources of Protein are Meats and Fishes. Many people think that if you eat lots of protein, you will get big muscles or you will be able to exercise long. Both of these things are not true. Although you do need protein in order to have energy, but just eating protein won't give you muscles. The protein will give your muscles the energy and stamina to exercise but you need to actually do the exercise in order to gain muscle.

Fats:

When you hear the word "Fat", what comes to your mind? "Bad!!!!" or "Don't Eat!!" But did you know that our body needs fats? Some fats are even good for us! These fats are called unsaturated fats. These include Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats. Most unsaturated fats are plant based, with the exception of Palm and Coconut oils, which are very high in saturated fats, and are made up of fatty acids. These kinds of fats are better for you as they don't raise your LDL cholesterol (the bad one) which can lower your risk of heart disease as well as raise your HDL cholesterol (good one). Although this is a very good thing for your body, all fats still have 9 calories per gram in them, making them a high calorie food, either saturated or unsaturated. Saturated Fats, although it is in many tasty foods, can raise you LDL cholesterol and don't spoil easily. Now what does that tell you? Most saturated fats are animal based and should only be 10% at the most of your daily calorie intake. Unsaturated Fats should be lower than 30% of you daily calorie intake. Saturated Fats can be found in Butter, Coconut Oil, Meat and Unsaturated Fats can be found in Avocado, Vegatable Oils and most commonly, Oily Fish. You shouldn't be afraid of Fat, just smart and now that everything needs to be balanced.

(1) http://www.buysteroids.net/carbohydrates.php

(2) http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch152/ch152b.html

Food & Exercise

So if I eat right I'll be healthy right? Sort of. We, especially teens need to make sure that we have exercise light-to-moderately at least once a day for at least 60 min(Equal to brisk walking). Teen athletes are some of the most in-shape people and it takes healthy eating and exercise to keep their bodies that way. Teens that are active need more nutrients than an average teen because they need to replenish their bodies with nutrients that keep them going. Carbs are a main source of energy and after exercise or before exercise an athlete should eat some grain, starches, and some sugar to replace the amount of carbs that they used in their exercise. Replenishing these nutrients are extremely important for athletic teens because it helps their bodies balance the two most important things that growing teens need: food and exercise.

(1) http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/sports/eatnrun.html

Making Healthy Food Choices

Okay, so I should eat carbs, proteins, fats and walk around. I'M HEALTHY! Not quite... Although lots of different foods have carbs and proteins in them, some are much better than others. Making simple changes to your diet like eating brown rice instead of white, whole grain bread instead of white, whole wheat pasta, organic eggs, fresh fishes and not packaged or processed foods and more can change your body's nutrient level. Making good food choices can be difficult so here are some tips to help you!

- Eat 3 meals a day (Don't skip, especially breakfast)
- Teens shouldn't diet
- Eating at a good slow pace can help your digestive system
- Make sure sugar intake isn't too high!
- Try boiling instead of frying etc.
- Cut off most fat and skin of meats

- Reduce the amounts of certain food, don't eliminate them

- Drink water and milk, soda just fills you up with air

1) http://www.nutrition.com.sg/he/heteens.asp

Three Day Meal Plan

Day 1:

Breakfast:
- Whole Wheat Bagel (1 tbsp of butter if desired)
- Half a Banana
- 1 cup of Orange Juice

Lunch:
- Taco Salad (Romaine Lettuce, Tomatoes, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Lean Ground Beef and Salsa)
- 1 Sliced Apple
- Water Bottle

Dinner:
- Whole Wheat Angel Hair Pasta (Bottled Tomato Sauce, Lean Ground Beef)
- 1-2 Homemade Garlic Bread (Whole Grain Bread, Minimal Butter and Chopped Garlic)
- Small Toss Salad (Light Balsamic Vinegarette Dressing, Croutons)
- 1-2 Cups of Milk

Day 2:

Breakfast:

- 1 Serving of Cereal w/ Skim Milk

- 1 Banana

Lunch:

- Ham and Cheese Sandwich (Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo if desired)

- Half an Orange

- Water

Dinner:
- Beef Stew (Lean Beef, Tomatoes, Onions, Sauce, Small Amount of Salt)
- 1 Serving of Brown Rice
- Spinach Salad (Spinach, Minimal Dressing)
- Skim Milk

Day 3:

Breakfast:

- One Whole Wheat English Muffin (2 tsp butter if desired)

- One Small Orange

- One Cup of Milk

Lunch:

- Vegetable Soup with White Beans

- Slice of Whole Grain Bread

- Eight Baby Carrots

- One Cup Orange Juice

Dinner:

- 3 Ounces Roasted Chicken Breast

- A Half of a Baked Potato

- One Cup Leafy Green Salad (Arugula, Romaine, 3 tsp vinaigrette is desired)