Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | NXg | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest |

Snack smart

Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Care for a munch Parents should incorporate snacking in their daily calculations

Adolescence is a time of accelerated growth and increased nutritional requirements. Unfortunately, it is also a time of dieting behaviour, skipped meals, junk food, and eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa.

Poor nutrition and irrational "dieting" in teenage years can adversely affect mood, sleep, concentration, muscle mass, cardiac function, growth, menstruation and bone density.

Parents have difficulty figuring out what and how much their 13+ kids should be eating. And not knowing what the kids are snacking on in school and college makes a dietary plan nearly impossible to implement. Nearly, but not absolutely. Snacking: Parents should incorporate snacking into their daily calculations because it is a natural, healthy carry-over from childhood and, let's face it, no self-respecting teenager will avoid it.

If healthful snacks are a natural way of life in the family, children will grow up to make responsible food choices when eating out in later years.

Fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, fruit juice with no added sugar, fruit salad, milk, low fat cheese, eggs, lean meat, chicken, vegetarian pizzas, etc. are ideal snacks for older kids.

The occasional cola is fine and should not be a point of friction in the household. Remember the old proverb about forbidden fruit.

Energy: depending on age and level of physical activity, children between the ages of 13 and 18 need 1800 to 3200 Calorie per day. Visit the paediatrician regularly to ensure that the child's nutrition, growth and weight are adequate.

Balanced meals: here is a volume- based example of a daily food plan for a 13 year old on an 1800 Calorie diet: 180 ml of whole wheat flour, 600 ml of chopped fresh vegetables, 400 ml of fresh fruit, 750 ml of low-fat milk or curd, 150 ml of lean meat, beans or dhal, and 2 tbsp of sunflower oil or olive oil. This leaves enough "calorie space" for the odd samosa in the school canteen.

For an active 18 year old on a 3200 Calorie diet, the corresponding food plan would be 300 ml of whole wheat flour, 1000 ml of chopped fresh vegetables, 600 ml of fresh fruit, 750 ml of milk, 210 ml of lean meat, beans or dal, 4 tbsp of sunflower oil or olive oil and still enough room for a pizza or a burger.

Teenage girls should take a variety of iron-rich foods - liver, lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, spinach, iron-fortified cereals, etc-to prevent iron-deficiency related to menstrual losses.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail