Adolescent Health
It is important for an adolescent to practice habits such as maintaining a healthy diet and physical activity. We have provided the following information to share a better understanding of why these principles are so essential for pre-teen and teens.
A Nutritious Diet can be detrimental to an adolescent's health and way of life. Here you will learn what a healthy diet entails, as well as the benefits and consequences of eating healthy overall.
What does a Healthy Diet Look Like?
The general recommendation for a healthy diet usually requires drinking plenty of water and eating three meals a day with a variety of food groups incorporated within each meal. These essential food groups include:
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Grains
- Dairy
- Proteins
It is also important to avoid eating foods high in fats, cholesterol, sugar, and salt.
What are the Benefits of Eating Healthy?
There are countless benefits for adolescents when eating healthy, this includes:
- Setting future dietary habits for adulthood as children become more independent throughout adolescence
- Reducing the risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cancer
- Improved bone health
There are even more benefits when it comes to eating healthy, so why not start now?
What are the Consequences of not Eating Healthy?
It is important for adolescents to eat healthy because it can set them up for better health in the future. This can also help to prevent the risk of diseases such as:
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
- Overall Obesity
In general, having an unhealthy diet has also proven to cause pre-teens and teenagers to have a poor mental health. Unhealthy foods can directly affect the moods and hormones within adolescents.
What are the Challenges of Eating Healthy?
Certain factors can also make it difficult to obtain a healthy diet.
- School lunch contains food higher in fat, calories, and sugar
- Lower income neighborhoods that don't have access to healthy food
- Larger portion sizes contain between 1,200-1,600 calories, while adolescents only need about 2,300-2,500 calories a day
- Food advertisements directly targeted towards teenagers
These are some of the challenges that teens face, but it's important to acknowledge them in order to get to the right path (McNeely, et.al, 2009)
Physical Activity
Physical activity and exercise are essential for pre-teens and teens to support good health, growth, and strength. Here you will learn what the recommended quantity and quality of exercise are recommended by the WHO and other experts.
What Is Adequate Exercise for an Adolescent?
- WHO recommends 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity for ages 5-17
- The WHO also recommends muscle strengthening exercises for at least 3 days a week
The Benefits of Regular Exercise
- Reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes
- Positive cognitive and neurological function
- Improved mental health
- Increased bone strength
- Increased cell proliferation and survival (Herting & Chu, 2017.)
The Consequences of not Exercising
- Increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes
- At risk for obesity and other obesity related problems
- Poor mental health including lower self esteem and depression (Mcneely, et.al, 2009.)
Why is a Healthy Diet Important?
A healthy diet is an important factor for adolescents because it supports their growth. Bone strength, organ and tissue development, and hormone changes during this time are all processes that need to be supported by adequate nutrition. The growth spurt that many teens and pre-teens experience must be upheld by healthy foods to meet their growth needs.
Why does Significant Exercise Matter?
For adolescents, adequate amounts of exercise may help to prevent many different health conditions such as those listed above. Regular physical activity has also proven to aid in the strength of the mental health and the structures of an individual's body overall. Exercise on a regular basis is part of a healthy lifestyle that teens should begin to practice early on in order to continue habits such as these into their adulthood.
Healthy Teenager Lifestyle Tips
Want to learn more about how to encourage healthy habits in adolescents? See how you can promote a healthier lifestyle for teens!
Advice on Healthier Eating
It's easy to mistake what foods are right and wrong within a diet. Click to see more information on what specific dietary recommendations makeup a balanced diet for adolescents.
Helpful Exercise Ideas to Keep in Mind
Need more ideas on how to encourage teens to practice staying active? Here are some recommendations on how to encourage physical activity in teens, while keeping it fun at the same time!
Physical Inactivity Among Adolescents
Due to our surroundings, consuming unhealthy food on a regular basis for the sake of convenience is tempting. On top of that, today's lifestyle is becoming extremely sedentary, leaving adolescents with little to no non-exercise physical activity. Adolescents need proper nutrition and physical activity due to the constant changes their bodies undergo. They gain about 50 percent of their adult weight along with 50 percent of their bone mass during this period (McNeely, et.al 2009). Yet the quality of school lunches and physical education classes continue to decline.
By promoting proper nutrition and exercise to adolescents, they're more likely to make healthier choices that influence their future attitudes towards future lifestyles.