A Guide for Teenagers! Take Charge of your Health! - By: Discounts

A Guide for Teenagers! Take Charge of your Health!

Does your life move at a hectic pace? You may feel stressed from school, after-school activities, peer pres-our busy schedule may lead you to skip sure, and family relationships. Ybreakfast, buy lunch from vending machines, and grab whatever is in the refrigerator for dinner when you get home.

Where is the time to think about your health? Yet healthy behaviors, like nutritious eating and regular physical activity, may help you meet the challenges of your life. In fact, healthy eating and regular exercise may help you feel energized, learn better, and stay alert in class. These healthy habits may also lower your risk for diseases such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.

Did you know?? From 2003 to 2004, approxi-mately 17.4 percent of U.S. teens between the ages of 12 and 19 were overweight.

Overweight children and teens are at high risk for devel-oping serious diseases. Type 2 diabetes and heart disease were considered adult dis-eases, but they are now being reported in children and teens.

Dieting is not the answer.

The best way to lose weight is to eat healthfully and be physically active. It is a good idea to talk with your health care provider if you want to lose weight.Many http://www.discountsvu.com>teens turn to unhealthy dieting methods to lose weight, including eating very little, cutting out whole groups of foods (like grain products), skipping meals, and fasting. These methods can leave out important foods you need to grow. Other weight-loss tactics such as smoking, self-in-duced vomiting, or using diet pills or laxatives can lead to health problems.In fact, unhealthy dieting can actually cause you to gain more weight because it often leads to a cycle of eating very little, then overeating or binge eating. Also, unhealthy dieting can put you at greater risk for growth and emo-tional problems.

Take Charge.

What You Can DoThis booklet is designed to help you take small and simple steps to keep a healthy weight. It gives you basic facts about nutrition and physical activity, and offers practical tools that you can use in your everyday life, from read-ing food labels and selecting how much and what foods to eat, to replacing TV time with physical activities.

Healthy EatingEating healthfully means getting the right balance of nutrients your body needs to perform every day. You can find out more about your nutritional needs by checking out the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Published by the U.S. Government, this publica-tion explains how much of each type of food you should eat, along with great information on nutrition and physical activity. The guidelines suggest the number of calories you should eat daily based on your gender, age, and activity level.According to the guidelines, a healthy eating plan includes:? fruits and vegetables? fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products ? lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts ? whole grains

In addition, a healthy diet is low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars.When it comes to food portions, the Dietary Guidelines use the word “servings” to describe a standard amount of food. Serving sizes are measured as “ounce-” or “cup-equivalents.” Listed below are some tips based on the guidelines that can help you develop healthy eating habits for a lifetime.

Eat fruits and vegetables every day.
When consumed as part of a well-balanced and nutritious eating plan, fruits and vegetables can help keep you healthy.You may get your servings from fresh, frozen, dried, and canned fruits and vegetables. Teenagers who are consuming 2,000 calories per day should aim for 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables every day. You may need fewer or more servings depending on your individual calorie needs, which your health care provider can help you determine.

Count your calcium.
Calcium helps strengthen bones and teeth. This nutrient is very important, since getting enough calcium now can reduce the risk for broken bones later in life. Yet most teens get less than the recom-mended 1,200 mg of calcium per day. Aim for at least three 1 cup-equivalents of low-fat or fat-free calcium-rich foods and beverages each day.

Power up with protein.
Protein builds and repairs body tissue like muscles and organs. Eating enough protein can help you grow strong and sustain your energy levels. Teens need five and one-half 1 ounce-equivalents of protein-rich foods each day.

Go whole grain.
Grain foods help give you energy. Whole-grain foods like whole-wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal usually have more nutrients than refined grain products. They give you a feeling of fullness and add bulk to your diet.Try to get six 1 ounce-equivalents of grains every day, with at least three 1 ounce-equivalents coming from whole-grain sources.

Know your fats.
Fat is also an important nutrient. It helps your body grow and develop, and it is a source of energy as well––it even keeps your skin and hair healthy. But be aware that some fats are better for you than others. Limit your fat intake to 25 to 35 percent of your total calories each day.

Unsaturated fat can be part of a healthy diet––as long as you do not eat too much since it is still high in calories. Good sources include:? olive, canola, safflower, sun-flower, corn, and soybean oils ? fish like salmon, trout, tuna, and whitefish? nuts like walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and cashews Limit saturated fat, which can clog your arteries and raise your risk for heart disease. Saturated fat is found primarily in animal products and in a few plant oils like:

? butter? full-fat cheese? whole milk? fatty meats? coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils Limit trans fat, which is also bad for your heart. Trans fat is often found in:? baked goods like cookies, muffins, and doughnuts? snack foods like crackers and chips,? vegetable shortening? stick margarine? fried foods Look for words like “shortening,” “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil,” or “hydrogenated vegetable oil” in the list of ingredients. These ingredients tell you that the food contains trans fat. Packaged food products are required to list trans fat on their Nutrition Facts.

Replenish your body with iron.Teen boys need iron to support their rapid growth––most boys double their lean body mass between the ages of 10 and 17. Teen girls also need iron to sup-port growth and replace blood lost during menstruation. To get the iron you need, try eating these foods:?

fish and shellfish ?

lean beef? iron-fortified cereals ? enriched and whole-grain breads ? cooked dried beans and peas like black beans, kidney beans,
black-eyed peas, and chick-peas/garbanzo beans ?

spinach Control your food portions.The portion sizes that you get away from home at a restaurant, grocery store, or school event may contain more food than you need to eat in one sitting. Research shows that when people are served more food, they eat more food. So, how can you control your food por-tions? Try these tips: ? When eating out, share your meal, order a half-portion, or order an appetizer as a main meal.

Plan meals and snacks.You and your family have busy schedules, which can make eating healthfully a challenge. Planning ahead can help. Think about the meals and snacks you would like for the week––including bag lunches to take to school––and help your family make a shopping list. You may even want to go grocery shop-ping and cook together.

jumpstart your day with breakfast.Did you know that eating breakfast can help you do better in school? By eating breakfast you can increase your attention span and memory, have more energy, and feel less irri-table and restless. A breakfast that is part of a healthy diet can also help you maintain an appropriate weight now and in the future.

Bag it! Pack your lunch.Whether you eat lunch from school or pack your own, this meal should provide you with one-third of the day’s nutritional needs. A lunch of chips, cookies, candy, or soda just gives you lots of calories, but not many nutrients. Instead of buying snacks from vending machines at school, bring food from home. Try packing your lunch with a lean tur-key sandwich on whole-grain bread, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, low-fat yogurt, and nuts.

Snack smart.A healthy snack can contribute to a healthy eating plan and give you the energy boost you need to get through the day. Try these snack ideas, but keep in mind that most of these foods should be eaten in small amounts:

? fruit––any kind––fresh, canned, dried, or frozen? peanut butter on rice cakes or whole-wheat crackers ? baked potato chips or tortilla chips with salsa? veggies with low-fat dip? string cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, or low-fat yogurt? frozen fruit bars, fruit sorbet, or low-fat frozen yogurt?http://www.discountsvu.com> vanilla wafers, graham crackers, animal crackers, or fig bars? popcorn (air popped or low-fat microwave)

Eat dinner with your family.For many teens, dinner consists of eating on the run, snacking in front of the TV, or nonstop munching from after school to bedtime. Try to eat dinner as a family instead. Believe it or not, when you eat with your family you are more likely to get more fruits, vegetables, and other foods with the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Fam-ily meals also help you reconnect after a busy day. Talk to your family about fitting in at least a few meals together throughout the week. Limit fast food and choose wisely.Like many teens, you may eat at fast food restaurants often. If so, you are probably taking in a lot of extra calories from added sugar and fat. Just one value-sized fast food meal of a sandwich, fries, and sweet-ened soda can have more calories, fat, and added sugar than anyone should eat in an entire day. The best approach is to limit the amount of fast food you eat. If you do order fast food, try these tips:? Skip “value-sized” or “super-sized” meals.? Choose a grilled chicken sand-wich or a plain, small burger.? Use mustard instead of mayon-naise.

Rethink your drinks.Soda and other sugary drinks have replaced milk and water as the drinks of choice for teens and adults alike. Yet these drinks are actually more like desserts because they are high in added sugar and calories. In fact, soda and sugar-laden drinks may contribute to weight problems in kids and teens. Try sticking to water, low-fat milk, or fat-free milk.

PhysicalActivityLike eating well, physical activity may help you feel good. Being physically active may:? Help you control your weight, build lean muscle, and reduce your body fat.? Strengthen your bones. ? Increase flexibility and balance.? Reduce your risk for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Physical activity also has possible emotional and social benefits, including:? Improving your self-esteem and mood.? Decreasing feelings of anxiety and depression. ? Helping you do better in school.? Improving your teamwork skills through sports.

By Following all this steps you can be healthy and Active.

About the Author

Rathish Kumar http://www.discountsvu.com

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