nutritions for teens

Nutrition Know How

What you eat has a life long effect on your health and well-being. To look and feel good, you have to eat adequate amounts of the proper foods. Many teenagers don't always choose the food that is best for their health. They may not want to eat what the rest of the family is eating or they may eat poorly at school, although the food at the school cafeteria is required by law in the United States to meet certain nutritional standards, you may not be eating their food.

Nutrition... Nutrition... Nutrition... Adults are always talking about good nutrition and eating the right foods. Isn't it enough to eat the things that we enjoy eating? Not necessarily, unless you like eating foods rich in vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. Sounds boring? It doesn't have to be. If you are going to eat well you have to take some of the initiative and responsibility for what you eat. You'll be doing your family a big favor as well as learning how to take care of yourself.

Nutrients build your body and allow it to function. Each nutrient has at least one specific job, and no other nutrient can cover for any of the others. Because you need many different nutrients to stay healthy, you have to eat a wide variety of foods in order to get all of them. If you stick to just one or two favorite foods, you'll run short of the nutrients you must have to stay well.

A lot of the foods that we like to eat don't have much nutritional value. These foods are referred to as "junk food" = empty calories, because while they provide calories that can be turned into energy, they don't provide much else in the way of things our bodies can use.

There are six types of nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. In simple terms, nutrients are the chemicals that your body gets from food. If your body gets the right fuel, just like a car, it will run smoother. Nutrients in food allow your body to break down the food you eat into energy so can use function. When you go for a run, swim a few laps, or even talk on the phone you are using energy that your body has produced. When you are taking a test, you're using brain power, which is really energy that is coming from the food you had last night for dinner and this morning for breakfast. One nutrition key is to never skip breakfast, especially the morning of tests. Your body has not received energy for more than 12 - 15 hours and will not be able to function at its peak without that boost you get from food.

Protein
Every single cell in your body is made up of protein. Hair and fingernails consist of fibers of protein called keratin. Collagen is the protein that strengthens your skin, blood vessels, bones and teeth. Even your muscles are held together by the protein fibers called myosin and actin. In fact, about one-fifth of your body weight is protein. Every chemical reaction that takes place in your body -- that is a lot -- is dependent on proteins. These important nutrients help us build new cells and repair damaged body tissue. Because your tissues are constantly being destroyed and rebuilt, and because unlike carbohydrates your body has no means to store protein, you must make sure you get enough of this important nutrient to keep all your vital processes functioning. During digestion, large molecules of protein are broken down into smaller, simpler units called amino acids. The body requires 22 amino acids in specific patterns to make human protein and thus do its necessary functions. Your body can produce all but nine of these amino acids. The nine that can not be produced are called essential amino acids because they must be supplied by your diet. In order for your body to properly use proteins, all of the essential amino acids must be present in your system. A food that contains all the essential amino acids is called a complete protein. Examples of foods high in protein include: meats, fish, lentils, nuts, dairy products such as cheese or yogurt and beans.

Carbohydrates
Most of our energy comes from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are chemical compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They provide us with calories which can be converted into energy. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple, which are sugars, or complex, which are starches. It's a good idea to try to eat more complex carbohydrates because your body get longer sustained energy from these foods. Examples of complex carbohydrates include: potatoes, pasta, bread, rice, lentils, cereals and fruits and vegetables. Compare these to the simple carbohydrates such as cookies, candy bars and other sugar foods which provide a quick jolt of energy, but then leave your body craving more. These simple carbohydrates are known as "empty calories" because they lack vitamins, minerals, fiber or anything of value to your system.

Fats
While too much fat is bad for your health, we do need some to survive. By cutting down on your fat intake you can reduce your chances of developing heart disease or cancer, not to mention staying in better physical shape and maintaining a healthy weight. There are three types of fat: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats are the worst type because they raise the cholesterol level in your blood, which can lead to heart disease. The more saturated the fat is, the more solid it will appear at room temperature. This includes animal products such as butter, cheese, milk and meats. Monounsaturated fats are the types in nuts and fruit and polyunsaturated fats are found in oils. If you are trying to reduce the fat content in your diet, try broiling rather than frying your food, use skim milk rather than whole milk, use low-fat salad dressing or yogurt, and cut down on red meats.

Fiber
Okay, you are right, there is no nutritional value in fiber. But we do know that fiber absorbs water, helping both keeping away hunger pangs and to keep the colon healthy by allowing bowel movements to be regular. softer and easier to pass. Fiber has an important role in protecting us from certain diseases, such as heart disease, high blood cholesterol, some cancers and bowel conditions. It also can keep us leaner (people who eat a lot of fiber are less likely to be overweight). Fiber is present in the cell walls of all plants, but is NOT found in any food obtained from animals. It can be found in all foods of plant origin like fruits, vegetables and nuts. It is also found in unrefined breads, cereals, brown rice, corn kernels and beans. Cellulose and pectin, found in all stringy vegetables and apples (and other fruit) cannot be digested, but they are important as roughage.

Water
Our bodies are about two-thirds water, and we need to ensure that we keep up this balance in order to remain healthy. That's why it is recommended that you drink at least eight glasses of water every day. This will keep all your organs hydrated so that they can function properly, and water also helps to flush toxins and other impurities out of your body. Water serves many other crucial functions including: respiration, digestion, metabolism, body temperature regulation and excretion. Water is also responsible for dissolving and transporting nutrients through the body. Only oxygen is more important to sustaining human life than water. So, drink a tall glass of water and stay healthy!

From Your Plate, Not a Pill

Sure you can buy vitamins and minerals in bottles, but the best source of them is from the foods you eat. Since different foods have different vitamins, the best way to make sure you're covered is to eat a variety of foods everyday. Here is another time when "Pyramid Power" comes in handy. Remember, lots from the bottom, less from the middle, and a little from the top. This should ensure a healthy diet that will keep you full of energy and healthy. If your life is very, very hectic, a vitamin supplement can help make up for what you may be lacking in your fast-paced life. There are other times too when a vitamin supplement is necessary, like when you are healing from surgery or a wound. So, vitamins from a bottle are important at times and for many medical conditions.