Rosalee Brown
This is the final of a three-part series focusing on your child's nutrition in observation of Child Month.
ADOLESCENCE CAN be a turbulent time for parents and adolescents alike, as it relates to food and other choices. This is a period of rapid development and growth and members of this age group seem to be always hungry and eating. This need for increased food intake is paralleled by their growth pattern.
This increased energy need is accompanied by the need for adequate proteins, vitamins and minerals. Minerals such as iron and calcium are very important for the development of muscle mass, to replace blood loss during the menstrual period and to assist with the rapid increase in skeletal structure. Because of the limited food choices by members of this age group, these nutrients can be insufficient in their meals.
Adolescents are also greatly influenced by their peers and the media, and many advertising campaigns for fast foods and juices are directed at them. They enjoy foods which are easy to eat, informal, do not require utensils, can be had on the run, inexpensive and modelled by popular media personalities. These easy-to-eat foods are often high in energy, but often also high in fats, sodium, sugars and void of valuable fibre.
FAST FOOD OPTION
However, often these easy-to-eat foods form the bulk of the intake of this age group, as they often miss breakfast, and opt for these types of foods from tuck shops at schools. Many adolescents will also have more of the same for lunch, although cooked lunches have become a popular offering, not only from the school canteen, but also from vendors at the school gate.
Fast food outlets in urban centres offer specially priced packages for this age group as well. Many adolescents, with their busy schedule, will often get home late, often refuse dinners prepared at home and opt for fast foods or snacks instead.
This can be a trying time for parents, as adolescents often insist that they are full and do not require home-cooked meals, but will be seen snacking throughout the night. Parents need to offer nutritious snacks and quick food choices for them, such as fruits, milk-based drinks, nourishing sandwich fillings and breads. Great focus should also be placed on weekend meals when families can eat together.
Adolescent males and females should be consulted on food purchases, and asked to assist in meal preparation. Parents should be role models, as adolescents learn more from example than preaching. Adolescents are also faced with image issues at this stage of development and transition; males often want to increase chest, biceps and triceps muscles, and girls become concerned with the increase in hips and bust. They therefore go through periods of dieting and inappropriate eating to change body image. These periods of dieting and inappropriate eating are often misdirected and can lead to poor eating habits.
CHRONIC DISEASES
These poor eating behaviours, along with a lot of time spent sitting around the television, computer games and other sedentary behaviour, can fuel overweight and obesity, exacerbating their poor eating habits, thereby causing even more inappropriate eating to change their unwelcome image. Obesity is a leading cause of chronic diseases and is on the increase among this age group.
Families should enjoy a variety of nutritious foods together, along with increased physical activity for recreation and daily chores. This is the last opportunity for parents to greatly influence the eating habits of their offspring and ultimately the health and well-being of the next generation.
Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/
nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
