Introduction

Eating healthy while being a teen is very important because it predicts what your adult eating habits will be. Many diseases start affecting your body in your developing years and it’s easier to stop them from happening before they even begin.  Obesity is defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on your health. In this blog, we are going to talk about how to help reduce obesity and why it is important not necessarily to diet, but to choose the right foods to help fight obesity for teens. This blog is mostly about nutrition but it’s important to also get the right amount of exercise for you.

 

By: Heather Foti

Caloric Intake

According to the Weight Loss Center, the average amount of calories a teenage girl should consume between the ages of 11 and 14 is 2,200 and 2,500 calories for boys. The average amount of caloric intake is not the same for every teen in fact, the caloric requirements for a teenager varies depending on the teen’s weight, age, and activity level.

            Compared to an average active teenager, an inactive obese teenager should consume fewer calories than an average active teenager to maintain their weight because he or she will burn fewer calories. Avoiding junk food and other high calorie snacks and meals can make a big difference in losing extra pounds without starving yourself.

            According to the University of Iowa Health Care Program, “Excess calorie consumption plays a major role in being overweight.” To lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume. To lose a pound, you would have to burn off approximately 3,500 calories. To avoid obesity, its important to avoid fast food or take-out stores because approximately one fast food meal on average can add up to 1,200 calories which is about half of the daily average calories needed.              

 

What is a Calorie?

            A calorie is “A unit of food energy”, according to MedTerms.com. Women Republic states “One calorie is the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius”. If you consume fewer calories than your body needs you can damage your body because it can lead to anything from skin diseases to bone diseases. Consuming too much calories than your body needs, the extra calories will be stored as fat over time. An obese teenager who is not active should eat lower than the average caloric intake amount to avoid gaining more weight.

 

Importance of Macronutrients

Macronutrients by definition means a substance required in relatively large amounts by living organisms. It is broken up into three groups, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. They are daily necessities that help us function and do the things that we need to do to keep our bodies healthy. It is very important for us to get the right amount of macronutrients so that we can exercise.

 

Carbohydrates

           Carbohydrates are very important because it is a form of energy for your brain. It also is the main source of energy and provides fuel (glucose) in order for your body to function properly. Carbs (short for carbohydrates) are made up of sugars, starches, and cellulose, glucose units. Carbs break down into glucose which then turns into glycogen, which is a form of sugar your body uses to function.

The recommended intake of Carbs per day is around 50 %. This information is based on the average suggested amount, meaning that the numbers are based mostly on your gender, weight, age, and activity level.

Some healthy carbohydrates we suggest are:

-       Grains, cereal, vegetables, fruits, pasta, beans

 

Fats

            Fat in our diets is very important because it is one of the main sources of energy that our bodies need. Fat is needed to prevent essential fatty acid deficiency and to help absorb essential vitamins such as vitamins A, E, and K. It protects vital organs in our bodies and is an excellent storage space where our bodies stores backup food for when our blood sugar runs low. It also insulates our body to help keep us warm. Fat is made up of triglyceride molecules.

The average daily intake of fat for a teenagers should be around 35% of their daily intake of calories. Of course this percentage can range based on weight, activity level, age, and gender.   

Some healthy fats that we suggest are:

-       Olive oil, avocado, hazelnuts, canola oil

 

 

Proteins

         Proteins are very important for our bodies because they help build and repair muscles and other tissues. Protein is made up of amino acids. There are 22 amino acids and 8 of which are found in proteins. The ones found in protein are called the essential amino acids and our bodies need them to survive. Our bodies cannot produce them so its very important for us to have them in our diet.  Protein also helps our bodies fight diseases.

            The recommended intake of protein per day is about 15% of your daily caloric intake.

Some healthy proteins we suggest would be:

-       Meat, Eggs, Almonds, Yogurt, Peanut butter           

 

By: Heather Foti

 

 

http://www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk/teens/health/dear_doc/archive/d/diet_rda.html

http://www.indoorclimbing.com/Protein_Requirement.html

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0922553.html

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch152/ch152b.html

http://www.eatingdisordersonline.com/nutritional/fats.php

http://www.abscofitness.com/importance-of-protein-in-our-diet.htm

Healthy Eating

For a healthy diet you need to get all of your nutrients. The nutrients you need to eat are grains, fruits and vegetables, proteins, dairy proteins, and healthy fats. You need to eat fiber rich foods such as whole grains, vegetables and fruits. You also need to balance out your healthy, nutrient rich foods with moderate amounts of sweets and fats.

There are a number of basic steps to help eat healthily. It takes 20 minutes until you feel full so if you slow down while you eat you will become full faster. If you eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full you won’t overeat. You should also cut the skin and fat off of your meat and avoid getting too much sugar. To vary your meals you can stir-fry, grill, microwave or bake your meal instead of deep-frying. You can also use different herbs and spices instead of more fattening toppings such as butter, margarine and gravy.

All of your meals should contain fibrous foods, proteins, carbohydrates, and lots of water and fluids. To get proteins there are a variety of foods you can eat such as lean meats, eggs, low fat milk, cheese, yogurt, soybeans (and regular beans) and nuts. For your carbohydrates you should eat a lot of wheat and grains like rice and potatoes. Some people don’t like all fruits and vegetables, but you can choose which fruits and vegetables you eat by which tastes the best. By eating vegetables you are getting the fibrous foods you need. Besides being aware of the foods you should eat you should also beware of the foods you should stay away from. You should stay away from the foods with trans and saturated fats, and foods with preservatives. Did you know that a donut has about 5 grams of trans fat and at least 5 grams of saturated fat too? For the top 10 foods beware of visit the awesome website below.

http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/library/fitness/10foods.htm

By: Kate Hamamoto

Resources:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1934432/tips_for_balanced_diet_healthy_food.html

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/healthyeating.html

http://www.easy-weightloss-tips.com/images/eat-healthy-easydietlabels32kb.jpg

 

Three day Diet Plan

First Day: (by-Heather Foti)

Breakfast:  Two slices of whole wheat French Toast, topped with ½ cup fresh strawberries and ½ cup pure maple syrup.

Lunch: 1 ½ cup mixed greens with ½ cup nonfat dressing, and 1 quesadilla with organic turkey and non-fat cheese.

Dinner: 2 pieces of baked chicken, served over ½ lb. whole wheat pasta with tomatoes, eggplant, and basil.

Snack:  1 small apple with 1/3 non-fat cream cheese, ½ cup non-fat sour cream, and cinnamon.

Second Day: (by-Kate Hamomoto)

            Breakfast: 2 whole wheat pancakes, organic blueberries, one cup organic vanilla yogurt, chocolate protein shake

            Lunch: Tuna melt with lettuce and tomato on multigrain bread, one apple cut into slices, fresh squeezed orange juice

            Dinner: Beef stir-fry, stir-fry consists of peppers, broccoli, sugar snap peas, carrots, onions and tomatoes, one glass of organic 1% Kirkland milk

            Snack: Açai bowl with bananas and granola

 

Third Day: (by- Sarah Moore)

            Breakfast: Fresh berries with low fat yogurt and granola, whole wheat toast, 8-oz glass of orange juice

            Lunch: Ham and Cheese Sandwich (with lettuce), with whole wheat bread, and low fat cheddar cheese, cooked Broccoli (1 cup), 8-oz glass of skim milk

            Dinner:  Whole grain pasta (1-2 cup), organic tomato sauce (1/2-1 cup),organic ground beef (1-1 1/2 cup),organic green beans (1/2 cup), 8-oz glass of skim milk

            Snack: Cooked Carrots (1 cup), one apple, 8-oz glass of water

Conclusion

Watching what you eat is very important to living a healthy lifestyle

because it can affect your body in many different ways. Just by

avoiding certain foods, you can cut back on thousands of calories

daily. Knowing your body’s caloric needs can also further help you

reach a healthier lifestyle. Also, just by eating slower, avoiding

trans and saturated fats, and balancing out your diet you will start to

feel healthier. Overall, We hope you learned valuable information from

this blog and we hope this blog inspired you to make differences in

your diet to sustain a healthy body, mind, and soul.

 

By: Sarah Moore