Healthy nutrition is one of the main components of health. This becomes especially important during adolescence. After all, it is then that the second growth leap of the child occurs - the moment when its growth accelerates sharply. During this period, the body needs a maximum of nutrients and vitamins. And considering how behavior changes during the puberty period, how difficult it is to make a teenager eat healthy food, the issue of healthy and tasty nutrition is becoming of paramount importance. Let's figure out how to make a full menu for a teenager.
Essential Nutrients
To ensure proper nutrition for adolescents, you need to adhere to a number of rules and principles. One of the basic rules is the correct ratio of basic nutrients, or nutrients: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. After all, about 40% of the human body consists of these substances, while the remaining 60% is water. The optimal ratio of these nutrients to ensure normal growth and development of the adolescent's body: 1 part protein, 3 parts fat and 5 parts carbohydrates.
The value of proteins
Since school, we have heard more than once that proteins are the main building material of the body. However, what does this phrase mean by itself?
Firstly, almost every substance inside our body is made up of protein. Hormones are proteins, blood coagulation factors, thanks to which we don’t bleed at the slightest injury - also proteins, RNA and DNA, which contain hereditary information - again, the protein, hemoglobin, which transports oxygen to cells and tissues, also has a protein structure.
Secondly, proteins are composed of amino acids, eight of which are essential. Therefore, they are called "indispensable", since they can only be obtained from the outside, with food. By themselves, they cannot be synthesized in the body. And amino acids are not only the "bricks" of our body, but also the most important component of the exchange of water between cells and tissues. By creating pressure in the vessels, which was called oncotic, proteins prevent the flow of water from the blood into the cells, preventing their swelling and death.
Thus, the presence of proteins in the diet is extremely important.
The value of carbohydrates
And if proteins are the "bricks" of the body, then carbohydrates are the main source of energy. Being in the form of polysaccharides in products, in the gastrointestinal tract they break down to di- and monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose).
The value of carbohydrates is really huge, since when they are not enough in the body, fats and then proteins are used to get energy. A reasonable restriction of simple carbohydrates (flour products, sweets and other things) can really be useful, because to get energy, excess fat will go away, which will lead to weight loss. But a complete rejection of carbohydrates, including complex ones found in vegetables and fruits, leads to anorexia, a worsening of the general condition, and a change in the pH of the blood in a more acidic direction (acidosis).
It really can be very dangerous, especially for teenage girls who so want to be "perfect."
Fat value
Many believe that the body does not need fats at all, and when creating a menu for a teenager, it is better to do without them. However, this is fundamentally wrong. Fat is also an important source of energy. In addition, cholesterol, hated by many, is part of sex hormones, adrenal hormones.
Of course, excessive consumption of fats is harmful to the body. It can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, obesity. And this is the background for the development of many cardiovascular (coronary heart disease, hypertension) and endocrine diseases (diabetes mellitus).
The best solution is to give preference to vegetable fats rather than animals. They are found in corn and sunflower oil, fish oil. It is interesting that sunflower and other vegetable oils are of benefit to the body only in their primary form (for example, in salads), while in fried or baked form they are of no value.
What products should be removed from the menu
To create a truly balanced menu for a teenager, you need to select a list of dishes and products that are not recommended or even completely forbidden to eat. Products containing excessive amounts of animal fats, easily digestible carbohydrates should be excluded from the diet.
Such favorite foods of adolescents as all kinds of sandwiches and burgers, french fries, chips and other snacks can be called "forbidden foods." After all, they contain a large amount of cholesterol, which is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, causing circulatory disorders in the internal organs.
Sweet tooth will also have a hard time. After all, flour and bakery products, chocolates should be limited as much as possible when creating a menu for a teenager. Only one or two sweets per day or one bun is allowed. And for adolescents who are overweight, these products do need to be removed from the diet. It is better to replace them with fruit for a teenager. We already know the danger of consuming simple carbohydrates.
Among drinks, when preparing a menu for a teenager, preference should be given to plain water. For a change, you can also quench your thirst with freshly squeezed juices. Factory juices and sodas contain a lot of sugar.
Teen diet rules
Before moving on to examples of diet, it is worthwhile to consider the general rules that must be followed when ensuring proper nutrition for a teenager. In addition to the recommendations that were already indicated in the previous sections of the article, it is also worth noting the following rules:
- Eat in small portions, leaving a slight feeling of hunger when eating. After all, a feeling of fullness does not come immediately after a meal, time must pass before the impulses from the gastric receptors reach the center of hunger in the hypothalamus and tell him that the meal has arrived. Such a “delay” often leads to situations where a teenager eats too much.
- The main meal should be in the morning. Many are accustomed to eating a small portion of breakfast or not to have breakfast at all, but to get enough of it in the evening, coming from school. However, this is fundamentally wrong. The peak of digestion activity occurs in the morning hours, so food is best absorbed at this time.
- The last meal should be at least 2 hours before bedtime. Many people know about the rule "do not eat after 6", but it is not entirely logical. If a teenager goes to bed at 20:00, then, of course, this rule is true for him. However, does anyone know a teenager who goes to bed at 20:00? So, if he goes to bed at 24:00, it is quite acceptable to eat at 22:00. But again, it’s worth recalling, do not get too full.
- The most optimal way of cooking: stew, cook or bake.
The oldest myth of healthy eating
Soup is not an obligatory dish in the diet of proper nutrition for a teenager! Perhaps this phrase will surprise many. After all, we all remember how my mother worried every day, and whether we ate soup today. Yes, this is a really good dish. Boiled meat, vegetables, liquid. However, with the same success, you can eat a salad and drink it with a glass of not cold water. Moreover, soups are also different. In those rich, fat soups that our grandmothers love to cook, there is nothing at all useful. Therefore, if your child likes the soup, and he eats it with pleasure - to his health, if not, you should not force him.
Examples of dishes for the menu
Simple and tasty food can also be healthy! Mom does not need to spend a lot of money buying food in eco-shops, and spend the whole day cooking. Here are examples of dishes that take just a couple of hours to cook, and you can feed them to the whole family:
- cottage cheese casserole with pumpkin and dried apricots;
- baked fish with vegetables;
- pumpkin porridge with rice;
- boiled sausage.
Cottage cheese casserole with pumpkin and dried apricots
Who doesn’t like cottage cheese casserole? Many housewives know her recipe from their mothers and grandmothers. However, let's diversify this useful recipe a bit by adding pumpkin and dried fruits to it. Dried apricots will be best combined with pumpkin. A casserole is ideal for a light and wholesome dinner.
What we need for cooking:
- pumpkin - 200 g;
- cottage cheese - 300 g;
- eggs - 2 pcs.;
- dried apricots - 50 g;
- sour cream - 2 tbsp .;
- water - 0.5 cups (100 ml),
- sugar - to taste, 2-3 tbsp. l (if the child is not a big sweet tooth, you can limit yourself to 1 tablespoon).
Stages of preparation:
- Cut the flesh of the pumpkin into cubes, simmer in a saucepan with a thick bottom until soft.
- Mix cottage cheese with sour cream and thoroughly crush until smooth. Add dried apricots (previously finely chopped), eggs and sugar to the mixture. Mix.
- When the pumpkin is cooked, it is necessary to knead it to a puree-like consistency. After cooling, add to the curd mixture.
- Evenly distribute the curd-pumpkin mixture in a baking dish greased with butter. Put in the oven 180 degrees. The baking time is 30 minutes (until a golden crust appears on the dish).
Baked fish with vegetables
Unfortunately, it is often difficult for teenagers to get fish to eat. However, this is a really necessary product in the diet, which is the main source of phosphorus. Below is a recipe for a delicious fish dish for a teenager.
What we need for cooking:
- sea fish (ideally mackerel or pink salmon);
- hard cheese - 100 g (salted farm cheeses are considered the most useful, since they do not contain vegetable fats);
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- lemon - a few slices.
Stages of preparation:
- Clean the fish well from the bones, cut off the head. Rub the cleaned carcass with salt.
- Cut the onion, grate the carrots and cheese, mix and add salt to taste.
- Cut the fish along from one edge, but not completely, and so that the second edge remains not touched. Stuff fish with vegetables and cheese fillings. Also put lemon slices inside, they will soak the filling and fish so that it does not overdry in the oven.
- Wrap the dish with foil and send to the oven preheated to 220 degrees for 40 minutes.
Boiled sausage
What teenager doesn't like sausage sandwiches? It is quite difficult to wean children from it, because manufacturers add a lot of addictive taste enhancers to sausage. An excellent substitute for a purchased sausage can be home-cooked sausage, a useful recipe for which is described below.
What we need for cooking:
- chicken or turkey fillet - 0.5 kg;
- chicken egg protein - 3 pcs.;
- sour cream - 250 ml;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Stages of preparation:
Grind the fillet with a blender to a paste consistency. Add egg whites and sour cream to the chicken paste, salt and pepper. Shuffle.
Stuffing must be divided into four equal parts, each put separately on a plastic wrap. Roll them in the shape of sausages so that the film wraps them in at least three layers. The ends of the film must be tied with thread on both sides. These manipulations are necessary so that the mixture does not spread over the pan during further cooking.
Boil water in a saucepan. When the water boils, send sausages there for 40 minutes. Put the sausages on a plate and let cool. Homemade Cooked Sausage Ready to Eat!
Salads for teens
Few children and adolescents love salads, and indeed vegetables in general. Fortunately, salad is such a dish that gives vent to imagination and improvisation.
If your child loves chicken, you can make Caesar. If beef or pork - you can cook a warm meat salad. Or you can move away from any recipes. For example, a regular vegetable salad can be diluted with a bright berry sauce, which is sure to appeal to a teenager. Vegetables are also great with applesauce and mustard sauce. Improvise, invent new tastes, then your child will definitely discover salads from a new perspective.
Daily ration
Well, we already know what nutrients should be contained in products, and which dishes should be categorically removed from the menu. We also already have some simple recipes for healthy meals for teens. Case for small. It's time to make an approximate daily menu for a teenager.
The ideal ratio between meals is: breakfast - 25%, lunch - 35-40%, afternoon tea - 15%, dinner - 20-25% of the total amount of food eaten per day.
Breakfast: buckwheat or pearl barley porridge in water or milk, a few pieces of boiled meat, tomato, cucumber, a glass of tea.
Lunch: baked potatoes, cabbage salad with carrots, seasoned with vegetable oil, optionally soup.
Snack: yogurt / fruit biscuit / sliced fruit or berries.
Dinner: cottage cheese casserole with yogurt / baked fish.
We hope that after reading this article, you can find the right approach to creating a healthy and rational menu for a teenager!