Nutrition Fo Da Active Keiki: April 2011

Eat Healthy? Say What...?

It is very important for active teens to eat healthy because it will give them energy, help them grow, provide a healthy future, and will let them maintain an active lifestyle. Most athletes know what their body needs before they have practice or workout. Every body is different. You have to know your body well to recognize what it needs.

Healthy foods will help you maintain that healthy lifestyle that every athlete needs. Later in this blog you will learn specific foods, but for now you need to know that it is important for active teens to eat more vegetables, fruits, carbs, and proteins than average teens. Active teens seem to need more food because they tend to work off the food faster than average teens.

Healthy eating doesn't necessarily mean eating a salad and fruits all day. Most teens think that eating fruits and vegetables is what eating healthy is. This is an incorrect statement. Eating healthy means to have a balanced diet. The right amount of each food group. For example, you need 3 servings of milk products a day; 4-5 servings of vegetables; 2-3 servings of meat/beans; 3-4 servings of fruit; and 9-11 servings of grain. This is a daily guide for the amount of foods that you should eat to be considered healthy.

Eating healthy will help you grow in so many ways. You will grow in height, muscle, increase of energy, and it will help you mentally. Mom always told you to drink your milk so you could grow up big and strong like dad. This is true, but you need all the other foods too.

If you ever wondered what you will be like when you get old, I'm sure you don't want to be an old person that has many problems with their heart or lungs. This is what happens when you don't take care of yourself, and you don't eat healthy. Eating healthy and maintaining your active lifestyle is the best way you can avoid all those problems that most old people have. No one ever wants to suffer when they're old. Take action now and things will be better for your future.

Active teens should be mentally healthy as well as physically. Being mentally healthy is a good factor in affecting their work ethic while participating in strenuous activities, likes sports. Believe it or not, eating the right foods contribute to their mental health. If you were to eat candy and soda all day, while sitting on the couch, you are more prone to having a depressed life, compared to someone who had a balanced diet and was physically active.

This does not mean that you have to completely eliminate junk food from your diet. It is just a better idea to cut down on the amount you eat. It is a good motivation to have ice cream or some candy at the end of a hard workout. Sometimes having a motivation is better than not having anything to look forward to at the end of the day. It will also help you mentally.

dAily Caloric inTake In Various tEens

Calories are a measure of energy. There are many factors that will determine your daily caloric intake. Some of these factors are age, gender, weight, height, and how active you are. The calorie amount is located on each Nutrition Fact label of everything you eat. This is a good way you can keep track of how many calories you consume in a day.

Teens with a more active lifestyle tend to generally need more calories because it will help their performance and growth. 2000-5000 calories is the estimated amount for active teens, both male and female of average size.

Carbs, Proteins, and Fats...Oh my!

An active teen's carbs should provide good amounts of antioxidants, blood sugar and keep insulin levels stable. Some examples of healthy carbs are fruits, vegetables, whole grain, whole wheat, and brown rice. Some bad carbs are fried food, table sugar, candy, white bread, fast/junk food and soda. As an active teen you can eat bad carbs but not all the time, you must make sure that you balance it out with healthy carbs.

Proteins can be found easily in meats, nuts and tofu. Protein is used for muscle growth and energy. On average active teens need 180 grams of protein per day. Proteins build up, maintains and replaces the tissues in your body. All of your muscles, organs and immune system are made up mostly of protein. Your body uses protein to make hemoglobin, which is a part of the red blood cells that carries oxygen to all parts of your body. Some proteins are used to build cardiac muscles such as your heart. Proteins are made up of amino acids, there are tons of different amino acids but scientists know a lot about a specific 22 which are very important to human health.

Many people think that all fats are bad and you dont need them to live. Actually an active teen needs 69 grams per day. One essential fatty acid is omega-3, but the body cannot make them. They are obtained in different types of food. Such as, tuna, salmon, halibut, and also other seafood like krill and algae. Research shows that omega-3's reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases. The brain has a high concentration of omega-3's and it is important for brain memory and performance.

Limit your temptations

As an active teen you need a balanced diet. Don't take in too much trans fat or sugars. Also try to limit your fast food. For instance when you are at McDonalds and you have the choice of a juicy two beef patties with special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions all on a sesame seed bun Big Mac or an all lettuce salad. Choose the salad, why? Because that Big Mac has 590 calories, 306 are from fat. It has 34 grams of fat, that is about about 45 percent of your daily value. Sure it has some protein but you can get that protein from a healthy regular sized burger. The side salad at McDonalds has only 20 calories, zero of which are from fat. So next time you need to make a choice between an obviously unhealthy burger or a delicious salad, choose the salad.

3 days, 3 nights, Meals for your active life!

Day 1

Breakfast:

· One serving of Honey Nut Cheerios (Made of Whole-Grain: full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber)

· Banana (potassium)

· One cup of milk (calcium)

Lunch:

· Chicken Wrap: Skinless chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, onion, and low fat cheese wrapped in a whole-wheat tortilla. (Low in fat, protein, full of micronutrients)

· Large glass of water

Dinner:

· Honey-Soy broiled Salmon (low in sodium, full of vitamin B6/B12, low in fat, full of iron, zinc, potassium)

· Asian salad with a low fat sesame dressing (low in fat, high in vitamin C/E, fiber, and potassium)

Day 2

Breakfast:

· Yogurt parfait: half cup of yogurt, diced assorted fruits, granola (low in fat, full of calcium, full of vitamin D)

· One cup of orange juice (vitamin C)

Lunch:

· Healthy Pizza: whole meal flower, low fat cheese, reduces salt tomato paste, sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, diced onion, and spinach (Full of vegetables, lower in fat than regular pizza)

· Large glass of water

Dinner:

· Hearty vegetable soup: onion, macaroni, carrots, pumpkin, zucchini, tomatoes, beans, oregano, and parsley. (Low in fat, full of vitamin C/B)

· Balsamic dressed cos salad with pine nuts: Cos lettuce, pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. (Low in fat, high in iron and zinc)

· Large glass of water

Day 3

Breakfast:

· Fruit smoothie: reduce fat milk, reduced fat vanilla yogurt, wheat germ, and your choice of fruit. (Low in fat, full of calcium, potassium, iron, zinc

· Oat cake (full of vitamin C/A, low in fat, high in fiber)

Lunch:

· Fettuccine with fresh tomato and chickpeas (full of potassium, iron, low in fat)

· Large glass of water

Dinner:

· Chicken and lettuce wraps: rice, skinless chicken breast, ginger, carrots, mung bean sprouts, lettuce leaves. (High in iron/zinc, low in fat, full of calcium)

· Large glass of water

For more Healthy Recipes see Go For Your Life.