Eating Right for Lactose-Intolerant Teens: Healthy Eating for Teens

Q: Why is eating healthy important for teens?

Healthy eating is important for teens, because it has short-term and long-term effects on our bodies. It's important to eat healthy, because "the requirements for all nutrients increase" during teenage years. For example, since our bones are growing, teens need more calcium than younger children. Children ages 4-8 need 800mg of calcium, whereas children 9-18 need 1,300mg of calcium. In addition, "kids gain about…50% of adult weight during adolescence." It's important to make healthy food choices as a teen, so we can maintain a healthy weight in adulthood.

On a more general (this can apply to anybody), short-term scale, the foods you eat can affect…

Your overall health: Certain foods have detrimental effects on your body, while you can benefit from some. (Look under "What specific foods should you limit and why?" and "What is healthy eating? =>Eating a variety of foods" for more details.)
How you perform (your level of energy): Eating a lot of junk food can make you feel fatigued, and have "reduced concentration". This can be bad for teens—teens need a lot of energy for their daily lives (we teenagers have to balance our extra curricular activities and school)!

How you feel (your mood): Having a diet with a good amount of carbs and protein, "fruits and vegetables", and limited fat and sugar, is the best way "to stabilize mood".
How you look (your weight and complexion): It's common sense—someone who eats junk food all the time and someone who eats healthy, balanced meals are going to have a difference in weights. The same goes for complexion—certain foods are bad for your complexion, like soft drinks and chocolate.

http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_children_teens.htm
http://www.texaschildrenspediatrics.org/healthlibrary/pa_calckids_hhg.aspx
http://teen-health.suite101.com/article.cfm/healthy_eating_tips_for_teens
http://ezinearticles.com/?Harmful-Effects-Of-Junk-Food&id=927106

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Depression/story?id=4387456&page=1

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Foods-That-Are-Bad-For-Acne&id=995926

Q: What specific foods should you limit and why?

You should try to limit/avoid…

Soda: Soda provides unneeded calories with no vitamins or protein. It can also weaken bones, and can lead to tooth rotting and obesity.
French fries: "Foods fried in vegetable oils" can (among other things) lead to obesity and speeded-up aging. French fries are also "high in trans fat". "Trans fat raises your 'bad' cholesterol". A result of having "a high bad cholesterol" is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaques in your arteries. A split in the plaques can create a blood clot, which can trigger a heart attack or a stroke.
"Crackers, toaster pastries, sugared cereals": "These foods contain trans fat." (See the paragraph above and under "Essential Nutrients => Fats" for the bad dish on trans fat.)

http://teen-health.suite101.com/article.cfm/healthy_eating_tips_for_teens http://www.healthassist.net/conditions/food-avoid.shtml
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032/NSECTIONGROUP=2

Q: What is healthy eating?

Healthy eating is…

Eating meals with balanced nutrients: You want to have a good ratio of carbohydrates, fat, and protein in a meal. You don't want to have too much of one nutrient, and exclude the others.
Making quality food choices: Making quality food choices means choosing fresh foods over processed foods when given the chance.
Having an adequate caloric intake: Having an adequate caloric intake means consuming the right amount of calories—not too much, or not too little. There are different factors that affect daily caloric requirements. Look under "How do you determine recommended daily caloric requirements for a teen?" for more details.
Eating a variety of foods: Did you know having a rainbow of fruits and vegetables is good for a healthy diet? The different colored foods provide different benefits. For example, orange fruits and veggies have beta-carotene, which can "help strengthen your immune system". Blue and purple fruits and veggies "may reduce your risk of cancer". In addition, all the food groups have something different to offer nutrient-wise. Eating a variety of foods can help you get all of your essential nutrients!
Eating in moderation: Eating in moderation means not stuffing yourself, or eating "too much" of a good thing. And yes, you can have too much of a good thing!

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/family/5aday/flway/5adaykit04.pdf

http://www.nutrition.com.sg/he/hetips.asp

Q: How do you determine recommended daily caloric requirements for a teen?

Here are some of the factors that determine recommended daily caloric requirements for a teen:

Size: Bigger teens need more calories than smaller teens.
Activity level: More active teens need more calories than less active teens.
Age: During teenage years, caloric requirements increase as age increases. For example, boys who are 9-13 years old need around 1,800-2,600 calories (depending on other factors). On the other hand, boys who are 14-18 years old need around 2,200-3,200 calories (depending on other factors).
Gender: During teenage years, "boys typically need more calories than girls".