Healthy Eating:

A Guide for Teens

Healthy eating is a way of balancing the food you eat to keep your body strong, energized, and well nourished. This guide was created to help you learn about healthy eating, and ways to plan nutritious meals and snacks. When you eat well, you are taking good care of your body.

Healthy eating is a great way to:

• Have energy all day long
• Get the vitamins and minerals your body need
• Stay strong for sports or other activities
• Reach your maximum height (if you are still growing)
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Prevent unhealthy eating habits, like skipping meals and feeling overly hungry at the next meal

What is "healthy eating?"

• Aiming for regular meals (usually 3 meals per day in the morning, afternoon, and evening) and snacks (when you are hungry or need extra energy)
• Eating foods from the different food groups (grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy proteins, and healthy fats) each day to meet your nutritional needs
• Balancing nutrient-rich foods with moderate amounts of other foods like sweets or fast foods
• Eating when hungry and stopping when full

Tips for Healthy Eating

1. Don't skip meals - plan meals and snacks ahead of time.
• Believe it or not, eating 3 meals with snacks in between is the best way to maintain both energy levels and a healthy weight. You are more likely to choose foods that are not as healthy when you skip meals and are over-hungry.
• Eating away from home? Don't leave yourself stranded—take foods with you or know where you can go to buy something healthy and satisfying.
2. Learn about simple, healthy ways to prepare foods.
• Try grilling, stir-frying, microwaving, baking, and boiling as healthy ways to cook foods instead of deep frying.
• Try fresh or dried herbs (basil, oregano, parsley) and spices (lemon pepper, chili powder, garlic powder) to flavor your food instead of adding less healthy toppings such as butter, margarine, or gravy.
• Trim the skin and fat off of your meat—you'll still get plenty of flavor and it's more nutritious.
3. Sugar - avoid getting too much.
• Sugary drinks are a big source of empty energy. This means that they contain a lot of energy (in the form of calories) that your body may not need and they don't have vitamins, minerals, protein, or even fiber. Try sugar-free sodas, sugar-free drink mixes, water, and flavored waters instead of regular drinks or juice. Even "natural" unsweetened juices contain a lot of energy you may not need. Don't go overboard—if you are going to drink regular soda or juice, try to limit the amount you drink to 1 time per day.
• Lots of sugar is also found in desserts such as cakes, cookies, and candies. It's okay to enjoy these foods once in a while as long as they don't replace healthier foods.
4. Be mindful when eating
• Slow down when you eat. Try to relax and pace yourself so that your meals last at least 20 minutes, since it takes 20 minutes for you to feel full.
• Listen to your body. Eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full will help your body balance its energy needs and stay comfortable. Ask yourself: Am I eating because I'm hungry, or because I'm stressed or bored?
• Try fiber rich foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits to increase your feeling of comfortable fullness.
5. Avoid "diet thinking."
• There are no good foods or bad foods. All foods can be part of healthy eating, when eaten in moderation.
• You do not need to buy low carb, fat-free, or diet foods. These foods are not necessarily lower in calories—they usually have lots of other added ingredients to replace the carbs or fat.
• YOU are more important than your weight or body size—believe it! Your health and happiness can be hurt by drastic weight loss plans. If you have not yet reached your adult height, too much weight loss could interfere with your growth, even if you are overweight. For younger teens who are overweight but still growing, it may be important to keep your weight steady as you continue to grow, instead of focusing on weight loss.

Written by the Center for Young Women's Health Staff

Updated 10/31/2005

Related Information:

• Healthy Snack Attack
• Fad Diets vs. Healthy Weight Management
• Quiz: General Nutrition
• Fun Fitness
• My Fitness Plan - Getting Started!
• Related Links