3.6 Dietary Patterns in Adolescence

Healthy eating is vital for the teenager’s health and well-being. The nutritional needs of adolescents vary tremendously, but generally increase due to rapid growth and changes in body composition that occur during puberty. Adequate nutrition is vital for ensuring overall emotional and physical health. Good eating habits help prevent chronic illness in the future, including obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Studies of nutrient intakes have shown that adolescents are likely to obtain less vitamin A, thiamine, iron, and calcium than recommended. They also ingest (consume) more fat, sugar, protein, and sodium than is currently thought to be optimal. While concern is often expressed over the habit of eating between meals, it has been shown that teenagers obtain substantial nourishment from foods eaten outside of the traditional meals. The choice of foods they make is of greater importance than the time or place of eating.

Emphasis should be placed on fresh vegetables and fruits as well as whole-grain products to complement the foods high in energy value and protein that they commonly choose. What are the commonly adopted eating habits of adolescents and why are they important to recognise? Understanding diet patterns will help us to be better prepared to evaluate the nutritional adequacy of diets and ensure that they are meeting the minimum requirements to maintain health and well-being. Among the more common eating idiosyncracies include skipping meals, consuming fast foods in a routine way, avoiding fruits and vegetables, snacking frequently and dieting.

By addressing each of these issues individually you can ensure that you are meeting the minimum nutritional requirements. Irregular meals and skipping meals: The numbers of meals teenagers miss and eat away from home increases from early adolescence to late adolescence, reflecting the growing need for independence and time away from home. The evening meal appears to be the most regularly eaten meal of the day. Girls are found to skip the evening meal, as well as breakfast and lunch, more often than boys.

In some homes with limited resources, the adolescents may not even receive adequate number of meals or amounts, leading to nutrient deficiency. Breakfast is frequently neglected and is omitted more often by teenagers and young adults under years of age than by any other age groups in the population. A likely explanation as to why girls are more apt to miss breakfast than are boys is the pursuit of thinness and frequent attempts at dieting. Many teenage girls believe that they can control their weight by omitting breakfast or lunch.

In fact, this approach is likely to accomplish just the opposite. By mid-morning or lunchtime they may be so hungry that they overcompensate for the “saved kilocalories.” As a matter of fact, skipping breakfast can slow your metabolism contributing to weight gain and poor performance. Snacking: Snacking is probably a survival technique for teens. Snacking does not have to be a bad habit.

It can help maintain energy levels, particularly in active and growing adolescents. Many adolescents fail to eat three regular meals per day because of the ‘skipping meal’ factor. Thus snacking can actually be beneficial to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients. However, surviving only on snacks is harmful to health.

Fast foods: Adolescents, particularly in urban areas, are more apt to eat fast food because it is convenient and typically a social affair, and they may believe it is the fashion of the day. Fast food is often packed with fat and “empty calories”. We should make smart food choices even when visiting fast food restaurants. Table provides important information about fast foods.

Dieting: Obesity is becoming a crucial problem among adolescents. Intervention is needed to maintain ideal body weight among the entire population. If this is not maintained, per cent of them will stay overweight as adults. This can put them at risk for many medical problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea (a sleep disorder) .