Healthy Eating Recipes for Teenagers

Three meals should be rationed, with a base of grains and vegetables, enough meat and eggs, and minimal additions. All combinations must be flexibly adjusted based on the child's developmental stage, exercise intensity, and taste preferences. There is no need to use a rigid Internet celebrity recipe to torment both adults and children.

Last month, I went to a local key junior high school to do a dietary survey. Among the 47 children in the third class, 29 were in a hurry in the morning and ate bread with salad dressing and iced milk tea. At noon, they chose fried chicken legs and sweet and sour pork from the cafeteria, and did not touch green leafy vegetables. Unfortunately, after the evening self-study, we had to go to the school gate to buy fried skewers as a snack. In the end, the measured growth and development compliance rate was only 61%. There are also 8 children who have shown signs of iron deficiency anemia. They said that they often lose focus in class and feel dizzy when they stand up after squatting for a long time.

When it comes to how to feed their children, there is actually quite a quarrel among parents. Some believe in European and American dietary guidelines and believe that children must eat high-protein meals to grow their bodies. Steak, salmon, and protein powder are on the menu in turn. They wish they could count the protein content of every bite.； The other group thinks that simple meals are the best, just sharing a table with adults, there are so many things to pay attention to. Both of these statements are actually a bit biased - if a child spends two hours running and jumping on the court every day, it is absolutely fine to eat more high-protein meals. In the sports school meal plan I have discussed before, the daily protein intake of children who exercise regularly is indeed 30% higher than that of ordinary children, and their development is generally better. ； However, if you rarely exercise except for physical education classes and sit all day long, high-protein meals will increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. In severe cases, problems such as high uric acid and constipation may occur, which will delay growth. According to the recommendations of the 2022 edition of our Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, it is sufficient for ordinary teenagers to consume 1.0-1.2g/kg of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. Half of it comes from plant sources such as soy products and grains, and the other half comes from meat, eggs, and milk. It is more suitable for the stomach and intestines of East Asian children and is much more cost-effective.

My advice to ordinary families is really simple. You don’t need to buy a bunch of imported ingredients that you have never seen before. Just use dishes that are commonly eaten at home. They are nutritious enough. For example, families who are in a hurry in the morning can make a reservation for multigrain porridge before going to bed the night before, or prepare pure milk or sugar-free soy milk. When they wake up in the morning, boil an egg, grab a handful of cherry tomatoes or cut half a cucumber. If the child has a big appetite, add small corns or vegetable buns. It can be done in about ten minutes. Compared with the hand cakes and stuffed cakes bought on the roadside, it uses almost half the oil. After three or four classes in the morning, you will not be hungry at all. My cousin's child used to eat rice cakes every morning. During the third period, her stomach growled with hunger and she couldn't sit still. After changing this combination, her ranking in the monthly exam last month jumped up five places. She said she could concentrate better in class.

Nowadays, most children eat in the school cafeteria at noon. Parents don’t have to worry about it. They just need to teach their children some tips on how to prepare meals: first, prepare half a plate of green leafy vegetables, whether it is lettuce, spinach or Chinese cabbage. Then, prepare a fist-sized portion of staple food, try to eat half grains and half white rice. Finally, pack a palmful of meat or soy products, such as sweet and sour pork ribs with thick sugar coating and crispy fried chicken drumsticks. Just eat them once in a while to satisfy your cravings, up to twice a week. It should be mentioned here that many parents are now afraid that their children will be fat, so they let their children eat less or even no staple food. Last year, I met a mother who made a low-carb diet for her daughter, who is in the second year of high school. She only eats meat and vegetables. As a result, the child was sleepy in class every day, and her menstrual period was not accurate for two months in a row. When she went to the hospital, she found that she had insufficient energy intake. Teenagers are growing their brains and stature. Staple food is the cheapest and safest source of energy. As long as they do not eat polished rice and white flour all the time, but mix in some whole grains such as oats, sweet potatoes, and corn, they will not gain weight at all. Instead, they can stabilize blood sugar and make it less likely to be distracted in class.

It’s easier to eat at home in the evening. Don’t prepare a table full of meat and fish. Just make it lighter than lunch. For example, make winter melon ball soup with fried broccoli. The staple food is one-third less than at noon. If the child comes home hungry after studying at night, don’t prepare heavy foods such as potato chips and cola. Just buy some plain nuts, sugar-free yogurt or small apples. Eating something too sweet and oily at night will not only make you fat, but also affect your sleep, making you feel groggy the next day. If your child loves sports and plays basketball for an hour or two every day after school, you can eat an extra banana or add a boiled egg after training to replenish energy and potassium and prevent cramps. If you are under a lot of pressure during the recent exam season, eating deep-sea fish once or twice a week, or eating some plain walnuts, is much more effective than buying brain supplements that cost hundreds of yuan. The DHA in food is enough, so you really don’t want to waste the money.

After all, healthy eating for teenagers is really not that fancy. It does not mean asking children to eat things they don’t like, nor does it require parents to spend a lot of money on ingredients. Find out the child’s taste and physical condition, and adjust the mix a little, so that you can eat happily and grow steadily without getting sick. Of course, if your child has food allergies, obesity or other chronic diseases, you should still find a professional clinical nutritionist to customize recipes. Don’t blindly follow the universal templates on the Internet. What is best for your child is the best.