Foods That Bring Smile To Your Teenager - Healthy Teenage Munching :-
The normal assumption is that teenagers love junk food and food that is popular with their peers. While this may be true, it is not wise to let this rule your planning of menus at home. With a little bit of creativity and planning you can create a menu that is not only nutritious, but also something that can put a smile on your teenager's face.
First, for your reference, it would be good to learn what the nutritional need of a growing teenager is. Keep in mind the food pyramid and the quantities of each food group that you need to include.
The food group that must be included in at least 8-10 servings per day is Carbohydrates. These include cereals and starchy foods. Whole grain and multi grain breads can substitute plain white breads or pizza bases. Potato is a good source of carbohydrates. Keep in mind that fried potato such as chips contain almost thirteen times the amount of calories present in baked or boiled potato.
Vegetables constitute another important food group. A teenager requires 4-5 servings of veggies per day. Since most teenagers love to snack, it would be wise to provide tasty snacks that are made with vegetables. Include colorful vegetables in a salad to make it more attractive. You can give your salad a fresh green look by adding cabbage, spinach and broccoli to the salad. Include pumpkins, gourds or yellow bell peppers for a dash of yellow. Carrots and red bell peppers add a lovely rich red color to your salad. You can also steam a few fresh veggies and serve it along with a cold dip. Slices of hot baby corn, baby carrots and beets served along with a cold yogurt and mint dip make an excellent snack.
Fruits need to constitute 3-4 servings a day. There is nothing like fresh fruit that is cut up and easily accessible for a teenager. Certain variations to serving fruits are chilled milkshakes, smoothies or salads.
Calcium rich Dairy Foods should be served 3-4 times a day. This can be included with other groups like fruits and carbohydrates. They can also be eaten plain as cheese or yogurt, based on the teenager's tastes.
Proteins need to constitute 2-3 servings per day. Baked, roasted or grilled white meat is tasty as well as very strengthening.
Fats and Oils are necessary in a teenager's diet. However it is important to ensure that you use only healthy oils and make sure that you use it sparingly. Olive oil and flaxseed oils are healthy oils as they are rich in several nutrients and essential fatty acids.
Include the teenager when you plan the meals for the week. Wherever possible, include him/her even in the cooking process. However, do not attempt to force a teenager to learn to cook. Instead, you can just ask them to help out a little and their natural curiosity will drive them to learn more.
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