Posted by Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN
A balanced diet with a variety of nutrient-rich foods helps support healthy growth, development, energy, and overall wellness during adolescence. This stage of life can bring busy schedules, changing appetites, sports, school demands, and more independence around food choices, so nutrition can easily become inconsistent.
If you’re the parent of an adolescent, here are important nutrients and diet components your son or daughter may be missing:
1. Folate. This vitamin is found in many fruits and vegetables. Many adolescents do not eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day, which can make folate intake harder to maintain.
2. Magnesium. This mineral is found in foods such as bananas, spinach, black beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and avocados. Magnesium supports muscle function, energy metabolism, and overall wellness.
3. Calcium. Calcium is important during adolescence because the body is still building bone mass. Many teens choose soda, sweetened drinks, or other beverages more often than calcium-rich foods and drinks, so it is worth paying attention to daily calcium intake.
4. Fresh Foods. Fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and minimally processed foods help provide the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients teens need. Processed foods can be higher in sodium and added sugars, so balance matters.
5. Fiber. Include more whole grains, such as 100% whole wheat, quinoa, oats, and brown rice, along with fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. Fiber supports digestive wellness and helps make meals more satisfying.
6. Vitamin E. Vitamin E is found in leafy greens and foods that contain healthy fats. Good food sources include almonds, Swiss chard, broccoli, spinach, kale, avocado, papaya, and olives.
A couple other noteworthy items:
1. Encourage your adolescent to eat a healthy breakfast. A balanced breakfast can help support focus, energy, and a stronger start to the school day.
2. Added sugars and solid fats can make up a large share of calories in many children’s and teens’ diets. Common sources include soda, fruit drinks, desserts, pizza, and highly processed snack foods. Reducing these foods can help improve overall diet quality.
I hope this summary gives you a helpful starting point for grocery shopping, packing lunches, and planning meals for your family.
In Health and Happiness,
Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods
