A healthy diet is essential for teenagers because of their heightened nutritional needs, but also because the foods they eat as teenagers can impact their health when they reach adulthood.

Adolescence is a time of growth for children, for both physical and mental development.  Eating right during this time is especially important because the body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals to grow, develop, and prevent illness. It is also important to eat healthy because as teenagers mature into adulthood, they may continue some of the eating habits they developed earlier in life. A diet high in sugar and fat can promote weight gain and poor health later in life, particularly once the teenager's metabolism slows down. It can also increase a teenager's risk of developing heart disease later in life, as it can cause teenagers to develop poor cholesterol levels that persist into adulthood. Not to mention, excessive salts and chemicals that are used when making processed foods have been known to cause other life threatening diseases such as cancer.  By making healthy choices now, we are promoting healthy habits that will last a lifetime and saving ourselves from future illnesses. 

SOURCES/LINKS:  
http://www.livestrong.com/article/413268-importance-of-healthy-eating-for-teens/

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vitamins_minerals.html#

Factors that affect an individual’s daily caloric intake

Age:

• Calorie needs peak at about age 25 and then decline by about 2 percent every 10 years.
• The aging body replaces muscle with fat, which burns fewer calories than muscle does and therefore limits the amount of calories that should be consumed in a day.

Gender:

• Males have less body fat and about 10 to 20 percent more muscle than a female of the same size and age.
  

  
  
• Because muscle burns more calories than fat does, a male’s calorie needs are generally about 5 to 10 percent higher than a female’s.

Metabolism:

• The speed of a person’s metabolism, a.k.a Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), determines how fast and how many calories they can burn in a day.  
• If you have a fast metabolism, you need more calories in your diet.  
• If you have a slow metabolism, you need less calories in your diet.

Genes:

• The metabolic rate that you inherit from your family in part determines the number of calories that your body needs to function
• Inherited metabolic diseases, specifically those that affect your thyroid, can cause you to burn calories very quickly or very slowly. .

Lean Body Mass:

• If you have a greater proportion of muscle to fat, your metabolism is higher, allowing your body to burn calories faster.
• If you have more body fat and less muscle, your metabolism is lower, and therefore your body burns calories slower.
  
  Body Size:
  Your body size greatly affects the number of calories you need.  The bigger your body, the more calories your body needs to sustain itself. It takes more energy for a person with a bigger body to function than a person with a small body, so therefore their caloric intake should be greater.
  

  
  

Activity level:

• When you’re active, you burn more calories.
• And if you burn (or expend) more calories than you eat, you lose weight.
• The kind of exercise you choose, and how long and how intensely you do it, determines exactly how many calories you burn.
• People who are active and work out on a daily basis need more energy and therefore should consume more calories.

SOURCES/LINKS: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-factors-affect-your-calorie-needs.html

Macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats→ Biomolecules)

Macronutrients- nutrition needed in larger amts. (usually grams)

Carbohydrates: 1 carb= 4 calories.

• Carbon + Hydrogen + Oxygen
• Produces Insulin (sugar)
• Supplies us with energy for cells, tissue & organs

Starches include: (Pasta, Bread, Wheat, Rice)

• Approximately 50-60% of your calorie source comes from here!

 Sugars:

• Simple sugars: Natural and Refine sugars (commonly found in fruits and milk)
• Made from very few molecules, so digested very fast
• Give you long term energy to function
• Brown Sugar, Honey, Soft Drinks, Syrup etc.

• Complex Sugars  or Fiber
• - Mainly plant sources (vegetables), fruits, nuts, whole grains
  - Reduces and ebbs cholesterol levels
  - Indigestible; Intestines push your waste out faster
  - Rate of sugar intake moving throughout body is slowed down 
  - Keeps you lively and feel good about yourself
• Approximately 25-30% grams of your meals should be/come from fiber

Protein: 1 gram=4 calories
Monomer: Amino Acid; Polymer: polypeptides

• Animal Meat, Fish, Eggs, Milk, Vegetables: soybeans, nuts, legumes, butter etc.
• Made from Amino Acids, 20 different types
• Help to repair cells, produce enzymes, antibodies, hormones
• Pro: Faster recoveries after exercise, healthy weight, curbs hunger=lean muscle
• Animal meat supplies us with "actual" proteins with essential amino acids
• While Non-animal products miss an amino acid but they are still super healthy for you

Lipids or Fats

1 gram=9 calories 

• Hydrophobic:

               - Provides warmth and stored for long term energy

       Some Cholesterol isn't "all that bad" we have/need some for our bodies to function.  
     However too much or the wrong cholesterol (ex: LDL Cholesterol) isn't good for you, which may lead to problems in the future (ex: Heart attack or stroke).

Unhealthy Fats

• Saturated Fats:
• Solid Fat (Animal Meat, Dairy, Tropical Oils, Margarine)
• Cholesterol Level Raises
• Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or Bad Cholesterol 
• Clogs up passageways for blood/oxygen to flow through body=Heart Disease

    Trans Fat- Goes through a process known as HYDROGENATION ø

• Hydrogenation allows food to have longer shelf life and Fat turns hard at Room Temperature (with that, body struggles to metabolize the fat)
• Trans Fat Increase the chance of High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease
• ex: Chips, Cookies, Process Food Loaves Donut Holes                                                 
• NOT GOOD FOR HEALTH

Unsaturated Fat (healthy fats)

• Monounsaturated- Lower Blood Pressure (nuts, olive oils/peanut, avocados and veggies)

• Polyunsaturated: (Mainly oils of safflower, sunflower, sesame and soybean, corn)
• High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) or Good Cholesterol
         - Scavenges for any 'bad fat' and helps removes it from bloodstream
         - Reduces your chance of heart disease 

OMEGA 3 fatty acids: Plants (vegetables/seeds), Fish and (EPA and DHA)

- Eat them about twice a week, the more the better

OMEGA 6 fatty acids: Veggie Oils

Benefits-
- Lower your blood level
- Chance of ADHD
- Asthma
- Dpression
- Reduce chance of Birth problems

SOURCES:
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/omega-3-fatty-acids-fact-sheet
http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/macronutrients.htm
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/tc/types-of-fats-topic-overview
http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/understanding-carbohydrates/types-of-carbohydrates.html
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/features/high-cholesterol-risks-top-2-dangers
http://www.meatpoultrynutrition.org/ht/d/sp/i/26062/pid/26062

Micronutrients

SUPPORTING INFO:

**Vitamins/minerals are critical for teenagers because they are needed to help the body make new tissues and function properly. (Affects health, development, and growth)

• Exp: Milk provides calcium and vitamins A and D and helps with making new bone during growth spurts.
• Fruits and Vegetables are great sources of vitamins
• 2 types of Vitamins: fat soluble and water soluble.

• Fat soluble: (Vitamins A, D, E, K) dissolve in fat and can be stored in your body
• Water soluble: (Vitamins C and B1,B2... ) need to dissolve in water before they can be absorbed --(need to be absorbed daily because they are not made from your body & can’t be stored)
• Minerals Example: iron, potassium, calcium, phosphate, magnesium

Here are just some of the minerals you'll need to sustain a healthy and balanced diet!

Foods to Avoid and Why

SUPPORTING INFO:

Whole Milk--Because it is full of saturated fat, which rise cholesterol levels, cause inflammations, and clog arteries.

Soda--Almost 100% of calories in regular soda comes from sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. It is also responsible for increasing the obesity levels in our nation. It may also damage your teeth and may weaken your bones, too.

Breakfast Toaster Pastries (exp: Pop-tart)-- They're made with white flour and tons of added sugars. Each serving (2 pack) can flood your system with almost ten teaspoons of sugar, which can mess with your blood sugar levels.

Hot Dogs--Up to 80% of their calories come from saturated fat than protein. Most times, the meat in the middle is processed meat, which can been linked to increased risk of heart disease and colon cancer.

Movie- Theatre Popcorn: Most theaters pop their kernels in exorbitant quantities of coconut oil (which is 90% saturated fat). Also portion and quantity ranges out of control--medium size can be 20 cups of popcorn (1,200 cal. and 60 gr. of fat). That is equivalent to full stick of butter.

Deep-Dish Pizza: The excess dough can unbalance your diet in calories and carbs. whole-milk cheese and greasy meat toppings like sausage, pepperoni, and bacon, and a 2-slice serving has 1,300 cal. of fat! Also 24 gr. of artery clogging.

Dietary Healthy Risks by Unhealthy Food Consumption

• Osteoporosis- If teen doesn’t “fulfill” his/her calcium intake, bones may easily break due to its brittleness
• Anorexia and Bulimia: people purge, vomit, binge their food causing them to not be able to receive all of their “caloric needs”. This may lead to heart attacks, kidney failure, stroke, bone deterioration and arthritis.
• Limits the food intake of an individual.
• Obesity
• Lack of Exercise, Age, Genes, Environment Poor Dieting
• State of being Overweight or very large
• • Anemia
  • Condition marked by a deficiency or low # of red blood cells or hemoglobin blood resulting in weariness or pallor,
  • Not enough blood cells
  • Blood loss
  • Decreased or faulty red blood cell production
  • Destruction of red blood cells
  • Diabetes
  • Long term condition
  • Diabetes, where a person has extreme blood glucose (known as blood’s sugar), (1) because insulin production is not normal, or (2) because body's cells do not work correctly to the insulin, or in some cases, both.
  • Type 1 (No production of insulin) or Type 2 (Insulin functionals not correctly)

  • Symptoms: Urinating Frequently, Eating More than usual, fatigue, dizziness
  • Genetics, Lack of Activity, Food Intake and Choice, Obesity etc.

  • Atherosclerosis
  • Plaque/Fat builds up in arteries
  • Smoking, High Blood Pressure
  • Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or BAD CHOLESTEROL

  • Clogs artery passageways and leads to Atherosclerosis
  • Increase chance of heart disease and High Blood Pressure
  • Harder for blood to travel throughout body
  • Heart Attacks, Stroke or Cardiovascular Disease (#1 killer in US)

SOURCES/LINKS: http://www.joybauer.com/photo-gallery/8-foods-to-avoid-at-all-costs/breakfast-toaster-pastries.aspx

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/diabetes/
http://www.medicinenet.com/anemia/article.htm
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/what-is-atherosclerosis

3 Day Meal Plan

 3 Day meal plan

Day 1

Breakfast--Scrambled egg whites, turkey sausage, orange juice, and brown rice

Lunch-- Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread w/ lettuce and tomatoes, carrot sticks, and yogurt

Dinner--Spaghetti, Garlic bread, spinach, and pineapples

Snacks--Apple slices, Grapes, and Granola bars

Day 2

Breakfast-- Grape Juice, strawberries, homemade oat/banana pancakes (no flour or sugar added)

Lunch-- Whole grain pasta salad, w/ bed of baby spinach and tomatoes

Dinner--Salmon, noodles, and cucumbers in Japanese soy dressing

Snacks--Yogurt parfait, and celery sticks

Day 3

Breakfast-- Skim milk, Granola w/ Greek yogurt and fresh fruit

Lunch-- Grilled chicken, brown rice, assorted steamed veggies (carrots, peas, broccoli, etc.)

Dinner-- Stuffed bell peppers, cucumber salad, and steamed yams.

Snacks-- Apricots, and a Nature Valley bar