Importance of eating healthy foods

Its important for teenagers to eat healthy because teenagers need energy to exercise, it helps teenagers to grow, and eating healthy will help teenagers to be in a better mood. Eating healthy can also prevent diseases such as heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, etc. It is crucial for teens to get eat healthy and get the nutrition that they need.

Many teens are active because they participate in sports or work out on a daily basis. When you work out, you burn calories, so teens need to re-gain those calories by eating the right foods. Eating healthy and eating a wide variety of foods in the right portions will also support an average teens moderately active lifestyle.

At this time in a life of a teenager, it is the time when they are growing and their bodies are changing. During adolescence, iron and calcium are particularly important. If teens don't get enough calcium during their adolescence, it can lead to weaker bones when they grow older, which can lead to diseases such as osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is when the bone density is reduced and there is an increased risk of getting a fracture.

Have you ever heard the expression "You are what you eat"? Your food choices reflect on who you are, and even your personality. Another benefit of eating healthy, is that it puts teenagers in a better mood. When teens are moody, especially during adolescence, one strategy to change your mood is to change your eating styles to level out the blood sugars in your body.

By eating healthy foods, not only is it benefitting you for your teenage years, it also plays a role in the long run when you grow older.

http://www.cyh.com/SubDefault.aspx?p=159

http://healnh.org/YYFH/FoodNutri/NutriYou/blogphotos/VegFruits.jpg

http://www.tdjonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/healthy-lifestyle.jpg

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/15490485/ns/today-today_health/t/improve-your-mood-these-foods/#.Tt3mDM2S4WI

Recommended daily caloric requirement for an average teen

              The daily caloric intake for each person varies depending on three different categories; age, gender, and level of activity. Age matters because teens need to have more calories because these are the years that teens are growing. Gender plays an important role too because boys typically need to intake more calories than girls. Body mass. Activity level is vital because active teens intake more calories than non- active teens because they are burning more calories by working out.
              Naturally, as we get older we eat more, so the caloric intake for teens (ages 14 to 18) will be higher than a four to eight year old. Also, since boys need more calories than girls, their caloric intake will be higher too.
              When people do a sport or work out they are burning calories, so naturally they need to intake more calories to restore the calories they burned. Teens, ages 14 to 18, that work out two or three times a week are moderately active. For girls who are moderately active should consume 2,000 calories and males should consume 2,400 to 2,800 calories a day.

              Making sure that you eat enough calories for your suggested intake is important, but those calories need to be eaten in moderation. A teen can't just eat a major amount of calories full of meats because that would be unhealthy; everyone needs their share of starches, vegetables, fruit, meat, milk, and fats/ oils/ sweets.

http://www.weight-loss-center.net/calorie-needs-teens.html
http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/teen-calorie-intake.html
http://www.caloriecontentoffoods.com/the-food-pyramid/

Importance of Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fat

Proteins: The importance of proteins is that it helps carry oxygen, builds cardiac muscle, and its required for the function of the body's tissues and organs. An example of a protein is a messenger protein. A messenger protein, like hormones, transmit signals between cells, tissues, and organs.

Fats: The importance of fats is that it helps to fuel your body, helps absorb vitamin, and it provides the body with maximum energy. Fats are the most commonly misunderstood macronutrient. Fats are important because they strengthen our immune system, help our liver and lungs, and help absorb calcium for stronger bones.

Carbohydrates: The importance of carbohydrates is that it helps build energy. (ATP) Carbohydrates are sugars and the most important sugar of the body is glucose. Our bodies need glucose in certain tissues or cells in order to function properly. Carbohydrates help the body absorb the sugars for cellular function.

http://www.articlesbase.com/

http://www.weightawareness.com

http://www.diet-and-health.net/

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/howgeneswork/protein

http://lh4.ggpht.com/flauze2000/SEisofP6ajI/AAAAAAAAAzM/qsdTL-OANgA/food-pyramid.jpg

http://energiafitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/what-foods-are-high-in-protein.jpg

Foods to Avoid & Include and Why

When it comes to food choices of an average teenager, there are foods that he/she should steer away from and foods he/she should choose to eat for a healthy lifestyle.

Fats. What do you think of this word? To you, does it have a positive or negative meaning to it? Many people think that fats are bad for you, which is true, however there are also "good" fats, that is needed in a human's diet. In order for an average teenager to life a healthy lifestyle, he/she has to be knowledgable of the "good" and the "bad" fats in food.

In foods, there are four major different types of fats. Monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats and trans fat. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are the "good" fats, and saturated fats and trans fats are the "bad" fats.

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are good for you because they help with your cholesterol levels, your heart, and all in all health. Monounsaturated fats, such as nuts, avocados, peanut butter, lower the amount of LDL Cholesterol (which clogs up your artery walls) by increasing the amount of HDL Cholesterol (which allows the cholesterol to pass through the artery walls without collecting up on the artery walls).

Polyunsaturated fats, such as tofu, soymilk, fatty fish (ex salmon, tuna), and avocados, just overall, benefits your health. According to recent studies, people who consume more polyunsaturated fats (or Omega-3, fatty acids) have less health problems then others who don't consume as much polyunsaturated fats. Studies also have evidence that polyunsaturated fats help prevent depression, arthritis, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases.

Saturated fats and trans fats are bad for you because they don't have any benefit to your health whatsoever, they only taste "good," Saturated fats, such as butter, and fatty red meats, can clog up your heart causing major health issues.

Trans fats, such as doughnuts, packaged foods, cakes, cookies, are fats that are made by humans, not natural. Trans fats are worse than saturated fats, and are bad for your blood vessels, and nervous system.

These choices may not affect you as much as a teen, but it becomes a key factor when we grow up and systems in your body start to fail quicker than one who eats healthy.

http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_diet_fats.htm

http://www.lowfatlifestyle.com/goodfatbadfat.htm

http://static.wix.com/media/35526dd793f3ca738008a8827c49b980.wix_mp_128

http://www.bigoven.com/pics/rs/256/raised-doughnuts-5.jpg

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Foto3/AvocadoPhoto.jpg

http://www.fredlyn.com/nuts.jpg

By: Alyssa Azuma

3 Day Healthy Meal Plan

Day 1 (Alyssa)

Breakfast-1 cup of low-fat milk, 1 whole wheat bagel

Morning Snack-1 cup of yogurt, 1 cup of grapes, and 1 cup of soybeans

Lunch- 2 cups of whole grain pasta [with marinara (red) sauce] with 1.5 oz. of shredded non-processed cheese, 2 slices of whole wheat bread,

Afternoon Snack- 1 organic carrot, 1 cup of apples w/4 tablespoons of peanut butter

Dinner- 1.5 cups of salad, 1 bowl of rice, 3 oz of fresh salmon and 3 oz of chicken (both non-processed)

Day 2 (Bianca):

Breakfast- 1 cup low-fat yogurt, one cup of strawberries, and one bowl of granola cereal

Morning snack- Sliced carrots, one cup frozen grapes

Lunch- Sandwich with whole wheat bread, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and lean turkey

Afternoon snack- One fiber bar and sliced celery with ranch.

Dinner- 1 ounce of grilled fish, salad, 1 bowl of brown rice, and 1 cup of leafy vegetables (spinach)

Day 3 (Taryn):

Breakfast- Steel- 1/2 cup of steel- cut oatmeal with ground flaxseed, blueberries, and almonds

Morning Snack- 1 cup whole grain pasta salad containing olives, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, and lean sliced salami with light Italian dressing

Lunch- 1 cup white meat chicken and vegetable stir fry with 1/2 cup of brown rice

Afternoon Snack- 2 almond, pecan, raisin, semisweet chocolate chip granola bars

Dinner- 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 grilled mahi mahi fillet, and 1.5 cups of salad

~Be sure to drink at least 6-8 cups of water per day~

http://stylishcuisine.com/wp-content/uploads/frozen-grapes-1.jpg
http://img4.sunset.com/i/2003/03/taku-salmon-m.jpg?300:300

http://www.nutrition.com.sg/he/heteens.asp

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5007/5363162450_58cff7b66f.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2740/4364522702_ba60b5e154.jpg
http://whatwillicooktoday.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/cherry-almond-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/
http://www.quickitalianrecipes.net/italian-pasta-salad/

http://www.brighamandwomens.org/publicaffairs/Images/Cereal_granola.jpg