Transcript to view Healthy Eating for Teenagers

Healthy Eating for Teenagers: A Parent’s
Guide
Cliodhna Kirwan
Senior Dietitian 28/09/2016
What aspect of nutrition would you
like to learn about in today’s session?
Topics
 Getting back to basics
 Why is nutrition important during adolescence?
 What is healthy eating?
 Healthy lunches and snacks
 Common Nutritional issues during teenage years
 The importance of physical activity
 Key Messages
 Questions
Back to Basics
5
Dramatic change in diet and
lifestyle over time
 Economic growth  change in lifestyles,
patterns of work, finances, rapid
urbanisation, leisure  globalisation of
food industry  obesogenic environment
 breakdown of traditional eating habits,
sedentary lifestyle  ↓ food prep time,
eating more food out of home, highly
processed convenience food, snacking (high
energy, nutrient poor)
6
A Healthy Weight for Ireland Obesity
Policy and Action Plan – 2016 - 2025
One in four Irish children/teens
overweight or obese
8
Why is nutrition important during the
teenage years?
Good nutrition is always important
 Teenagers or young adults need more key
nutrients
 Rapid physical growth and change needs a
good fuel source
 Teenage brains are changing
Diet and Nutrition
Key Nutrients for Healthy Eating
during the Teenage Years
Where should your focus be?
Nutrients in Food
Watch your portion size
Top Shelf foods are high in fat, sugar
and salt, are not essential for health
and taken in excess can be harmful
Maximum 1
Fats and oils
are essential,
but only in
small amounts.
The foods and
drinks on the
bottom 4
shelves of the
Food Pyramid
are essential
for good
health.
2
2
3(5)
5+
6+
Carbohydrates = Energy = Fuel for
our Brains = 6+ portions
Vitamins, Minerals & Fibre
Calcium, Vitamin D and Protein
Hydration
5 teaspoons
4 tea
spoons
7
teaspoo
ns
13
teaspoons
Just a spoonful of sugar?
7
teaspoons
0
teaspoo
ns
0 tea
spoons
Cost….
 Price for 3 kids for the school year (175 days)
 Coke = €493
 Fruit Shoot = €341
 CapriSun = €183
 Tap Water = Free!
Getting the Basics Right
Understanding the Key Nutrients
THINK FLUID : STAY HYDRATED
Why is it so important?
 Body consists of 55 – 65% water
 Muscle is made up of 70% water
 For carbohydrate (our fuel) to be stored (fuel tank) it needs water to
do this
 We are losing fluid all the time over 24hours, for example: sweating,
urination, and breathing.
Ways to know if you are dehydrated :
 Urine colour : straw like
Smell: strong
Volume: small amount
Bringing it all together
Healthy lunches, snacks and sample
Meal Plan
The Perfect Lunchbox
 A drink 200-300mls
 One protein-rich food (meat, fish, peanut

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butter or egg)
One calcium-rich food (cheese, yoghurt, milk)
At least 1 portion of fresh fruit/vegetables
One portion of salad or vegetables
Two carbohydrate foods
(bread, pasta, rice)
Lunch A
Lunch B
Lunch C
Comparison (% GDA)
140
120
100
80
Lunch A
Lunch B
60
Lunch C
40
20
0
Calories
Sugar
Calcium
Salt
Vit C
Iron
Daily
F&V
Sample Meal Plan
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Breakfast (8am)
1 x bowl of cereal with low fat milk
1 x slice of bread toasted with peanut butter
1 x Glass of milk
Snack (11 am)
1 x piece of fruit
1 x yoghurt
Lunch (12:30)
Pitta pocket filled with tuna and sweet corn or ham, chicken, cheese or egg plus salad
1 x match box size cheese
1 x piece of fruit
200-300mls water
Snack (5pm)
2 crackers with cheese with 2 x handfuls of nuts
Dinner (8pm)
Meat, fish or vegetarian choice with potatoes/pasta/rice and vegetables
1 x glass of milk
Snack Ideas
 1 x piece of fruit
 1 x yoghurt
 1 x handful of vegetable sticks with hummus
 2 x Rice cakes
 1 x slice of toast with butter
 1 x small bag of popcorn
 2 x crackers with cheese
 1 x bowl of cereal with milk
Healthy Lunch Box Ideas Handout
Remember –Get Basics Right
1.
3 Regular Meals + 2-3 snacks daily depending on your
child’s needs and levels of activity
2.
Mix it up – Varied & Well Balanced Diet
3.
Keep it Fresh – avoid processed foods
4.
Strive for 5 – aim for at least 5 portions of Fruit &
Vegetables per day per day
5.
Think Fluid, Think Iron, Think Calcium and Vitamin D,
Think energy
Common Nutritional Issues during
the teenage years
Bone Structure
The structure of bone is similar to a
sponge
Bone Health
 45% of the adult skeleton is formed during
adolescence
 By the age of 17 years 90%of the adult skeleton is
developed
 Bone mass gradually declines after 40 years of age
Osteoporosis
 Known as ‘brittle bone disease’
 Can result in: Fractures and loss of mobility
Helpful suggestions….
 Lunch:
 Dinner:
 Dessert:
 Snacks:
 Supper:
Yoghurt or yoghurt drinks
Cheese on sandwiches
Add grated cheese to mashed
potatoes, vegetables, sauces, savoury
dishes, etc
Milk pudding or custard
Yoghurt over chopped fruit
Cheese squares / triangles / yoghurts
Bowl of cereal before bed
Hot chocolate made on milk
If Really Stubborn…..
 Fortified milk (extra calcium & vitamin D)
 Angel delight / Dream Topping made on milk
 Breakfast cereals
 White bread
 Baked beans
 Broccoli
 Fortified orange juice
 Tinned fish with soft bones e.g. salmon, tuna
 Calcium and Vitamin D Supplement
What about vitamin D?
Vitamin D
 Oily fish
 Egg yolk
 Liver
 Fortified milks
 Fortified breakfast cereals
 Fortified margarines
Teen dieting
 IUNA 2008
 Girls twice as likely as boys to have tried to lose
weight in the past
1/2 girls
49
1/4 boys
Many young people not meeting dietary
recommendations for fruit,
veg, sat fat or sugar
<5%
50
1/3 Irish Teens eats no fruit at all
51
IUNA, 2008
% Irish boys with inadequate
micronutrient intakes
30
28
25
25
23
22
21
19
20
15
13
10
10
8
6
5
5
6
0
Ca
Vit A
Folate
children
52
IUNA 2005, IUNA 2008
Iron
teens
Vit C
Vit B2
% Irish girls with inadequate
micronutrient intakes
80
74
70
60
50
40
42
37
36
34
29
30
31
26
20
23
13
10
10
7
0
Ca
Folate
Iron
children
53
IUNA 2005; IUNA 2008
Vit A
teens
Vit B2
Vit C
Iron
 Iron stored as:
 Haemoglobin in the blood
 Ferritin in the body
 Increased requirements
 Growth
 Menstruation
 Low iron stores common
Iron Deficiency Anaemia
 Low haemoglobin and ferritin levels
 Many different causes
 Poor dietary iron intake
 Symptoms vary
 Adaptive response
Iron Rich Foods
 Haem iron: Meat and meat products, poultry, fish,
eggs
 Non haem iron
 Pulses, beans, fortified bread and breakfast
cereals
 Vitamin C foods – citrus fruits and juice,
potatoes, peppers, salad
Physical Activity
Move More
Remember: our young people learn
by example
What are the Physical Activity
recommendations 3-5 years
 Current Irish guidelines for children
aged 2 - 18 yrs
 At least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical
activity every day
 3 times a week flexibility and muscle & bone
strengthening exercises
Research
 12% of post primary children met the national
physical activity guidelines
 Girls were less likely to meet these
recommendations than boys
 Girls are more likely to engage in extra circular
activities than boys
The Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study (2010)
Exercise and Mental Health
 Research has shown that exercise releases
chemicals in your brain that make you feel good boosting your self-esteem, helping you
concentrate as well as sleep, look and feel better.
Not bad for something we can quite easily do for
free
(www.mentalhealth.org.uk)
Healthy Body = Healthy Mind
What does your brain need?
 Complex carbohydrates
 Essential fatty acids
 Amino acids
 Vitamins and Minerals
 Water
64
What can you do as parents?
Do I need to change my diet?
 I am meeting the food pyramid recommendations?
 I am not eating enough…..
 I am eating too much…..
 I could eat more/less of these foods by….
 What would be good about changing?
 What would be difficult to change?
 Action plan….what, when, how, measure!
 What about physical activity?
Points to Remember
No ones diet is perfect all the time!
“Old habits cannot be thrown out the
window- they need to be coaxed down
the stairs one at a time”
Mark Twain
Small changes can make BIG benefits
Key Messages
 Eat smart Move More
 Watch Portion sizes
 Think Fluid
 Think Iron
 Think Calcium and Vitamin D
 Think physical activity
What one change can you make and
what one change can you make as a
family?
Healthy eating habits formed in
childhood can benefit health for a
lifetime!
Thank You
Questions
Useful Resources
 www.indi.ie
 www.healthpromotion.ie
 www.fsai.ie
 www.getirelandactive.ie
 www.safefood.eu
 www.growingup.ie
 www.nodrama.ie
 www.bda.uk.com