Healthy Eating During Adolescence

Eating healthy is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and is something that should be taught at a young
age. It’s important to discuss teen’s diet with their healthcare provider before making any dietary changes or placing
teen on a diet. Healthy eating during adolescence is important as body changes during this time affect an individual’s
nutritional and dietary needs. Teens are becoming more independent and making many food decisions on their own.
Many teens have a growth spurt and an increase in appetite and need healthy foods to meet their needs. Teens tend
to eat more meals away from home than younger children. They are also heavily influenced by their peers. Meal
convenience is important to many teens and they may be eating too much of the wrong types of food, like soft drinks,
fast-food, or processed foods.
Also, a common concern of many teens is dieting. Girls may feel pressure from peers to be thin and to limit what they
eat. Both boys and girls may diet to “make weight” for a particular sporting or social event.
The following are some general guidelines for helping teen eat healthy.

 Eat 3 meals a day, with healthy snacks.

 Increase fiber in the diet and decrease the use of salt.
 Drink water. Try to avoid drinks that are high in sugar. Fruit juice can have a lot of calories, so limit your
teen’s intake. Whole fruit is always a better choice. 
 Eat balanced meals.
 When cooking for your teen, try to bake or broil instead of fry.
 Make sure your teen watches (and decreases, if necessary) their sugar intake.
 Eat fruit or vegetables for a snack.
 Decrease the use of butter and heavy gravies.
 Eat more chicken and fish. Limit red meat intake and choose lean cuts when possible.  

Making healthy food choices

The MyPlate icon is a guideline to help teens eat a healthy diet. MyPlate can help teens eat a variety of foods while
encouraging the right amount of calories and fat.
The USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have prepared the following food plate to guide
parents in selecting foods for children ages 2 and older.
The MyPlate icon is divided into 5 food group categories, emphasizing the nutritional intake of the following:

Grains Foods that are made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain are grain
 products. Examples include whole wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal. Aim for mostly whole-
grains.
Vegetables Choose a variety of vegetables, including dark green, red, and orange vegetables, legumes
(peas and beans), and starchy vegetables.
Fruits Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the fruit group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen,
or dried, and may be whole, cut up, or pureed. The American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends children ages 7 to 18 limit juice intake to 8 ounces or 1 cup per day.
Dairy Milk products and many foods made from milk are considered part of this food group. Focus on
fat-free or low-fat products, as well as those that are high in calcium.
Protein Go lean on protein. Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry. Vary your protein routine—choose
more fish, nuts, seeds, peas, and beans.

Oils are not a food group, yet some, such as nut oils, contain essential nutrients and can be included in the diet.
Others, such as animal fats, are solid and should be avoided.
Exercise and daily physical activity should also be included with a healthy dietary plan.
Following is a sample meal plan for 12 to 18-year-old girls:

Breakfast 1 bowl oat flake-based cereal with milk and banana

Water
Recess or morning tea 200 g tub yoghurt and
1 cup air-popped popcorn
Water
Lunch Ham, cheese and tomato sandwich and
1 cup fruit salad 
Water
After-school snack or afternoon tea ¼ cup hommus dip and 3 crispbreads and
40g dried fruit and nuts
Dinner Chicken and vegetable stir-fry with
Rice
Water
Supper (if hungry) 1 -2 slices fruit bread with ricotta and
1 glass milk

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=healthy-eating-during-adolescence-90-P01610
IMMUNIZATIONS
Many parents tend to think of vaccines as something needed for infants and young children but less important later in
life. In fact, teenagers and young adults often get a number of vaccine-preventable diseases, including pertussis,
measles, and meningitis. They need protection against infectious illnesses, as well.
Teenagers should continue to see their pediatricians or other physicians on a regular basis. All teens (or their
parents) should keep an updated record of their immunizations. Many will need more vaccinations as teenagers,
particularly if they have fallen behind on some of their other immunizations. 
PPS/PIDSP 2013 Proposed Immunization Schedule for Persons 7- 18 years old

Recommended Vaccines Vaccines for Special Groups

HPV Rabies
Td/Tdap Typhoid
Influenza Meningococcal vaccine
Hepatitis A PCV/PPV
Hepatitis B
MMR
Varicella
MMRV
Hepatitis B Vaccine

 Given intramuscularly (IM)

 Administer 3 doses following a 0, 1, 6 schedule to previously unvaccinated children
Hepatitis A Vaccine

 Given intramuscularly (IM)

 For previously unvaccinated children administer 2 doses at least 6 months apart
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV)

 Given intramusculary (IM)

 Primary vaccination consists of a 3-dose series administered to females 10-18 years of age.
 The recommended schedule is as follows:
 Bivalent HPV at 0, 1 and 6 months;
 Quadrivalent HPV* at 0, 2 and 6 months.
Td/Tdap

 Given intramuscularly (IM)

 In children who are fully immunized*, Td booster doses should be given every 10 years
 A single dose of TdaP can be given in place of the due Td dose, and can be administered regardless of the
interval since the last tetanus and diphtheria toxoid containing vaccine
 Children and adolescents 7 to 18 years of age who are not fully immunized with DPT vaccine should be given
a single dose of TdaP. The remaining doses are given as Td
 Children and adolescents 7 to 18 years of age who have never been immunized with DPT vaccine should
receive the 3-dose series of tetanus containing vaccine using the 0-1-6 months schedule. A single dose of
TdaP is given, preferably as the first dose. The remaining doses are given as Td.
MMR

 Given subcutaneously (SC)

 Give two doses of MMR with a minimum interval of 4 weeks between doses.
 Children 7 years or older who received one dose of any measles containing vaccine (measles, MR, MMR)
after 12 months of age should receive a second dose of MMR
Varicella Vaccine

 Given subcutaneously (SC)

 Two doses of the vaccine are recommended.
 Children who previously received one dose of varicella vaccine at age 7 years should receive a second dose
Influenza Vaccine

 Given intramuscularly (IM) or subcutaneously (SC)

 Children aged 9 to 18 years should receive one dose of vaccine.
 Annual vaccination should be given preferably between February to June, but may be given throughout the
year.

Adolescents At-Risk: A Literature Review of Problems. Attitudes, and Interventions

by Tara L. Kuther, from Fordham University
Adolescence has often been construed as a difficult period in life, consisting of storm and stress. A few of the
problems that place adolescents at risk today are child maltreatment, substance use, delinquency, sexually
transmitted diseases, and suicide. Also, delinquency (truancy, andalism, theft, violence, and correlates of
delinquency); Factually transmitted diseases; and suicide.
 Parental attitudes towards adolescent problems are important because parents are the primary socializing
agents of children. Their attitudes towards particular problems may influence 18 Adolescents At-Risk 17 those of
their adolescent children. Dryfoos (1990) argued that because of the interrelatedness of the various problems of
adolescence, it is more effective to eliminate the predictors, rather than the behaviors themselves. The focus is
shifting to primary prevention involving early schooling and prevention of school failure, which are predictors for
many problems such as substance use and delinquency (Dryfoos 1990). Intervention should be multifaceted
because the problems often are. For adolescents, the best interventions involve school based social competence
and health education throughout the school years.
Successful interventions often involve the development of problem solving skills and life skills. This training is
not targeted directly at any one specific problem, but is broad based to promote general adaptation and health
(Hammond & Yung, 1993). Children need to learn problem solving skills at a young age so that they develop coping
skills that do not include gateway drugs such as tobacco (Amos, 1992). Current intervention efforts in substance
abuse deemphasize the dangers of gateway drugs, which adolescents are most vulnerable to (Berdiansky, 1991).
The goal of substance education is to decrease the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. In order to effectively
do so, the immediate effects and consequences of gateway drugs should be taught, rather than the long term effects
(Berdiansky, 1991; Lowenstein, 1985). Education of both parents and adolescents is a very important component of
intervention.
Education has also been suggested as a powerful prevention strategy in suicide. Norton et al (1989) found
that few adolescents have accurate information about suicide. In fact, most have misinformation about warning signs.
Junior high students relate depression, but not mental illness to suicide (Domino et al, 1986-87). They understand
that suicide can be viewed as an attention-getting attempt or cry for help, and seemed to be aware of the difficulties
in identifying suicide risks (Domino et al, 196887). It is suggested that school programs may act to discourage
suicidal students from seeking help (Lester, 1992).
Group counseling has also been suggested as an intervention strategy for suicidal adolescents and abuse.
Peer group counseling has been suggested as a possible intervention strategy wherein the role of the peer counselor
is to act as group leader, facilitator, and liaison with parents. In addition, life skills training is useful in substance
abuse and delinquency prevention. Training focuses on communication. assertiveness, coping, and decision making
skills. It has been noted that the most effective interventions emphasize problem solving and the enhancement of
self-control and self-esteem. Clinical interventions should focus on the family in terms of support and education; this
is especially true in cases of abuse.