FOOD!!!...or BEING SMART WITH FOOD

As teenagers, we tend to eat fast foods and sweets. In other words, we don't usually eat healthy. However, maybe it's because of our bad eating habits that the youth obesity rate in America is sky-rocketing. Many studies have been done, and these studies imply that eating healthy not only has a good effect on a teenager's physical being, but also on the way that they feel. Eating well is feeling good.

Active teenagers need a lot of calories because of the extra work they do and the way they work their body. Teens Health: A Guide to Eating for Sports says that active teenagers need 2,000 to 5,000 calories per day. Dieting also isn't a good idea for teenage athletes because of the amount of work that they are doing. Your body needs the fuel and the energy in order to do all those extra activities. It's risky to diet because you could be losing a food group or two that coincides with your activities.

There are many benefits of eating healthy to any type of teenager. Among these benefits are that it provides energy for a teenager to be active (i.e running, soccer, etc.), it gives teenager's good body support especially as we are still growing, and it also helps to protect humans against diseases such as heart disease, strokes and high blood pressure. The two main benefits of eating healthy are that it helps us to control our weight. With good eating habits, it's less likely that we will be overweight or underweight as well. The second reason is that it helps us to develop strong bones. Bones are mostly developed during a human's teenage years rather than the adult years. Therefore, if a human has weak bones, once they become an adult, it's too late to try to build strong bones.

So now that we know the benefits of eating healthy, what should we as teenagers eat? Well, our eating habits vary from person to person. An active teenager requires different amounts of certain things to eat from a less active teenager. An active teenager needs more calories because they have to fuel our growth as well as sports needs. If you are an active teenager, don't be fooled by the myth that "carbo-loading is good before a game". Although carbohydrates help to produce more energy, an active teenager also needs other types of food that provide vitamins, proteins, and fats. Carbohydrates provide a good source for short-term energy use. There are three types of carbohydrates to eat: whole grains, processed carbohydrates, and sugary carbohydrates. Studies show that the best carbohydrates to eat are the whole grains, which include brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, and starchy vegetables (corn or peas). These types of starch are better than white rice and white bread because they provide more energy and fiber. However, sugary carbohydrates are the worst to eat. They often cause an active teenager to "crash" because many sugary carbohydrates cause an athlete to get very hyper, and then lose all of their energy.

All vitamins are beneficial to the well-being of an active teenager. Calcium is very important to a teenager, but especially an active teenager because they are using their bones more than usual. Good sources of calcium are dairy products such as cheese, milk, etc. Aside from calcium there are other vitamins that are necessary. These vitamins can be gathered from consuming vegetables and fruits. Vitamins gives a teenager access to energy and also protects us from getting sick.

There are also a number of myths associated with eating proteins for an active athlete. The most common myth is that many athletes should eat lots of proteins to grow and build strong muscles. This is untrue. Strong muscles are built by training hard and working hard for periods of time. In fact, too much protein can be detrimental to a teenager's health because it can lead to dehydration, calcium loss, and kidney problems. Good sources of proteins are fish, lean meats, and poultry.

Although fats are said to be extremely bad for an athlete, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't eat any fats at all. Fats are good for providing long-term energy sources for teenagers. However, fats take longer to digest than foods like carbohydrates. Therefore, they should be eaten a few hours before the next training session or game.

That covers all of the correct foods to eat, but the final thing that is very important to consume, especially as an active teenager, is to drink water. Water is very important because it keeps your body going. Experts say to drink water every 15-20 minutes prior to exercising. This should amount to 1-2 cups. The amount of water changes when a teenager is actually exercising. Teenagers that are exercising should drink a ½ a cup to a full cup every 15-20 minutes while exercising. Signs of dehydration are heat exhaustion and thirst. If you are thirsty, this is a bad sign because you are already dehydrated.

These amounts and types of foods and quantities are recommended for active teenagers, but we must remember that too much of anything is not good. Balancing your foods is just as important as making healthy food choices. To be a healthy active teenager, it will not require you to eat a certain diet, carbo load, or take special pills or supplements. Instead, it's just the right foods and the right amounts that will aid your body and the way it takes part in activities.