Eating your way to a better you

Eating your way to a better you!

#askvicki , #healthydiet

During your teen and pre-teen years you’re going to be using up a lot of energy and to keep your body in tip top condition it’s time to consider your diet.

Unfortunately at the time when girls need to pay attention to their diet, obsessing about how much they weigh starts to become a serious issue, with many girls thinking the way to the perfect body is to diet. It’s believed that up to 50% of teenage girls will have tried one form of dieting before their 16th birthday. But skipping breakfast, snacking at lunch and then picking at dinner are all habits that if you’re not careful can cause problems with weight in adult life.

The key to maintain a healthy weight is choosing the right foods and two of the most important nutrients for a teenager are iron and calcium.

Calcium

Calcium is as important for teenagers as it is for babies and helps ensure bones and teeth continue to grow. Of course milk is one of the best sources of calcium and a far healthier option to fizzy drinks too! Low fat yoghurts and cheese are also good sources of this necessary nutrient. And if you’re a vegetarian eating and drinking these food types should meet all your calcium requirements.

Iron

Iron is a much needed mineral for our bodies, it is essential for healthy blood and a lack of iron can lead to a condition called anaemia, which can often result in tiredness, difficulty in concentrating and a shortened attention span – all of which can affect studying at school especially at exam time. Girls are especially vulnerable to anaemia when they start their periods.

Meat and especially red meat is one of the best sources of iron and yummy foods like lasagne, cottage pie, beef burgers eaten once or twice a week will keep your iron levels high.

If you’re a vegetarian eating iron-rich food types such as beans, whole grain cereals, leafy green vegetables such as cabbage, spinach or watercress are all good sources of this mineral.

Here’s a clever tip for helping iron to be absorbed into the body – drinking a small glass of fruit juice, such as orange juice with meals will not only help with your iron levels but is also a great source of Vitamin C another vital nutrient for teenage girls.

Watch out for our next blog, with three great recipes to keep you healthy and energised during the day.

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Comments

Kitty

I try not to worry too much about what I eat, but I do check to see if I’ve eaten enough foods with all the good stuff in every so often. I eat when I’m hungry, and stop when I’ve had enough, but don’t let food make you miserable. It’s supposed to be fun to try new things, and eating can be a sociable activity too. Think of the nutritional properties of a natural home-made pizza: carbs (dough), calcium (cheese), vegetables (sauce)!

Gothgrrrlpwr to #YOURB-Y-O-U-T-F-U-L

Agreed.

Lily#blogger teen

Hi vicki! This an increadible blog! I used to be pretty sensitive about the way that i look, But then form this blog i learned that we are all pretty and bright just the way that we are!So keep shining girls! I know that you can!⚽💡✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨XOXO Lily#bloggerteen!!!!????!!!!

IT'S ME

#YOURB-Y-O-U-T-I-F-U-L same with me today I didn't wear tights to school and I wore socks and a boy in my class said that I have really skinny legs and at lunch I eat a hotdog thinking that hopefully I won't be skinny anymore but now next time I'm not going to do that and just love my body the way it is and try have a healthy style of eating because before I used to eat a lot and my parents would tell me not to eat as much so thank you for helping me realise that I'm beautiful just the way I am.

To Honeycomb

Hi, just something you could try is use the sugary treats you are addicted to as a reward. Like say " once I have done a workout, I can have a bar of chocolate" or " when I have finished my homework, I can have some sweets" . Hope that helps it is just an idea. Also @ # YOURB-Y-O-U-T-I-F-U-L, well said I agree I am in the same boat as you :))

#yourB-Y-O-U-T-I-F-U-L

I really hate how people say fat-shaming is bad, but then they think skinny-shaming isn't. It's always all about losing weight and all, but what about people like me? It sucks I can't gain weight, no matter how much I eat. I've had multiply old friends say I'm gross and I'm a bag of bones. It really puts you down because nowadays society tells all of us young girls how we need to look and what's called "pretty". just because I might be smaller doesn't mean I'm not pretty. I don't have to have a big butt and boobs to be accepted. I am who I am and I can't change a thing. And I feel like people who try to lose weight, even when they do reach a healthy weight still don't know what it's like to be thin. You are told to go eat more, "go eat a burger". It really makes me sick, and btw I eat A LOT for my weight. Anyway, I just wanted to say this because it's always avoided. Love y'all xx

honeycomb

i'm so unhealthy, I eat two popsicles a day which is so much sugar, and when I do make a plan to not eat one I bail out at the last second because i'm so addicted to sugar. :( Any advice anyone?

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