The tween and teen years are a time of tremendous growth and development. We see our children shoot up in height, we see their bodies transform from that of a child to one very much adult-like in just a few short years and we experience the emotional rollercoaster that indicates to us that they are producing all manner of new and impactful hormones. Well, guess what? All of that growth and development takes a tremendous amount of nutrients. And in developed countries, it is this age group that are the highest consumers of processed food that is full of empty calories and additives that need to be processed by the body but are also devoid of nutrients. See the problem
Through adolescence, your teen will build 50% of their adult weight (think muscle, vascular tissue, skin, bone, etc), 50% of their adult skeletal mass and 20% of their adult height. This gives you an indication of how very important nutrient intake is during these years. In fact, teens need more of many of the essential vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients than adults. There are a few common nutrient insufficiencies seen in adolescents and common health conditions related to these insufficiencies plague this developmental stage. So, your teen should have a healthier, more nutrient-dense diet than you. Is this the case? If not, do not worry, there are easy ways to improve their diet to help them build strong, healthy, resilient adult bodies that will last them for decades to come.
So, what do they need?
First, let's take a look at the macronutrients, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre and fluids.
Protein
Tweens and teens need protein and lots of it. An easy way to ensure they are getting adequate protein is to include it in all three meals and with any snacks. Protein will give you the added bonus of keeping them fuller for longer so you don't have constant requests for snacks. What are good sources of protein? I am glad you asked...
Plant sources of protein often come with the added bonus of fibre so they are important to include daily. Beans, lentils, legumes in general, whole grains, nuts and seeds can all give you a protein boost. Animal products are the richest sources of protein: grass-fed, organic, and wild are preferable. Choosing lean meats is a healthier choice and staying away from processed meats is important. Eggs are great, dairy is okay but can be inflammatory so it is best to rely on other sources for their protein intake. If your adolescent is vegetarian it is important they spend some time familiarising themselves with how much of the vegetarian sources of protein you need to make up a protein portion (it can be quite a bit) and which of the vegetarian sources are complete proteins (not many) and how you can combine them to make sure you have a complete amino acid profile.
Fat
Your tweens and teens are building lots of hormones right now and these hormones need cholesterol to be produced. If they are not getting the cholesterol they need from their diet their body will produce it in their liver. I am not suggesting your adolescent increases their cholesterol intake, I am just highlighting that they need fat for this major feature of adolescence and consuming a diet devoid of cholesterol will leave their liver the hard work of making all that it needs.
Another major feature of adolescence is growth. Guess what every single one of your cell's cellular membrane is made out of? You guessed it! Fat. The fancy term for it is a phospholipid bilayer -- meaning two layers of lipids (fat) with a phosphate group in its molecule and two fatty tails. This membrane will be made out of whatever fats are available but there are fats that are more flexible and make a healthier cell wall. Omega 3 fatty acids are one such fat.
Omega 3 fatty acids are what is known as an essential fatty acid meaning we can not produce them in the body so must obtain them from the diet. If your teen is not eating 3-4 portions of oily fish per week then they are likely not getting the levels of omega 3 that they need. It is not just the new cells around the entire body that will need these omega 3s but the majority of omega 3 in the body that is in phospholipid form is in the brain, the eye and the central nervous system -- pretty key parts of the body, I am sure you will agree. Most adolescents will likely need an omega 3 supplement in order to maintain the levels necessary for this major developmental stage. There are vegetarian sources available but the richest sources come from fish oils.
So, not the time to be trying out a low-fat diet, right?
Carbohydrates
Your adolescent will have no problem whatsoever getting enough carbs in. This will likely be their first choice when reaching for a snack or buying food for themselves when out and about. There is likely to be a lot of processed and refined carbohydrates in their diet if they are anything like the average teen, so it is important to get all of the healthy carbs in at home. Where you, as a parent or carer, have influence over their diet, encouraging consumption of complex carbohydrates rather than simple, processed and refined is important. Whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruit, legumes, nuts and seeds all contain complex carbohydrates.
Fibre
Fibre is a type of complex carbohydrate. I talk quite a bit about it in this previous blog post so I will not go into detail here except to say that having adequate fibre in the diet (30g per day) will help to maintain clear skin and good mental health (both of which are concerns with this age group). Also, as with protein, fibre will keep your teen fuller for longer and therefore reduce snack requests.
Fluids
I know I keep saying this week after week but it bears repeating. We should all be drinking 8 8oz glasses (1.5-2L) or water every day. If your teen refuses to drink water try herbal teas these can be cooled and drunk as a cold drink. Try infused water, a few sprigs of fresh mint or a slice of citrus fruit in a water bottle can add a lovely flavour. My son likes to add a few tablespoons of fresh-squeezed orange juice to his water bottle where my daughter loves a cold herbal tea. Get the fluids in. Try to build healthy habits around water instead of adding in sugar-laden drinks with additives in them. These are not healthy choices and will only have them coming back for snacks once the blood sugar spike drops.
Now on to the micronutrients, some of the common insufficiencies seen in adolescents are minerals and some are vitamins.
Minerals and vitamins do not come in isolation. They work synergistically and are part of a greater picture so it is important to get as much of these through the foods your teen eats. If they have a limited diet or some other reason why they can not get these in via food it may be a good idea to book an appointment with a Nutritional Therapist who can advise you on high-quality supplement brands and levels of nutrients needed for this life stage.
Minerals
The major players (and ones that are often low) at this life stage are calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Calcium is needed for bone growth but also for many other processes in the body. With the high level of bone growth at this stage, we want to make sure our teens are getting enough to grow and still have some left for all the other processes calcium is needed for in the body. Dietary sources of calcium include dairy products, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables and tinned fish with bones. Magnesium is needed for hormone production, stress response, muscle relaxation, anxiety reduction, and cellular energy production, among other things. Some examples of where you can find magnesium are in whole grains, nuts, seeds, and green leafy veg. Iron is needed for all of that growth and development. Think of the increased blood volume that is needed for all that newly grown tissue. It is also important to think about iron levels in your adolescent girls as they start menstruating. You can find iron in animal meats (especially red meat). Green leafy vegetables are also a good source of iron but you will need to make sure you are consuming vitamin C rich foods in the same meal as the green leaves as the plant form of iron needs vitamin C to be absorbed in the gut. There are also substances in some vegetarian foods (eg whole grains) that can reduce mineral absorption so it is best to get as much of the plant forms in as possible to make sure your teens are getting adequate levels. Zinc is needed for so many things including sexual maturation, hormone production, growth and development, immunity, gut health and cognition. You can find zinc in red meat, fish, seafood, nuts, seeds and whole grains. It is difficult to get optimal levels from vegetarian sources alone so this is also a mineral to watch.
A word about supplementation. Some nutrients are not safe to supplement (iron is one of these) without knowing your levels beforehand. Some nutrients are not excreted from the body that easily and it is prudent to test levels before starting any supplementation of them so they do not build up to toxic levels. Fortunately, food is safe. Eating iron-rich foods will not lead to a toxic level of iron in the body. My advice is to eat food rather than supplement unless under the care of a qualified professional.
If your teen is pale, tired, or becomes easily fatigued (especially after exertion) it may be a good idea to have their iron levels tested. A Nutritional Therapist can order testing for you for mineral levels and can advise on safe and effective supplements if there is a need.
Vitamins
Finally, there are a few vitamins that are commonly low in the adolescent, vitamin A, C and some B vitamins. Vitamin A is needed for cell differentiation, reproduction, gut health, immunity and works synergistically with vitamin D to maintain bones. It is fat-soluble so needs fat to be absorbed (yet another reason your teen needs fat). This one is also tricky to get in optimal levels on a vegetarian diet but there are many vegetables that are high in beta carotene which is a vitamin A precursor. You can find vitamin A in butter, organ meats, eggs and fish, and beta carotene in green leafy vegetables and in orange vegetables and fruits. Vitamin A is another one that can build up to toxic levels so if you are thinking of supplementing speak to a professional. Vitamin C this one is easy to get in the diet, does not build up to toxic levels and is easily supplemented. Think, brightly coloured fruit and veg -- oranges, kiwis, blueberries, green leafy veg, red peppers. There are many B vitamins that work synergistically together and are involved in all manner of processes in the body -- energy production, metabolism and neurotransmitter production are just a few. They can be found in whole grains, meats, fish, nuts and seeds and green leafy vegetables.
Have you noticed the overlap? I think it is important not to get overwhelmed by the detail and just try to make sure your teens are filling up on healthy whole foods -- lots of green leafy vegetables, a rainbow of other fruits and veg, whole grains, nuts, seeds, sources of healthy lean meats, oily fish and other vegetarian sources of protein like legumes.
If you are unsure if they are getting all the bases covered I am available for one-off Zoom consultations for a dietary review. Email me at april@wellenesswithapril.co.uk for more information.
To wellness!
April