Revealing Of Teenagers Snacking Habits

Adolescence is the transition from childhood to adulthood that occurs between ages 13 and 19 (can start earlier/ later), development, growth and physical and psychological changes are occurring. In this time adolescents need a lot of nutrients to grow, develop and stay healthy. Almost one in three Australians say they sometimes snack instead of having a meal, so having healthy snacks are essential to get the nutrients you need. A healthy snack is a small food, that can be consumed quickly, that is high nutrients and low in fats, calories and sugar, that can keep you energized.

Additionally, according to Eatforhealth.gov.au, Teenagers should have five serves of veggies/legumes/beans, two serves of fruit, five to seven serves of grain (cereal) foods, most wholegrain, two and a half serves of lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans, three and a half serves of milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives (mostly reduced fat) and zero to three serves of discretionary choices. Most Australian teenagers do not get the recommended food intake, with 76% of teenagers exceeding the guidelines for daily sugar intake (according to the Sydney University). According to Health Direct, an estimated 28% of children and adolescents in Australia are overweight or obese, this is probably due to what food children and adolescents are consuming. They aren’t getting the right food intakes, with too much sugar and fats and not enough nutrients, this is why teenagers need to consume healthy snacks to get nutrients they need and to keep them energized.

As teenagers grow and develop it is normal for them to feel hungrier and start to eat more. It is common for teenagers to change eating habits and start eating fewer fruits and veggies and more fatty and sugary foods, there can be lots of reasons for this, friends could be into eating junk foods, or your teenagers has money to buy junk food/might have a car to drive to get junk food, teenagers could think they are too busy to make healthy food, parents could only have unhealthy food in the house. Teenagers tend to eat too much or eat too little. By eating too much this can cause obesity and being overweight which can cause many medical conditions. When teenagers go on fad or on crash diets (because of their body image/bullying/peer pressure), they can be at risk of not getting the nutrients they need to develop, grow and stay healthy. Severe dieting can lead to health problems such as fatigue, poor and loss of muscle mass and bone density. “Eating disorders and disordered eating together are estimated to affect over 16% of the Australian population” (The National Eating Disorders Collaboration), eating disorders effect mostly teenagers/adolescents, because of poor body image/poor self- esteem. Eating disorders can be detrimental to one’s health, because you will not get the nutrients you need to develop and grow, you could have loss of bone mass, kidney and liver damage, infertility, fatigue/fainting/loss of concentration, heart problems/failure, premature death and many more medical problems. Teenagers need to focus on getting the healthy amount of food.

It is essential that teenagers fix their snacking habits for the benefit of their health. Teenagers need to eat snacks that have nutrients that are essential for their development, growth and health. They need to cut back on sugar and consume more fruit and vegetables and nutrients. There are many easy, no fuss recipes that are delicious and are healthy for teenagers.