How Eating Healthy Can Help Teens Excel in School

Health is not a key topic on the minds of most teenagers so it is up to adults to instill good eating habits in our children for many reasons. When teens don’t eat well, their brains and bodies don’t do as well in regards to learning and keeping their stamina up throughout the day. It can be a terrible thing for a child to fall asleep in class or lose their focus.

Obesity has been linked to poor nutrition. When your body doesn’t get what it needs, it asks for more of the less nutritious foods to make up for it. In relation to how obesity effects your teen in school, take this into consideration, kids are cruel. Obese children are often a source of ridicule. Kids that hate to even go to school or are tormented in school usually do not do well in class. Other conditions that are linked to poor nutrition are fatigue, acne, depression and poor concentration.

There are things that can be done to combat the poor nutrition that leads to failure in school and beginning with a healthy lifestyle is a good start. You should remove unhealthy foods from the home and not buy them which prevent everyone from getting into a poor nutrition cycle. Simple sugars and syrups should be removed or at least used in moderation. These include jams and jellies, ice cream, maple syrup and other products that contain high fructose corn syrup.

Get rid of those sodas and sugary drinks and get that water flowing. It is much better to stay hydrated with water as several brands of pop have caffeine in them and the sugar overload can lead to a mid-day or evening crash when your teen should be learning or doing homework. Avoid white flour as it turns into glucose that is stored in fat cells during the digestion process. Processed foods can be very poor in nutritional value and include junk food (chips, pretzels, etc.), hot dogs, sugary breakfast cereals, high sodium meals, etc. The more packaged and processed a meal is, the less nutritious it is. Saturated fats and Trans fats are a big no-no. Look for “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” on food labels and don’t buy them.

According to the FDA, a healthy diet runs about 2,000 calories. The nutrients that are needed include vitamins and minerals which can be found in grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy oils, milk, meat and beans. Get those vegetables into your diet. Most people don’t eat enough vegetables. When you sit down to that family meal you can lay out a nice salad or steam up some fresh broccoli, even if it is just a serving of frozen peas that you cook up, that is better than nothing. Meat that comes from four-legged animals is higher in saturated fats and should therefore be used in moderation. Fish, chicken, beans and other legumes are better sources of protein. Include whole grains in your diet as well as a nice glass of milk and cook with healthy oils like olive oil.

Some good menu ideas include healthy snacks that are quick, easy to eat on the go and don’t cost very much. Fruits are great snacks. Apples, oranges, bananas, etc. all have enough nutrition to give a real spurt of energy to get your teen through their day plus they have essential vitamins and minerals (like potassium, calcium and magnesium) that your body needs. You can also offer up whole grain fruit and granola bars. There are also whole grain cookies that taste great. Rice cakes with peanut butter and raisins taste better than they sound and are quick and easy.

Making healthy food choices leads to the overall well being of your teenager (as well as yourself). You want to make sure that your teenager has a good breakfast that includes whole grains, maybe some eggs for protein and a piece of fruit before sending them off to school. Proper nutrition, exercise and regular family meals all lead to a healthy lifestyle. The dietary changes listed here are ones that will last a lifetime and set a good example for your children and lead to habits of eating healthy which can help teens excel in school as well as life.

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Tags: Eating, Excel, Healthy, Help, School, Teens