The nutritional needs in this phase are influenced by the development and growth needs of the organism: a healthy teenager accumulates up to 50% of his adult weight. Advice on how to manage this important moment
Sabrina Commis
Through food, each individual takes on the energy needed for growth and life from the first cry after birth. The energy need is not always constant: for this it is important to adjust the diet based on various factors. To follow healthy eating at this stage of development it is essential to provide the body with the right energy, keep it healthy, promote optimal growth and maturation, support a desirable level of physical and mental activity. How to organize a healthy diet “Adolescence is a period of great bodily transformations, but the energy requirement required for growth is lower than we are led to believe – he explains Maria Bravo, biologist, nutritionist of Humanitas San Pio X -. With the exception of the first months of life, the energy required for growth in adolescents is approximately 25-30 kcal per kilo of body weight desirable a day, greater in males than in females.
THE ENERGY EXPENDITURE
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To this, however, it must be added the energy expenditure determined by the body composition of the adolescent, that is, from the lean mass and fat mass of the teenager, and the energy expenditure from physical activity, which varies from person to person, and also depends on the type of activity practiced and the frequency. Finally, in determining the energy needs of the adolescent, it should also be taken into account that about the 10% of the calories introduced with food it is used by the body to digest and assimilate nutrients, refer to thermogenesis diet induced “.
OTHER VARIABLES
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“During adolescence the energy cost of growth, higher in males than females, is linked to changes in body composition that occur during puberty and are different. “Between 10 and 18 years old, males usually accumulate a greater amount of lean mass, about 84-87% of total body weight, and little body fat, about 13-16% of the total body weight. Conversely, in girls there is a greater increase in fat mass, approximately 23-25% of body weight. Since the energy cost of growth is a small component of the total energy requirement, these sex-related differences have little direct impact on the total energy requirement. However, the resulting changes in body size and composition are important factors to take into consideration for adolescent meals “.
ADVICE FROM THE NUTRITIONIST
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“It is important to start the day with an energetic and complete breakfast in both macro and micro nutrients to ensure the right concentration and face the school morning. The daily menu for a correct requirement in adolescence could be this: Breakfast: A serving of milk or yogurt paired with a slice of toast with jam or a serving of whole grains or oat flakes and a fruit.
Snack: kids often go home for lunch around 2pm, so it’s important that they don’t arrive hungry for lunch. The snack could be represented by a fruit and a cube of Parmesan cheese or a packet of crackers and a handful of almonds or a small wholemeal sandwich with two slices of cooked ham or turkey breast or a small wholemeal sandwich and a square of dark chocolate.
Lunch: a dish of pasta or pasta and legumes or another source of cereals such as brown rice, spelled, barley, couscous. To make the meal complete, it can be added to the first course a protein dressing, for example a small portion of ricotta or parmesan or light meat or fish ragu.
Afternoon snack: it must be customized according to the sport practiced by the teenager. Some examples of snacks they can be a portion of white yogurt with fresh fruit inside, or a bruschetta of wholemeal bread or a fruit and dried fruit. Cena: you can prefer a second course of meat or fish or eggs or lean dairy products and one or two slices of wholemeal bread. “For both lunch and dinner it is important to take a large portion of vegetables, to have the right amount of fiber, mineral salts and vitamins. Do not overlook the water requirements that vary from boys to girls. It is recommended to take about 1.5 liters of water for girls and at least 1.8-2 liters of water for children “.
And for prevention …. In Humanity San Pio X on April 29 free nutritional visits per teenage girls. All information on the hospital website.
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