It is important for children and teens to have good nutrition to stabilize energy, sharpen minds, and even out our moods. However, who wants to always eat healthy when peer pressure and commercial ads for junk foods on TV come on, sending bad messages to kids and teens, even adults all, over the world? That is why starting to eat healthy now can make a difference in our future, and can also help us to help our kids to have healthy diets as well. Better late than never, right?
There are certain foods that should not necessarily be avoided, but should be limited. For example, limiting sugar our sugar intake. Too much sugar in our diets can eventually lead to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. It can also affect our appearance, causing gum disease and tooth decay. Though we shouldn't completely ban sweets from our diets, which would cause cravings and overindulging if given the chance, we should try to limit our intake. Here are some alternatives:
•Instead of sugary drinks like soda, we could drink real-fruit fruit juice, or even better, water!
•Cut down on our processed food intake, like white bread and cakes. Processed foods cause blood sugar to fluctuate, which can cause our energy level to decrease, leaving us tired.
Another way to help improve our diets is by limiting our salt intake. Did you know that one teaspoon of salt contains about 2,300 milligrams of sodium? And, teens our age, 14-18, should eat less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day! However, the average American consumes between 4,000 and 5,000 milligrams per day. That's pretty much double of the recommended amount. Too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney stones. Instead of risking our health for diseases, we can reduce our sodium intake without sacrificing the flavor. Here are some ways:
•Choose fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned veggies.
•Choose low salt or reduced-sodium products.
•READ LABELS! You'll be shocked to see how much sodium just one can of soup contains.
Fats should also be limited and perhaps avoided in our diets. Although there are fats that are essential for our bodies, there are fats that should be avoided, which can harm the cardiovascular system. For example, when unsaturated vegetable oils are manufactured into solids, they convert into trans fats. This process is called hydrogenation. Many processed foods contain trans fats, because trans fats protect against spoiling and help to enhance the flavor of the food. Did you know that trans fats are even worse for you than saturated fats? That is why trans fats should be avoided as much as possible because there isn't any health benefits from it.
•Instead of using margarines, use butter.
•Instead of using processed vegetable oils, try using olive oil.
*Instead of eating fried foods, eat fish, like salmon.
Next time you're about to open the freezer to grab the strawberry ice cream, put it back and grab the strawberry whole fruit bar instead. Eating healthier doesn't mean deleting all the tasty stuff from your diets. Healthy foods can be delicious. Besides, you'll get the satisfaction of feeling better afterwards, too!
-http://www.beautyden.com/sugar.shtml
-http://www.healthymenumailer.com/articles/why-is-too-much-salt-bad-for-you.html
-http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_children_teens.htm
-http://www.freedomfly.net/Articles/Nutrition/nutrition15.htm
-http://i2.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/250/draft_lens16551971module
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-http://image.ec21.com/image/farhanents/oimg_GC01142477_CA03324990/
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-http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PMa5Kts4JZY/TYjP6moNupI/AAAAAAAACgQ/QTLiUMAJFh0
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