How to Plan Meals for Teenagers

It can be challenging to keep up with the changing dietary preferences of your teen. As teenagers go through puberty, their bodies change as do their self-image and appetite for particular foods. At this stage in your teen's life, she may be experimenting with new eating styles, such as vegetarianism, or want to change her diet because she is becoming more weight conscious. Whatever the reason, meal planning is effective for raising your teen's awareness when it comes to balanced meals, healthy eating habits and appropriate portion sizes.

Instructions

• 1

  Ask your teen what types of vegetables, meats, grains and dairy products he prefers. If he wishes to try a new diet, such as veganism or vegetarianism, substitute proteins from meat with proteins from other sources, such as tofu. Do not skip any of the major food groups. He will need to eat a bit of everything for a healthy meal plan, so it is best to purchase and prepare foods you know he likes to eat.

• 2

  Create a list of meals and beverages for the week. Include meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for each day. Make sure each meal listed is balanced, meaning that it includes carbohydrates, protein, a vegetable or fruit and maybe a dairy product. Avoid snacks and beverages that are loaded with sugar, as these serve no nutritional value and will give your child poor energy, which is disadvantageous for school and extracurricular activities.

• 3

  Focus meal plans on foods rich in nutrients and vitamins, such as milk for calcium and red meat or dark greens for iron. According to Disney Family, teenagers --- especially girls --- need calcium. Calcium-rich foods are necessary for proper bone density and development because a deficiency in calcium can lead to osteoporosis later on in life. The need for iron also increases during the teenage years, specifically as girls go through puberty and lose blood through menstruation. Teenage boys between 11 and 18 need iron to compensate for their increased muscle mass and increased blood volume.

• 4

  Incorporate brain foods into your meal plans. According to Family Education, brain foods are ones that stimulate memory and cognitive development and functioning, which are vital during a teen's developmental years. Some brain foods include spinach, which helps increase learning capacity, eggplant for improving focus, yogurt for alertness and salmon for omega-3 fatty acids that abet brain functioning. Such brain foods can enhance teens' academic performance while providing them with a healthy diet.

• 5

  Count calories. Each meal should have a substantial amount of calories for your teen. According to Family Education, teenage girls do the most growing around the age of 12, while teenage boys have growth spurts at 14. As such, girl teens need approximately 2,400 calories per day and boy teens need between 2,800 and 3,000 calories per day. If your teen is over or underweight, consult with a physician to see if the calories need to be adjusted for optimal weight loss or gain.

• 6

  Add variety to your meals. Giving your teen the same foods over and over again can become boring and he might start to crave other types of foods or skip meals. It is okay to write cheat meals into the meal plan to give your teen a chance to indulge once in a while with her favorite dessert or snack.

• 7

  Research healthy recipes your teenager will enjoy. Recipes are an effective way to get ideas about meals to plan for. Look for meals that are grilled and baked rather than fried to get your teen in the habit of healthy cooking techniques. If you are teaching your teen life skills and self sufficiency, have her try to make her own healthy meals with the recipes you find.