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Advice on Healthy Eating Habits in Adolescent Girls

"Adolescents" and "good choices" are two concepts that can seem incompatible; the eating habits of some teen girls are one reason why this stereotype exists. Busy schedules, poor body image and peer pressure can all contribute to unhealthy choices. However, this stage in a girl's development is important to the health she will enjoy for the rest of her life, so understanding how to encourage healthy eating habits in adolescent girls is important.

  1. Smart Snacking

    • Whether snacking is due to growing appetites, busy schedules or late nights, smart snacks are one of the best opportunities for adolescent girls to make healthy eating choices. Fruits and vegetables are smart choices. Carrots, celery, bananas, apples and oranges travel well and are easy to eat quickly. Dried fruits are another option for a healthy take-along snack. If a girl is an athlete or simply needs a bigger pick-me-up between meals, consider a snack that includes some protein. Trail mix with a handful of nuts, dried fruit, and some cereal is a well-rounded snack. Many cereal bars or energy bars with protein are available at most grocery stores. When the refrigerator is handy, consider string cheese or yogurt between meals. If a girl is having trouble getting enough servings of dairy, fruit or vegetables during meals, use snack time as catch-up time.

    Make Each Meal Count

    • Healthy, balanced meals are the keystone of a healthy diet for an adolescent girl. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPyramid website (see Resources) offers My Pyramid Plan, a helpful tool for determining an individual's nutritional needs. Using this website as a starting point, a teen girl can determine how many servings of each type of food she needs at each meal and during snacks. Consider creative ways to incorporate vegetables by doing things like doubling the vegetables in a recipe she already enjoys. If her schedule permits, she should consider having four smaller meals rather than three larger meals. Smaller meals can be more convenient, offer more variety and can help keep her appetite curbed throughout the day to improve her concentration.

    Portion Control

    • Everyone needs to indulge sometimes, and adolescent girls are certainly no exception. When a girl decides to have some ice cream, candy or chips, she should be sure that she treats herself to an appropriate portion size. Nutrition labels on packaged foods are clearly a good choice, but for unlabeled foods, the USDA MyPyramid Food Galleries (see Resources) are helpful. These galleries can help girls learn to gauge portion size by sight.

    Looking at the Numbers

    • Different girls will have different needs based on activity level, height, weight and medical factors. Before beginning any diet regiment, a girl should definitely consult her doctor. For general information, the TeensHealth website (see Resources) offers a Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator and a helpful article to help determine the healthy weight range for any given height. If a girl's weight does not seem healthy for her height, a discussion with her doctor is certainly in order. After learning about her BMI and healthy weight range, a girl can use her activity level to determine a healthy goal for each meal and snack. The MyPyramid Tracker can be a helpful tool in assessing whether a girl is achieving a healthy balance between her weight, activity level and food intake.

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