Balanced Diet Menu for Teens

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designed a well-known food pyramid constructed to give teens the proper proportions of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. However, the pyramid's serving ratios are different for teen girls and teen boys. Boys need 600 more calories than girls; as a result, their diets should be weighted with one to two additional servings each of grains, veggies, fruit and protein. The best way to help your teen get the nutrition he needs is to follow the guidelines of the USDA pyramid and keep him away from sugar-filled salt-laden junk food.

Breakfast

• Breakfast is a good opportunity to give your teen whole grains and calcium. Wheat bread and cereal are prime sources for whole grains while calcium is found in milk, cream cheese and yogurt. Always choose whole grain bread for toast, topped with a low- or non-fat margarine spread. The same goes for yogurt—choose low- or non-fat versions that offer all the calcium and little or none of the saturated fat.

  If your teen wants to eat cereal, make sure you read each cereal’s nutrition label before buying. Some cereals have added sugar or multiple sweetening agents that can be tricky to spot (corn syrup, molasses, honey, etc.); to be on the safe side, the Harvard School of Public Health recommends avoiding any product that has more than five grams of sugar per serving. Always serve cereal with skim milk to save on saturated fat. In addition, keep fruit or vegetable juice on hand; just 3/4 cup equals a full serving of fruits or vegetables. After breakfast, send your teen off to school with a healthy mid-morning snack: an apple, orange or banana.

Lunch

• This is a tricky meal since your teen is eating at school, and you can’t control what he might buy, trade for or simply throw away. The best way to make sure he eats what you want him to is to ask what he likes--and then send him off to school with high-protein, low-fat versions of food he wants to eat. Make sure his lunch includes protein, veggies and/or fruit, grains and a healthy snack. A chicken breast sandwich on whole wheat bread is a good start, especially when it’s topped with spinach leaves, tomato slices and a little bit of avocado.

  Remember, according to the USDA, a single slice of whole-grain bread is one serving of grains; with a sandwich, your teen is getting two of his 11 recommended daily servings. Steamed brown rice and black beans wrapped up in a whole-wheat tortilla is another healthy option. As for a snack, small servings of nuts (1/3 cup) offer the same amount of healthy protein as one ounce of meat. Canned fruit, in addition to whole fruit, is a good way to inch closer toward the three or four servings recommended for teens daily.

Dinner

• Dinner time is when you need to watch your teen’s serving sizes. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a restaurant’s serving of pasta is five times the standard portion size. If you’re eating out or serving instant microwave dinners, you’re probably serving your teen too much food. Control portions by cooking your own meals at home. A stir-fry is a great way to give the whole family multiple servings of protein, vegetables and grains. Start with protein-rich chicken, turkey, lean beef or tofu. Stir in veggies such as snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, red and green peppers, shredded cabbage, beets or corn. Flavorful spices like turmeric, coriander, allspice or curry powder offer lots of flavor without the fat of heavy, oily stir-fry sauces. Serve your stir-fry over steamed brown rice, and avoid toppings like sodium-filled soy sauce. Instead, sprinkle a few chopped peanuts or cashews over the dish to add a tasty crunch.

  Other good options for dinner include burritos made with black beans, whole-grain tortillas and low-fat cheese. Don’t leave fish off the menu, either--the American Heart Association recommends eating fish two or more times a week, in order to benefit from heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like salmon, albacore tuna and lake trout. Round out meals with side dishes such as leafy green vegetables, beans, whole-grain bread, peas and salads. Be careful with the serving size of sodium- and fat-filled items like salad dressing, Alfredo pasta sauces and butter.