Your teenage boy needs more energy than even teenage girls. This is probably due to his higher rate of metabolism. At this age, an adequate nutrition with proper nutrients and a balanced fitness plan is extremely important. This will help to maintain a healthy weight and will help your teenage boy with his super active lifestyle.
Help Them Understand The Importance Of Good Diet:
The first and foremost step towards planning healthy diet for teenagers boys is to make them understand the importance of it. Healthy diet is the key to looking and feeling great.
Sit and discuss with your teenage boy how good food plays an important part in his overall health and growth.
Explain and warn him to stay away from fad diets. Crash diet is the unhealthiest way of maintaining good weight. Your teenage boy must be well aware of this fact.
Explain how good food and regular fitness regimen go hand in hand. Encourage him to participate more in physical activities.
Make him understand, how healthy diet can help him achieve an ideal weight and help him look great too.
Here is a diet chart for teenagers boys with proper timings that might come handy when deciding a menu for teenager boy’s diet.
You can use the chart below to get an idea about the daily intake of various nutrients depending on teenage boy’s body weight:
A Teenage Diet Plan For Boys:
Teenagers aren’t quite known for making the right choices, not at least when it comes to food habits. Hence, it is very important for you to plan a good diet for teen boys and help him adapt it.
1. Have Breakfast Like A King:
You sure must have heard this statement before.
Yes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Good habits must be inculcated at an early age.
Ensure your teenage boy never skips his breakfast.
In fact, he must eat his breakfast within one hour of waking up.
This will give him the energy needed to go through the day and will help him restrain from junk food.
Ideally, a healthy breakfast for a teenage boy should consist of, protein, whole grains, fruits and a glass of milk.
Make him have oatmeal, cereals, whole wheat pasta or even lean meat.
2. Nutritious Lunch Is A Must:
Pack in a nutritious lunch in the form of your teenage boy’s favourite sandwich or wrap.
This will further fuel him with more energy that he needs to pull through the school time and after-school activities too.
A good wholesome lunch is also needed to keep him away from binge eating.
3. Dinner Should Be Light Yet Healthy:
Always try and ensure that your teenage boy eats dinner at around the same time every night.
Try and include steamed vegetables, whole wheat bread or even baked fish in his dinner. This will keep him full for longer and help him through the next 10-12 hours without food.
It will also keep him away from those midnight snacks.
4. Snacking Is Important:
Pay equal attention to your teenage boy’s snacking.
Snacks are important because they satisfy those hunger pangs in-between meals.
Dried fruits, fresh fruits, whole wheat crackers, smoothies and hard-boiled eggs are some of the examples of healthy snacking options for your teenager.
5. Limit Saturated Fat, Sodium And Added Sugar:
Any food that is high on saturated fat, sodium and added sugar is known as empty calories food. By empty calorie food, we mean foods that are high in calories but absolutely low or no nutrients.
See to it that your teenager avoids deep-fried foods, junk food, frozen or packaged foods.
A good way to encourage your teenager to eat right is to stock up your kitchen with all healthy food options.
Other Healthy Food Habits:
Eating healthy is the best lesson you can give your teenager. Follow these simple habits and your teenager will grow into a healthy adult.
Try and include more salad at every meal.
You must aim at giving him 5 portions of different vegetable and fruits every day. This is to meet his daily nutrient quotient.
Ensure he drinks a lot of fluids in form of fresh fruit juices, milk shakes, soups, smoothies and even water.
Keep him away from beverages. Instead make him drink green tea.
Physical activity is equally important. Make sure he plays a lot of outdoor sports, walks a lot, goes for jogging or takes up yoga for a peaceful mind, body and soul.
All in all, the dietary requirement of your teenage boy doesn’t quite vary in content from that of an adult. But it sure does vary in potions.
Tell us what all do you include in your teenage boy’s diet? How has it helped your teenager? Share your tips and tricks on planning a teenage diet plan for boys.