Food & Nutrition through the Lifespan

• Adolescent Nutrition• By: Helen Hawver

• For CTAE-Resource Network, FY11 Instructional Resources Project

FCS-FNL-6. Students will explain the nutritional requirements of the adolescence diet.

a. Identify changes in body composition as a result of growth and development and explain the cause of increased nutritional risk for individuals in this age group.

b. Demonstrate an awareness of fluids, hydration, carbohydrates, and supplements on physical activity.

c. Explain the causes of obesity and evaluate popular weight loss diets within the context of an adequate and balanced diet.

d. Distinguish between eating disorders, predict the outcomes, and identify the at-risk individuals.

Changes in Body Composition• Gains in body mass

– Increase in calories due to growth (usually seen in boys)

– Boys seem to develop more lean muscle mass than girls do

• Increase in bone mass, blood volume• Girls grow around 3 inches a year and

boys grown around 4 inches a year• Puberty changes

Nutritional Risk• Iron

– Prevents anemia (especially in females)– Teen females need about15 mg / day – Teen males need about 12 mg /day

• Females need more due to menstruation

– Sources include meat, poultry, fish, cereal, beans, leafy greens and green vegetables.

– Vitamin C sources such as fruits help absorb Iron– Caffeine blocks absorption

Nutritional Risk cont.

• Calcium– Builds bone and prevents osteoporosis– Teens need about 1300 mg a day (Three 8 oz

glasses)– Sources include milk, cheese, yogurt (most dairy

products)– Caffeine will block absorption

Nutritional Risk cont.• Teens are more likely to consume junk food because

of– Busy schedules– Availability of snack machines in schools– Choosing not to eat lunchroom food/ too lazy to make lunch – Peer influence on food choices– Underexposure to healthier foods– Poor home food habits

Nutritional Risk cont.

• Dangers of Junk Food– High sugar levels (especially in soda

drinks)– High sodium levels– Processed food products– High preservative content– Caffeine levels– Junk food often replaces a meal

Tips for Teens on Eating Well• Breakfast ideas:

– Leftover pizza– Baggie full of cereal (NOT sugar cereal)– Grapes, cheese and crackers– Bagel or English Muffin with jelly or

peanut butter instead of butter

Tips for Teens on Eating Well cont.

• Great snack ideas:– Fruit– Graham crackers or vanilla wafers– Grapes, cheese and crackers – Salad Bar– Apple and peanut butter– Celery/carrot sticks with dips or peanut butter– Pretzels or plain popcorn– Peanuts

Teen Athletes• Muscle is built by exercise not by

eating extra protein or taking supplements

– Supplements should be used with caution

– These supplements work only with EXERCISE

Teen Athletes cont.• Common supplements include:

– Caffeine (Ephedra)• Basically burns fat (increases metabolism) and does not cause you to

be tired • Side effects include heart palpitations, inability for the body to properly

cool itself, nervousness, irritability, dehydration , diarrhea, possible death

– Creatine• Increases muscle fullness and body mass• Side effects include dehydration due to muscles retaining water

– Protein• There are two types: whey and egg

– Whey includes all the essential amino acids

• Side effects include excessive gas and bloating due to improper digestion

Teen Athletes cont,

• Nutrient-dense foods are required because of high energy output.

– An apple is nutrient dense, not a candy bar

• Meals should be eaten 3-5 hours before an athletic event

– While carbohydrates give you energy, be aware that you do not want to feel to “full”

Teen Athletes cont.• Water is essential and should be consumed before,

during and after physical activity – 2 cups of water is recommended for every pound lost during

a workout.

• Electrolyte drinks should be consumed after physical activity, not during because your body will need replacements– Electrolytes such as potassium and sodium are electrically

charged ions that are important to body functions

Teen Athletes cont.

• Steroids– Artificially (anabolic steroids) produced

hormones that stimulate muscle tissue to grow

• See website for more information:– http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/st

eroids.html#

Other Exercise Tips

• Just because you sweat during exercise does not mean you are “burning more calories.”– Sweating is just your body’s way of cooling down…it’s your own

personal air conditioner.

– Do not wear plastic suits that cause you to sweat more…these are dangerous because your body can’t cool itself and/or breathe.

• There is no true “good time” to exercise.– You have to find a time that is good for you and works with your

schedule.

• It is recommended to exercise for 30 minutes a day.– Even if you park far away from the store, the point is to get up and

move!

Eating Disorders• Anorexia Nervosa

– Ignores feelings of hunger and eats very little or refuses to eat• These people see themselves as overweight even when they are

dangerously underweight• Basically a person voluntarily starves themselves

– Warning signs– Intense fear of gaining weight– Will not eat in front of others– Hair loss– Denial of hunger– Absent or irregular menstrual periods– Perfectionist– Depressed/Lonely/Anxious/Empty/Hopeless– Reads food labels constantly

Eating Disorders cont.

• Bulimia Nervosa– Repeated episodes of binging (eating a

large amount of food at one time), and then purges (vomits) or takes laxatives to prevent the food from causing weight gain

– May also exercise excessively• Often “look” a normal weight, but inside they

have eroded their esophagus, worn away the enamel on their teeth, caused stomach ulcers, caused intestinal problems, and have starved their bodies of proper nutrition

Eating Disorders cont.

• Warning Signs of Bulimia– Worried about body weight– Excessive food consumption– Frequent trips to the bathroom after eating– Blood shot eyes– Sore throat– Dental problems (tooth enamel wears away)– Exercises excessively– Irregular menstrual periods– Depression and/or mood swings

Eating Disorders cont.

• Binge Eating– Binges, but does not purge or exercise

• May be overweight or “seesaw” between weights

• Warning Signs– Hides away to eat– Stashed wrappers/hidden food– Seems to eat average amount and then not

interested in food– Late night eaters– Often relates food to “having a bad day” or to

“feeling better”

Eating Disorders cont. • Choose one of the three eating disordering and one

of the assignments below. Complete this on an INDIVIDUAL basis.

• Eating Disorders: Bulimia, Anorexia or Binge Eating

• Create one of the following…– Diary Entry- pretend you are a person with this disorder and

write about a day in their shoes.

– Brochure – create an informational brochure on one of the disorders. List how a person could receive support services to help them overcome this disorder.

– How-to-Intervention- create a system that friends and family can use to guide others to getting support and help to overcome an eating disorder.

Obesity and Dieting• Obesity in adolescence is often a result of

childhood obesity (overfeeding during infancy and childhood).– Poor self esteem/concept excludes an adolescent from

a social life– Dependence on fast food and SODA!– Losing weight as an adolescence is more difficult than

in childhood because adolescence have more control over what they eat and they have to make the decision to lose weight themselves

Obesity and Dieting cont.

• Many adolescence turn to dieting as a way to fight obesity.– This can become dangerous because many

adolescence see smoking as a quick way to drop a few pounds since it is an appetite suppressant

– Teens also turn to drugs such as pot and cocaine because of their relation to weight loss

Popular Weight Loss Diets

In your group read the information on the diet & make corrections to the poster board with new

sticky notes. 10 MINUTES•Explain

– What the diet entails – Advantages– Disadvantages

•Address The Following Things:– Would you recommend this diet to an adolescent? A

middle aged person?• Why or why not

– What do you think are some dangers of this diet?– What are the restraints of this diet (example: cost, time)?

Group Presentation• Create the one of the following with your GROUP

to present to the class on your Fad Diet.– Song Lyrics– Rap or Rhyme– Video Presentation– TV Broadcast

Make sure you cover the following information about your Fad Diet…

– What does it entail?– Advantages & Disadvantages– Would you recommend this diet to adolescents? Why or why

not?– What do you think are some dangers to the diet?– What are some restraints to the diet? (cost, time etc.)