Contrary to popular belief, teenagers aren’t able to eat anything they want without consequences. It’s true that, as a teen, your metabolism generally works faster, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are physically healthy. 

Teens need more nutrients than any other age group, because the teenage years are when most of the brain development happens. For your brain to reach its full potential, you must intake ALL the nutrients you can, as every single one helps your brain to grow.

Now, I won’t bore you by naming all of the essential vitamins and minerals, but I will tell you which foods and food groups contain the nutrients you need. Firstly, you need eggs, meat (including beef, chicken, and lamb), fish, and legumes (or beans). These foods contain many nutrients, including protein, which your body needs to be strong.

Next, it is important to eat lots of vegetables. Some vegetables are more nutritious than others, such as dark leafy greens like spinach and arugula. Other vegetables that are necessary for good health as a teen are those that are colored orange or red, so you should include carrots, red peppers, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes in your diet.

Then, of course, there are fruits, which are easy to eat since they are so sweet and delicious. Although fruits don’t offer you as many nutrients as vegetables, the ones they do provide are necessary for good health. You should include fruits like apples, bananas, pomegranates, and grapefruit in your diet, but make sure you eat them whole and not just in a smoothie or a juice. This is because your body needs the fiber that fruits provide. Otherwise, you are mostly just consuming sugar.

The next food group you should include in your diet is specifically fermented dairy, including cheeses, yogurt, and kefir. Fermented dairy products are usually processed more easily than non-fermented dairy products, and they are more beneficial for your gut, while still providing calcium for your bones.

Another food group that you need to include in your diet is non-glutenous grains like buckwheat, rice, and millet. These help with healthy digestion and waste removal, and they are better to eat than processed foods, like breads and pasta. 

If you have the choice to pack your own food for lunch at school or eat the food they serve at school, it is better to bring your own lunch. Not only do you have more options, but you will have healthier options. School lunches that are offered on our campus don’t often have too much variety or nutritional value. But most schools like ours offer a salad bar and occasionally fresh seasonal fruits, which you should take advantage of if you are eating lunch at school. 

For example, you can pick up an orange chicken and brown rice bowl from the main meals section of the cafeteria. Then you can move over to the salad bar and get some lettuce and tomatoes with ranch on the side for a makeshift salad. You should then opt for plain milk, as opposed to the chocolate variety, or you can simply drink water, which is so important for your body.

If you aren’t hungry enough to eat, it may be because you are constantly ingesting some form of sugar, whether this is through an energy drink or an extra-sweet coffee. Instead, consider limiting your sugar intake, and your appetite may increase.

It is possible to control what you eat, Nitros, even at school. As a growing teen, it’s essential that you make sure to receive the nutrients your body needs for it to work and develop to its full potential. Once your teenage years are over, you will never get them back again, so go ahead and make the change to a healthier diet. 

I believe in you!