Remember the days when you used to sneak junk food behind your parent’s back? Well, the tables have turned, and now you have become the parent who will go to any extent to ensure their child eats healthy food. Today, everyone knows about the importance of eating a healthy and balanced diet, but the abundance of conflicting nutritional advises online and viral food challenges are making it harder for teenagers to stick to it. It is where parents need to show up and support their child’s nutritional journey.
Since kids undergo puberty and several other bodily and cognitive changes during their teenage years, their body requires more energy and nutrients to support this growth and development. You cannot continue giving them the diet that was considered good for them in their pre-adolescence phase. We at Delhi Pubic School Sushant Lok, one of the top 10 CBSE schools in Gurgaon, believe that the teenage years is the time when parents must become more careful of their child’s diet, which then becomes necessary for not just fulfilling their energy requirements but also for their stable growth. Moreover, a balanced nutritional diet further supports teenagers in the following ways:
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Support Physical Growth and Development
The teenage years are considered one of the most important phases because adolescence is characterized by rapid physical changes. It is also the phase when teenagers undergo puberty. The constant changes in their physical body demand increased calories and specific nutrients to support their muscle development, bone growth, hormonal changes, etc.
Hence, if you’re a parent of a teenage boy or girl, ensure you support their teenage growth journey by giving them a balanced diet. Start giving them meals rich in protein, iron, Vitamin C, healthy fats, etc. You don’t have to prevent them from eating junk food, but encourage them to minimize its consumption.
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Enhances Cognitive Functions
We at Delhi Pubic School Sushant Lok firmly believe in the saying, ‘You are what you eat.’ If you continue giving your teenage child an unhealthy or unbalanced diet, it will eventually start reflecting in their academic performance. The internet is filled with studies highlighting the nutrition and brain link, revealing how a poor diet can lead to poor performance. A diet lacking the required macronutrients and micronutrients will often deprive teenagers of DHA, Vitamin B, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, etc., which are essential for brain health.
So, if you, as a parent, wish for your teenage child to have a strong focus, enhanced learning abilities, and other sharp cognitive functions, start giving them a balanced diet. Don’t forget to include items like fatty fish, whole grains, legumes, nuts, eggs, leafy greens, etc., into their diet. You can give them fortified foods or supplements after consulting a nutritionist.
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Better Immune System
Today’s teenagers have a lot on their plate. Besides a long to-do list, they also struggle with intense academic and social pressure, making them vulnerable to illness(s). If you want your teenage kids to handle all this like a pro, ensure they get balanced meals regularly. The right food will give them the nutrition needed to support an iron-strong immune system. It can significantly help them stay healthy and prevent illness(s) and diseases(s).
You can support their immune system by giving them food that’s rich in Vitamin C, zinc, probiotics, fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients. Here, we at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok would like to add that to fulfill the nutritional requirements of your growing child, you don’t necessarily need expensive groceries or any high-priced ingredients. Affordable and locally available items like citrus fruits, bell peppers, berries, lean meats, pumpkin seeds, fermented vegetables, legumes, etc., are enough to make balanced meals.
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Facilitates Better Emotional and Mental Well-being
We cannot stress enough how important it is to keep a teenager’s mental and emotional well-being in check. Most teenagers experience turbulent events that may shake their emotional and mental peace. Whether it is a heartbreak, an academic failure, missed opportunities, or the never-ending struggle to fit into social groups—even the tiniest unpleasant experience can drastically affect them. While you cannot control the occurrence of negative or unpleasant experiences in your child’s life, you can certainly prepare them to navigate them like a mature individual.
One of the best ways to prepare them mentally and emotionally is by giving them balanced meals with the proper nutrients. When they regularly eat nutrition-dense food, they will be in a better position to regulate their mood and develop strong emotional resilience. While omega-3 fatty acids and complex carbohydrates are crucial in their diets, ensure you don’t forget to add enough protein and probiotic-rich food. Also, if your teenage kids consume plenty of caffeine, try to reduce its consumption.
Conclusion
We understand convincing teenagers to eat nutritious, home-cooked meals over high-fat, high-salt, ultra-processed food items can be challenging, but it is the need of the hour. Hence, today, by means of this blog post, we at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, ranked among the best schools in Gurgaon, would like to urge the parents to own up the responsibility to step up and make their teenage kids understand the precise role and importance of a balanced diet for their growth. We recommend every parent to hold meaningful conversations with their teenagers about the role nutrition plays in their growth and development. When you give them strong enough reasons to commit to a balanced diet, they’ll coordinate with you throughout this journey, leading to impressive results.