E-Health Magazine Second Partial Mar. 2014 Mar. 2014 | Page 4

Optimal nutrition in
adolescents

It
 is
 crucially
 important
 for

teenagers
 to
 have
 a
 balanced
 and

optimum
 diet
 because
 in
 this
 phase

called
 ‘’puberty’’
 teenagers
 usually
 grow

and
 change
 their
 bodies
 to
 more
 like

adult
 bodies.
 Teenage
 girls
 go
 through

puberty
 from
 11-­‐15
 years
 old
 while
 boys

start
 from
 12
 ending
 in
 16
 years
 old.
 The

food
 intakes
 that
 teenage
 consume
 daily

and
 the
 amount
 of
 calcium,
 iron,
 and

other
 types
 of
 nutrients
 are
 strictly

important
 because
 eating
 healthy
 or

unhealthy
 can
 bring
 you
 a
 good
 future
 or

a
 future
 full
 of
 diseases
 like
 being
 obese

or
 having
 anemia
 and
 many
 others.

 It
 is
 important
 to
 consume
 big

quantities
 of
 calcium
 because
 calcium
 is

one
 of
 the
 most
 important
 nutrients
 to

take
 in
 the
 body
 due
 to
 the
 fact
 that
 the

skeleton
 accounts
 at
 least
 99%
 of
 the

body
 that
 stores
 calcium
 and
 another

45%
 of
 the
 adult
 skeletal
 mass
 that
 we

start
 developing
 during
 our
 adolescence.

A
 problem
 that
 could
 be
 faced
 if
 children

or
 adolescence
 do
 not
 consume
 enough

calcium
 in
 early
 ages
 could
 be

osteoporosis,
 which
 increases
 the

possibility
 of
 breaking
 of
 bones
 when

you
 approach
 to
 an
 old
 age.
 Calcium
 is

found
 in
 dairy
 products
 like
 milk,
 yogurt

and
 cheese.
 It
 is
 a
 very
 good
 dietary

supply,
 which
 also
 brings
 nutrients
 like

vitamin
 D
 and
 phosphorus,
 which
 again

are
 needed
 to
 build
 up
 bone.

Another
 very
 important
 nutrient
 is

called
 Iron
 lack
 of
 iron
 could
 cause

anemia,
 which
 could
 possibly
 lead
 to

cancer.
 This
 nutrient
 helps
 us
 with
 our

mass
 muscle
 and
 our
 pigmentation
 of

the
 blood.
 Meats
 and
 fish
 contain
 a
 high

proportion
 of
 iron
 as
 well
 as
 black
 beans

and
 vegetables.
 It
 is
 very
 important
 that

teenagers
 maintain
 a
 healthy
 optimal

diet
 to
 prevent
 future
 health
 problems
 or

eating
 disorders
 caused
 by
 obesity.
 Also

when
 eating
 better
 a
 more
 nutrients
 get

to
 the
 brain
 so
 you
 perform
 better
 and

have
 a
 more
 positive
 attitude
 towards

life.