THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 9, 1995 TAG: 9503080065
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: MARY FLACHSENHAAR
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
HERE ARE MORE tips from the experts on getting your teen to eat right:
Make nutritious snacks available. Nutritionist Frances Casper says teens get at least 25 percent of their calories from snacks - which is OK as long as most of the snacks are wholesome.
Some suggestions are hearty muffins, whole-grain crackers and cereals, fresh whole fruit, cut-up fruit sold in jars in supermarket produce or dairy sections, cheese, yogurt, frozen yogurt, sliced raw vegetables with low-fat dressing for dipping, baked tortilla chips with salsa, graham crackers, vanilla wafers and pretzels.
Nutritionist Sheah Rarback recommends filling ``the front line'' of the refrigerator with ready-to-eat foods that are easy to grab.
Make breakfast foods convenience foods. Make breakfast quick and simple by readying the kitchen the night before. Mix the juice, put the bread and bagels near the toaster oven, set out the fruit and cereal where the teen can't miss it.
Those who dislike traditional breakfast foods might prefer pizza, macaroni and cheese or meatloaf from dinner. Move these to ``the front line'' of the refrigerator.
Or how about a PB&J? That one could even travel to the bus stop when the teen is running late.
Eat together when you can. Although many families are unable to eat together every evening, dietitians encourage families to share a meal as often as possible.
The spirit of family unity is the centerpiece here. The food itself is a side dish, although the wise parent will use the event as an opportunity to serve the vegetables so lacking in the typical teen diet. The meal should be a time to relax and enjoy one another's company, not a time to argue and criticize.
Encourage teens to take responsibility for their own well-being. Instead of lecturing her to eat more fruit, invite your teen to shop with you to pick out fruit she likes.
Give your teen credit for knowing what and when to eat. Have plenty of wholesome foods that he likes available but don't push them on him or food will become a symbol of power and control.
Set an example by eating sensibly. Parents who eat a lot of junk food send the wrong message, but so do parents who are always on a diet or eat nothing but nonfat and low-fat foods, nutritionists say.
Teens, especially girls, may interpret this behavior to mean that in order to be good, they must eat no fat. This can lay the groundwork for an eating disorder.
Keep in mind that there are no good or bad foods. What counts is how much, how often.
Use low-fat foods wisely. A healthy adolescent boy can eat 100 grams of fat daily, a girl, 73 grams. But a hearty fast-food meal can deliver more than half of those grams. If your teen eats fast food and high-fat snack foods regularly, it makes sense to balance the diet with low-fat dairy products.
Make foods teen-friendly. A teen probably won't eat a whole orange out of the fruit bowl. That takes too much time.
Add cut-up fruit to his plate and he'll vacuum it up. Or add fruit to a blender shake of milk and frozen yogurt for a snack.
Let them eat cereal. Teens seem to eat enormous amounts of cereal, which is fine: The food pyramid recommends six to 11 servings from the bread-and-cereal group daily. Just make sure you stock wholesome varieties and not the pink and sugary ones. If that's her dinner, relax. It could be worse.
Encourage your sedentary teen to be more active. Suggest he turn off the TV and walk the dog, shoot baskets, jump on the trampoline. The more active he is, the less chance he will eat out of boredom.
Talk to your teen. Often, an unhappy adolescent will turn to food for comfort when what she needs is to talk out her feelings.
Know the warning signs of an eating disorder. While anorexia and bulemia are far more common among girls, boys are not immune. Seek professional counseling if your teen:
is preoccupied with weight and food;
keeps track of every fat gram;
refuses to eat any foods with fat;
won't eat with the family anymore;
eats by herself and spends a lot of time alone;
begins to dress in very baggy clothing;
eats very little or far too much at meals;
feels inadequate, insecure, lonely and helpless;
resists talking about her new eating habits. by CNB