News Taffy

So if you are a teen and you’d like to eat better, what can you do? First of all, sit down with whomever does the grocery shopping in your family and do some meal planning. Start with breakfast because a good breakfast gets your day going right and helps you concentrate on school. Skip things like granola bars which are really glorified candy bars, donuts and Pop Tarts. Have some eggs (you can boil eggs the night before for a really fast breakfast), whole wheat toast or bagel with some peanut butter and banana or a bowl of a decent cereal like Cheerios or Shredded Wheat. Eat some fruit like an orange or a banana, add coffee (watch the sugar and cream), a small glass of juice, milk or water and you are good to go.

Get some things so you can make your own lunch to take to school. You can put together a healthy lunch in about five minutes or less. Yogurt, fruit and raw veggies like carrot sticks are always good. Try to skip white bread at least most of the time and use lean meat like turkey for your sandwiches. Look for sandwich meat brands that have the least preservatives. Add one slice of cheese only and some lettuce and tomato would be really good. You can also make a salad the night before with a boiled egg and some leftover cooked chicken or turkey, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Add the dressing that morning and only a tiny bit so the salad won’t be soggy and full of fat. Add a bottled water, buy tea at school or try G-2; just skip the sodas. Don’t forget to add one of those freezer packs that keeps your lunch cold. Notice I didn’t mention chips, cookies, lunchables or jello. Have these things maybe once a week as they aren’t good for you.

I said earlier that if you can read, you can cook, so there is no reason why a teen can’t make dinner or at least a part of it. Make sure that each meal includes two servings of fruit and vegetables. You can cut up apples, grapes, celery and nuts or any of your favorite fruits for a quick salad. Frozen veggies steam fast in the bag they come in but you can cut up fresh veggies and steam them too. If you make a green salad, be sure to add veggies like carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers. Bake some chicken or make a meatloaf and you have a great dinner. Since cool nights are here, make a big pot of soup with plenty of vegetables or make a stir fry. Try not to eat pizza or take out food more than once a week. For recipes, check out my other blog at thecardiologistswife.blogspot.com or look in magazines or any cookbooks you have at home.

I hope this information inspires some teens to take charge of their health by thinking about what they are eating. If any of my readers would like some more information on school lunches, try reading fedupwithlunch.com, a blog written by a teacher on the unhealthy foods we serve our children at school.