The real teen test: a balanced diet

4
Monday, April 30, 2012
smh.com.au
DID YOU KNOW? The brain must manufacture the right proteins and fats to do things
such as grow new connections. This is done by digesting proteins and fats in food
and using the amino acids and fatty acids to make the new brain proteins and fats.
NUTRITION
The real teen test: a balanced diet
Fuelling your body with the right food can help you perform at your peak, writes Clive Hopkins.
‘S
tudents sitting their
HSC will be under the
most stress they’ve ever
experienced,’’ an
executive officer at Nutrition
Australia, Orla Hugueniot, says.
‘‘This gives them an extra reason to
eat healthily and [they] also need to
be well hydrated.’’ Extra hydration
can be the key to surviving several
hours in a stuffy exam room.
Peer pressure often influences
what teenagers eat and drink. With
girls, this pressure can often be to
‘‘eat healthily’’ but if that means
avoiding dairy, it’s not healthy at all.
‘‘Girls in particular need dairy for
calcium, to promote good bone
growth,’’ Hugueniot says.
For boys, the pressure is often to
eat junk food and drink ‘‘highenergy’’ drinks, which are packed
with caffeine and sugar. ‘‘Caffeine
can lead to sleep deprivation and
possibly being anxious at a time
when you need a lot of sleep. The
brain repairs and restores at night.’’
Hugueniot recommends a
healthy balanced diet,
‘There are lots of
healthy options
available.’ Loretta Coughlin
following recipes and menu plans
such as those on the Nutrition
Australia website and provided
below. This involves three meals a
day, interspersed with two healthy
snacks such as fruit, nuts or
low-fat yoghurt. ‘‘A light
afternoon snack can help
your ability to recall
information and get the most
out of your studies,’’ she says.
Teenage boys should drink
seven to eight cups of fluids a
day and girls, six cups. Water is
best, although between half to
Comfort stop ... (above) a little chocolate does no harm, but it shouldn’t
replace nutritious options such as fruit and dairy products. Photo: Reuters
one cup of fruit juice or low-fat
milk is acceptable.
Hugueniot’s main advice to
parents and students is to avoid
skipping meals. ‘‘Make it a priority to
have breakfast,’’ she says. ’’Missing
meals doesn’t just affect your energy
but also your cognitive ability.’’
HSC students may be tempted to
reach for ‘‘comfort foods’’ but if this
means junk food, Hugueniot says,
resist. ‘‘Cakes, biscuits or chocolate,
though, are OK now and again,
provided they aren’t replacing meals
or healthier snacks.’’
The business development
manager for the Australian School
Canteen Association, Loretta
Coughlin, points out that
government legislation now
encourages healthy food in school
canteens. In her experience, the
longer healthy food has been
available in a canteen, the more
students will order it.
‘‘Sales of things like sausage rolls
are down,’’ she says. ‘‘But canteens
do need to make healthy food look
good and interesting, like cutting up
fruit or vegetables.’’
Increasingly, school canteens are
open for
breakfast,
often to
cater for
those
doing
earlymorning
sport, she
says.
And she
is on board
with school
canteens stocking the brands that
students actually like. ‘‘Canteen
foods allow students to eat and
drink regularly and there are lots of
healthy options available now,’’
Coughlin says.
It’s vital students adopt good
eating habits early, Hugueniot says.
‘‘A healthy, balanced diet is for life
– not for just exam time.’’
EXAMPLE MENU for a typical teenager*
MEAL
BREAKFAST
MORNING
TEA
LUNCH
AFTERNOON
TEA
DINNER
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
1 cup of wholegrain cereal,
low-fat milk
and a piece of fruit.
1/2 cup of fruit juice
1 cup of porridge (use
low-fat milk) with fruit.
1/2 cup of fruit juice
Yoghurt with fruit and a
slice of wholegrain bread
— toasted with spread
and jam.
1/2 cup of fruit juice
A piece of fresh fruit. Water
2 slices of wholegrain bread
toasted. Or a wholegrain
muffin with cheese and
slices of tomato.
1/2 cup of fruit juice
1 slice of home-made
wholegrain banana bread.
Glass of low-fat milk
1 cup of wholegrain cereal,
low fat milk and a piece
of fruit.
1/2 cup of fruit juice
A piece of fresh fruit. Water
2 slices of raisin bread with
2 wholegrain crackers with
low-fat vegetable spread.
hummus topped with grated
Glass of low-fat milk
carrots or reduced-fat cheese
and sliced tomato. Water
Chicken and salad
Home-made carrot and
Tuna salad in turkish bread, Toasted wholegrain tortilla
Cold home-made pita pizza
wholegrain wrap.
coriander soup (in a flask) with pasta sauce (low sodium),
sandwiches with mixed
a carton of low-fat yoghurt.
Fresh fruit. Water
beans and salad, a carton of and a wholegrain roll with sliced onion and tomato, egg,
Water
reduced-fat cheese and
low-fat yoghurt. Water
reduced-fat mozzarella, plus
salad. Fresh fruit. Water
salad. Fresh fruit. Water
High-fibre/low-sugar
Cup of home-made popcorn. Currant or hot cross bun.
Sushi and low-fat yoghurt.
Low-fat yoghurt and
muesli bar. Glass of milk
Water
Water
1/4 cup almonds. Water
Glass of milk
Beef lasagna
with lots of veggies
(carrots, onions, zucchini,
capsicum etc), topped with
grated low-fat cheese.
2 small pieces of
home-made garlic bread
and a mixed salad. Water
Honey and soy salmon
(1/2 cup of pink salmon) with
noodles, and crunchy
Asian salad. Water
Spaghetti bolognaise
(with lots of veggies:
carrots, onions, zucchini,
capsicum etc), with
wholemeal spaghetti. Water
Chicken risotto (made with
reduced-sodium stock or
water) and peas and
mushrooms. Water
SATURDAY
Pikelets topped with
ricotta and fruit.
1/2 cup of fruit juice
Small handful of dried
apricots and high-fibre/
low-sugar muesli bar.
Glass of low-fat milk
Ham and veggie slice and a
tomato salad. Fresh fruit.
Water
1/4 cup pecan nuts or
almonds and low-fat
yoghurt. Water
SUNDAY
Cooked breakfast with
scrambled egg, mushrooms,
sliced tomato and
low-salt/sugar baked beans.
1/2 cup of fruit juice
A piece of fresh fruit and a
carton of low-fat yoghurt.
Water
Baked potato with filling
such as tuna and low-fat
cheese and mixed salad
Fresh fruit. Water
2 sweet, chocolate biscuits.
Glass of milk
Fresh tuna steak burgers Home-made Hawaiian pizza BBQ chicken or grilled lean
(multigrain roll) with tomato (pita/tortilla base with pasta steak (90g-120g a person)
sauce (low sodium), sliced mushrooms, two steamed chat
salsa. Plus oven chips
potatoes (per person)
onion and tomato,
(healthy choice range) and
and Greek salad. Water
reduced-sodium ham,
salad (or peas). Water
reduced-fat mozzarella,
bite-sized pineapple pieces
and tinned sweetcorn. Plus
mixed salad. Water
Fluid Drink 2L (7-8 cups) per day for boys and 1.6L (6 cups) per day for girls. Include water at every meal. Pop a bottle of water (from the tap!) in your school bag to keep you hydrated throughout the day.
Milk and dairy products Always go for low-fat versions.
Breads and cereals Always go for wholegrain varieties.
Juice Make sure these are 100 per cent fruit juice and not juice “drinks” – as these are only really sugared water.
Try to prepare and cook as much of your meals and snacks as you can yourself — this way you know what’s in your food.
When buying prepared foods and snacks, always check the label and choose the ones lowest in salt (sodium), saturated fat and sugars, where possible. If it has less than 1200mg of sodium/100g of food then it’s low in sodium.
* This is a suggested menu for an average teenager. Some very active teens may need more, while some teens may need less. This menu does not include many foods considered as ‘extras’ (biscuits, cakes, soft drinks etc). Teens from 12-18 should have no more than 1-3
foods per day from this category. Speak to your health professional if you are concerned about your child’s weight.