Several subgroups of teens, such as those who are:

• obese

• chronic dieters

• pregnant

• have an eating disorder 

• experiencing a chronic illness

• participate in athletics

require specialized nutrition services.

11% of adolescent males & 10% of adolescent females are considered obese. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents has increased over the last 10 years & is a public health concern.

Since teenage fat intakes have been decreasing, while energy intakes have remained fairly stable, most authorities attribute the increase in obesity in part to lower levels of physical activity.

Several organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Association & the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports have made recommendations for physical activity for youth.

Over 40% of U.S. teens, especially females, are attempting to lose weight, often employing inappropriate & unhealthy strategies.

Many dieters aren't overweight, but are trying to conform to the thin body image portrayed in the media. However, chronic dieting is often counterproductive, leading to binge eating & little or no long-term weight loss.

Restrictive dieting may lead the most psychologically vulnerable to develop a full-blown eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

Athletics imposes additional energy & nutrient demands on the growing adolescent. Since over 50% of children & adolescents in the U.S. participate in competitive athletics either at school or in the community, health professionals may be frequently called upon to provide sound guidance for sports nutrition.

Nutrition professionals can help dispel many of the myths surrounding issues of hydration, weight loss/dieting & supplement use. The American Dietetic Association issued a timely statement providing specific guidance for dietitians who are educating coaches & teens involved in organized sports.

Health Tip: Develop Healthy Eating Habits

A few simple changes can make a big difference

(HealthDay News)  If you want to lose weight, feel better or simply eat healthier, adjusting your diet is the best place to start.

Try these suggestions for healthier eating, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

• Don't skip breakfast & make lunch your largest meal of the day.

• Begin each meal with a low-fat starter such as salad, soup, broth or just a glass of water.

• Replace soda or sugary drinks with natural fruit juice, skim milk or water.

• Replace some dietary sugar with no-calorie sweeteners.

• Reduce the amount of alcohol that you drink.

• Stick to healthy serving sizes.

• Include more fruits, vegetables & whole grains in every meal.

• Eat slowly & you'll be less likely to eat more than you need.

Diana Kohnle

How much of each food group do I need?

Check out the chart below to find out how much teen girls need from each group.

Mix up your choices within each food group.
		Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fruits: whether fresh, frozen, canned or dried, rather than fruit juice for most of your fruit choices. Try melons such as cantaloupe, berries such as blueberries & citrus fruit such as grapefruit. Teen girls need 2 cups of fruits each day.
		Vary your veggies. Eat more dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale & other dark leafy greens; orange veggies, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin & winter squash; & beans & peas, such as pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, split peas & lentils. Teen girls need 2½ cups of vegetables each day.
		Get your calcium-rich foods. Teen girls need 1,300 milligrams of calcium every day, which equals 130% of the DV (Daily Value) of the 1,000 milligrams that is recommended for adults. This means that teen girls need 30% more calcium than adults need. To get 1,300 milligrams each day, drink & eat a variety of foods that are high in calcium, such as fat-free or low-fat milk, fat-free yogurt, American cheese, ricotta cheese & fruit yogurt & consume the recommended amounts from the other food groups. It would take 3 cups of milk to get 1,300 mg of calcium. Learn why calcium is important to bone health.
		Make half your grains whole. Of the about 6 oz.equivalents of grains teen girls need every day, at least 3 should be whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta. One ounce-equivalent is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or ¼ cup of cooked rice or pasta. Look to see that grains such as wheat, rice, oats, or corn are called "whole" in the list of ingredients. Bread that is just called "wheat" bread isn't the same as "whole wheat bread." Look for "whole wheat" to know it is the healthiest option.
		Go lean with protein. Choose lean meats & poultry that are baked, broiled or grilled. And vary your protein choices by also eating more fish, beans, peas, nuts & seeds. Teen girls need about 5½ ozs of lean protein each day. A 2-3 oz serving of meat, poultry, or fish is equal to the size of a deck of cards.
Know the limits on fats, salt & sugars. Read the Nutrition Facts label on foods. Look for foods low in saturated fats & trans fats. Choose foods & drinks with little salt (sodium) &/or added sugars (caloric sweeteners).

The food guide calls for eating a variety of foods to get the nutrients you need & the right amount of calories to keep a healthy weight. There are many ways to eat healthy every day, but they all start with getting plenty of grains, fruits & vegetables.

Different people like different foods & like to prepare the same foods in different ways. Culture, family background, religion, moral beliefs, cost & food allergies can all affect people's choices. Use the food guide (see below) as a starting point to shape your eating program.

What Is A Healthy Diet? - By Alan LeStourgeon

What is a healthy diet? It’s not about counting calories, measuring portions or cutting carbs. You won't really find a healthy diet on the lite menu at your favorite restaurant & you certainly won't find it at the local fast food joint.

A healthy diet is all about what you eat rather than how much you eat.

If you think the latest fad diet is your panacea to health, you're in for a big surprise. Losing weight, staying healthy & getting back into shape after many years of diet neglect isn't about fads or eating in some radical new way for 6 to 12 weeks & then going back to the way you used to eat.

The best thing you can do to keep yourself healthy is to eat a healthy diet…all the time, not just when you want to lose weight. Eating healthy is a long-term lifestyle choice, something you need to do for your entire lifetime.

But what is a healthy diet? Is it what we have been lead to believe – milk for strong bones & teeth, protein in the form of lean beef or chicken & maybe a “healthy” microwave dinner if we're “on the go.”

Unfortunately this diet is what's identified as the Standard American Diet or the SAD.

And what's so wrong with the SAD?

Well, has it made us a healthier people? Are we better off as a nation because of it?

With all of the health studies, advanced health care, the war on cancer dating back to the 70’s & the most advanced technology available on the planet we have to ask ourselves why do we still need to spend $1.3 trillion a year on health care in the United States.

Why aren't we getting any healthier?

Other pertinent questions about your health beg for answers such as, why after more than 30 years since the “War On Cancer” was declared, do we still have an increasing cancer rate.

Yes, we have many more people surviving cancer but the rate at which people are getting cancer is increasing. We've come a long way in taking care of sick people, but we haven't made any progress as a nation in preventing those people from getting sick.

Why do more than 15 million people in the US have diabetes?

Why do we still have more heart problems today than we did 30 years ago?

Why is more than 50% of our population on some kind of prescription drug?

We spend more per person on medical care than any other nation in the world. Why is this happening in a country that seems to be able to solve nearly any technological problem?

Why can't we solve our medical problems?

How would life be different for us if we were to be a nation of healthy individuals?

The secret to a healthy diet & a healthy life is living food – fresh vegetables, fruit, juices & green leafy salads. The answer to a healthier you is summed up in 3 words, breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Living a healthy life & having a healthy family is all about eating a healthy diet, every day of our lives!

10 guidelines to point your way to good health....(These guidelines are intended for healthy children (ages 2 years & older) & adults of any age.)

Start with realizing & accepting a healthy weight.

Be physically active each day.

Following these first 2 guidelines will help keep you & your family healthy & fit. Healthy eating & regular physical activity enable people of all ages to work productively, enjoy life & feel their best. They also help children grow, develop & do well in school.

Let the Pyramid guide your food choices.

Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains.

Choose a variety of fruits & vegetables daily.

Keep your food safe to eat.

Following these 4 guidelines builds a base for healthy eating. Let the Food Guide Pyramid guide you so that you get the nutrients your body needs each day.

Make grains, fruits & vegetables the foundation of your meals. This forms a base for good nutrition & good health & may reduce your risk of certain chronic diseases.

Be flexible & adventurous - try new choices from these 3 groups in place of some less nutritious or higher calorie foods you usually eat.

Whatever you eat, always take steps to keep your food safe to eat.

Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat & cholesterol & moderate in total fat.

Choose beverages & foods to moderate your intake of sugars.

Choose & prepare foods with less salt.

If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

These 4 guidelines help you make sensible choices that promote health & reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases.

You can enjoy all foods as part of a healthy diet as long as you don't overdo it on fat (especially saturated fat), sugars, salt & alcohol.

Read labels to identify foods that are higher in saturated fats, sugars & salt (sodium).

By following all of these guidelines, you can promote your health & reduce your risk for chronic diseases such as:

• heart disease
• certain types of cancer
• diabetes
• stroke
• & osteoporosis

These diseases are leading causes of death & disability among Americans.

Good diets can also reduce major risk factors for chronic disease, such as:

• obesity
• high blood pressure
• high blood cholesterol

read this book! get educated! get empowered!

SuperFoods Rx
14 Foods That Will Change Your Life

by Steven G. Pratt & Kathy Matthews

Evaluate your body weight

For adults & children, different methods are used to find out if weight is about right for height.  

If you're an adult:

• Weigh yourself & have your height measured.

• Find your BMI category in see the charts The higher your BMI category, the greater the risk for health problems.

• Measure around your waist, just above your hip bones, while standing. Health risks increase as waist measurement increases, particularly if waist is greater than 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men. Excess abdominal fat may place you at greater risk of health problems, even if your BMI is about right.

Not all adults who have a BMI in the range labeled "healthy" are at their most healthy weight.

i.e.,

• some may have lots of fat & little muscle

A BMI above the healthy range is less healthy for most people unless:

• you have lots of muscle & little fat

The further your BMI is above the healthy range, the higher your weight-related risk (see figure 1).

If your BMI is above the healthy range, you may benefit from weight loss, especially if you have other health risk factors (see box 2).

BMI's slightly below the healthy range may still be healthy unless they result from illness.

If your BMI is below the healthy range, you may have increased risk of:

• menstrual irregularity
• infertility 
• osteoporosis

If you lose weight suddenly or for unknown reasons, see a health care provider.  Unexplained weight loss may be an early clue to a health problem.

Manage your weight

Our genes affect our tendency to gain weight. A tendency to gain weight is increased when food is plentiful & when we use equipment & vehicles to save time & energy. It's possible to manage your weight thru balancing the calories you eat with your physical activity choices.

• build a healthy base & make sensible choices

• choose a healthful assortment of foods that includes vegetables, fruits, grains (especially whole grains), skim milk, & fish, lean meat, poultry, or bean.

• choose foods that are low in fat & added sugars most of the time

• eat a sensible portion size

Try to be more active throughout the day. The physical activity guideline  recommends that all adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most or preferably all days of the week. To maintain a healthy weight after weight loss, adults will likely need to do more than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily.

Over time, even a small decrease in calories eaten & a small increase in physical activity can keep you from gaining weight or help you lose weight.

The carbohydrates, fats & proteins in food supply energy, which is measured in calories. High-fat foods contain more calories than the same amount of other foods, so they can make it difficult for you to avoid excess calories.

However, low fat doesn't always mean low calorie. Sometimes extra sugars are added to low-fat muffins or desserts, i.e., they may be just as high in calories.

Your pattern of eating may be important.

• Snacks & meals eaten away from home provide a large part of daily calories for many people.
• Choose them wisely.
• Try fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, or a cup of low-fat milk or yogurt for a snack.
• When eating out, choose small portions of foods.
• If you choose fish, poultry, or lean meat, ask that it be grilled rather than fried.

If you need to lose weight, do so gradually

If you're overweight, loss of 5 - 15% of your body weight may improve your health, ability to function & quality of life.

Aim to lose about 10% of your weight over about 6 months. This would be 20 pounds of weight loss for someone who weighs 200 pounds. Loss of 1/2 - 2 pounds per week is usually safe.

Even if you have regained weight in the past, it's worthwhile to try again.

Encourage healthy weight in children

Children need enough food for proper growth, but too many calories & too little physical activity lead to overweight. The number of overweight U.S. children has risen dramatically in recent years.

Encourage healthy weight by offering children:

• grain products

• vegetables & fruits

• low-fat dairy products

• beans

• lean meat

• poultry

• fish

• nuts

women

5 Vitamins & Minerals Women Need

Learn how to give these knockout nutrients starring roles in your diet! by Karen Cicero

You try to choose healthful foods:

• Snacking on pretzels instead of chips

• Ordering grilled chicken rather than a burger

• Swigging water in place of soda

• calcium
• iron
• vitamin e
• folic acid - folate
• potassium

Congratulations on aiming to improve your diet! Keep in mind that meaningful changes must be both realistic & specific. Instead of focusing on all the bad habits you need to break, think about a few positive adjustments that you can easily make to feel good about yourself.

Believe it or not, a slight tweak to your perspective can really make a difference. Here are my top 3 suggestions for healthful eating changes that you can make this month.

Enjoy soy. Study after study has touted the benefits of eating soy foods, from lowering cholesterol to strengthening bones & curbing menopausal malaise.

Find the stuff hard to stomach? Don't worry: I'm not talking about shoving a slab of cold, wet tofu down your gullet. These days, there are plenty of tasty & convenient soy foods in traditional grocery store aisles, ranging from cheese slices to veggie burgers.

While you're checking out the patties in the frozen foods aisle, give a bag of edamame a try. Edamame is the actual soybean; it resembles a lima bean, tastes quite good & packs a nutritional punch. Do as they do in Japanese restaurants: Steam them, add a pinch of salt & enjoy they're a healthy alternative to potato chips.

Fuel up w/fiber. Fiber plays an important role in the prevention of diseases such as heart disease, cancer & diabetes. By affecting absorption the rate at which nutrients enter the blood fiber lowers blood cholesterol & slows the utilization of carbohydrates. It fills you up & leaves you satisfied, making you less likely to overeat.

Women younger than 50 need at least 25 grams of fiber a day, but most get only half that amount. To fulfill your fiber quota, you need to consume at least 8 grams at each meal. Foods particularly high in fiber are beans (lentils, baked, pinto), whole grains (brown rice, oats, whole-wheat breads) & of course, fruits & vegetables. Not sure if a packaged food contains fiber? Consult its nutritional label.

Go fishing. Several studies have shown that, in addition to aiding weight loss possibly by suppressing a hormone called leptin that is related to obesity eating lean fish such as bass, halibut, cod & snapper can help prevent heart disease & some types of cancer. Don't like how the smell of fish lingers after you cook it? Canned tuna requires no cooking & is great for you (just be sure to buy the kind packed in water, not oil). Add it to salads or a basic red pasta sauce. Or opt for grilled or broiled fish whenever you eat out.

Stuck in a Nutrition Rut?

8 tips for beating healthful-food boredom.
by Evelyn Tribole, R.D.

There was a time when you woke up each morning excited about the taste of whole-grain toast & the prospect of savoring a colorful salad for lunch, when your mouth watered at the thought of fresh cantaloupe for dessert.

Alas, those days are gone. After months of adhering to a healthy lifestyle, your enthusiasm for lettuce & salmon has gone out the window. Currently, visions of pepperoni pizza & chocolate éclairs dance thru your head.

Here are 8 tricks for livening up your diet.

Change your oil. Are you parked in a fat-free zone? Not all fats are bad. Olive oil, e.g., can help lower cholesterol & walnut oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep your heart healthy. Just a splash goes a long way in the flavor department use a tablespoon of healthful oil when you stir-fry vegetables & chicken or mix up a zesty salad dressing.

• edamame

• green soybeans sold frozen that you boil for a few minutes & top with a pinch of salt

• high-fiber buckwheat noodles, found in the international food section & cooked just like any other pasta

• barley, a wholesome grain that lowers cholesterol & is prepared just like rice

• meatless dishes such as veggie patties or links

Eating Healthy, Being Healthy - By Clark

Eating constitutes one of the most important familiar & social activities. When selecting our food & planning our meals we are influenced by history, culture & environment, as well as by our particular preferences & taste.

Food is a source of gratification & pleasure that, combined with a good nutrition, has vital effects on our health & quality of life. Healthy eating habits are essential for adequate children’s growth & development, as well as for their performance at school, both intellectual & physical. They also help active adults keep in shape. But which eating habits are healthy & which ones are not?

The key is eating in a moderate way & having food that contains an adequate nutrient equilibrium. Each ingredient in our food contains has one or more of these nutrients & for that reason looking for a wide variety of ingredients in our meals contributes to giving our body what it needs.

Eating healthy isn't about eating plenty of everything. It is not gong on absurd diets, nor eliminating some kinds of food from our lives. It’s about trying to choose ingredients such as cereals, vegetables, fruits, low-fat milk & cheese & reducing red meat consumption as well as sugar & salt.

Amongst the fundamental nutrients needed for a good heath, we can find water, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, minerals, vitamins & some others. Factors like age, sex, height, the amount of exercise you regularly get & the overall health status determine the amount of nutrients your body needs.

As for calories, a balanced nutrition is achieved easily by daily including ingredients on the following proportions:

• 50 to 60 % Carbohydrates
• 12 to 20 % Proteins
• 25 to 30 % Lipids (fat)

Of course, these values are just an approximation—only your doctor knows your particular needs.

In order to be able to choose our food wisely, it is helpful to know some things about the different types of ingredients.

Refined flours obtained from cereals like corn or rice & are used to make bread, cookies, pasta, etc. These are a great source of complex carbohydrates, which represent a good energy source. They also contain proteins, fiber, B-complex vitamins, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium & selenium. Besides, they contain low fat & no cholesterol.

Legumes like peas & beans contain a good deal of proteins, complex carbohydrates & fiber & don’t contain cholesterol. It’s recommended to include a good amount of these ingredients in our daily diet.

Vegetables are also a good source of fiber, provide vitamins, and they even help your body produce its own vitamin A.

Fresh fruit contain vitamins, fiber & minerals & are a good source of water & simple carbohydrates. Peaches & melons help your body produce vitamin A & citric fruits are powerful suppliers of vitamin C.

Milk is a very important component of every diet. It provides essential proteins, lipids, vitamin D, A & some of the B-complex vitamins & also minerals like calcium & phosphorus.

Fish is a great source of minerals & vitamins. Red meat is also a source of lipids, although it is less recommended than other kinds of meat because of the high cholesterol content.

It may be wise to ask your doctor about your diet. He will be able to recommend any change or nutritional supplements you may need.

Remember, eating well is living well.

Health & Nutrition - By Colin Thomson

The Health & Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples awareness of the damage they have done to their bodies over the years becomes more apparent, both physically and through scientific evidence. Whats more they want to do something about-now!!

I know, I've been there and as a Baby Boomer we, in our millions around the globe, are doing what we can to turn our health around for the better. Having read numerous articles gleaned from newspapers, magazines, advertisements, the web and from fellow ''ezinearticle'' contributors, many people are searching for a better lifestyle today.

My wife Cath and I decided to do something about it and sooner rather than later. Rather than talking about it, moaning about it, worrying about it, we chose to improve our health and our lifestyle through informed and better choices. We work from home now part time in the Health and Nutrition Industry having had our health improved with nutritional supplements and by adjusting our diets, so that we have both lost weight and feel great for it. Your health improves by first making a decision and then doing something about it.

It has been suggested that many of our ailments, sickness and diseases today, particularly in the west, can be attributed to poor nutrition in our diets. The fact that our diets are so poor due to the lifestyles we choose to live, with fast foods and rush, rush, rush, we are not allowing our bodies to rebuild itself, to repair itself properly, as it was designed to do.

I am not a scientist but I can tell you that by adding proven nutritional supplements to my diet and eating better and less, my health has improved and I have the energy to accomplish so much more in my day without the tiredness and exhaustion that were part of my life.

Obesity levels in the western world are simply staggering and if you do your own research, through various resources, you will have this confirmed in black and white.

Our bodies have been wonderfully made, by a master designer, and when we introduce a proper diet into our lifestyle, with the correct ammounts of vitamins and minerals it needs to function properly, your life can be changed dramatically. For those of you who already look after yourselves, athletes, footballers, basketballers, your lives can be improved too, your recovery rates lowered, your overall performances improved with a better diet and nutrition in your life.

If we feed our bodies properly, then it will do what it was made to do. It will repair itself, common ailments can be gone forever, as my wife can testify to you from first hand experience.

With good and proper nutritional supplements and a carefully planned and balanced diet of lean meats, fruit and vegetables, it is possible to have your health and fitness restored.

The Health and Nutrition Industry today, commonly known as the ''Wellness Industry'' is booming!!! Wherever you look, the media today, is full of health improvement tips, the internet is full of sites showing you their own products and services, advising us all that we need to improve our diets and indeed our health!!

When you decide to improve your lifestyle and your health, can I ask you to choose carefully. Look to market leaders, and there are half a dozen or so who have stood the test of time, and read about them, read testimonies about peoples health improvements, read about lifestyle improvements that have occurred both in the short and long term through the use of their products.

Don't get sucked in by all the hype and there is plenty of that, particularly on the internet. Find out about the products or the company, before you go spending your hard earned money, ensuring that you will get the results you desire. Do not just jump on the bandwagon of the latest craze that is sweeping your nation, make an informed choice of your own and enjoy the benefits to come.

Why not contact your local Network Marketer, where Home Based Distributors will have a personal interest in your health improvement and you may even want to join them and help others improve their lives also.

We all age, we all die some day, but why bring it along sooner than is necessary. Why don't you choose to do something about it today? Why don't you allow that desire inside, which is niggling away at you now, that desire to improve your health and regain that enjoyment of life, to come out.

Do yourself a favour, nobody else will. You choose. Go on, go for it and really live life to the full with your health improved, with the ones you love. It is possible. We have done it!!

An unbalanced diet can cause problems with maintenance of body tissues, growth and development, brain and nervous system function, as well as problems with bone and muscle systems.