If you have a child that is entering teenager years and you have noticed that he or she is gaining too much weight, should you put the child on a diet? The truth is no. Instead, you want to teach your child about healthy alternatives and exercise. In fact, you can change the way in which the entire family eats and exercises, which accomplishes two things. First, it pushes the family to living a long and healthy life but it also stops any segregation of the teenager needing to lose weight.
The problem is that a teenager put on a “diet” is put at risk for developing low bone density. With this, the teenager would likely be faced with problems such as arthritis and osteoporosis in later years. It is important to understand that when your teenager is from 12 to 17 years of age, as much as 90% of adult bone mass is developed. Therefore, putting a teenager on a diet during this time that does not provide adequate levels of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Calcium could be dangerous to healthy bone growth.
Another common problem associated with teenagers and diets is that many of the “fad” type diets do not provide adequate amounts of iron and folic acid, also nutrients that eliminate the risk of anemia. Therefore, if your teenager were not getting these nutrients, you would likely see a number of problems that affect the child’s performance in sports and in academics. Unfortunately, many teenagers with excessive weight have been put on improper diets, causing significant health risks.
Instead of putting your teenager on a diet, you need to start creating healthy food choices and encouraging a minimum of 30 minutes exercise daily. This means making sure food consumed includes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. Now, when my daughter was battling a little weight at the age of 15, I did just this. However, to ensure she did not feel as if she were “dieting”, I gave her Saturday’s off. Although she could not pig out on junk food, she was allowed to have smaller portions of her favorite foods, as well as dessert.
My daughter is only 5’ tall and at that time, weighed 160 pounds. Tired of being teased, she was more than willing to make a change to diet and get involved with dance and volleyball. Today, she is 22 years old and a size two. She still weighs about 110 pounds, which is considered a healthy range for her size. She also follows the same healthy food choices and keeps physically busy. However, you can be sure that Saturdays are still her “free day”, something she looks forward to all week. The result is her blossoming into a confident, beautiful young woman who eats right and feels great.