Importance of Healthy Eating

The teenage years are the most important time for a person to get nutrients. Rapid growth and change occur during this time, so eating healthy helps with avoiding health problem when you're an adult and "shapes" your future.

Healthy eating is very important in order for one to have energy, sustain a "good" weight, preventing bad eating habits, staying strong, and receiving the right nutrients (see Nutrients post). Not only should you eat the correct foods, but it is important to have good habits when eating.


For "vegeteens" (word coined by us meaning "vegetarian teens"), variety is key. It is important to eat different types of foods--for different meals and the same meal. For example, it isn't considered healthy eating to just eat a Cesar salad for lunch with a small drink. Variety could be as simple as the way your prepare foods, too. You could grill, bake, boil, or stir-fry things instead of using the fast-and-greasy deep fryer.


Good habits are also considered important for healthy eating. For example, skipping breakfast or any other meals regularly would not be beneficial to your health. Also, food choices (kinda like above) develops good habits. You can't have a wizard zap you into eating healthy:

For teens, eating healthy can prevent diseases for the future. For example, teenage girls should get enough iron and calcium to prevent anemia and osteoporosis (not that these are specific to females, but teen girls not receiving enough are more prone to them).


-Karen :D

Background Vegetarian Info

Vegetarians are usually defined as people who do not eat meat, or sometimes no animal products at all. However, there are many different types of vegetarians. This blog is for an Ovo-lacto teen vegetarian, which is the most common. Ovo-Lacto vegetarians must find other ways to give their body the protein meat has, but they still get the nutritional benefits of eggs and dairy products.

There are many different reasons an average teenager might choose to become a vegetarian.

• Health reasons: 1. Vegetarians usually have less weight problems and live longer. 2. Eating excessive meat can lead to cancer and other diseases. 3. Most food poisoning cases are from meat, and slaughterhouses and meat packaging facilities are not usually very sanitary. Etc....
• Ethical reasons: 1. Animal rights, the way animals are treated. 2. They might think eating meat is wrong. Etc....
• Environmental reasons: 1. Meat production destroys rain forests and produces a lot of methane (a greenhouse gas). 2. Half the water in the US is used to raise livestock. Etc....
• Political reasons: 1. If resources from raising meat were Used for feeding people, there could be enough food for everyone in the world. Etc....
• Religious reasons: 1. Some religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and 7th day Adventists) encourage eating vegetarian. Etc....
• psychological reasons: 1. Some people just don't like the taste of meat, or find it unappealing. Etc....

Types of vegetarians:

• Semi-vegetarians/flextarians: Semi-vegetarians/flextarians usually avoid eating meat red or white meat, but eat fowl or fish.
• Pescatarians: Pescatarians do not eat red or white meat, but eat fish.
• Ovo-lacto vegetarians: The most common type of vegetarian is the Ovo-Lacto vegetarian. They do not eat any type of meat, but do eat eggs and dairy products.
• Ovo vegetarians: no meat or dairy, but do eat eggs.
• Lacto vegetarians: no meat or eggs, but do eat dairy.
• Vegans: Vegans do not eat any animal products, including meat, dairy, eggs, honey, etc….
• Raw/Living foodists: Raw/living foodists eat only raw food to get the enzymes that are destroyed while cooking.
• Fruitarians: Fruitarians only eat fruit, and fruit-like vegetables. Ex: tomatoes, cucumbers, etc…

Because most vegetarian diets lack meat, teens who choose to follow a vegetarian lifestyle are faced with the everyday challenge of coming up with protein-rich foods to eat. Vegetarians can get protein through dried beans, nuts, seeds, dairy products, grains, algae, soybeans, vegetables, fruits, eggs, and many other foods.

Bibliography:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/289097-what-types-of-foods-contain-trans-fat/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4728406_sugar-affect-human-body.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284

Determining the Recommended Daily Caloric Intake

There are many factors that influence the total amount of recommended daily caloric intake--activity level, gender, height, weight, age, and size. 

A method that can be used to determine caloric intake:
First you have to determine your activity level; a low activity level means that you don't exercise or walk to places like school. Moderate activity levels would be exercising three to five times per week, while those with high activity levels exercise daily for 30 minutes or more.
In order to find a sufficient amount of calories to eat, multiply (the teen's) weight by either: 12 for low, 14 for moderate, or 20 for high. 
*Weight may not be the best way to determine intake though




It is usually suggested for a male to have eat more calories than a female. This is because male bodies have a quicker metabolism, and males are relatively bigger in size & weight. Most older teenagers (15-18) would also need to have a higher amount of caloric intake due to the fact that their bodies are more mature. 

Even though this helps to determine the average caloric intake a teenager should eat, a vegetarian needs more calories to make up for all the nutrients missing because of the exclusion of meat. Most vegetarians are smaller than an average teen because they don't eat all the protein that everyone else eats. (However, just because a vegetarian doesn't intake protein from meat, that doesn't mean that plant-based foods won't give enough of the needed quota.)

Why Nutrients Are Important

First of all, nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are important to *everybody*, not just vegetarian teens. However, this blog is focused on "vegeteens" (vegetarian teens), so this is will have most information specific to that.


CARBOHYDRATES:

For teenagers, it is very important

to eat carbohydrates because it provides energy for our growing brains, muscles, and bodies. Not only energy is provided, but Vitamin B and calcium are included in certain carbohydrate foods as well. 
           When looking at the "scientific" aspect of carbs, there are monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are the smallest unit, which include fructose and glucose. Even though they are categorized under the same name, they are different; fructose is stored in the liver as glucose, while glucose can be used directly. An example of a disaccharide is sucrose, which is the combination of fructose and glucose--so a disaccharide is two monosaccharides, and both (disaccharide & monosaccharide) can be called simple sugars. The last name for a particular carbohydrate is polysaccharide, which is hundreds of monosaccharides. Since there are so many monosaccharides, polysaccharides like starch and fiber take longer for the body to digest. (Fiber doesn't release energy or is digested like starch, however.) 
            Now many feel that a slice of WonderBread will do it justice, but there are some better choices. 
White Vs. Whole. 
Many people know that white bread is a better than wheat bread, but they don't usually know why. There are three nutritious parts to bread; whole wheat contains all, while white only has one (click here for more info). Not only does whole wheat bread have those parts, but it is rich in vitamins, zinc, magnesium, chromium, folic acid, and most of all: fiber. 


PROTEINS: 

Because vegetarians omit meat in their meals, it is important for them to get a sufficient amount of protein. Foods that are full of protein include eggs, fish, nuts, beans, soy & (low-fat) dairy products, tofu, hummas, and lentils (if you're not a vegetarian, then poultry and red lean meats would also fit). 

Protein is essential (not saying that the only ones aren't though) because it helps our heart, brain, muscles, organs, skin, eyes , hair, growth, red blood cells, etc. 
For different food ideas for a "vegeteen", click here.


FATS:
Last (but not least!): fats. Fats are important for a healthy lifestyle. Even though one may think that "fats" are harmful and will extend your waistline, that isn't the case for all fats. Fats are used as energy storages and insulation. 

            Fats that are considered "good" are Omega 3, 6, & 9 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids lessen LDL levels and blood pressure, while also protecting the nervous system and brain.  Others include unsaturated fats, which are spilt into monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats lower LDL (the bad one) and raise HDL (the good one). Polyunsaturated fats also lower LDL, but can be considered unstable. 


           Saturated and trans fats would be considered bad for you. These are solid at room temperature, clog your arteries, and raise LDL cholesterol. HOWEVER, some saturated fats like coconut or palm oil are considered good.


           Always read nutrition labels to make sure that the amount of "bad" fats is low (or inexistent), while the number of "good" fats is pretty high. 


This might help:

- Karen :D

Foods to Limit

What types of food you eat and how it effects your body is something every teen should understand. Some foods should be limited because it has a negative effect on your body. The most important ones to limit are foods that contain a high amount of sugars and fats (trans fat), sodium, and hydrogenated oil.

Sugar: Sugar intake needs to be limited especially for teens because it can effect your body and lead to diseases in the future. Sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly. If you eat foods with lots of sugar, it will force the pancreas (the organ that maintains sugar levels in your body) to give off insulin, so the sugar level will drop. This movement of the sugar levels in your body can lead to diabetes and coronary disease. Also, when your pancreas gives off insulin, it depresses your immune system.

Trans Fat: Teenagers should limit their intake of trans fat because it has a double-negative effect on your body. It not only raises your bad (LDL) cholesterol, but it also lowers your good (HDL) cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease. Trans fat can be found in Spreads (margarine, butter) and shortenings, fried foods, baked goods, and many more.

Sodium: Sodium is essential to your body in small amounts. Sodium helps transmit nerve impulses, maintain a balance of fluids in your body, and influences muscle contractions and relaxation. However, if you have to much sodium, your kidneys might not be able to get rid of it all, and it will accumulate in your blood. Because sodium holds and attracts water, your blood volume will increase, making it harder for your heart to move the blood from one place to another. As a result, the pressure in your arteries will increase, and could eventually lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and congestive heart failure.

Hydrogenated oils: When hydrogenated oil is made, it converts the good fats to trans fat. (See trans fat)

Three Day Vegetarian Meal Plan

Day One

Breakfast

-       1 bowl of a whole wheat cereal of you choice

-       1 banana

-       1 strawberry yogurt

-       1 glass of orange juice

Lunch

-       1 handful of pasta

-       3 small spoons of pesto sauce

-       1 piece of sourdough bread

-       1 bottle of water

Snack

- Half and apple with 2 tsp of (natural) peanut butter

Dinner

-       Tomato and basil pizza

-        1 glass of milk

-       Spinach Salad

o   a handful of Spinach

o   half a tomato

o   a sprinkle of feta cheese

o   1 shake of dressing

Day Two

Breakfast

-       Taro Pancakes

-       Glass of milk

-      Strawberries

Lunch

-       Caesar salad

o    Romaine lettuce

o   Croutons

o    Parmesan cheese 

o   a slice of lemon

o   Caesar salad dressing

-       1 cup of fruit juice of choice

Snack

-       dried fruit mix

Dinner

-       Fried rice

o    brown rice

o   carrot 

o    green beans

o   potato

o   onion

o   tofu

-       1 glass of milk

Desert

-       1 scoop of a fruit sorbet of your choice

Day Three

Breakfast

-       1 cup Fruit salad

o    Strawberries

o   Blueberries

o   Watermelon

o   Banana

o   Star fruit

o   Grapes

-       1 cup of orange juice

-       1 cup of yoghurt

Lunch

-       Peanut butter and strawberry jam on wheat bread

-       Banana

-       1 bottle of water

Dinner

-       Spinach ravioli

-       plain tomato sauce

-       1 glass of milk