The teenage years are full of self-exploration and independence. Teens start making more of their own choices, including what foods to eat! Many teenagers start spending more time outside of the house with friends, which definitely has a big impact on food choices.
Some popular foods among teenagers are burgers, fries, chips, cookies, ice cream, tacos, pizza, burritos, soda, fried chicken, corn dogs, and chicken nuggets. Most of these are readily available in fast food restaurants or the freezer section at the grocery store; however, just because they are popular doesn’t mean they are a healthy or good option!
Read on for more information about what to feed hungry teenagers and for healthy snack ideas!
What are Popular Foods and Snacks for Teenagers?
Popular foods for teenagers are usually convenience foods, fast food, and what is often referred to as “junk food.” Teen food choices are influenced by increased time away from home and time with friends, lack of cooking skills, busy schedules, and desire for more independence.
Here are a few popular foods among teenagers. You can probably think of a few more that your teen enjoys!
- Pizza
- Burgers
- Hot dogs
- Chips
- Fries
- Burritos
- Tacos
- Sandwiches
- Fried chicken
- Chicken sandwiches
- Corn dogs
- Soda
- Chicken nuggets
- Cookies
- Ice cream
- Takis
- Crackers
- Pretzels
- Granola bars
- Protein bars
- Protein drinks and shakes
- Trail mix
I don’t necessarily like the term “junk food” because it makes it sound like those foods are a waste and never good to eat. However, some of our best memories are made by sharing a burger or getting ice cream with the ones we love!
Tips for Teens Who Want to Eat Healthier
Making healthy choices does not mean cutting out all popular foods or by getting rid of all your favorites! Here are a few tips for teenagers wanting to eat healthier!
- Focus on what you can add, rather than on what you need to eliminate. Eliminating foods or food groups will often just cause you to overeat later.
- Include a fruit or vegetable every time you eat! This is a simple way to add more to what you are already doing. Fruits and vegetables are packed full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Try out new recipes that look good! Cooking from home gives you much more control over your food and are usually healthier meals than eating out.
- Keep snacks with you all the time, especially when you are on the go. This will decrease the need to go out to eat, while still being able to honor your hunger and eat when you feel hungry!
- Get a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats each time you eat. This usually means you will need to combine different food groups.
- Mix things up! If you eat the same thing every day, you will likely get sick of it pretty quickly and turn to fast food and convenience food.
What to Feed Hungry Teenagers?
Feeding a hungry teenager might feel like a full time job. Although it does take a lot of effort on the part of the parents to have healthy and filling foods available and to cook balanced meals, teenagers should also take responsibility for meeting their energy and nutrient needs.
Parents and teens alike may need a little bit of nutrition education before they feel comfortable knowing what to eat. One of the most important things to understand is the purpose of macronutrients and micronutrients for teenagers. The macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals.
Let’s look at why each of these nutrients is important for hungry teens!
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy. It powers all your activity during the day, all your exercise, and it keeps your brain, heart, lungs, and other organs functioning at their best. At least 50% of a teenager’s calories should be coming from carbohydrate sources!
Carbohydrates are found in a lot of foods. Starchy foods like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, peas, crackers, pretzels, tortillas, cereal, and oatmeal are great sources of carbs. Fruit, some dairy products, and legumes are also good sources of carbohydrates!
Protein
So much of your body is made up of protein! To keep your muscles, skin, hair, organs, nails, and everything else healthy- teenagers need adequate protein!
Protein is found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, greek yogurt, nuts, nut butters, beans, quinoa, tofu, edamame, and more. It is best to get mostly lean proteins, and to get a mix of animal and plant sources.
Fat
Fat is an essential nutrient for vitamins A, D, E, and K to be absorbed in the body! Healthy fats also help decrease inflammation and keep cholesterol levels at an appropriate level.
Healthy fats are found in nuts, nut butters, seeds, oils, avocados. Teens should find ways to include healthy fats into their meals and snacks.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are another key to a healthy body. They are part of everything that happens in your body from contracting your muscles, to strengthening your immune system. Especially in this time of growth and high physical activity in the teen years, getting plenty of vitamins and minerals can be helpful in making sure your body can function at its best.
The best way to get appropriate amounts of vitamins and minerals is to eat foods from all the food groups and to get plenty of variety in the foods that you choose!
Combining Foods for Satisfaction and Health
Each of these nutrients is important, and the combination of these nutrients is extremely important to making sure your body gets everything it needs! Protein and fat slow down digestion so that the energy from carbohydrates can be sustained over a longer period of time. Certain vitamins are better absorbed when eaten with healthy fats, so both should be included in a meal.
Feeding hungry teens will feel much more doable once you understand how to get a good balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Help your teen understand these basic nutrition principles as well so that they can choose healthy foods that will benefit their body.
Healthy Snack Ideas for Teenagers?
When choosing a snack, I look for balance in the foods that I am eating. In order to get adequate amounts of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, I usually have to combine foods from different food groups. Here are a few healthy snack ideas that teens can try out. See if any of them sound good to you!
- Apple slices with peanut butter or almond butter
- Pretzels with peanut butter and chocolate chips
- Carrots and crackers with hummus
- Fruit smoothie made with greek yogurt
- Cottage cheese and crackers
- Cheese stick and fruit cup
- Tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole
- Protein bar and a banana
- Nuts and cheese
- Trail mix
- Nuts and strawberries
- Greek yogurt with blueberries and granola
- Deli meat, crackers, and grapes
- Clementines and almonds
- Avocado toast
- Hard boiled egg and raspberries
- Chocolate milk (Or a Carnation Instant Breakfast)
- Toast with peanut butter
- Bagel with cream cheese
- Banana with peanut butter or almond butter
- Wheat thins with nuts
Also remember that your snacks are not always going to look like these, and that is ok!
Summary
Thankfully, there is not a hard list of foods that teenagers should avoid. It is perfectly normal and healthy for them to enjoy the popular foods that they like!
In order to make sure they are still getting all the nutrients that their growing body needs, they should find ways to include all food groups and balance their meals and snacks with carbohydrates, protein, fats, and vitamins and minerals! Focus more on what you can add rather than on what you need to remove from your diet.
Teens should get involved and take responsibility for eating healthy. Eating healthy does not have to be a chore- and it can actually taste really, really good and make your body feel good too! As teens recognize how healthy eating makes them feel, they will be able to eat these “popular foods” mindfully and not go overboard.
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