Healthy eating is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and is something that should be taught at a young age. The following are some general guidelines for helping your teen eat healthy. It's important to discuss your teen's diet with their doctor before making any dietary changes or placing your teen on a diet. Discuss these healthy eating recommendations with your teen so they can follow a healthy eating plan:

• Eat 3 meals a day, with healthy snacks in between.
• Increase fiber in the diet.
• Decrease the use of salt.
• Drink water. Try to avoid drinks that are high in sugar, including soda and sports drinks. Fruit juice can have a lot of calories, so limit your teen's intake. Whole fruit is always a better choice.
• Eat balanced meals.
• When cooking for your teen, try to bake, broil, roast, or grill instead of fry.
• Make sure your teen watches (and decreases, if necessary) their overall sugar intake.
• Choose fruit or vegetables for a snack.
• Limit butter, heavy sauces, and gravies. Choose healthy fat sources more often. This includes avocado, nuts, seeds, and plant oils.
• Serve a variety of protein foods, including meat, chicken, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans, and soy.

The USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have prepared the following information to guide parents in selecting foods for children.

The dietary guidelines emphasize the nutritional intake of the following:

• Grains. Foods that are made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain are grain products. Examples include whole wheat bread, brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal. Aim for mostly whole grains.
• Vegetables. Choose a variety of vegetables, including dark green, red, and orange vegetables, legumes (peas and beans), and starchy vegetables. Fresh, frozen or canned vegetables may be included, preferably those low in sodium and without sauces or gravies.
• Fruits. Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the fruit group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut up, or pureed. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ages 7 to 18 limit juice intake to 8 ounces, or 1 cup per day. Fruits are best bought when they are in season. Otherwise, try frozen or canned vegetables since they are just as nutritious and are budget-friendly too.
• Dairy. Milk products and many foods made from milk are considered part of this food group. Focus on those that are high in calcium. Fortified soy milk and yogurt are also part of this food group because they have nutrients similar to dairy milk and yogurt. The dairy group includes milk, yogurt, cheese, lactose-free milk, and fortified soy milk and yogurt. It does not include foods made from milk that have little calcium and a high fat content, such as cream cheese, sour cream, cream, and butter.
• Protein. Prioritize protein at every meal. Choose from a variety of lean meats and poultry, eggs, fish, nuts, seeds, peas, beans, and soy. Eat a variety of protein foods to get more of the nutrients your body needs. Meat and poultry choices should be lean, such as lean ground beef, pork loin, and skinless chicken breasts. Choose seafood that is higher in healthy fatty acids (called omega-3s) and lower in methylmercury, such as salmon, anchovies, and trout.
• Fats. Fats are essential to healthy growth and development. Healthy fats, like nuts, seeds, olives, avocado, and plant oils, have vital nutrients and should be included in the diet. Use butter in small amounts. Stay away from other fats, like trans fats.

Exercise and daily physical activity should also be included with a healthy dietary plan.

• Provide regular daily meal times with social interaction. Demonstrate healthy eating behaviors.
• Involve teens in selecting and preparing foods. Teach them to make healthy choices by giving them the chance to select foods based on their nutritional value.
• Select foods with these nutrients when possible: calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber.
• Most Americans need to cut the amount of calories they consume. When it comes to weight control, calories do count. Controlling portion sizes and limiting highly processed foods helps limit calorie intake and increase nutrients.
• Parents are encouraged to provide recommended serving sizes for teens. Teach your children how to determine the serving sizes for different types of foods.
• Parents are encouraged to limit a teen's screen time to less than 2 hours daily. Instead, encourage activities that call for more movement.
• Teens need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most days for good health and fitness and for healthy weight during growth.
• To prevent dehydration, encourage teens to drink fluids regularly during physical activity and drink several glasses of water or other fluid after the physical activity is completed.

To find more information about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030, visit realfood.gov.

Always talk with your teen's doctor regarding healthy diet and exercise requirements.

Healthy eating during adolescence is important as body changes during this time affect nutritional and dietary needs. Teens are becoming more independent and making many food decisions on their own. Many teens have a growth spurt and an increase in appetite and need healthy foods to meet their needs. Teens tend to eat more meals away from home than younger children. They are also heavily influenced by their peers. Meal convenience is important to many teens. They may be eating too much of the wrong types of food, like soft drinks, fast-food, or processed foods.

Also, a common concern of many teens is dieting. They may feel pressure from peers to be thin and to limit what they eat. Or they may diet to “make weight” for a particular sporting or social event.

These are some helpful considerations as you prepare meals for your teen:

• Arrange for teens to find out about nutrition for themselves by providing teen-oriented magazines or books with food articles and by encouraging them and supporting their interest in health, cooking, or nutrition.
• Take their suggestions, when possible, regarding foods to prepare at home.
• Plan and prepare a healthy meal together once a week.
• Experiment with foods outside your own culture.
• Have several nutritious snack foods readily available. For example, cleaned, sliced fruits and vegetables along with healthy dips make great after-school snacks. Often, teens will eat whatever is convenient.
• If there are foods that you don't want your teens to eat, don't bring them home.