Understanding Preteen Eating Patterns

Preteens (kids aged ten to 13 years old) often display definite likes and dislikes when it comes to food. They can be quite tempted by junk food. thanks to being surrounded by messages from the media that make sugary, fatty or refined foods look delicious.

This age group also is hard to stop from snacking mindlessly between meals, especially while they are watching television.

One characteristic that your child might start to display at this age to a greater display is eating to comfort oneself. This is because a child this day may not know how to deal with approaching puberty, hormones and feelings about the opposite sex.

One pattern that could emerge is the one where your pre-teen eats to 'stuff down anger.' This is a hard-wired response to feeling anger that is satiated by the feeling of eating high calorie, salty foods.

Children from ages ten to 13 years old need to eat three sit-down square meals a day and at least three snacks a day to stay healthy. However some of these children may experience a big growth spurt that requires them to constantly be snacking. This is okay as long as the kid is not gaining a great deal of weight and as long as he or she is snacking on healthy foods.

Most preteens are happiest eating three meals a days. Studies have shown that kids who eat healthy meals at home are more likely to choose healthy snacks outside the home. That means saying ‘no’ to greasy chips and sugary candies.

You should also bag your child's lunch. Like play age kids, your preteen is vulnerable to the temptations at local fast food joints and has more expendable income of his own.

If your child must buy lunch then make sure he or she can make the right food choices. One way to control how your adolescent spends money on food is to give them a prepaid debit card; this will give you a good idea of how much they are eating and when they are eating.

Just as a brief recap preteens need to –
• Eat regularly
• Stay away from junk food
• Avoid excess salt and sugar
• Make sure they are getting enough calcium through food sources
• Make sure they are getting enough Vitamin D

The amount of food a child should eat from each food group on a daily basis is determined by his age, sex and physical activity level.

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Special Nutritional Needs of Teens

In theory a teenager needs three square meals a day and to eat several nutritious snacks a day to stay healthy. However most teens are as restless as they were when they were growing toddlers. That is because they are going through another growing spurt.

It may be hard for many different reasons to get your teenager to sit down with your family and eat a meal. However this is crucial to getting some control of his or her diet.

One trick is to assign one duty to your teen every day or two and that is to cook the entire family dinner. That way the teen is occupied with matters to do with nutrition and has less time to eat after school. Yet another benefit to this approach is that the food that your teen will consume over a period of months will be healthier than if you let someone else in the house be the chef.

National and population-based surveys, like one done at the have found that adolescents often fail to meet dietary recommendations for overall nutritional status and for specific nutrient intakes.

During this age emotional eating is prevalent. Many crave sugar and fat and succumb to that temptation to gorge on junk food. These results in a lower intake of a vitamin A, folic acid, fiber, iron, calcium, and zinc than is recommended

According to one study the low intake of iron and calcium among adolescent girls is of particular concern. Iron deficiency can impair cognitive function and physical performance, and inadequate calcium intake may increase fracture risk during adolescence and the risk of developing osteoporosis in later life.

If your adolescent seems stressed or sick then take him or her to a doctor. The culprit could very well be a lack of nutrients in the diet.

To stay healthy adolescents should do the following –
• Eat three meals a day, with healthy snacks.
• Increase fiber in the diet and decrease the use of salt.
• Drink a lot of water.
• For growing children and adolescents, it is generally recommended to watch total fat consumption in the diet, rather than counting calories.
• Eat balanced meals.
• When cooking for your adolescent, try to bake or broil instead of fry.
• Make sure your adolescent is not overdosing on sugar
• Eat fruit or vegetables for a snack.
• For children over 5, use low-fat dairy products.
• Decrease the use of butter and heavy gravies.
• Eat more chicken and fish.

It is also helpful for your teenager to eat by the guidelines established by the United States Department of Agriculture.

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