{"id":2422,"date":"2016-02-14T11:14:31","date_gmt":"2016-02-14T16:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thatorganicmom.com\/?p=2422"},"modified":"2022-06-29T17:35:22","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T21:35:22","slug":"feeding-hungry-teenagers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thatorganicmom.com\/feeding-hungry-teenagers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Feed a Hungry Teenager"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A hungry teenager can empty a fridge in no time flat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teenagers love to eat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…that\u2019s a given, but did you know that most teenagers have a higher caloric need<\/strong> than do adults or even younger kids? Well, if you have a teenager or young adult, you probably DO<\/strong> know that! Very active teenage boys need upwards of 3,500 calories per day, while a sedentary teenage boy may need around 2,500. With both boys and girls, it depends on the activity level of the teen, but most teens don\u2019t need to worry too much about calories! It's more important to focus on eating for health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to encourage teens to make healthy choices:<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to encourage kids and teens to focus on the foods that give them energy in a good way! A sugar high is always followed by a CRASH! It\u2019s important to introduce your teen to as many fruits and vegetables as possible before they head off to college! While they are home if you have healthy choices available chances are greater they will eat healthy foods! If your young children aren\u2019t already exploring food prep in your kitchen, you may want to invite them to start cooking with you now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of our favorite activities has always been hanging out at a bookstore. We often go just to look around or find a new read. The first place I usually go is the Cookbook section. Why not take your teen to a bookstore and pick out a new cookbook together and start trying new recipes?<\/em> This is a great way to spend time bonding as well as instill the importance of eating for health.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore the options<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have been going to the supermarket alone, next time you go, ask your teenager to go with you! If my teenage son is home, I always ask him to come with me (so he can push the cart and carry the bags!) Beyond having your own personal bag boy, it is nice to spend time together and help your teen learn to Read Labels! You can even find new and different foods that neither of you has ever tried before!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years ago when we lived in Tampa, one of our favorite family adventures was to go exploring new grocery stores<\/strong>, health food stores, etc. to find foods we had never tried before. One favorite was Wild Oats, this was back before they were bought out by Whole Foods (<\/span>1<\/span><\/a>).  Every single one of us can still remember Dino, the guy who worked in the fancy cheese department, who introduced us to so many different kinds of cheese and ways to eat them! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dino taught us to eat greek yogurt with fig jam and Marcona almonds! Oh my,  you haven't lived until you've tried it! Sometimes, when we are walking through the cheese section of a store one of my kids will just sigh and say, \u201cI miss Dino<\/em>.\u201d ha ha  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, explore new foods, don\u2019t be afraid to ask \u201chow would you prepare this?<\/em>\u201d The guy behind the meat counter might have some crazy wonderful ideas! I\u2019ve learned so much from the guys at the meat counter at our local Earth Fare! You can also ask questions like, where did this food come from? Is it local? Was it previously frozen? All these things are good to know.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most<\/em> teenagers consume a lot of food so it\u2019s a good idea to make sure they have good choices available. Here are a few suggestions<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n