Importance of a Good Nutrition for the Average Teenager
Mitch Militello 11/24/09
Eat your fruits and vegetables is what parents say to their kids every day. They’re right but to have a healthy and balanced diet there are a lot more ingredients to a good diet. There’s breads (carbohydrates), Milk (calcium), Meat (protein), and the best candy (other junk we don't need). All of these “ingredients” are important to have a balanced diet.
Water for the Athlete 60%. That’s your average percent of weight from water. Water is one of the most important parts of a balanced diet for the average teen who doesn't play sports and is even more important for the teenager that does. In the food chart to the right is a food chart. The bottom is what you should have the most of the top is the least. On this “food chart” it says that water is the most important part of your diet. When you play sports your body sweats a lot in a game like tennis in the sun a player can sweat out about 2 and a half gallons of water each day, which means an athlete needs to drink a whole lot of water before and after there competition to stay hydrated so they can maintain a healthy diet.
CANDY Everyone loves candy and everyone knows its bad for you but why is it bad for you. Candy has high-fructose corn syrup which is highly processed and has a lot of saturated fat which is the unhealthy kind of fat because it is processed. Processed just means that there have been extra ingredients put in there to make it taste better which means it is usually unhealthy. Candy is great but you should eat it in moderation.
Why is fast food bad? Most fast food restaurants, like McDonalds or Burger King have extra saturated fat because their foods are fried. Fried means that each burger is put in oil and cooked for a while. Fried almost always tastes good but it is always the worst choice because it adds extra fat and calories to it. Fried foods should always be avoided; so instead of going to McDonalds next time go to subway.
Whole Grain vs. Whole Wheat Should I eat whole grain bread and pasta or whole wheat? A lot of people think whole wheat is better because the plant is called wheat but when it starts out it is a grain. Whole wheat is worse because it is processed to be part of the bread or pasta and adds extra sodium to make it taste better. Overall whole grain is a better choice when it comes to staying healthy even though both of them are better than white bread and pasta.
WHOLE GRAIN
WHOLE WHEAT
Eat your fruits and vegetables Have your parents ever told you to eat your fruits and vegetables? Mine have. Why do we need to? First of all, they are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber which help our immune system protect us from diseases and stroke. Fruits have antioxidants, which keep the body clean from cell waste. Vegetables have carotenoids which makes the body up to 40 percent less susceptible to stroke.
ANTIOXIDANTS
CAROTENOIDS
Table Of Contents 1. Importance of a Good Nutrition for the Average Teenager 2. Water for the Athlete 3. CANDY 4. Why is fast food bad? 5. Whole Grain vs. Whole Wheat 6. Eat your fruits and vegetables 7. Bibliography