Because teens are still growing, they may need slightly more calories than an adult of roughly the same size, however weight, calories and body satisfaction can be a major problem for most teens with many of them at serious risk for developing one of three major eating disorders. These include overweight/obesity, anorexia nervosa and bulimia. All three can cause serious medical and psychological disorders that can lead to other problems as well.
Many teens have bad diets and poor food habits, eating far too much fast food, fried food and sweets to be healthy. An incredible amount of teens are deficient in calcium, zinc and iron, to name a few of the vitamins and nutrients that they are not getting enough of. In addition to that, many of them are not getting the right amount of basic calories, either getting far too many or far too few.
In addition to the teens who are eating too many fat-laden meals or the teens who are not getting enough calories at all, there are the teens who suddenly announce that they are vegetarian or vegan. While the average, experienced vegan or vegetarian is getting enough nutrients in their daily diet, those new to the lifestyle, especially the teen vegetarian, may be limiting themselves to only one food group or one dish, which leaves them at high risk for deficiencies of various nutrients. The average vegetarian/vegan diet gets between 10-12% of its calories from protein, not far from the national dietary average but lower overall than what is considered to be optimal. (Source: The Vegetarian Society)
Teens that are considered to be overweight have been a growing concern in recent years with the number more than tripling. In addition, overweight teens in the United States are more than twice as likely to be more overweight or obese as teens in other industrialized countries. Overweight teens are more likely to have the same chronic health conditions that overweight adults might have including problems with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers. In addition, overweight and obese teens face more emotional problems from their peer groups including low self esteem and other issues.
Anorexia Nervosa and Teens
Affecting young women more often than young men, anorexia nervosa is thought to be a disorder that is rooted not only in the psyche but in the emotional state as well. Those who are affected by anorexia nervosa are morbidly afraid of gaining weight and are convinced that they are already overweight, even if they are quite thin. What they see in the mirror does not reflect reality, but they still continue to starve themselves and/or exercise to the point of total exhaustion. It is not uncommon for a person with anorexia to exercise four or five hours a day and measure out everything that goes into their mouth, including the toothpaste for when they brush their teeth.
There are no known risk factors for becoming anorexic, however statistically it is seen most in girls who were born early or those who have had some trauma from a difficult birth. In addition, there might be some hereditary basis. Once the patient progresses into full anorexia, it can become very serious with less than half of them ever recovering from the condition at all. A number of the teens who are treated for anorexia will die either from complications that are a direct result of the condition or from suicide. In addition, because of the lack of nutrients, many anorexics are at very high risk for osteoporosis and serious bone damage that just will never heal properly. Most anorexics do not menstruate at all, have hair loss and very dry skin that is prone to increased infections.
Even more seriously, anorexics often have enlarged hearts and may also have shrunken brain tissue. What's worse, the body is also breaking down its own muscle tissue for energy.
Bulimia Nervosa and Teens
A person who has bulimia may eat huge amounts of food in a binge, either secretly and alone or as part of a group. They will then go off somewhere and throw up all of this food in the second part of the cycle called purging. While bulimics like to think they are in total control of their binge/purge cycling, they quickly get caught up in the emotional and psychological aspects and then lose total control. Soon, they will also lose the gag reflex, a protective mechanism that all humans have and will have to find new ways to make themselves continue to vomit. In addition to this, they may start to abuse laxatives, which may also lead to the loss of sphincter control and other problems. The enamel of their teeth may become eroded from the vomiting, they may have scarring in their throats and may have additional physical damages that include irregular heartbeats and stomach rupture. While both genders can develop this condition, women are ten times more likely to do so than men. (Source: Neil R. Carlson.
Foundations of Physiological Psychology. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. Boston, MA. 2008)
Realistic Teen Nutritional Needs
The number of calories that are needed in the average diet for a teen is around 2200 calories for a girl and slightly more for a teen boy. For a teen who is already overweight, a visit to a doctor and a discussion about healthy diets and weight loss plans is in order before a serious eating plan can be started. During this appointment, the doctor should explain the need for the right amounts of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the diet- and why they are so vitally important. The teens should feel included in the discussion so that they feel in control of their own nutritional lives as well as their health.
Because the teens may be deficient in a number of nutrients, a protein supplement such as Profect from Protica can be a major benefit. It provides a high amount of protein per serving but a small amount of calories and is available in a number of flavors.
More Information:
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures
Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey liquid protein for immunodeficiency patients. You can learn more at
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