Health Guidelines for Teenage Girls

Teenage girls in particular are at risk of harming their bodies with so called radical diet programs because they are trying to keep up with what Hollywood espouses to be the ultimate weight for a girl to have. It is no wonder parents are left to struggle with how to prepare healthy meals for teenage girls who are trying to diet themselves silly to keep up with the latest Hollywood “it” girl.

Here is a guideline for healthy eating for teenage girls. It is recommended that teenage girls eat the following servings per day:

* 5-11 servings from the bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles group

An example of one serve is 2 slices of bread; 1 medium bread roll; 1 cup of cooked rice, pasta or noodles; or 1 1/3 cup of breakfast cereal flakes.

There is an allowance of about 30g a day for poly or monounsaturated fats and oils that can be used to spread on breads or rolls or used elsewhere in the diet.

* 4 servings from the vegetables, legumes group

An example of one serve is 75 grams or 1/2 cup cooked vegetables; 1/2 cup cooked dried beans, peas, lentils or canned beans; 1 cup of salad vegetables; or 1 small potato

* 3 servings of fruit

An example of one serve is 1 medium apple; 2 small pieces (150g) of fruit (apricots, kiwi fruit, plums); 1 cup of diced fruit pieces or canned fruit; 1/2 cup of fruit juice; or 1 1/2 tablespoons of sultanas.

* 3 servings from the milk, yoghurt, cheese group

An example of one serve is 250 mls of fresh milk; 250ml of calcium fortified soy beverages; 40 grams (2 slices) of cheese; or 200g (1 small carton of yoghurt).

* 1 serving from the lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and legumes group

An example of one serve is 65-100 grams cooked meat or chicken; 2 small chops; 2 slices of roast meat; 1/2 cup of cooked (dried beans); 80-120 grams of fish fillet; 1/2 cup of peanuts (almonds); or 2 small eggs.

Note: You get plenty of fats and oils from the amount used with cereal foods and from meat, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, margarine etc so fats and oils aren’t included separately.