Dietary Tips to Overcome the Woes of the Teenager

Reduce pimples

Drinking plenty of water 10-12 glasses (2 and a half to 3 liters) is one of the greatest tonics for a clear healthy skin. I would also recommend drinking 2 glasses of warm water on rising in the morning to flush out and clean the digestive tract. One of the major reasons for excessive pimples is that there is too much oil and fat in your daily diet. So try to cut down on fatty foods like fried snacks namely chips, namkeen, etc, chocolates, ice-cream, mittai and pastries. Salads and fruits must become a part of your daily menu. They are foods rich in fiber, which reduce fat absorption into the body and also help in burning extra calories. They are also important sources of vitamins and minerals, which will add that extra glow to your skin. Finally they make sure that the bowel movement is regular. Try to have a raw salad with both lunch and dinner (even a couple of tomatoes, cucumber and onion will do). Have a fruit at 11am & 6 pm. Last but not the least, regular cardio vascular exercise, like 30-45 min walk or aerobics is a must to ensure healthy circulation and a clear glowing complexion.

Improve Height

At this age it is important that you get sufficient energy from carbohydrate rich foods like chapati, rice, bread, vegetables and fruits and along with this a good supply of protein rich foods like milk, egg, dhals and pulses, poultry and fish could also be eaten. Today everybody wants to be thin but teenagers beware, if you skip meals and cut down on regular food as mentioned above your growth will be stunted and nothing can be done later. To control weight one should eat regular balanced meals and cut down on fatty foods. A very dangerous trend we see today is that teenagers have stopped drinking milk. This results in calcium and protein deficiency and your muscles and bones do not grow to their full height. All teenagers should try to consume at least 2-3 glasses or 600 ml of milk or curd daily. Regular exercise to develop and stretch the muscles of the body are very important. Make sure you are not sitting with books, the TV and computer throughout the day but get out and be active. A 30 minute walk or swim, aerobics, dance, badminton or tennis, etc. is a must daily.

Prevent Hair Loss

The most probable explanation or answer for excessive hair fall is that protein, iron and calcium consumption is too low. This is most commonly seen in people who have tried to reduce weight and have cut down their food without making sure that their diet is balanced. It could also happen if all of a sudden you drastically cut down in your consumption of milk/curd or non-veg food. Those who skip breakfast or only take fruits for breakfast and those who skip dinner or only take a vegetable soup or salad for dinner are in danger of facing this problem. Iron deficiency develops when meals are skipped. They are also missing protein at each of these meals. The best treatment is to ensure that you consume at least 3 glasses of low fat or skimmed milk/curd daily. Also ensure that breakfast, lunch and dinner contain some protein food namely milk, egg, dhal, pulses, non-veg in combination with carbohydrate food like bread, cereals, roti, rice, etc. Try to have a fruit at 11am and another fruit at 6pm. Also add some salad to both lunch and dinner.