Guidelines and Tips for Teenagers Challenges

Here are some important tips for some painful problems that teenagers struggle with. It seems simpler to take some treatment like swallowing some pills or applying some cream, but the truth is that you may need to actually work with your diet and lifestyle.

Reduce pimples

Drinking plenty of water 10-12 glasses (2 and a half to 3 litres) 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. Include salads and fruits in your daily diet and make it a part of your everyday life. These foods are rich in fibre, which helps to reduce fat absorption into the body and also helps in burning extra calories. They are also important sources of vitamins and minerals, which will add that extra glow to your skin. Fibre also makes sure that the bowel movement is regular and this helps to clear the skin too. Try to have a raw salad with both lunch and dinner (even a couple of tomatoes, cucumber and onion will do). Snack on a fruit at 11am & 6 pm, which will give you a boost of energy and also make you feel fresh and healthy. Last but not the least, regular exercise like a 30-45 min walk daily or a session of aerobics or dancing, is a must to ensure healthy circulation and a clear glowing complexion.

Improving 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 500-600 ml of skimmed 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. session is a must daily.

Hair Loss

The most probable explanation or answer for excessive hair fall is that protein, calcium and iron consumption in the diet 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 you suddenly cut down drastically 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. They are missing protein at each of these meals. The best treatment is to ensure that you consume at least 3 x 200ml glasses of low fat or skimmed milk/curd daily. Also ensure that breakfast, lunch and dinner are eaten and contains some protein food namely milk, egg, dhal, pulses or non-veg. Even while fasting try to make sure you consume fruits and milk or salads and curds throughout the day. Falling hair could also be a result of an unclean scalp or dandruff. So kindly consult a dermatologist at the earliest.