Teen special diets

Nutrition and the adolescent athlete

The practice of physical activity is a very healthy habit at all ages. With the practice of sport, the energy needs increase depending on the intensity and the time that is dedicated.

In these cases it is important to eat a diet rich in carbohydrates that can account for up to 60% of the total daily energy. Foods that are offered rich in carbohydrates must also provide other valuable nutrients such as iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc and must contain little fat. Among the foods that can meet these characteristics we have: cereals for breakfast and prepared with milk, whole wheat bread, fruits and pasta or rice.

The pre-competition meal should not be copious and should be given 3 hours before physical activity. Pasta or rice are good alternatives.

Adolescents are not recommended special or dissociated diets.

Adequate hydration is recommended. The adolescent should drink water before and after playing sports.

Anabolics and any other unregulated product are discouraged. Anabolics are hormones that can cause some type of cancer, skin and liver alterations.

Nutrition in the pregnant adolescent

Pregnant adolescents are a group at nutritional risk, this means that they need more important nutritional requirements.

The adolescent woman is considered to end her physiological maturity about 4 years after the first menstruation. Many adolescents become pregnant when they are physically mature but others do not, and during pregnancy they have to cope with their own increased nutritional needs.

Poor nutrition of the pregnant adolescent causes low birth weight newborns.

An iron supplement is recommended in these cases.

Vegetarian diets

Teenagers on vegetarian diets do not include meat or fish in their diet. There are two large groups: lacteal-ovo-vegetarian (they include eggs and milk) and vegans (they are the strictest vegetarians and do not include eggs or milk). Lacteal-ovo-vegetarians have a more complete and balanced diet, but vegans tend to have vitamin and mineral deficiencies (such as vitamin B12) and must receive vitamin supplements.