The Brain and Spine Institute is made up of experts in the field of neuroscience in order to bring patients the best healthcare in East Tennessee for a full range of neurological diseases and disorders.
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We provide a comprehensive continuum of cancer services, including prevention, outreach, diagnostic, treatment and support services delivered by our highly skilled staff with compassion and care.
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The Center for Women & Children's Health is a hub for supporting women's and children's individual healthcare needs. The center provides support, research and unmatched patient-centered care.
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Emergency and Trauma Services is the only Level I Trauma Center in the area and serves as the tertiary referral center for medical care in East Tennessee, serving Knox County and 21 surrounding counties.
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The Heart Lung Vascular Institute brings together expertise in clinical care, teaching and research. Patients receive exceptional healthcare combined with patient-centered care.
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Your Health Diet and Nutrition Nutrition and Food Services Nutrition for Teens
Nutrition for Teens
The United States is a “fast food nation,” especially for teens on the go. The foods you choose to eat not only help you grow now, but affect your health for years to come. The healthiest diet you can eat includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and calcium-rich foods.
- Try to avoid a lot of fat, since this increases your cholesterol and risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and many types of cancers. Choose lean meats, fish, poultry without skin and low-fat dairy products. At restaurants, look for broiled or baked rather than fried foods. Try the salad bars more often, but limit the amount of salad dressing you use to keep down the fat and calories. Look for milk-based high-calcium foods with reduced fat.
- Eating fruits and vegetables (at least five servings of fruit and vegetables each day) reduces your risks of these diseases.
- Eat whole-grain breads and cereals, dried beans and peas, vegetables and fruits. Eating plenty of these fiber-rich foods may reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease.
- Calcium builds strong bones. Make sure you have 1,000-1,500 mg of calcium daily, either from dairy products or a calcium supplement.
- Take a multivitamin with 400 mg of folic acid daily. Folic acid is one of the B vitamins used by your body. Folic acid is used to make red blood cells and important proteins such as DNA. It can be found in fruits, green leafy vegetables and folic-acid fortified cereals.
The teenage body changes rapidly, and one of the natural changes is the addition of body fat. In girls, some of this fat is designed to be used as an energy source for pregnancy and breastfeeding later in life. If you are concerned about your weight, it is important to talk to a health professional such as your family doctor.
If health professionals recommend that you need to lose weight, most experts say increasing your exercise is the first step. Often that is all teens need for weight control because they are growing. If eating less is necessary, try to continue eating a variety of foods while cutting down on fats and sugars.
Skipping meals to lose weight is a poor idea. You are likely to overeat at the next meal just because you are so hungry. Surveys show that people who skip breakfast or other meals tend to have poorer nutrition than those who do not. This also can lead to a yo-yo pattern, gaining and losing weight.
Click here for information on fad dieting.
You also may check out the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for more teen nutritional information.