why is it important for teens to eat healthy?

The healthiest years of your life are said to be when your in your teens. There are so many reasons to stay healthy at this age but healthy eating says it all. Especially being an athlete you always want to be in the healthiest state you can be in to perform at your peak. Because athletes are more active than others they may need more calories and nutrients. For athletes there are foods that will hurt you as in health wise. Foods that are bad would contain high fats and high sugar snacks. One of the easiest ways to get these bad foods is the drive through. This is because they are easy and fast to get. Athletes always think about their performance and they will always be cautious about what they eat. On average teen athletes should consume 2000 to 5000 calories a day. There are 5 foods athletes should eat. They contain whole grain, peanut butter, fresh fruits and vegetables, calcium and fiber rich foods. Eating these foods will give the player an opportunity to play or perform at his/her peak.


http://www.drugs.com/cg/healthy-snacks-for-athletes.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Sports-Nutrition-and-Health---5-Foods-All-Athletes-Should-Eat&id=390518

How do you determine the recommended daily caloric requirement for a teenager?

For teen athletes, they are constantly active but at the same time they are still growing, so they need a lot a certain amount of calorie intake and a lot of nutritional intake as well. The required caloric intake for an athlete is different than it would be for someone who isn't active. An athlete would have to take more nutrients and calories because they release fluids and burn calories when they sweat. The amount of calories a teen should be a specified to the teen with factors of weight, height, and amount of physical activity. The table below shows a good example of how all the different factors affect the required calorie intake for a certain person.




http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/teen-calorie-intake.html

Here is some extra info basically on nutrition for athletes. Enjoy !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwaFt0pjaBM&feature=related

Why are Carbs, Protein, Fat important for us teens ?

Nutrients for athletes especially if they're active. Athletes at Punahou do more than one sport and they work out a lot. When athletes sweat, they release water and minerals. Carbohydrates provide 40-60 percent of our energy once again. That's what they need to have a good performance, energy.

Protein helps build the muscles in an athlete's body. Therefore it is important that they have protein running through their system. For example, you know when your mom says "you better finish your milk, it makes your bones strong" well, she's right.

Fats help protect your bodies organs and tissues for excessive absorption of other vitamins being consumed. Also fats that are consumed non-extremely provides yet another energy source for your body.

http://www.marathonguide.com/training/articles/Nutrition.cfm
http://www.healthy-living.org/html/athletes__nutrition.html

Specific Foods That Are Good for Athletes

There are so many different foods that we all love to eat because they taste delicious. But there's a difference between what tastes good and what's actually good for you. Foods that are good for you may not taste good but that's usually how it goes. You have food that taste good but those are the kinds of foods that can cause serious diseases.
Carbohydrates: Fruits,milk,honey and sugar. Potatoes,lasagna, and spaghetti.
Proteins: Peanut butter, egg yolk, tofu, turkey, oats, milk, fish.
Fats: Bacon, beef, chicken, lamb.

These aren't the only foods that athletes HAVE to eat, they are just examples of what kinds of food should be included in their diet.They gain more when they have carbohydrates stored in their bodies. They provide up to 40-50 percent of energy requirement.

sportsmedicine.about.com/.../sportsnutrition/Sports_Nutrition.htm - Cached - Similar
www.marathonguide.com/training/.../Nutrition.cfm

3 Day Meal Plan

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09362.html
http://www.fitwise.com/healthy_diet.asp