Peer pressure is a real challenge for people who want to eat well, no matter what age. The office baseball team spends 90 minutes on the field and 90 minutes in the pub afterwards. It's someone's birthday and you're expected to join the festivities, eating and drinking late into the night. You've done well with your eating all week and, because it's Friday, some kind work-mate decides to treat everyone to a big box of Tim Horton's. How do you stick with good choices in the face of all this tempation, from well-meaning friends and associates?
If you think it's tough as an adult, imagine the difficulty that teens have with good eating. All of their friends are eating their meals at Wendy's, Burger King, MacDonald's and Pizza Hut. No one eats in the cafeteria and, if they did, the food's not much better there. And today, vending machines are standard fare in many high school hallways. Add to this the onslaught of TV commercials, telling your kids that stuff in a box contains vitamins and minerals, and everything they need to grow up healthy and strong.
What's a parent to do? Concentrate on the meals you can control - breakfast, supper, and (sometimes) after-school snacks. And give them some basic supplements for nutritional insurance.
Your teen needs a moderate amount of protein, a lot of fiber and minerals, and very little fat, sugar and salt. Many recent studies have linked fats to cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and arthritis. A diet high in salt contributes to hypertension and strokes. Sugar supplies calories without nutrients and contributes to obesity and several vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Your teen needs a variey of nutritious foods: fish, poultry, lean meats, eggs, fresh and dried fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables, and grains (rice, corn, oats, wheat, etc). At home, avoid serving high fat foods, sugar, and phosphates (found in preservatives and soft drinks).
In the Get Your Body Back program, we talk about your pantry. If it's not there, you can't eat it, so make sure your teen only has healthy choices in the pantry. Today we'll focus on breakfast. Here are some healthy suggestions and recipes that teens can make when they're in a rush (which is almost always):
Teen Healthy Breakfast Solutions
- Fruit salad or cut-up fruit on a plate
- Low-fat cheddar or monterey jack cheese on whole grain toast
- Homemade Granola
- Sesame Waffles (teens like gadgets; buy a waffle iron and supply the pre-mix)
- Pancakes
- Protein Shakes
Homemade Granola
(makes 7 cups)
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup oat bran
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flaxseed
1/2 cup shelled sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup flaxseed or sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups raisins
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil two cookie sheets. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring together until wet is evenly distributed. Spread the mixture on the cookie sheets. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. When slightly golden brown, remove from oven, pour back into large bowl, and stir in raisins and coconut. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge. Serve with almond or rice milk, which comes in flavors or plain.
Sesame Waffles
This batter is best when made the night before.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp sesame seeds
2 eggs (free range, if available)
1 tbsp oil
1 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp water
The night before: In a large bowl, sift together flours and baking soda. Add sesame seeds. In the blender, mix eggs, oil, buttermilk, and water. Add this liquid to the dry ingredients, stirring with a few strokes until just mixed. It's better with a few lumps.
In the morning: Turn on and lightly oil waffle iron. Turn on your oven too. When hot, pour on 1/2 cup of batter per waffle. Each waffle takes about 4 minutes to cook to a golden brown. Keep waffles warm by placing on a baking sheet in the oven (on warm) while the rest of the waffles cook. Don't stack the waffles in the oven so they'll stay crispy. Top waffles with sugar-free applesauce or jam, or mash up some fruit, like bananas and peaches.
Pancakes
(Batter can be prepared the night before)
Premix (can be mixed and kept in the fridge until pancake time):
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup soy flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp sunflower oil
In a large bowl, stir together flours and baking soda until combined. Add blueberries and mix until berries are coated with flour mixture. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and add buttermilk (or yogurt), water and oil; blend thoroughly. Add liquid mixture to the dry mixture, stirring until combined (don't overstir; a few lumps is better).
Heat a large frying pan and oil lightly. Pour 1/4 cup batter in the pan for each pancake. When bubbles appear on pancake surface, edges look dry and pancake is lightly brown, flip pancake. Cook about 2 minutes more. You may need to add a bit of oil between the pancakes.
Top pancakes with sugar-free applesauce or jam, or mash up some fruit, like bananas, peaches, and add more blueberries.
Protein Shakes
When your teens are rushing to school and won't take the time to sit down for breakfast, the protein shake is the ideal nutritious quick breakfast. And I don't mean the Slim-Fast or Nestle's kind, which are full of artificial sweeteners (that's a topic for another blog!). If you can, I recommend you try the Body Wise Meal Replacement Shake powders, which come in Va Va Vanilla and Oh So Chocolate flavors. They are available for purchase online at www.billiesinclair.bodywise.com and can be shipped (no-charge for shipping) anywhere in the US or Canada. Why do I recommend this brand from San Diego, over the store-bought varieties?
Many reasons:
They have 9 different proteins (some fast proteins, some slow proteins)
They have 22 amino acids
They have only 4.5 g fat
They have only 5 g carbs
They have 20 g protein
They have lots of vitamins and minerals
They are sweetened without sugar or artificial sweeteners
THEY TASTE GREAT and I've tried LOTS of protein shakes!
My teens love this quick breakfast idea:
1/2 cup of frozen peach or mango or pineapple
1/4 cup of frozen strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries
filtered water
2 scoops of Va Va Vanilla shake powder
In the blender, put in frozen fruit first. Add water to the 1 1/2 c mark (more will be too runny). Blend on high until well mixed. Turn down to low, add the protein powder. Mix for another 30 second on low. Pour and enjoy. Can be put into a thermos and taken on the road. Just make sure the container is thoroughly washed at school and brought home clean for tomorrow!
This shake is also great for your younger children, particularly if you don't believe in drinking milk. It can be poured over granola or on oatmeal. Share the above quantity with 2 or 3 younger children or, if you only have one child, share it between the two of you!
Well, I hope those suggestions help you get your teens off to a good start in the morning. In a future blog, I'll cover after-school snack ideas.
Bon appetit! Live long and healthy, and prosper! Billie
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