Healthy Eating For Young People

Healthy eating for young people

Young people are continually growing and developing which is why their nutritional needs are different to adults. The National Health and Medical Research Council has released Food for health - Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia.

For a healthy lifestyle, young people should be encouraged to:

eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits
eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain
include lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives
include milks, yoghurts, cheese and/or alternatives (reduced-fat varieties should be encouraged for adolescents)
choose water as a drink

Care should be taken to:

limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake
choose foods low in salt
consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars
avoid alcohol - alcohol is not recommended for young people
make sweets, cakes, biscuits or softdrinks a sometimes treat rather than every day

It is important to:

eat a good balance of nutritious food types
eat according to energy needs
handle food safely to prevent food poisoning

Fats and oils

Young people need a small amount of fats and oils to grow and be healthy. Most fats and oils will be provided by other foods such as, meat, eggs, cheese, peanut butter and margarine.
It's a good idea to start the habit of eating mono-unsaturated fats (check out the label on cooking oils, margarines and spreads) light cheeses and low fat ice-cream.