Nutritional needs of Adolescence

Adolescence is an age which can be called as the first step to adulthood after being a child. This is the age when physical and hormonal changes take place in the body putting increased demand on it. To fulfil this requirement, nature has devised such that one has a ravenous appetite at this age. Apart from this, the child comes to higher classes with more demand for studies and other activities, needing more calories and the body to be fitter. Thus nutritional requirement of an adolescent becomes more as compared to a child or grown up adult. This is also the age when a growing child starts getting fussy about food and has his or her own choices. They also like to go out and eat with friends, thus one influencing another in the choice of food. The net result is that mostly they tend to fill their bellies with junk food with no nutritional value. There are other issues which also hamper the intake of good nutritional food among adolescents and teenagers. One is the desire to have a pencil thin figure like a favourite model or film star resulting in many adolescents avoiding eating and going on crash dieting. This problem is greater among young girls. They tend to consider their or their friend’s personal experiences about food more important than issues of nutrients. These food fads prevent taking nutritional food. Under peer pressure, an adolescent may start taking alcohol or drugs. This can impair the overall health and nutritional status also. Little do these youngsters realize that proper nutrition taken at this stage of life strengthens the body not only at this time but for life. Deficiency of necessary calories and nutrients also causes behavior changes in adolescents. Undue agitation or depression in them is at times due to malnutrition.Iron requirement is increased at this stage due to increased body mass and size. Girls start menstruation. If iron is not taken in adequate amounts, they tend to develop chronic anemia. Maximum thickness of bone is obtained in this stage of life. This means additional requirement of calcium. Good optimum bone density achieved in adolescence prevents osteoporosis and pathological fractures in old age. Lack of adequate intake of calcium and physical inactivity prevent the bones to become as dense as required. These individuals start suffering from aches and pains in the joints from an early age and become prone to much softening of bones later in life. Insufficient intake of green leafy vegetables tends to cause anaemia due to folic acid deficiency. It also causes the bowels to become sluggish. This forms the basis for digestive troubles and constipation from young adulthood. Lack of adequate physical activity augments the problem. Childhood and adolescence obesity is yet another issue for concern. Due to increasing facilities for electronic entertainment, youngsters are glued to their computers and C.D. players in most of their leisure time. The amount of physical activity done is much less as compared to the potential they have. Due to high consumption of junk food, there is intake of empty calories which is not being burnt sufficiently. Net result is obesity.To get rid of this obesity, many adolescents resort to crash dieting, which is not healthy and deprives them of essential nutrients. To remain healthy for now and throughout life, adolescents have to give attention to their nutrition. Fast food should be reduced and replaced by freshly cooked meals, fresh fruits , vegetables and fish. Fresh food can never be substituted by nutritional supplements like tablets or capsules, because many micronutrients present in it cannot be replaced by any other means. Alcohol should be avoided. Soda beverages can be replaced by fresh fruit juices. Snacks made of whole grains, cereals, fruits, e.t.c. if consumed in place of ready to eat fast food will be more beneficial. Adolescents should be taught about the value of good nutrition in schools, because in this age they are more amenable to listen to outsiders than their parents. Media can also help in this problem by projecting the harmful effects of junk food and promoting use of healthy food. After all adolescents are the future of any society or nation and thus to keep them healthy should be concern for all. rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk