Importance of Eating Healthy

The Importance Of Eating Healthy

Importance of Eating Healthy:
Eating healthy at a young age is so important to insure a healthier life. Teens need the vitamins and mineral in healthy foods to grow strong and healthy. What they eat at a young age can affect their overall health later in their life as well as how they look and feel in present day. During puberty, a body increases the need for calories and key nutrients including protein, calcium, and iron. These ingredients are found in healthy, natural foods and are another reason why teens should eat healthy as they are going through puberty. Having a healthy diet can increase energy levels and improve one's ability to perform both mentally and physically and  could even determine how you perform daily functions such as walking and thinking. Eating healthy can help make your body strong and well protected against diseases and infections so that it can use more of your energy to grow instead of protecting your body.

Another benefit of eating healthy is that it reduces a teen's risk of having health issues later in life. Their chance of having a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and other healthy problems goes down. Maintaining a diet that is low in calories, saturated and trans fats, and cholesterol helps manage both obesity and cholesterol levels in one's blood, which reduces the risk of a stroke. Limiting salt in your diet often reduces the risk of high blood pressure. New research shows that as many as 1/3 of all cancer deaths are linked to diet and physical activity, two things that you could easily control yourself. Start by reducing dietary fat intake, especially animal fat. Make your diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and whole grains.

A recent Harvard University study concluded that eating five daily servings of fruits and vegetables can lower your stroke risk by 30 percent. Eating fruits and veggies also reduces your chance of other health problems such as cancer. Citrus fruits, broccoli, and cauliflower; fruits and veggies with high concentrations of folic acid, fiber, and potassium helps in reducing heart disease and stroke.

Cholesterol

Eating healthy is important for sustaining a good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.  Cholesterol is carried in the blood by lipoproteins.  HDL is the "good" cholesterol, it takes cholesterol and carries it to the liver, where it will flow out of the body.  High levels of HDL help to protect against risks of heart attack, while low levels of HDL contribute to risks of heart disease.  Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is the "bad" cholesterol.  This cholesterol can build up in artery walls, clogging them; therefore, leading to increased risk of heart attack or stroke.  White blood cells try to consume LDL cholesterol, producing a toxic form of the LDL cholesterol.


Resources:

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/healthy-eating-teens.aspx
http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=eathealthy
https://preventcancer.org/prevention/reduce-cancer-risk/ways-to-reduce-risk/eat-healthy/

http://www.nutrition.com.sg/he/heteens.asp
http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/Good-vs-Bad-Cholesterol_UCM_305561_Article.jsp
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/hdl-cholesterol-the-good-cholesterol
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/ldl-cholesterol-the-bad-cholesterol

Picture:
http://hormoneeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Eat-Stop-Eat-healthy-eating.jpg

Caloric Intake

Factors That Affect Caloric Intake

 

What is a Calorie?
Calories are a unit of heat energy. When something contains 100 calories, it's a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it. All foods have calories, and different foods contain different amounts of calories. Calories come from fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Fats have the highest concentration of calories, with nine calories being equal to one gram of pure fat. Protein and carbohydrates both have four calories per gram of pure protein and pure carbohydrate.

Calories In Your Body: 
Your body needs some calories just to operate; keeping your heart beating, lungs breathing, and bones and muscles growing. Although your body needs calories for energy it is possible to eat too many calories because and you are not burning enough of them off through activity. This intake of calories without working them off can lead to weight gain. Caloric requirements are caloric intake levels that one is recommended to take in every day. These caloric requirements are set in order to maintain energy balance in one's body.

 Calories In Your Food:
Almost every food and drink contains calories and you can find out how many calories are in it by looking at the nutrition facts label. The label also will describe the components of the food how many grams of carbohydrate, protein, and fat it contains. Some people watch their calories when they are trying to lose weight, but this is highly discouraged for teens because they need all the calories they can get to grow and develop. This doesn't mean they can eat everything and anything they want, they still should eat a healthy, balanced diet.

Factors That Affect Caloric Intake:

• gender
• age
• activity levels
• body size

Teen's caloric intake and nutrition needs vary based specifically on gender, age, activity levels, and body size. On average teenage boys need more calories then girls based on body size. Teenage boys need 1,800-2,600 calories a day when they're 11 to 13 years old, and 2,200-3,200 calories a day when they're 14 to 18 years old. Teenage girls need 1,800-2,200 calories a day if when they're 11 to 13, and 1,800-2,400 calories a day when they're 14 to 18 years old. Teens that do more strenuous physical activity will require more calories because they need more energy.

1,800 to 2,600 calories a day if they're 11 to 13 years, and 2,200 to 3,200 - See more at: http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442459420#sthash.Pw9LYhQu.dpuf

1,800 to 2,600 calories a day if they're 11 to 13 years, and 2,200 to 3,200 - See more at: http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442459420#sthash.Pw9LYhQu.dpufv

References:
http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442459420
http://kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/food/calorie.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessResource/story?id=6762725
http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/calorie_intake.htm

Pictures:
http://moz.com/ugc/enhance-your-analytics-with-age-and-gender-demographics 
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-123169468/stock-photo-calories-spelled-out-in-biscuits-unhealthy-diet-aperitif.html

Teens need somewhat more calories than when they were a bit younger. Teenage boys on average need 1,800 to 2,600 calories a day if they're 11 to 13 years, and 2,200 to 3,200 calories a day if they're 14 to 18 years of age. Teenage girls need more, too: 1,800 to 2,200 calories a day if they're ages 11 to 13, and 1,800 to 2,400 calories a day if they're age 14 to 18. Their gender, body size, growth rate and activity level specifically determine how many calories they need. Those involved in strenuous physical activity such as soccer, basketball, football or other sports may need 3,500 calories (more or less) daily. - See more at: http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442459420#sthash.Pw9LYhQu.dpuf

Teens need somewhat more calories than when they were a bit younger. Teenage boys on average need 1,800 to 2,600 calories a day if they're 11 to 13 years, and 2,200 to 3,200 calories a day if they're 14 to 18 years of age. Teenage girls need more, too: 1,800 to 2,200 calories a day if they're ages 11 to 13, and 1,800 to 2,400 calories a day if they're age 14 to 18. Their gender, body size, growth rate and activity level specifically determine how many calories they need. Those involved in strenuous physical activity such as soccer, basketball, football or other sports may need 3,500 calories (more or less) daily. - See more at: http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442459420#sthash.Pw9LYhQu.dpuf

Teens need somewhat more calories than when they were a bit younger. Teenage boys on average need 1,800 to 2,600 calories a day if they're 11 to 13 years, and 2,200 to 3,200 calories a day if they're 14 to 18 years of age. Teenage girls need more, too: 1,800 to 2,200 calories a day if they're ages 11 to 13, and 1,800 to 2,400 calories a day if they're age 14 to 18. Their gender, body size, growth rate and activity level specifically determine how many calories they need. Those involved in strenuous physical activity such as soccer, basketball, football or other sports may need 3,500 calories (more or less) daily. - See more at: http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442459420#sthash.Pw9LYhQu.dpuf