Healthy Eating for Preteens and Teens: The Ultimate Guide to Diet, Nutrition, and Food

Arlene Gryfe is a Toronto-based professional nutritionist and home
economist.

Adolescence, as defined by the World Health Organization, is the age
period between 10 and 19, and is a critical period for developing
healthy eating and exercise habits. It is to the parents of this group
that Leslie Beck, a registered dietitian, directs this book. Accurate
dietary information and nutritious meals provided by parents from an
early age can help to offset outside deterrents to healthy eating.

During their growth years, teens require more energy, iron, zinc, and
calcium than at any other age. However, they are bombarded with
advertisements for fast foods, snack foods, and soft drinks, and may
find it difficult to make suitable choices at school cafeterias, food
courts, and restaurants. Many make selections that are too high in fat,
sugars, and calories.

The author surveyed more than 1,000 Canadian students in Grades 8 to 12
about their food and exercise habits and nutrition concerns, and
realized that a great need existed for a book specifically concerned
with the nutritional needs of teens. Her book is divided into four
parts, beginning with Nutrition Basics (with chapters on individual
health, carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fluids, including caffeine and
alcohol); Healthy Food Choices (at home and away); and Nutrition for
Health and Fitness (including chapters on weight control, sports,
vegetarianism, and eating disorders). The last part consists of more
than 65 recipes divided into Breakfasts on the Go, Lunchbag Saviours,
Quick Dinners on the Fly, and Snack Attack.

All the information is presented clearly and understandably, with many
charts, tables, and lists to help readers make easy selections. Recipes,
in metric and imperial measurements, have nutrient analysis of calories,
protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, cholesterol, and sodium, as well as
percentage of required daily intake (RDI) of major vitamins and
minerals. There are 18 pertinent resources, more than 50 scientific
references, and subject and recipe indexes.

To include as much information as possible, the book is printed in a
small font; the recipes are especially difficult to read. That caveat
aside, Healthy Eating for Preteens and Teens is an invaluable resource
for parents. If they can encourage their children to read it as well, so
much the better.