In a rush or late for school, missing a meal at the start of the day can cause low energy for anyone, especially teenagers. For teenagers, having a well balanced and healthy diet is critical. A well maintained diet can promote well being, improve mood, and reduce stress and anxiety. There are infamous reasons why a person could miss a meal, however this is most common in teenagers. Starting off with work or school, the teenage life can be just as busy as an adult. Meals are just as significant in the teen age group as the amount of sleep a teen needs. Getting enough sleep and having the right amount of nutrients affects the daily functions of teenagers.
The eat well plate provided by the Food Standards Agency is a helpful way to maintain a balanced diet and how much of each food group a person could consume. The recommendations for a teenager’s plate should contain 33 percent fruits and vegetables, 33 percent grains, 12 percent non-dairy sources of protein, and 15 percent dairy products. Keeping up with the myplate diet is important during the teenage years, regulating the body’s natural growth rate in teenagers. The calorie intake for the average teenager should be roughly 2400 calories a day. Along with 66 to 88 ounces of water a day to stay hydrated. Not having a regulated and healthy diet during teenage years can cause eating disorders, and can be dangerous to a teens health.
United States surveys confirm that the most missed meal of the day is breakfast. The three major reasons teens skip this meal is because they are either not hungry, running late, or are dieting. A commissioned survey indicates that 30 percent of teenagers miss breakfast once a week. As for lunch, in 2015, on average more than 1 in 20 students reported not eating lunch. The general reason for skipping any meal during the day is the lack of time. The daily lives of individuals can sometimes interfere with meals during the day, and can be a challenge for some to make time to sit down and have a meal.
Furthermore, having three meals a day as a teenager is important and the most important meal consumed is breakfast. Breakfast is important to provide your body with the energy needed to start your day. Lunch gives you the nutrients to keep the body and brain working efficiently throughout the afternoon. For the last meal of the day, dinner provides nutrients and energy to better your sleep, lower inflammation, better digestion, lower anxiety, and greater resilience to stress.
There is significance to eating three meals a day and the health benefits that it provides. As teenagers are the most likely to skip a meal during the week, they are also the most important age group in need of the nutrients that come from eating three meals a day. Helping to regulate teens’ health and growth rates.