“A Healthy Balance”

Fats Protein Water “A Healthy Balance” Fruit Hannah van der Cingel 8.6 Calcium Carbohydrates Vegetables

Nutritional Requirements A teenager’s nutritional requirements are quite simple. You need to eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a few healthy snacks in between meals (such as fruit or yoghurt). The recommended daily servings of each food group (Carbohydrates, vegetables, fruit, calcium, protein, fats) are as follows: • Carbohydrates- 6 to 11 servings • Vegetables- 3 to 5 servings • Fruit- 2 to 4 servings • Calcium- 2 to 3 servings • Protein- 2 to 3 servings • Fats- only now and then in small servings

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating shows the guidelines to how much you should eat of each thing. Carbohydrates is the group you should eat most from, then vegetables, then fruit, calcium and protein. It tells you to drink plenty of water and only eat fats sometimes in small amounts.

The Healthy Living Pyramid is less detailed than the Guide, it splits things into three groups. Eat most has carbohydrates, vegetables and fruit, eat moderately has protein and calcium, and eat least has fats. It shows salt with a cross and water with a tick.

Breakfast Many teenagers do not eat breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it is important to eat something, even if it’s only a piece of fruit, or even a bowl of muesli. Ideas for breakfast include: • A piece of fruit like an apple, banana or even mango- or have a fruit salad • Pancakes with fresh fruit and honey • Scrambled eggs • Home-made apple, banana or berry muffins

Healthy Snacks A lot of people probably reach for a packet of chips, lollies or chocolate when they’re hungry. Some better, healthier alternatives are:

Vegetables Vegetables are an important part of your diet. They are full of vitamins and minerals and are very healthy for you. A lot of vegetables aren’t very nice, but here are some that a lot of people like: • Potato- you can roast them, do them like hot chips, bake them or put them in potato salad, etc. • Corn- corn can be eaten boiled in a pot, or it can be barbecued. • Carrots- they can be eaten raw, boiled or roasted. • Cucumber- they are usually eaten raw • Lettuce- you can have this in a salad with a whole lot of things- carrot, tomato, onion, cheese, etc.

Fruit Fruit is very good for you. They are generally sweeter and taste better than vegetables. Some favourite fruits are: • Apples- these fruits can be eaten raw, or cooked, like in apple pie • Bananas- they can be used in banana bread • Oranges- lots of Vitamin C to keep away colds • Berries- they can be used in basically everything- ice-cream, muffins, cakes, pies, etc. • Pineapple- pineapple is also a tropical fruit and is really sweet tasting. They go well with strawberries • Mango- these are tropical fruits and are absolutely amazing • Pears- they are really nice just raw, but can be stewed and used in pies • Grapes- they are nice just raw • Watermelon- this is technically a vegetable but it is usually counted as a fruit

Exercise It is good to exercise. Sport keeps you fit and healthy, helps you learn teamwork and co-operation, and is fun. I surveyed 20 students about exercise and this is what they said. It is good to see everyone said they exercise at least once a week.

Sports Some fun and popular sports are: • Swimming- you can go to the pool and muck around with friends, go to the beach, or even properly swim in a team • Netball- this is usually more popular in girls • AFL- this is usually more popular for boys • Athletics- although many people freak out at the idea of running, you can also do javelin, shot-put, long jump, etc. • Basketball- this is a fun team sport, you can join a team with your friends and play together • Gymnastics- this is a really good sport if you liked doing handstands, cartwheels and somersaults when you were a kid • Cricket- most girls don’t like this sport, it’s more popular for boys • Bike riding- you don’t have to be that fit to go for bike rides

Program This is a program for staying healthy: • Have a good, healthy breakfast • In between breakfast and lunch eat healthy snacks • Have a healthy lunch • Have a healthy snack • Do a bit of exercise each day • Have a healthy dinner • Remember you can have a bit of a unhealthy snack every now and then!

Bibliography http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_children_teens.htm http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/

“A Healthy Balance”