DR. KAREN REZNIK DOLINS, EdD, RD, CSSD, CDN THE FACTS: Healthy eating and regular exercise may help teens feel energized, learn better, and stay alert in class. Many teens turn to unhealthy dieting methods to lose weight, including eating very little, cutting out whole groups of foods, skipping meals, and fasting. Unhealthy dieting can actually cause weight gain because it often leads to a cycle of eating very little, then overeating or binge eating. TIPS: A healthy eating plan for a teen includes: 2 cups of fruits, 2 ½ cups of vegetables, 3 cups fat-­‐free or low-­‐fat milk products, 5 or 6 ounces of lean proteins, and 4-­‐8 ounces of grains (including 3 whole grains) per day. Follow this simple table for food and serving size suggestions: Food: 1 serving: What the looks like: Fruits like apples, oranges, 1 medium fruit The size of a tennis ball bananas or pears Raw leafy vegetables like romaine 1 cup The size of a baseball lettuce of spinach Cooked or raw vegetables or ½ cup The size of a pool ball chopped fruit Low-­‐fat or fat-­‐free yogurt 1 cup 8 ounce container Low fat cheese 1.5 ounces The size of 4 dice Low-­‐fat or fat-­‐free milk 8 ounces 1 glass Cooked meat, fish, poultry 3 ounces The size of a deck of cards Egg 1 ounce 1 egg Beans ¼ cup The size of an egg Whole grain bread 1 slice Whole grain pasta or brown rice ½ cup The size of a tennis ball (cooked) Cereal 1 cup The size of a baseball Unsaturated fat can be part of a healthy diet––as long as you do not eat too much since it is still high in calories. Good sources include: • olive, canola, safflower, sun-­‐ flower, corn, and soybean oils • fish like salmon, trout, tuna, and whitefish • nuts like walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and cashews • avocado * Limit saturated fat and trans fat found in butter, fatty meats, baked goods like cookies, muffins, and doughnuts, snacks like chips, and fried foods. www.nutricisedr.com [email protected] 914.391.2982 Twitter: @nutricisedr www.facebook.com/NutriciseDr