Eating and drinking well helps your teen to be happy, healthy and do well at school. As they grow older and become more independent, learning how to make healthy choices helps their growth and development 

Healthy Eating 

Helping your teens to continue healthy eating habits will give them the energy they need to learn and grow. Including fruit and vegetables in their recess and snack times helps them to meet their daily dietary intake. Snacks with high amounts of fats or sugar like potato chips and sweet biscuits should be consumed occasionally. 

Healthy Drinks 

As children get older and become teenagers, they may want to have more say in their diet and the type of drinks they have. Healthy drinks are an important part of anyone’s diet and choosing water supplies a healthy addition to their meal and snacks. 

Keeping your teen hydrated with water throughout the day can help to reduce their intake of sugar and caffeine from soft drinks, sport drinks, and energy drinks that are often marketed towards this age group. Sugar-sweetened beverages should be limited and only consumed occasionally. 

Even fruit juices have high sugar content and do not have much fibre. If your child enjoys drinking juice, try to limit it to half a cup per day or try giving them a piece of fruit instead! 

[Source: NSW Health, Eat for Health]

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