Introduction to a Healthy Diet

Healthy eating is the simplest thing a teenager can do in order to benefit themselves physically and mentally. Eating healthy contributes to a lot of factors. One of these elements your body weight. Smart choices contribute to a healthy body weight/mass. Another main result in healthy eating is the extra energy you gain so that you are able to do other physical activities such as a variety of sports. Being able to do more physical activities causes you to become more fit, thus reducing your risk for different health risks.
Teenager years are a person's stage in life in which you have the advantage of developing easier than you ever will. Eating healthy will help you reach your full physical potential, and will help you and your body adjust to the different growing and developing stages throughout your teenage years.

Examples of Healthy Foods are shown on MyPyramid



The recommended majority of your diet should be apart of the Grains family. This family is divided into two groups called the Whole Grains and Refined Grains.
A few examples of whole grains include -
- Whole wheat flour
- Oatmeal
- Brown Rice
- Whole Rye
- Whole wheat crackers
- Whole wheat bread
- Wild Rice

A few examples of the Refined Grains family include -
- White flour
- White Rice
- White Bread
- Noodles
- Cornbread
- Flour Tortillas

*Refined Grains aren't suggested

The difference between these two Grains is Whole Grains contain grain kernel, while the foods in Refined Grains are milled, which means that they have been through a process that removes many of the natural vitamins and replaces it with a finer texture and shelf life.




Another one of the main categories on the pyramid include Milk.

Foods that maintain their high calcium level are included in this category while dairy such as ice cream are excluded.




Vegetables are another main food group on the food pyramid.

All vegetables that are cooked, raw, fresh, frozen, dried, canned, cut-up, or mashed are included in this category. In this food group, there are 5 sub-categories -

Dark Green Vegetables -
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Watercress
- etc.

Dry Beans and Peas -
- Black-eyed peas
- Soy beans
- Tofu
- Kidney Beans
- etc.

Orange vegetables -
- Carrot
- Pumpkin
- Butternut Squash
- Sweet Potatoes
- etc.

Starchy Vegetables -
- Corn
- Green Peas
- Lima Beans
- Potatoes
- etc.

Other -
- Brussels Sprouts
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Mushrooms
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- etc.




Another important food group is Fruits.

Fruits that are included in this group can be in any state, as long as the vitamins and nutrients within the natural fruit are still included.

An example of some common fruits are -
- Apple
- Banana
- Strawberry
- Blueberry
- Cherry
- Grapes
- Mango
- Watermelon
- Peach
- Pear
- Papaya
- Pineapple
- Raisins
- etc.




Another food group would be Meat and Beans.
Foods that are made from meat, poutlry, fish, dry beams, eggs, nuts, seeds, and seeds are included in this group.
A few examples of meat would include -
- Beef
- Ham
- Pork
- Lamb
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Tofu
- Almonds
- Peanuts
- Peanut Butter
- Etc.


Occasionally, you should eat some amount of Oil.
This includes butter, stick margarine, etc.