DEFINITION : The period of transition from childhood to adulthood is called ‘Adolescence’ It usually lies between 13 - 19 years.

PHYSIOLOGICAL  CHANGES
    Rate of growth increases.
    Sexual development starts.
    Boys gain more muscular tissues than girls.


    PSYCHOLOGICAL  CHANGES
    Can do anything to look better or improve appearance and performance is important for them.
    They like to spend more time with friends as compared to family and peer opinions become most significant.
    ENERGY :    
    Both boys and girls have different energy needs.
    It depends on the level of physical activity performed by them.
    Boys need more energy as compared to girls.
    PROTEIN :
    It helps in meeting energy requirement
    It is needed for synthesis of new tissue or for tissue repair
    Intake should be 1gm / kg body weight
    Rich sources are milk and milk products, egg, meat organs, pulses.
    FAT :    
    It helps in meeting energy
    l It is stored in body as fuel and used during fast
    l It is of 2 types - visible and invisible.
    l Visible fat is present in oil, butter, ghee etc. while Invisible fat is present in meat, dry fruits etc.
    VITAMINS :     These are essential nutrients required by the body. They can be comprised into water soluble and fat soluble vitamins.
    Water Soluble Vitamin (B-Complex vitamin, vit C)
    The need increases with increase in energy requirement B-Complex Vitamin is present in whole cereal and pulses, fruits & vegetable.
    Vitamin C is present in citrus fruits & fresh leafy vegetables 
    Fat Soluble Vitamin (Vitamin A, D, E, K)
    Vitamin A is present in Green leafy vegetables like spinach, bathua methi etc. and yellow or orange fruits like papaya, mango.
    It is needed for good vision.
    Vitamin D, E, K also present in the above is needed for healthy bones, teeth & clotting of blood.
    MINERALS
        Calcium :
    It helps in bone / skeletal formation
    Rich sources are milk and milk products, green leafy vegetables, dry fruits.
    Iron :    
    It helps in formation of blood
    It is lost through perspiration but girls have additional losses due to menstruation.
    Rich sources are jaggery, lotus stem, whole grain, cereals, green leafy vegetables & available in food cooked in iron vessel.

Adequate intake of nutrients leads to proper growth and maintenance other aspects which help in maintaining good health are.

    PHYSICAL  ACTIVITY :
    It helps in maintaining the structure and strength of bone throughout life.
    FOOD HABITS :
    Having 3 proper meals and 2 small nutritional snack, at proper timing and with family is important, One should include variety in food to ensure inclusion of all essential nutrients in all the meals.

NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS :
1)    Obesity : It hinders in the development of the adolescent as he/she may face rejection by peers. It may also lead to high blood pressure.

2)    Eating disorders : They are of 2 types
A) Anorexia Nervosa : The adolescent is extremely thin but considers himself / herself as fat. They start skipping meals to loose weight. The common symptoms are nausea, vomiting and constipation.
B) Bulimia nervosa : First they overeat &then become guilty / worried about gaining weight. To remain thin they induce vomitting.

These problems arises due to following ‘FOOD HABITS’

1.    Irregular Meals And Snacking
    Perceive themselves as too busy to worry about food, nutrition, meal planning or eating well.
    Form negative association with healthy foods and positive association with junk foods.

2.    Fast Food And The Media :
    Eating fast foods is popular with busy and media influenced adolescents.
    Fast foods include foods from vending machines, self-service restaurants, which mostly provide non-nutritious food.

3.    VEGETARIANS :
    It is a socially acceptable way to reduce dietary fat. It is adopted to hide the restriction of food intake.
Note : Inappropriately selected vegetables can result in significant malnutrition

RECOMMENDED DAILY EATING GUIDE FOR ADOLESCENCE
    3-4 cups of tonned / skimmed / double tonned milk (i.e. Remove cream from milk) to ensure intake to protein, calcium and some vitamins.
    5 or more servings of fresh frozen, dried, raw or cooked fruits and / or vegetables. Mostly yellow, orange or dark green.
    6-11 servings of grains, breads and cereals (preferably whole grains) to meet energy needs.
    2 serving of pulses or lean meat.
    2-3 tsp (10-15 gm) of oil.
    2-3 tsp (10-15 gm) of sugar.
    Small amount of fried food and sweet products like pakora, samosa, kachori, pastry, patty, candy, cookies, desserts, soda.

BALANCED DIET : Consists of Energy, Protein, Fat, Vitamin, Mineral, Water & Fibre in appropriate amount & proportion according to RDA.

IF TAKEN BALANCED MEALS REGULARLY
    Alert
    Energetic
    Enthusiastic
    Inquisitive
    Happy Moods
    Optimistic Thinking
    More Concentration
    Normal Growth


IF TAKEN UNBALANCED, ERATIC MEALS FREQUENTLY
    Agitated    
    Mood Swings
    Aggresiveness
    Pessimistic
    Criminal Tendency    
    Poor Concentration
    Delinquent    
    Obesity
    Destructive Behaviour    
    Underweight
    Health Disorder    
    Hyperactive