Balanced Diet and Gut Health for Adolescents

“If all disease begins in the gut then all disease could end in the gut.”

- Hippocrates

As a Certified Natural Health Professional (CNHP) and Mentor and Resilience Coach, it is my hope this information will educate and help you with your own young adult. Some stats to think about:

• Autism has increased 8 fold in the past 15 years. 

• Mood and anxiety disorders are on the rise

• Type II Diabetes is now a youth and adult diagnosis.   

• 14% of youth are now suffering with gastrointestinal distress including irritable bowel syndrome.

Today life is moving faster than ever. There is so much pressure to perform in school, in sports, on social media and at home. It's no wonder anxiety is on the rise. Add to that the Standard American Diet (SAM) coupled with teens developing brains and it's not difficult to conclude that adolescents don't have much of a chance to feed the brain the nutrients it needs to perform optimally. 

I learned this with my own children when they were in Kindergarten and Pre-school. My son was exhibiting signs of hyperactivity and my daughter was asthmatic. It was recommended that I medicate my son but because of mental health issues within my family, I decided to do more research on possible root causes for their issues.

Gut Health & Brain Function

My research led me to find that there are over 100 trillion bacteria in the gut. That is 10 x's the amount of cells in the body…whoa! I learned that gut health directly correlates to:

• how we think,

• how we behave,

• what foods we like, and

• the quality of our everyday life.

Signs of a depleted gut include needing to get tubes in your child's ears, having their tonsils removed, allergies, autoimmune disease, itchy eyes, runny nose or a red rash on the mouth or cheeks. Also does your child crave certain foods like sugar, dairy or gluten? Since 90% of serotonin is made in the gut, it makes sense that anxiety and depression would be a factor if there is a lack of good bacteria in the gut.

You may be wondering what besides a healthy diet or healthy meals contributes to not having enough good bacteria in the gut? Reasons include method of birth, too much antibiotic use, too many saturated fats and not enough whole foods like fruits and vegetables.

Change your teen’s diet and change their life

There's good news! It won't happen overnight but you can make little changes over time that could impact your child for a lifetime. Think about making these dietary changes:

• Remove (or reduce) sugar

• Remove artificial sweeteners found in energy drinks

• Avoid processed foods or fast food

• Remove gluten

• Drink unchlorinated water

• Avoid antibiotics

• Avoid unnecessary medications

Now, to OPTIMIZE brain function, here are some suggestions:

• A gluten-free, non-GMO organic diet including prebiotic and fermented foods

• Probiotics with specific strains to aid the small intestine and colon

• Microbiome testing

• Supplements including Alpha Lipoic Acid, DHA Omega 3's, Vitamin D

• Reduce caffeine

• Reduce stress (i.e. mediation/prayer, limit social media, tv)

• Get proper sleep and exercise

Balanced Diet for Teens

Eating a balanced diet is important for everyone, including teens as helps to maintain a healthy weight and promotes growth and development. Eating healthy should include a variety of healthy foods from all food groups, including:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables: Aim for at least 5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables per day. These can be fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.

• Grains: Choose whole grains, such as whole grain bread, oats, quinoa, and brown rice, instead of refined grains like white bread and pasta. Aim for at least 6 servings per day.

• Protein: Choose lean meat like chicken, or fish. Opt for protein enriched food like tofu, legumes, and low-fat dairy products such as low fat milk, and soy milk. Aim for at least 2 servings per day.

• Healthy fats: Choose sources of healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil.

It's also important for teenagers to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day and avoiding sugary drinks.

In addition to including a variety of healthy foods and drinks in your diet, it's also important to be mindful of portion sizes and to limit your intake of added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats like trans fats and saturated fats.

These are a few tips that I wanted to share with you; however, you may have questions on developing healthy habits for your adolescent that I didn't address in this blog. Please feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts or concerns.