YoNaturals Vending Against Junk Food in Schools

Teens are notorious for spending hours and hours with their friends, oftentimes gathered around heaps of fries, plates of burgers, and overflowing milkshake cups while they commiserate about life. It is a rite of passage portrayed time and again by movies and television shows. In spite of this, one of the most critical duties of a parent is to convince their teenager to maintain a healthy diet throughout these difficult times, because these physical developmental years will have an impact on their health and physical fitness for many years to come.

When thinking about a teen’s diet, it’s important to remember that iron and calcium are two of the most important nutrients that are required by their bodies as they undergo rapid growth and development. Iron is mostly utilized to carry oxygen to muscles in the body, and calcium is important for building strong bones. Although it is important to makes sure that both your sons and your daughters are eating iron-rich and calcium-rich foods, teen girls are usually more susceptible to deficiencies in these areas (for a variety of reasons). Even though growing teenage bodies are adapting to absorb more calcium as the body demands, many teens are simply not eating enough calcium-rich foods to meet those demands, which can cause both short-term and long-term problems.

The good news is that with a little help and guidance from their parents teens can develop and maintain healthy eating habits that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. It is therefore important to not only choose healthy food for your children but also to allow them to make some of those decisions for themselves. Teach them how to meet their diverse nutrient needs by choosing foods from a variety of the food groups (and in proportion to recommended amounts).
Get them into the habit of taking a daily multivitamin, but make sure that they know that no pill can ever be a substitute for a good diet. Allow your teen to make choices (within reason) about the foods that he or she eats. The diet that they develop now will likely be the diet that carries over into their young adult life when they eventually move out from under your roof.

Just as there is no substitute for proper nutrition, there is also no substitute for parents who are dedicated to the health and well-being of their offspring. Take the time to educate your child about the consequences and benefits of the various foods that they put into their bodies. Encourage them to choose healthy snacks from YoNaturals vending machines (even when you are not there with them). Give them a lifetime of good health.