Parenting My Teen

It seems that teenagers are prone to crash dieting, fad diets, and other unhealthy weight-loss measures.  While teens are usually in a rush to do everything it is important that they always follow safe teen weight loss tips when attempting to she pounds.  There are healthy ways for teens to lose extra pounds – it’s important to take into consideration the fact that a teens body differs from adults’ and children’s bodies, too.

Here are some safe teen weight loss tips and ideas.

Is the Teen Really Overweight?

First, it’s a good idea to find out if the teen really are overweight. Just because a teenager may not fit their notion of thin and healthy does not necessarily mean there’s a weight problem.   Before trying any fad diets, it is important to take a visit to  your family doctor or healthcare provider and get his or her opinion.

While You’re at the Doctor…

Getting a medical opinion can be very helpful not only in devising a diet plan but in implementing it. You may be more inclined to follow a weight-loss program if it’s “doctor’s orders.”  Be sure to ask your doctor for some safe teen weight loss tips or advice before you start a diet on your own.

Remember, You’re Still Growing

Because a teens boy is still growing and developing, drastic cutbacks in calories should not be at the expense of important nutrients. “Empty” calories from junk foods should be avoided; instead you want to be piling on lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Fish is also high in nutrients and generally low in calories (especially white fish).

Replace and Swap

Teach your teen to look for hidden calories and replace them with something else. One of the biggest culprits in this regard is drinks. Stop and think about how many sugary drinks your teen may  consume in a day, and show them how they can replace them with sugar-free options. Take a look at  snack habits, too. Snacking is not necessarily bad, but snacking on junk foods is. Instead of depriving yourself of all snacks, regulate snacks (say two a day) and eat something healthy like nuts or veggies and dip.

Another Word about Snacks

Snacking has a bad reputation among those who want to lose weight, but experts now recommend healthy snacks between meals. Why? Because snacking keeps your blood sugar steadier, meaning you’re less likely to get cravings and binge on sweets or junk food.

Plan Your Meals and Snacks

Ad-libbing it every day will set anyone up for failure.  Show your teen how to make lists of what they are going to eat that day, including snacks, and then help them to stick to that list.   The teen may then consider counting the calories in their daily menu, too, so they can  know first hand how many calroies they are getting each day.

Exercise

The best safe teen weight loss tip is all about exercise.  Losing weight comes down to burning more calories than you take in. Without exercising, you may have to cut calories so drastically that you’ll jeopardize your nutrition. Exercising regularly means you’ll burn more calories in a day, leaving room for lots of healthy foods.

By helping your teen to follow the above safe teen weight loss tips, you will ensure they they meet their weight loss goals in a healthy manner.

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Menstruation (a period) is a major stage of puberty in girls; it’s one of the many physical signs that a girl is turning into a woman.  Unfortunately, the changes a girl’s body goes through during the teen years can result in menstrual difficulties. Most of the time, these problems disappear with maturity; but in the meantime,  you’ll need some coping mechanisms. Here is a partial list of common period problems  and some period help for girls that experience them. 

Heavy Bleeding

Really heavy menstrual bleeding (medically known as menorrhagia) can affect your social and academic life. You may find that you simply can’t do things with friends or family because your bleeding is so profuse. To make things even worse, sometimes these heavy periods can go on for days and days. To help manage this kind of bleeding, here are some tips.

* Take a good multi-vitamin that is high in Vitamin A and Vitamin K. It should also include Vitamin E and zinc, as these are important for the metabolism of Vitamin A. Sources report that girls who experience heavy periods are often deficient in Vitamin A. Vitamin K is important for blood clotting. 

* If you like spicy foods, up the ante! Capsicum, the “hot stuff” in peppers, has been shown to reduce menstrual bleeding. You can also take cayenne pepper tablets or capsules.

* An iron supplement might be appropriate if you have heavy bleeding. Check with your doctor before supplementing with iron, though, as overdose is an easy mistake to make. You could also eat iron-rich foods like lean red meat and dark, leafy greens.

* B-complex vitamins are also important, especially B6.

* Cut back on sugar, as the body uses up B6 to metabolize sugar, and you need that B6 to do its job elsewhere!

Painful Cramps

Some menstrual cramps can be excruciating and last hours or even days. If your pain is very severe and lasts a long time, and doesn’t go away even if you take painkillers, you should see your doctor. For normal cramps, here are some tips to help you manage.

* Take magnesium supplements. Magnesium helps relieve muscle cramps, including uterine ones. A magnesium and calcium combination is a good idea.

* Get regular exercise to help regulate your body’s systems (including your hormonal system) and increase circulation and muscle relaxation.

* If you have to take over-the-counter pain relievers, it’s worth noting that these substances work by blocking pain-causing prostaglandins in the body. However, they block the body’s beneficial prostaglandins, too, which may ultimately make PMS symptoms worse.

PMS

Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is a common and sometimes difficult problem for all menstruating women, but for teen girls, it may be more of a struggle. Coping with PMS is possible – here are some ideas.

* Recognize the signs and the timing. If you know it’s coming, you can prepare for it.

* A diet high in whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables may help. In fact, some medical professionals have devised a “PMS Diet” that includes vitamin supplements and no refined grains, sugar, or artificial colors and preservatives.

Above are many ideas that include great period help for girls.  Be sure to share this article with others that may get some use from it.

While childhood and adult obesity are getting more attention lately, it’s easy to forget that teens can also be overweight. It’s not just a problem of appearance; being overweight may make teens vulnerable to health problems in later life.  Preventing teen obesity is a big concern for many. 

According to the Center for Disease Control, overweight teens are at a greater risk for sleep apnea, joint problems, and psychological disorders than their normal-weight peers.  Preventing teen obesity is important and  the CDC also points out that overweight teens tend to become overweight adults, and therefore take on the risks associated with obesity such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

How can you help in preventing teen obesity in your child/teen?

Start the Conversation  – It may be difficult, but it’s important that you have a talk with your child or teen about his or her weight. It’s also not a good idea to pick constantly on what your child or teen eats, always pointing out that such-and-such a food or habit will “make him/her fat.” Instead, aim for brief, practical, but direct discussions about what causes teen obesity and ways of preventing teen obesity.

Get Moving – When it comes to preventing teen obesity, ut’s not just the calories you eat that cause obesity – it’s the calories you don’t burn!  To help prevent obesity from setting in, adopt a healthful lifestyle that involves daily activity. Hopefully, this will become habit and when your child becomes a teenager, he or she will naturally fall into the active lifestyle he or she is used to.

Teens often pull away from activities with their parents and prefer to be alone or with friends; but if you’ve instilled the value and habit of an active lifestyle as a family prior to the teen years, your teen may be more likely to pursue an active lifestyle on his or her own.

Some ideas for family activities or activities you can get your child or teen to participate in include the following:

* Hikes and walks
* Bike rides
* Swimming
* Sports
* Dance
* Martial arts

Limit Media and Electronics – These days, there are so many ways for teens to stay “active” without moving! Social networking, mobile devices, and so forth all conspire to create a sedentary lifestyle. Keeping in touch with friends is important, of course, but there should be limits. T he same goes for more passive recreation, such as watching TV.  An idea is to replace some media time with something active  (see the list of suggestions above).

Emphasize Good Eating Habits – If you are concerned that your child or teen eats too much junk food, don’t buy it! A good first step in preventing teen obesity is to establish and emphasize good healthy eating habits.  Don’t make have cookies, cakes, chips, etc. overly accessible  in your home. Do have foods available like nuts, fruit, vegetable sticks, and so forth. And make sure you are setting a good example by eating healthy foods yourself and not eating too much.

Pay attention to “cruise-by” eating, where you cruise by the fridge or counter and slice off some cake, grab a handful of chips, or otherwise eat mindlessly. These calories can really add up and your kids will likely develop the same habits.

As you can see, there are many ways to go about preventing teen obesity.  You may want to consult your childs doctor when you are ready to make some changes to your childs diet.  Remember to encouage healthy eating and healthy exercise!

Here are some Easy Breakfast Recipes for all kids

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Nutrition is one of the single most important factors when it comes to a child’s development and proper nutrition is essential for children to succeed in school. By paying attention to back to school nutrition and feeding your children a proper diet, you are helping them to be able to function properly in school in addition to fostering their growing mind and bodies.

A proper diet is especially important for growing children and that includes preteens and teens. At this level, the children’s minds are still developing and their bodies are growing fast. Without proper nutrition, a child will lack the vitamins and minerals necessary to facilitate a normal growth.

It is important to feed your children a variety of healthy meals and snacks. Avoid feeding children junk food which will only contribute to obesity and malnutrition. The occasional treat will not hurt your child, but it is not healthy to make it a regular habit.

One way to ensure that your child eat gets proper back to school nutrition and eats a healthy at school is to make a bag lunch for your child each day or better yet, have your child make his or her own. Include healthy snacks such as fruits and vegetables or a variety of nuts. Each of these snacks is high in vitamins and low in fat. They also provide your child with energy to keep their attention on school matters rather than drifting off to sleep.

Along with a healthy lunch back to school nutrition also means that they should stay away from soda’s and bring milk or juice along with their daily lunches. Nutritious meals can include sandwiches along with soups. Be sure to pack your children’s meals in small portions as children tend to snack on several items at once. While there is no way to ensure that your child is not trading away their food, you are preventing them from buying school lunches which consist of mostly processed food.

Getting involved with the school can be beneficial as it pertains to back to school nutrition. PTA meetings are held regularly for parents to voice their concerns with issues. This would be a good venue for bringing up the subject of healthier school lunches. More than likely, you are not the only parent who has concerns about the food being served in the cafeteria.

As children get older and graduate to junior high and high school, more unhealthy options are available in the lunch room such as ice cream machines and soda machines. Gather a bunch of nutrition-minded parents and create a plan to implement new options into the school cafeterias. While you may not see immediate results, if you keep up your campaigning and your research, eventually someone else’s kids will benefit from your hard work.

There are several ways to encourage back to school nutrition for your school aged child. Children need lots of minerals and vitamins in order to develop the tools necessary to facilitate healthy growth in both body and mind. Packing a bag lunch for your children is a great way to monitor what your child eats while at school. Another great solution is to get involved with the PTA and campaign for healthier school lunches. Results may not be immediate, but they will be beneficial.

Be sure to use the many back to school nutrition ideas posted here so that you can help to keep your child happy and healthy throughout the entire school year.

Real Life Guidance Report to Helping Your Teen With High School offers parenting help and shows you how to help your teen deal with the pressures of high school and also help them to be more independent!

Raising a healthy teens teen requires taking a broad approach toward meeting the needs of your teenager. Yes, it is important to address diet, exercise, and eating and sleeping habits, but it is also important to help your teen to be emotionally healthy as well. From about the ages of 12 through 24, the human brain undergoes significant changes and development, and between the hormone surges and emotional immaturity combined with a strong desire for independence, being the parent becomes even more challenging than it already was.

Because body image is such a critical factor in self-esteem, the way your teen eats is important. Having the proper nutrients makes a difference. Even if your teen struggles with weight issues, you should not encourage him or her to diet or starve but to make healthier choices about what they eat. Instead of buying potato chips for snack, buy baby carrots. Instead of grabbing fast food for dinner, make meals at home.

Most teenagers are still growing and therefore require a lot of nutrients to help with proper development of the brain and body. Since your teen’s bones are still growing, meals should have sufficient calcium and other minerals like iron and zinc. The diet should consist of plenty of carbohydrates to provide the body with enough energy, as well as fruits, vegetables, and protein. (Quick, easy meals like spaghetti and meatballs offer a great solution for meeting nutrition needs without needing too much time).

All kids need a physical outlet for their energy and emotions. If your child is not involved in sports, encourage him or her to ride a bike, walk to school, go swimming, or find some other active hobby. A healthy teen is one whose time in front of the computer and video games is limited and monitored. Your teen needs fresh air, free time, and time away from the TV set and off the couch.

A healthy teen is a teen that not only has access to healthy food choices and encouragement to exercise regularly but also a supportive atmosphere in which to try out his or her newfound independence. They should be allowed to socialize with their friends and have a level of independence that grows as they demonstrate increasingly capable responsibility. As a parent, you can foster independence by encouraging your teen to take responsibility for his or her choices, by increasing the amount of responsibility your teen has around the house and in making life decisions, and by letting your teen experience the consequences of his or her actions.

The most important thing you can do to have a healthy teen is to be open, honest, supportive, and there. Being available for your teen when he or she needs someone to talk to or needs someone to place boundaries and set guidelines and stay firm can give your child the sense of security and safety he or she needs. Raising a healthy teen takes time, effort, and a lot of patience, but the effort you put in now will pay off in many ways.

Norbert Georget is an accomplished professional speaker, teen motivator and author of the book, No-Nonsense Parenting For Today’s Teenager - How To Feel Like A Good Parent Even When Your Teenager Hates You.