Adolescence phase and its nutritional support

Description :   Adolescence period is considered as one of the most important phases of life because it is

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Adolescence period is considered as one of the most important phases of life because it is recognized as the transition period from childhood to adulthood. As per WHO, individual belongs to the age group of 10 to 19 years are generally considered as adolescent.

Nutrition plays very important role in this period because during adolescence accelerated physical, emotional and bio chemical changes occurred within body, which require proper nutritional support

During adolescence, various body changes have observed due to the influence of several hormones which ultimately increases the demands for calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals. It is thus better to focus on consuming all the nutrients as per recommendation in order to obtain a healthy nutritional status, which ultimately helps them to achieve optimum growth  

Basic features of adolescence phase

• This phase basically initiates with the onset of puberty
• It ends with a phase when an adult behavior as well as identity is accepted
• During this period the final growth occurrs with an increase in weight and height
• In this phase changes in psychological aspects with attitudes behavior, values and interest have also occurred along with physical and psychological changes
• Sexual development occurred among boys and girls

Nutritional management

Energy

• As mentioned above during this phase there is an increase in height and weight occurred thus it is better to provide proper nutritional support for promoting the growth
• This accelerated growth requires additional energy to cope up with increased metabolic demand
• Need of calories are greater in this phase than any other time of life span with an exception of gestation as well as lactation
• It has seen that adolescent girls consume relatively fewer calories than adolescent boys
• It is estimated that adolescent girl should consume 2000 to 2500 kcal per day whereas adolescent boy should consume 2200 to 3000 kcal daily
• Proper physical activity is essentially required during this period in order to maintain proper energy balance otherwise it may cause obesity or underweight
• If any adolescent boy or girl involve themselves in strenuous exercise and sports then the requirement for calorie will exceed the normal recommendation whereas those who are not involving themselves in regular exercise should not consume this much of calories in order to maintain a healthy body weight
• Often a large appetite is considered as one of the major characteristics of this phase and it has seen that in most cases adolescents try to fulfill their hunger with snacks which are very high in fat, salt and sugar. This type of faulty feeding practice is responsible for developing adolescence obesity
• It is thus better to focus on the consumption of healthy foods in order to maintain a good health

Carbohydrate

• 65 to 75 percent of daily calorie should come from carbohydrates
• Glucose is considered as such a nutrient that is essentially required for providing energy to the brain therefore consumption of carbohydrate is very much important during this period for supporting the activity of brain
• It is better to focus on consumption of complex carbohydrate as they contain fibers. Excessive consumption of simple carbohydrates or refined carbohydrates will increase the risk of developing obesity or diabetes later in life
• It is thus better to consume both of the simple and complex carbohydrate in proper proportion for maximizing the benefits though special consideration should be provided on complex carbohydrate
• Diet should contain whole grain cereal products like oat meal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta etc. as they are considered as good sources of complex carbohydrates

Protein

• Protein requirement during adolescence increases in many folds in order to support increased body mass as well as other development
• Proper protein intake is very much essential for promoting the growth of muscles
• It also helps to support the growth of reproductive organs
• It is better to consume 1.2 gm of protein per kg of ideal body weight daily
• Diet should contain proteins from both sources (plant and animal)
• It is better to consume all the essential amino acids for facilitating the growth because essential amino acids cannot be synthesized by body thus they should be consumed through diet

Fat

• Fat is another important nutrient that should be taken as it offers various health benefits
• It is better to focus on healthy fat consumption like the consumption of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, which can be obtained from plant sources like vegetable oils, nuts and nut butter
• Whereas consumption of too much saturated fat or trans fat is not wise for health as it will increase the risk of developing obesity and various other metabolic syndromes
• Too much consumption of junk foods or fast foods should be avoided

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