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Adolescence is the
period of psychological and social transition between childhood and adulthood.
This transition involves biological (i.e. pubertal) and psychological changes –
Yahoo Answers.
Adolescence is a time of extremes and contradictions. It is
a period in which enthusiasm and tiredness seem to alternate; in which
rebelliousness is often matched by an unquestioning conformity to peer
pressure; and in which idealism and harshness peak together.
Biologically, sexually, psychologically and mentally a
person is coming of age and part of this process, is undergoing the greatest
spurt of physical growth since infancy. However, every adolescent matures
according to their own inner clock, some much later than others, but individual
body consciousness is at an all-time high throughout this period with great
emphasis on height, weight, attractiveness and perceived physical maturity.
With the exception of pregnancy and breast-feeding for women,
total energy requirements are at an all-time high during adolescence.
Satisfying the appetite of a teenage boy often seems impossible and indeed
cannot always be successfully accomplished in the traditional three main meals
of the day. Substantial additions may be needed. Given free reign and the money
to pay for it, most will assure themselves of the additional kilojoules quite
easily; the problem lies in assuring that the food they eat out of sight of
parents is of good nutritional and health quality.
Adolescent girls also have high kilojoule needs. But,
females store more of their body weight as fat and fat uses fewer kilojoules
than muscle. Therefore, their needs are appreciable lower than boys’. The
trickiest dietary problem that has to be faced by adolescent girls is
maintaining a balanced weight while satisfying nutritional needs. Girls must
pack in all essential needs in far fewer kilojoules than boys in order to avoid
unwanted kilograms. Because girls are exposed as regularly as boys to high-kilojoule
foods of questionable worth, they are particularly vulnerable to becoming
overweight and malnourished.
This can also give way to another more serious problem under
girls. Due to peer pressure and the inner need for attractiveness, it can lead
to Anorexia nervosa, a disorder characterised by an unnatural fear of gaining
weight and which affects mainly adolescent girls. The sufferer convinces
herself that she is too fat, and that she needs neither food nor treatment. Her
weight loss is apparent to everyone except but herself.
Another problem during adolescence is the question of
obesity which can hit both sexes. Adolescence is a period during which the body
can accelerate its addition of fat cells. And if for no other reason, obesity
in adolescence should be fought. An
estimated one-third of all adolescents
are overweight with females suffering more than males – Readers Digest.
The solution or the counter-act does not only lie in inculcating healthy eating
habits but also increasing physical activity.
The main task of any parent during the adolescent period of
a child is to provide wholesome food at home, both at regular meal times and
for the inevitable snacking between meals. The most serious nutritional
deficiencies amongst adolescents are calcium and iron. The calcium shortage is
rooted in the availability of soft drinks and their frequent substitution for
milk. Not only does milk consumption drop but the phosphorous in soft drinks
and processed foods reduces the efficiency of calcium absorption by the body.
Iron shortages are due to increased demand for the manufacture of blood and
tissue in both sexes and the onset of menstruation in girls.
In conclusion, adults should remember they also went through
the adolescent period. During this phase of a person’s life there is an
increased desire for independence which may cause sporadic rejection of old
family nutritional values, but this is likely to be compensated for by fresh
suggestions gleaned from the dining tables of friends. Therefore, the adolescent’s
adventurous side in trying out alternatives is well worth cultivating.
