It’s pretty obvious that a well-balanced diet does wonders for your body, but a healthy diet can affect your children as they develop in many ways besides their physical health.
From encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, to giving them more energy to do well in their classes, practicing good nutrition can have lasting effects on your teen’s overall health and happiness.
Extra Energy in Class
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They say you are what you eat, and while you don’t want to take this literally, stuffing your body with junk food will leave you feeling tired and unhappy. When you eat well, you optimize your energy levels and prepare yourself to face the day.
Encourage your teen to start their day with a balanced breakfast so that they can carry this energy with them to school. In this way, they’ll be better prepared to write tests, focus during class and perform in their extracurricular activities.
Positive Body Image and Sense of Self
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A balanced diet will give your teen more staying power. They’ll have more energy and think clearer, as well as be more equipped to maintain a healthy weight. Eating well will make them feel great and improve their confidence and attitude towards their body image and their overall sense of self.
Good Habits for Life
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When you teach your child to stick to a strict health regimen, you’re actually teaching them valuable life skills that they can carry into adulthood. For example, eating healthy requires teenagers to weigh the consequences of their actions, make good decisions and hold themselves accountable to a goal.
Practice making healthy decisions as a family when you’re out at restaurants or in situations where you have less control over your diet. This way, when they find themselves facing challenges alone, they’ll already know how to make the best decisions possible.
Confidence and Inspiration
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Whenever you accomplish a task or see yourself improve as a result of your healthy behavior, you feel proud. How your teenager reacts is no different.
Consider asking your teen to make a healthy eating pledge that they can refer to or to set nutrition goals, like eating a salad twice a week. When they see themselves achieving set objectives, they’ll feel confident and proud in their restraint and dedication.
Be clear that it’s not about how you look—it’s about how you feel. The confidence they gain from maintaining healthy nutrition will help your teen to feel in control of themselves and their own life. Encourage them to pursue healthy dietary habits now, so that they can carry these lessons with them throughout the rest of their lives.
Feature Image: Anthony Delanoix
