How Parents Can Improve the Diet of Teenage Boys During Peak Growth Periods
Christine Cadena
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For women who have raised boys to be men, I'm sure it is no surprise the overwhelming appetites these boys had during their teenage years. With two teenage boys in the house, I felt, at times, I was paying more for groceries than I was for my mortgage. 
With child obesity as a major concern among society today, I struggled to supply the boys with foods they enjoyed eating but also foods that were healthy and worked to promote bone strength and brain function. The key to my success in feeding these two hungry boys was to provide plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables each and every day.
During the teenage years, I noticed my son's grew almost twice their size within the early adolescent years; sometime between 12 and 14 years of age. In my research, I found that boys, at this age, often require double the amount of protein as girls and need approximately 200 more calories than girls as well.
It was during this period of massive food intake that I began to research the other supplements and vitamins the boys would require during this period of significant growth and development.
As adolescents, the boys require significant intake of calcium, to ensure proper growth and development of bones during this peak growth period. Additionally, hydration is crucially important especially for my teenage boys who are involved in athletic programs on a daily basis. As, with dehydration, they are unable to properly metabolize the food intake which is desperately needed to improve the overall health and growth into adulthood.
What once served as a reward for good behavior has now turned into a necessity to maintain their daily nutrition levels. When the boys were small, I regularly utilized ice cream sundaes as a method to reward them for good behavior. Now, these same rewards have turned into regular dietary staples for the boys, offering a form of calcium intake after dinner. The key to my success, as a mother, is to remember these young men are no longer small boys. As a result, I must learn to avoid using food as a bride or reward for good behavior.
With child obesity as a major concern among society today, I struggled to supply the boys with foods they enjoyed eating but also foods that were healthy and worked to promote bone strength and brain function. The key to my success in feeding these two hungry boys was to provide plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables each and every day.
During the teenage years, I noticed my son's grew almost twice their size within the early adolescent years; sometime between 12 and 14 years of age. In my research, I found that boys, at this age, often require double the amount of protein as girls and need approximately 200 more calories than girls as well.
It was during this period of massive food intake that I began to research the other supplements and vitamins the boys would require during this period of significant growth and development.
As adolescents, the boys require significant intake of calcium, to ensure proper growth and development of bones during this peak growth period. Additionally, hydration is crucially important especially for my teenage boys who are involved in athletic programs on a daily basis. As, with dehydration, they are unable to properly metabolize the food intake which is desperately needed to improve the overall health and growth into adulthood.
What once served as a reward for good behavior has now turned into a necessity to maintain their daily nutrition levels. When the boys were small, I regularly utilized ice cream sundaes as a method to reward them for good behavior. Now, these same rewards have turned into regular dietary staples for the boys, offering a form of calcium intake after dinner. The key to my success, as a mother, is to remember these young men are no longer small boys. As a result, I must learn to avoid using food as a bride or reward for good behavior.
- During adolescence, boys begin to require more calories and protein than girls
- Boys often eat large quantities of food when they become teenagers
- It is important to ensure boys, during adolescence, are getting adequate amounts of calcium