Your body is in its final growing stage – and all the bits of your body that you’ll use for the rest of your life are being finished off. Just like you can’t add an egg to a finished cake, your body needs the right ingredients at the right times and it’s your job to provide these for it. Amanda Weber, a Registered Dietician based in Somerset West, says a good way of doing this job well, is by making sure that you don’t skip any meals. She highlights that your body needs a constant supply of energy and nutrients and that eating three good meals a day will make sure that you:
- Feed your brain
Your brain is the hardest working organ in your body and this means it suffers the most if your meals are irregular. As a teenager, there’s a part of your brain called the prefrontal cortex that’s still developing. This part of your brain will make sure that as an adult, you’ll be good at making decisions that will keep you safe, happy and responsible. Skipping meals can cause imbalances in your brain that lead to poor concentration and memory, plus make you a more irritable person.
- Grow your muscle and bone
I’m sure you’ve had times when suddenly all of your trousers are too short and your tops and shoes don’t fit? This is because you have rapid growth spurts during puberty when your body focuses on building muscle and bone. During these times your body needs lots of nutrients, especially protein and calcium. Eating only two meals a day during these times would not provide enough nutrients and this could lead to your bones being weaker, or becoming a problem when you’re older.
- Stay regular
Smile and blush all you want but being regular is important as it’s your body’s way of getting rid of toxins and being able to work well. Breakfast is the meal most commonly skipped by teens and it’s the meal that provides the most fibre. A diet low in fibre often leads to constipation and bacterial overgrowth, which means the body has less energy to focus on growing.
- Don’t eat junk
Fibre also lowers the GI of your meals and keeps you full for longer. Skipping breakfast, or any other meal, means you suddenly get very hungry and are more likely to go for a quick, easy solution like chocolate, crisps or fast food. This means you’ve hit your body with a double whammy by robbing it of the nutrients in the meal that you missed, and then filling it with fast foods that are high in energy and salt but very low in nutrients.
- Protect yourself from eating disorders
Your metabolism is the process in your body that changes the food you eat into the energy your body needs. It’s like a fire burning steadily and each meal is like a log to keep it going. Skipping meals means your metabolism can’t burn properly and this can make you put on more weight than you should, with you ending up feeling unhappy with your body. Instead of eating regularly to fix the problem, many teens turn to dieting which robs the body of its growing ingredients and in some cases, can lead to life-threatening eating disorders.
Don’t forget about the amazing things your body is doing to protect your health and transform you into an adult. Respect your body and give it what it needs, and it will grow strong and carry you through any adventure you choose.
