Today I want to touch on teenage eating habits. When a young girl enters her teenage years, from about 16 and over, she becomes very self-conscious about her body. Girls want to have those much falsified skinny bodies exhibited by the models in top fashion mags and on television. These are the years that many teens develop incorrect eating habits, and even eating disorders. If a teen is overweight, and many are today, there is no one to blame but the mothers. Mothers who think that indulging her children in too many fat snacks and dinners out each week is a sign of affluence, better think again, it's a sign of laziness.
I know of one teen who in her quest to wear a skimpy mas costume entered into a super rigorous diet in which she consumed probably no more than 700 calories per day maximum for over four weeks. Sure she lost the weight, but that weight will go right back on once she resumes her regular eating habits, and what is even worse this leads her down the path of yo-yo dieting (diet, lose weight, gain weight, diet). How could a mother let her teen starve herself in this manner? Teenagers should not diet inappropriately; their bodies are still developing and growing. Mothers need to take a more educated and active role in teaching their teen girls healthy eating habits. This is a life lesson for which they will be eternally grateful.
Teach them proper food choices, proper balance in their diets, reduce sodium by way of cutting out salty and packaged snacks and sweet drinks. Teach them to reduce their portions and eat frequent smaller meals. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; it is unacceptable for a child to leave home each day without breakfast. Give them a homemade lunch in school. Fresh fruits, legumes, meats, vegetables and complex carbs should be the cornerstones of our diets; I cannot stress how important these are. And let's not forget water and exercise. Exercise needs to be part of their daily routine, because let's face it, their lifestyles are more sedentary now than ever.
Teach them to cook; so many mothers have moved away from their kitchens, it's a sad thing, because cooking brings your family together. Teach your teens how to cook basic healthy meals. It's an art, and a life skill they will be eternally grateful for. Or maybe you have a teen in your household that you can learn a few things from in the kitchen. I am proud of my teenager. She may not hone her cooking skills in my kitchen, but she is great at identifying my "secret ingredient" at dinner time. she can whip up a super delicious mashed potato with her own secret ingredient. She can make wise food choices. She embraces many different cuisines. I don't force her to learn to cook, but I do cook every day, and I know she picks up skills subconsciously just being around me in the kitchen. She appreciates good food, made from scratch with only the purest ingredients, and this I know will carry her strongly when she enters her independent phase of her life.
• BLACK EYE PEA SALAD
1 cup dried black eyed peas
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 small red onion, slivered
2 tbsp chopped black olives
2 cucumbers, peeled and diced finely
Dressing:
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp chopped mint
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
Boil peas in plenty of water until tender about 20 to 30 minutes, drain and cool
Combine with cucumbers and feta.
Add dressing, stir and serve room temp or cold.
• Serves six to eight
