HEALTH

The no-brainer solution to getting the right grub for your bod.

Having a healthful regimen does not mean barely eating. Quite the contrary. For your body to get the nutrients it needs to thrive, there’s actually lots of room for chowing down. At least 2,000 calories worth, according to girlshealth.gov. If you’re active, you need even more calories! The key is to get the right stuff into your bod.

For growing teens, this means ingesting all food types. That includes carbs, dairy, sugar, even fats. There's room for everything. But the key, you'll hear time and time again, is moderation. So what do you really need every single day? Read on...

The Pyramid

Protein: Lean meats and poultry are great, but so are fish, nuts and beans. Some other alternatives? Eggs, tofu, and soyburger. In a day, you need about 6 ounces. That’s about two servings.

Dairy: Teen girls actually need 30 percent more calcium than adults (a whopping 1,300 milligrams!). That means stocking up on milk, low-fat cheeses and yogurt to get your required three daily servings.

Grains: Six to 11 servings of grains might seem like a lot, but if you have a sandwich for lunch, you’ve already had two! The best choices of breads, crackers, pasta and rice are ones that list the word “whole” in the ingredients (like whole wheat or whole grain).

Fruits: Eat two cups of fruit each day. And rather than reaching for an apple every time, shake it up. Blueberries, grapefruit, mangos…yum! There’s a lot of sweet fruit out there just ripe for the pickin’. Opt for actual fruit over fruit juice as much as possible.

Veggies: It’s easy to skimp on veggies, they have a rep for not being too tasty. But you need four servings of veggies a day (that’s 2 and a half cups, ladies!). Carrots, broccoli, green beans—they’re great. But try some new options, too, like squash or sweet potatoes.

1/4/2008 12:00:00 PM