What are the 10 best foods for a teenager to eat?

What to eat fruit and vegetables. starchy foods, such as potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates. beans and pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins. dairy and alternatives. oils and spreads.

What are the 5 right foods for adolescent?

Pre-teens and teenagers need a wide variety of foods from the 5 healthy food groups. The 5 healthy food groups are vegetables and legumes, fruit, cereals and grain foods, dairy and dairy alternatives, and meat and meat alternatives.

What a 14 year old should be eating?

Teenagers aged 14-18 years should aim for 2 serves of fruit; 5-5½ serves of vegies; 3½ serves of dairy; 7 serves of grains; and 2½ serves of lean meats, eggs, nuts, seeds or legumes . Teens need plenty of water – the cheapest, healthiest and most thirst-quenching drink.

What do 16 year old boys eat?

In general your teen should eat a varied diet, including: Fruits and vegetables every day. ... 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium daily. ... Protein to build muscles and organs. ... Whole grains for energy. ... Iron-rich foods. ... Limiting fat.

What is a healthy diet for a 16 year old boy?

Drink low-fat milk and water instead of sugary drinks. Eat at least 5 servings a day of fruits and veggies. Include a variety protein in your diet. Protein foods — including lean meat and poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, soy products, and nuts — provide important nutrients and help you feel satisfied.

What are the 10 most healthy foods?

Here are 10 great foods to add or increase in your diet. Almonds. Nuts eaten whole are considered a protein, in the same category as seeds, meats and eggs. ... Apples. Most people could use more fruit in their daily diet, according to surveys. ... Beans. ... Broccoli. ... Salmon. ... Sweet potatoes. ... Wheat germ. Mar 28, 2024

How many eggs should a teenager eat a day?

So, one to two eggs daily will meet the requirement for younger children. Tweens and teens will need to get the rest of their allotment either from more eggs or other choline sources, such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, seeds, nuts, and whole grains.

Can I eat 20 eggs a day?

Eating 10 or more eggs per day is also not recommended because a healthy diet should be varied and diverse. It should be made-up of different types of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, other protein sources and dairy products.

What does a 15 year old boy need?

Encourage them to get enough sleep and physical activity . Talk about body image and self-worth. Encourage them to eat healthy foods and be active. Compliment them and celebrate their efforts and accomplishments.

Best recipes for teenagers (2024)

Looking for the best recipes for your teenager? It's a time of life notorious for parental power struggles, and food can be just one of the issues up for debate. The desire to feed our children well is a primal instinct and one we have for good reason; but trying to take too much control over your teens' diet can end in disaster.

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Sometimes, the key to getting teenagers to eat a balanced diet and maintain a healthy relationship with food is enabling them to gain their own independence in the kitchen (head here for our Kids' Kitchen series, designed with children in mind).

We’ve put together a selection of recipes that will help your child gain the basic skills they need to cook confidently on their own. Now all you'll have to argue about is the washing up...

1. Stir-fries

When encouraging your teen to cook, the best approach can be to help them organise the ingredients they need – and then take a step back. You can always be on hand if they need it, but helicopter parenting will almost certainly not be welcome in a hot kitchen.

More like this

Watch our video for more information on how to make a stir-fry.

Simple stir-fry

Noodle stir-fry with crunchy peanuts

Our top stir-fry recipes

2. Pizza

Let your teen channel some Neapolitan vibes by making their own pizza from scratch. Although this may sound daunting for younger teens, it only takes a handful of simple ingredients to make the homemade pizza sauce and bread base. Otherwise, if you're short of time, just use a shop-bought pizza base that they can layer on their favourite ingredients. After they see how easy it is, you may start to get requests for a bespoke stone pizza oven!

Pizza with homemade sauce
Rainbow pizza
Pizza margherita in 4 easy steps
Roast cauliflower cheese pizza
Our best pizza recipes

3. Curry

Making a curry is all about the art of balancing a large array of flavours and textures to create a full bodied, fragrant dish rather than a clashing calamity. It's always best to start with the basics, so teens can experiment to taste and add extras as they go along.

Our vegan Thai curry uses tofu cubes and plenty of veg to provide bulk, while curry paste, lime and coriander provide a fresh burst of flavours to compliment the creamy coconut milk. Or try a classic chicken curry, made creamy with ground almonds and Greek yogurt.

Vegan Thai green curry
Easy chicken curry

Our easiest curry recipes

4. Pasta

5. Bowl food

There's nothing more satisfying then preparing a beautiful bowl of food to scoop with your spoon. Whether your kids want to compile a colourful lunch or energising breakfast bowl, painting the rainbow will ensure they're packing in a range of fruit and veg while honing their culinary creativity.

Burrito bowl with chipotle black beans
Quick chicken hummus bowl

All our bowl food recipes

6. Quesadillas

This is basically a graduation from making your own sandwich, but creating something simple and delicious from scratch can feel like a real milestone. This recipe involves simple kitchen tasks like slicing and frying vegetables and handling a hot griddle pan – but there are relatively few steps to follow. A great recipe for your teen to trial cooking for a friend, and the results are delicious.

Squash quesadilla

Chicken Kiev quesadilla
All our quesadilla recipes

7. Omelettes

Omelettes are a great stand-by meal for a hungry teen, and most of us usually have a box of eggs spare. Once they’ve cracked the basic recipes they can start getting creative with ingredients like or . Plonk your teenager down in front of our how to make a perfect omelette, and they shouldn’t be able to go too far wrong.

Omelette wedges
Spanish omelette

Omelette in a bun
All our top omelette recipes

8. Chilli

Chilli is one of those age old recipes that will always be passed down through generations with a few special family twists along the way. Whether your teens want to stir up a meaty classic or hearty plant-based version, our quick and hassle-free recipes will form a great base for them to master this comforting one-pot.

Slow-cooker chilli con carne
Chilli con carne
Veggie chilli
All our chilli recipes

9. Smoothies

If you have a battle with your teenager over eating breakfast, then a fruit-packed smoothie might make a good compromise. There’s something quite satisfying about blitzing one of these up, and they also make for a good mid-afternoon booster. Super simple to make, our peach Melba smoothie and breakfast super-shake should be able to tempt most teens into action.

Strawberry green goddess smoothie
Two minute breakfast smoothie
Breakfast super-shake
Peach Melba smoothie
All our smoothie recipes

10. Bakes

Simple baking recipes are a great way of gaining confidence in the kitchen, and the show-off potential can make them more appealing to a new chef. If you are worried about your teenager's sugar intake, then this may help channel that desire for a sugar fix into something more wholesome. Baking something quick and easy can also make for a therapeutic break between study sessions.

Giant cookie cake

Chocolate brownie bites
Sugar-free banana cake
Our easiest baking recipes

Get more teenage cooking inspiration:

Healthy eating: what adolescents need
Healthy lunches for... teenagers
Party ideas for teens
How to talk to your teenager about food
Summer party ideas for teenagers