Nutritionist Sandra Owusu and Gifty Baffour-Awuah in an interview with Nana Akua Okontie on Plan BFM’s ‘Ebanoosen’ revealed the best nutrition plan for Adolescents.
They said that the adolescent stage is where the body develops and the type of food you take in will determine how the body will develop.
They explained that Adolescence is the second-fastest growth stage in life after infancy. The adolescent’s growth spurt during this period creates an increased need for many nutrients.
Eating right assures an adequate amount of key nutrients: calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and D. Some teens have a need for even more nutrients if they are active in sports, following a special diet, have an eating disorder or are pregnant.
The said that an adolescent is what they eat and the 4 star diet helps them grow beautifully.
They explained the four star diet as a meal plan where the servings at each ( breakfast, lunch, dinner or in between) must contain nutrient from the four major food groups.
They revealed that Children and adolescents in Ghana continue to suffer from nutrition-related problems such as anemia, stunting and wasting.
Improper nutrition during the first 1000 days of a child’s life places a child at a disadvantage early in life and can lead to irreversible effects such as poor mental and physical development, weakened immune system, acute respiratory infections, and an increased risk of child mortality.
Eighteen percent of children in Ghana are stunted and twenty-two percent of adolescents are anemic, which affects their physical health and academic performance. The nutrition needs of children between the ages of five and 19 are under-monitored.
They concluded that effects of malnutrition is mostly irreversible so parents should take their adolescent child’s Nutrition very serious.
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