The Importance of Nutrition During Adolescence
Teenagers lead busy lives, juggling school exams, sports, and social activities. To keep up with these demands, they need a diet that supports their growth and development. However, research suggests that many Australian teenagers are not getting the nutrients they need, as their diets often revolve around sugary, salty, and processed foods.
Understanding the Teenage Years
Adolescence is a crucial period of growth and development. During this time, teenagers experience significant physical changes, such as doubling their body weight and going through a growth spurt. They also undergo rapid hormonal changes, which affect their growth, stress levels, and sexual development. Alongside these physical changes, teenagers face various social and emotional pressures. This includes their growing desire for independence, which may involve distancing themselves from or rebelling against family values. They may also develop new friendships and manage other commitments like schoolwork and sport.
Good nutrition plays a vital role in helping teens navigate these changes. However, research indicates that teenagers are not eating enough healthy foods.
What Teens Are Eating
Australian teenagers get around 35% of their daily energy from nutrient-poor, energy-dense foods. These include confectionery, processed meats, and salty snacks. They also consume a lot of sweetened drinks, such as soft drinks and energy drinks. On average, teens have sugary drinks at least once a week. Compared to other age groups, adolescents are the least likely to eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables—two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables each day. Worryingly, only 4% of teenagers meet that recommendation.
Globally, roughly one-third of teenagers cannot access enough food. This may be due to living in regions affected by poverty, conflict, or climate change. A 2022 study examined the eating habits of students aged between 11 and 18 across 95 countries. It found that up to 30% had experienced food insecurity in the last month. This study also suggested a link between food insecurity and reduced school attendance and physical activity, as well as poorer mental health.
Not Just ‘Bad Choices’
So why are teenagers choosing unhealthy foods over healthy ones? They are not simply making bad choices. Criticising their eating habits can harm their relationship with food and may contribute to feelings of shame and low self-esteem.
Research suggests teenagers make food choices based on various factors. One is relationships. As teenagers grow and mature, they spend less time with their family and more time with their peers. As a result, their food choices are increasingly shaped by what their friends eat. Research suggests teenagers’ food choices are also influenced by where they socialise, such as fast food restaurants. The price of food also matters, with teenagers more likely to eat unhealthy foods because they are cheaper.
Another factor is social trends. Research suggests targeted advertising and celebrity endorsements have a disproportionate impact on adolescent food choices. And they mainly promote convenient, nutrient-poor options such as fast food and confectionery. Food trends, many of which are driven by social media, may also influence what teenagers eat. Recent examples include microwave-friendly mug cakes and the TikTok-famous “girl dinner,” both of which generally have little nutritional value.
Teenagers also care about taste. Junk food is delicious, and food companies design it in a way that taps into our cravings, making us eat more. Research suggests teenagers may struggle to resist or stop eating unhealthy foods because they haven’t fully learned to control their appetites. Advertising exacerbates this by framing unhealthy food as the most delicious and convenient option.
Raising Healthier Teens
The good news is that we can help our teens eat more nutritious foods. But that requires action on both a policy and household level.
In Policy
Unfortunately, we tend to overlook teenagers in nutrition research and policy. Our new global framework for adolescent nutrition aims to change that. With help from young people and international nutrition experts, we developed several key recommendations:
- Boost nutrition education in schools, by establishing a national school curriculum to safely promote healthy eating and combat nutrition misinformation from social media
- Increase access to healthy, affordable foods by providing or subsidising healthy school meals, expanding community food programs in places where teenagers hang out such as sporting clubs and supporting local produce markets
- Regulate how companies market unhealthy foods to young people, by restricting teen-directed advertising in apps and gaming platforms and banning unhealthy food marketing near schools, sporting fields and on public transport.
At Home
There are also practical ways parents and families can help teenagers eat more healthily. Here are some ideas:
- Assign your teen the “cook of the day,” giving them one day each week to choose and/or cook a nutritious meal that helps build their cooking skills
- Involve your teen in meal planning, encouraging them to brainstorm healthy meals that are also tasty and affordable
- Eat shared meals, ideally as a family and without any devices.
As policymakers, we must make healthy foods more visible, convenient and affordable for teenagers. And as parents, we shouldn’t shame teens for their eating habits, but instead show them how fun and achievable healthy eating can be. Together, these actions will help our teenagers grow into healthy, active adults.
