Teen cooking class

10 Facts about Nutrition for Teens

1. Eating is one of life's joys. Food is a pleasure that everyone can share.

2. What you eat today affects your health not only now, but in years to come. If you consume a sufficient amount of calcium now, for example, you can reduce your chances of osteoporosis later in life. Milk is not just for children.

3. If you focus on lower-fat foods, you can reduce your risks of obesity and of many illnesses, from heart disease to cancer.

4. You need to eat a variety of foods for peak nutrition. No one food is perfect.

5. Business people, not nutritionists, plan fast-food meals. If you heavily entrust your nutritional needs to fast-food chains, your diet will have too much meat, fat and salt. You'll still need to add dairy products, whole grains, fruits and vegetables to your diet.

6. When you're hot and sweaty, there's nothing quite like water. Drinking adequate amounts of water throughout the day is essential to good health.

7. Food in its original form beats processed food. A handful of ripe cherries is more nutritious than cherry chews. A bowl of oatmeal is nutritionally superior to processed oatmeal cookies.

8. Go with whole wheat and other whole grain breads, which offer a multitude of nutrients that white bread doesn't.

9. Make a habit of choosing the lower-fat alternative.

10. Cooking is a grand adventure when you're ready to embark.

Excerpted from Understanding Your Teen, A Canadian Living Family Book (Ballantine, 1998), edited by Family editor Christine Langlois.