Salivating over sustainable eats? Learn how to make your own with help from Emeril Lagasse in Planet Green TV's organic cooking show, Emeril Green.
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What do you do if your teen comes home famished every evening and fills up on junk food? According to Registered Dietitian, Angela Ginn-Meadow on the International Appeal Episode of Emeril Green, it's not as hard as you think to fill your teen up with healthy portions of nutrient dense foods.
Make sure that when you're feeding your teen that they get all the essential food groups in the right portions:
- Include 2 cups of veggies on their dinner plate. Each cup is equivalent to about your fist.
- To fill a teen up they need fiber. Fiber keeps you satiated longer and without it you often end up overeating.
- Teens should really only have about 2 to 3 oz portion sizes of protein and maybe a little more if they just burned a thousand calories at cross country practice earlier.
- Don't forget calcium! Teens need at least 3 cups of milk or soy products daily. If you're having a tough time convincing your teen of that, try adding some yogurt as a dessert.
- Jazz up the meal with some color; include at least two cups of fruit on the plate.
Filling your teen's plate up with all these elements means that there is no time for junk food. Your child won't have to eat processed junk food if they are already full and with these incredibly balanced portions, you can ensure that they are getting all the foods that they need to stay healthy and mentally alert during this sometimes stressful and always busy part of growing up.
