Since most teens have a growth spurt during this time, it’s important to encourage them to eat foods that can help during this time. Teens may gain about 20% of their adult height during this period, and as much as 50% of their adult weight. Their need for vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium and iron, also increases, so it’s even more important to encourage your teen to eat healthy meals and snacks.

Eating as family for as many meals as possible will encourage your teen to be more choosy in what they eat. If they know you cook meals and generally eat at the same time each night, they’ll do what they can to be home. Obviously, eating meals together is more than providing physical nourishment; it’s also about reconnecting at the end of the day and knowing they’ll have an opportunity to talk with you.

Another way to encourage healthy eating habits is to ask your teens to help in the kitchen. If they have a hand in preparing the food, they may be more likely to eat foods that are good for them. Of course, you have to be serving healthy foods for them to eat them.

If you eat in front of the television, you and they could be more likely to overeat or choose unhealthy foods whenever food commercials are shown. Advertisements are made to elicit a response to purchase what you see in them. Quite often, however, the ads merely encourage you to eat whether you’re actually hungry or not. In fact, leaving the television off as much as possible can go a long way toward helping everyone in your family eat more healthfully.

Keep healthy foods in your house at all times. This means having plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grain snacks, and healthy beverages available and easily accessible. If your teen can quickly grab some grapes, an apple, or vegetable sticks, they’ll be less likely to seek out snacks that aren’t so good for them. Not bringing the junk food into your house will mean they don’t have much of a choice when they’re hungry, so they’ll have to get the stuff that’s better for them.

Be a good role model for your teens. If they see you consciously making an effort to eat foods that are good for you, it may encourage them to follow suit. If all they do is see you eating chips, dips, and sweets they’ll be less likely to eat healthy foods.

Refrain from eating at fast food restaurants too often. Although some fast food places now offer healthier choices, if you eat there often your teen may choose non-healthy foods instead. If they must eat a hamburger, encourage them to get the smaller portion rather than the super-sized portions.

The teen years will see your children grow toward adulthood and independence. If you’ve encouraged your teen to eat healthy foods while they’re at home with you, they’ll be more likely to continue eating well when they move out of your home.

With our busy lifestyles, preparing your own meals is often exchanged with quick meals at fast food or casual dining dining establishments. Not only are these choices usually more cost prohibited than eating in, but also less healthy. You can dramatically improve the health benefits by staying in to eat.

Eating at Home Puts You in Control
Eating at home has many health benefits, but more importantly it gives you the options of what ingredients you decide to include or not include in your meals. Have you ever glanced at what a hamburger at a casual dining restaurant is made from- there can be tons of ingredients, some with names you haven’t heard of or are unable to pronounce. When you prepare home-cooked meals, you can keep your foods natural and basic.

Do You Have Special Dietary Needs?
Another health benefit of eating in is that if you have special dietary restrictions such as limitations on fat in your foods, you can conveniently fix dishes that accommodate your guidelines. No need to fret if the restaurant has a low salt dish or if there is any extra sugar added to a dish.

Portion Control
One of the reasons that many people have gained weight is due to the portions that many fast food restaurants give you. They are much larger than recommended. If you eat at home, you can choose the appropriate portions for you and your family members, eliminating unnecessary food intake.

Food Allergens
When you eat at home, you can be more mindful in preparing foods, especially if you or a family member has a food allergy. Food allergies many times can be serious and possibly even deadly. Preparing food at home can eliminate the risk of an allergic reaction to allergic food reaction.

Quality Time
Another benefit to preparing meals at home is the quality of time spent with each other. Everyone likes to be pampered at times so it’s okay to eat out once in a while. However, eating at home allows you to spend quality time with loved ones. Each person can take part in meal preparation so it’s a shared event. By allowing children to participate in meal planning and cooking you are teaching them valuable self-sufficiency skills. The atmosphere is more conducive to sharing stories.

Make a pledge to prepare more home-cooked meals. The benefits of eating in exceed the time it takes to prepare a home-cooked meal. Your family will thank you in the end.

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