Teenage Girls "Eat" What They "Are"

(Ottawa) - The teenage girls of today generally know more about nutrition than teens did three decades ago. Does this translate into what they eat? According to a recent report published by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), teenage girls are generally a healthy segment of society, with a sufficient intake of most nutrients. However, they often eat too much fat and consume too little energy, and many do not meet the recommended intake of calcium and iron. This eating pattern, coupled with low levels of physical activity, could put some girls at increased risk for development of anemia, obesity, and eventually heart disease and osteoporosis.

For most, the problem is not what they eat, but that they do not eat enough. Fewer girls would have diets low in calcium and iron if they ate enough food to meet the recommended intakes for energy, without changing the composition of their diets.

"It is important to remember that teenagers' food habits are influenced by their perceptions about food, changing lifestyle habits and social pressures," says Suzanne Hendricks, President of NIN. "These factors must be taken into account when trying to improve what they choose to eat."

Perceptions about Food

Teenage girls tend to see food in terms of black and white; that is, as either "healthy" or "junk". These categories seem to have more to do with social issues and concerns with weight and body image than with health issues.

"Healthy" foods are associated with self-control, being on a diet and being good. "Junk" foods, on the other hand, are seen as tasty and convenient, and associated with snacks, friends, independence and having fun. However, "junk" foods also carry the negative connotations of going off a diet, being out of control and feeling guilty.

It is a concern that teens do not see "healthy" foods as good-tasting. Furthermore, fun foods and convenience foods, as part of the diet of an active teenager, are not necessarily fattening or unhealthful.

Weight and Body Image

"Their connotations of 'junk' and 'healthy' foods reflect how teenage girls' insecurity about their bodies affects their thoughts about food," says Hendricks. Although most Canadian girls fall within the healthy weight range, many do not believe their weight is appropriate. For example, in a British Columbia study, in which 80% of teenage girls appeared to be of healthy weight, less than half were satisfied with their weight.

Thus, it is not surprising that most teenage girls have dieted at some time, primarily for cosmetic reasons. Fortunately, most girls seem to take a common-sense approach in their weight control strategies. The top two methods to lose weight mentioned in one study were being more active and eating a balanced diet. The teens in another study rejected fad diets as "stupid", unhealthy and ineffective.

Improving the Picture

In trying to improve the nutritional health of teenage girls, it is essential to consider issues of importance to them and to foster a supportive environment. One positive step would be to increase the availability of convenient, tasty, affordable, nutrient-dense foods. Another would be to provide more opportunities for girls to become involved in physical activities, particularly those that can be continued beyond the school years.

As long as girls live in an environment that dictates women must be thin and, at the same time, encourages the consumption of both diet products and foods that are high in fat and energy and low in nutrient density, teenage girls will have difficulty feeling comfortable with food, their bodies and themselves.

This article was first published by the National Institute of Nutrition, October 1994.

Posted by: National Institute of Nutrition, September 1996.

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