Conclusion

Some of you may have read this blog and thought, "Oh, that's cool, but I don't want to give up my fast food." and "I have the rest of my life to live and be healthy. I can do that stuff later, it won't help me now anyways."
But being active and eating right is all about the balance, and it is an important component of being a teen, plus there are so many things that this balance can help with:
- Eating healthy and being active can help control your body weight and help with your growth and development.
- Studies have shown that eating healthy and eating the right amount improves peoples moods.
- By doing sports you gain friendship and skills that could apply to you later in life, it could even help you get a scholarship into a great college.
- Being active and healthy when you are a teen, help to reduce chance of getting diseases when you grow up.
- Starting this balance when you are a teen turns it into a good habit for when you grow up.

As a short review of what we said:

Teen athletes have special nutrition needs because they work out more than the average teen. They need extra calories to support them in the sports they do and since they are still growing.
If athletes don't get enough calories each day they won't be as strong or as fast as they need to be.

Macronutrients are very important to keep a teen healthy.
Carbohydrates are the most important to supply energy which is important if you are an active teen, and it helps keep your body clean. They should be consumed in bulk, but you don't want to overload.
Proteins are important because they help your muscles grow and develop, they can also repair tissues and create enzymes and hormones.
Fats provide energy but it is harder to get energy from them so fat is usually stored and used for cushioning organs, absorbing vitamins and cell membrane maintenance.

Watch what you eat, you shouldn't be consuming too much caffeine, sugary foods, fried and fatty foods and fizzy drinks if you want to stay in your optimum physical form. Stay away from these as much as you can, moderation is okay but if you overload on them you could end up with some serious problems in the future.
Practice good habits for eating food, don't over eat and don't under eat. Teens who don't get enough calories everyday can have trouble doing the normal things, it is especially hard on teen athletes who need LOTS of energy.

Stay away from sport supplements, the adds may tell you that they enhance your performance, you may think that they give you extra energy, and the truth is that sometimes they may, but they are nowhere near as good for your body as plain old water, and some fresh fruit or vegetables.

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We hope that you learned new things when you read this blog and that you will use it to help you, especially if you are a teen who is involved in sports or who just likes being active.

Written by Malia