The document summarizes nutrition needs during adolescence in 3 sentences: 1) Adolescence is a period of significant physical growth and development between the ages of 8-21 years old where nutrition needs vary based on biological maturity rather than chronological age. 2) During this time adolescents experience changes in body composition including gains in lean body mass and body fat as well as establishment of lifelong eating habits influenced by peers and environment. 3) The document outlines dietary recommendations for macronutrients, micronutrients, and caloric intake to support optimal growth and development during the different stages of puberty.

1. University of Kalamoon
Nutrition Department
Dr. Louay Labban

3. Puberty Early Middle Late
adolescence adolescence adolescence
Female 8-11 years 12-14 14-17 18-21
Male 9-11.5 years 12-14 14-17 18-21

4.  Nutrition needs should be determined by the
degree of sexual maturation and biological
maturity instead of chronological age .
 Unhealthy eating behaviors common among
adolescence including frequent dieting, meal
skipping, high consumption of foods high in
fats

5.  Concrete thinking and abstract reasoning
abilities do not develop fully until late
adolescence or early adulthood

6.  Adjustment to a new body image, adaptation
to emerging sexuality
 Concrete thinking, early moral concepts
 Strong peer effect

7.  Establishment of emotional separation from
parents
 Expansion of verbal abilities, adjustment to
increased school demands
 Increased health risk behavior, sexual
interests, early vocational plans

8.  Personal identity, further separation from
parents
 Complex thinking
 Increased impulse control, emerging social
autonomy, vocational capability

9.  50% of ideal body weight is gained during
adolescence
 Growth spurt in 3-6 months
 Girls will gain approximately 18 lbs
( 8.3 kg ) year
 Weight gain slows during late adolescence,
will gain around 14 lbs ( 6.3 kg )

10.  Lean body mass falls from 80% to 74%
 Body fat increases form 16% to 27%
 During puberty, females experience 44%
increase in lean body mass and 120% of body
fat mass each year.

11.  Males gain 20 lbs ( 9 kg ) per year during
puberty
 Fat decreases in males during adolescence to
reach 12%
 By age 18, more than 90% of skeletal mass
has been formed
 A variety of factors contribute to the
accretion of bone mass including genetics,
hormonal changes, smoking and nutrition

12.  Eating patterns and behaviors of adolescents
are affected by many factors:
 Peer influence
 Parental modeling
 Food availability
 Food preference

13.  Cost
 Convenience
 Personal and cultural beliefs
 Mass media
 Body image

14.  Eating habits of adolescents are not static
 They fluctuate throughout adolescence in
relation to psychological and cognitive
development
 Adolescents lead busy lives
 Many involved in extracurricular sport or
academic activities
 This leave little time to sit and eat meal
 Snacking or meal skipping are common

15.  Almost all adolescents consume one snack
per day ( range 1- 7 )
 One study showed that adolescents ate 18.2
meals and 10.9 snacks in a week
 Snacks account foe 25% to 33% of daily
energy intake
 Snacks consumption has risen during the past
decade

16.  The occurrence of meal skipping increases as
adolescents mature
 Breakfast is the most commonly skipped
meal
 29% of female adolescents tend to eat
breakfast
 Skipping breakfast can dramatically
decreases intakes of energy, protein, fiber,
Ca, and folate
 25% of adolescents skip lunch

17.  As adolescents mature, they spend less time
with the family and more time with peer
 Eating away from home
 Females eat 1/3 of meals away from home
 Fast food accounts for 33% of food eaten

18.  Eating at fast food restaurant has a direct
bearing on the nutritional status of the
adolescents
 Fast foods are high in fats
 Low in fiber and nutrients

19.  Vegetarian diets are consumed in 1% of
adolescents
 Vegetarian diets are consumed for many
reasons
 Vegetarian adolescents found to be shorter
and leaner than omnivores during childhood
and early puberty age
 Menarche occurs 6 months later in vegetarian
females

20.  Vegetarian adolescents are taller or as tall as
the omnivores but generally leaner
 When well-planned, vegetarian diets provide
health benefit to adolescents such as
complex CHO intake , high vitamin intake
and protein
 With supplements from small amounts of
animal foods such as milk and its products,

21.  Vegetarian diets should include adequate fats
and essential fatty acids ( DHA, EPA )

22. Type of vegetarian diet Food excluded
Semi- or partial vegetarian Red meat
Lacto-ovo-vegetarian Meat, poultry, fish, seafood
Laxctovegetarian Meat, poultry, fish, seafood and eggs
Vegan ( total vegetarian ) Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy
products ( may exclude honey )
Macrobiotic Meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, seafood, fish
( fish may be included in some
macrobiotic vegetarians)

23. Food groups Lcato-ovo-vegetarians Vegans
11 years 11 years
2200-2800 kcal 2200-2800
Breads, grain, cereal 9-11 10-12
Legumes 2-3 2-5
Vegetables 4-5 3-5
Fruits 4 4-5
Nuts, seed 1 4-6
Milk, yogurt, cheese 3 0
Eggs ( limit 3/week ) ½ 0`
Fats , oils ( added ) 4-6 4-6
Sugar ( added teaspoons ) 6-9 6-9

24. Food source Alph-lenolenic acid, g
Flaxseed, 2 tb 4.3
Walnuts, 1 oz`` 1.9
Walnut oil, 1 tb 1.5
Canola oil, 1 tb 1.6
Soybean oil, 1 tb 0.9
Soybean, ½ cup cooked 0.5
Tofu, ½ cup 0.4

25.  Most diets do not match the dietary
guidelines
 1% of teens consume diets that meet the
recommendations for all food groups
 45% of teens meet recommendations for one
group or more
 7% of males and 18% of females adolescents
do not meet any of the recommendations

26. Male % Female %
Dairy products 49 22
Fruits 17 19
Vegetables 50 46
Grains 43 21

27.  Increases in lean body mass, skeletal mass
and body fat during puberty result in energy
and nutrient needs that exceed those of any
other point of life
 Energy and nutrient requirements
correspond with the degree of physical
maturation

28.  Influenced by:
 Activity level
 BMR
 Increased requirements to support pubertal
growth

29.  Influenced by many factors
 RDA for protein intake is:
 9-13 years old 0.95/g/kg/day
 14-18 years old 0.85/g/kg/day
 When protein is inadequate, growth, sexual
maturity delay and reduced accumulation of
lean body mass

30.  Primary source of energy
 From fruits, vegetables, whole grains and
legumes
 55-60% of total energy
 < 10% form sweeteners but adolescents
consume about 16% of total energy for soft
drinks

31. Ounces per day Adolescents %
> 26 oz per day 22
13-25 oz per day 28
0.1 12 oz per day 32
0 oz per day 18

32. Life-stage Calorie kcal Protein
group grams
Age, years Kcal/day Kcal/ cm Grams/day Grams/cm
Females
11-14 2200 14.0 46 0.29
15-18 2200 13.5 44 0.27
19-24 2200 13.4 46 0.28
Males
11-14 2500 15.9 45 0.29
15-18 3000 17.0 59 0.34
19-24 2900 16.4 58 0.33

33.  AAP Recommends 0.5 g/kg/day of fiber
 Or 15.5-34.5 g/ day for 10-18 years old males
 16-28.5 g/day for 10-18 years old females
 National data shows consumption is:
 11.5-15.4 g/day for males
 10-14 g/day for females
 Because low intake of fruits and vegetables

34.  Essential for growth and development
 National cholesterol education program
NCEP recommends no more than 30% of
total energy should come from fat
 < 10% from saturated fat
 DRI recommendations:
 4-18 years old should consume 25-35% of
total fats

35.  Teens consume around 33% of total energy
from fats
 Over 12% from saturated fats

36.  adequate intake is important for growth and
development
 Important for bone mass
 Females have the greatest capability of
absorbing calcium at time of menarche then
decreasing after
 By age 24 for females and 26 for males
calcium accretion is almost nonexistent

37.  DRIs for 9-18 years is 1300 mg/day
 Adolescents females consume 536-815
mg/day
 Adolescents males consume 681-1146
mg/day
 Milk is the best source followed by cheese,
ice cream and frozen yogurt
 Consumption of soft drinks may displace the
consumption of more nutrient dense
beverages such as milk and fortified juices

38.  Growth at this stage increases blood volume
 Menarche increases the need for iron

39. Group Ca P Mg Vit D Iron B1 B2 B3
mg/d mg/d mg/d mcg/d mg/d mg/d mg/d mg/d
Males
9-13 1300 1250 240 5 8 0.9 0.9 12
14-18 1300 1250 410 5 11 1.2 1.3 16
Females
9-13 1300 1250 240 5 8 0.9 0.9 12
14-18 1300 1250 360 5 15 1.0 1.0 14

40. Group B6 B9 B12 B5 B7 Vit A Vit C Vit E Se
mg/d mg/d mg/d mg/d mcg/d mcg/d mg/d mg/d mcg/d
Males
9-13 1.0 300 1.8 4 20 600 45 11 40
14-18 1.3 400 2.4 5 25 900 75 15 45
Females
9-13 1.0 300 1.8 4 20 600 45 11 40
14-18 1.2 400 2.4 5 25 700 65 15 55