Vitamins and Minerals Necessary for Teens

Teens want to know what vitamins and minerals are and what they do for their body. Why is it so important to eat healthy and take extra vitamins? Most teens will grab something quick and easy for lunch, chat with friends, and never realize they are not feeding their body properly. If you notice lunches sitting in front of teens you will notice that except for the standard brownie for dessert, most of the lunches are different. One person may choose a salad and milk; another person may choose to have chips, pickle, and a soda. One may even be having a healthy sandwich of turkey and cheese on whole wheat bread, fruit, and milk. Watching them for the rest of the day, you will notice the teens that ate junk food for lunch are starting to run down by the end of the day. The teen that ate the healthy sandwich with fruit and milk is still going strong. The difference is the one who ate healthy received the vitamins and minerals their body needed.

Vitamins and minerals make our bodies work right. You get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat each day. Some foods have more than others of certain vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are divided into two groups, fat-soluble and water-soluble and we need both to stay healthy. Fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K dissolve in fat and can be stored in the liver to be used when needed. Water-soluble vitamins such as C and B complex vitamins need to be restored each day. The body doesn’t store them and any that is unused is passed through urination. You will need a fresh supply of these vitamins each day.

Vitamins and minerals come from organic substances and your body needs large amounts of these to grown and stay healthy. Some minerals are considered trace minerals because you only need a small amount of them each day. Some trace minerals include, iodine, copper, chromium, selenium, and zinc.

Why is it important for teens to have the right amount of vitamins and minerals? They are essential to help boost the immune system, promote normal growth, and help cells and organs do their job. Teens have probably heard that they need to eat carrots to have good eyesight. There is a good reason for that. Carrots are full of carotenoids that your body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A helps prevent eye problems.

Teens go through a tremendous amount of physical and emotional changes in their teenage years. They are growing at an amazing rate and going through the emotional and physical changes of puberty. It is especially important to get the proper amount of vitamins and minerals during this time. Vitamins and minerals are needed to keep your body growing and stay healthy.

Eating a good variety of food is the bet way to get the vitamins and minerals needed during this time of growth and development. Teenagers need to maintain a healthy diet with the right balance of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and calories. It’s ok to eat junk food sometimes, but don’t overdo foods that are high in calories but low in nutrition.