Transcript of interview with interview with Nicole Larson, PhD, MPH, RD, research associate at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Food Science and Nutrition

Interview conducted by Natalie McGill, reporter for The Nation’s Health newspaper.

Listen to this interview as a recording on our podcast page.

What are some of the ways nutritional needs differ as you transition from young childhood to teen years?  Additionally, how do nutritional needs differ for teen girls compared to teen boys, and why?

The transition from the childhood to the teen years, really, nutritional needs increase with the rapid physical growth that occurs during that, those years. So there's an increase in the energy demands, but even more important to think about are the increases in nutrient demands.

And those increases really correspond along with the time of peak growth velocity, so when you're sprouting up in height and weight, those are the times when the greatest nutrient requirements occur. 

Increases in needs tend to occur a few years earlier among females than males, as they tend to go through those changes having experience of peak growth velocity earlier.
And in contrast, though, between males and females, males, as you might guess, experience greater increases in terms of magnitude for their nutritional needs as during that period of peak height velocity, they have greater gains in height, weight, and lean muscle mass, and along with that comes the — the greater nutritional needs.

Females, also, another contrast to males, experience more demand for iron during those transitional years. It happens when they go through menarche, as then they are obviously losing their iron stores when they have their menses, so then they're also needing additional iron. But given the differences that I was speaking to earlier with lean muscle mass, females tend to require less of the nutrients, magnesium, zinc, niacin, riboflavin, Vitamin A and B6, than do their male counterparts. 

What nutrients should teens be seeking out in the foods they eat daily, and what are some examples of foods where they can find these nutrients? 

Iron is obviously a key nutrient to make sure they're including daily, and important sources (are) meat, fish, poultry, fortified cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, and whole grains as well.  

And important to keep in mind there though that some of those foods, iron is easily absorbed from, like meat, fish, and poultry, and other foods, it is less easy to absorb the iron, like the fortified cereals, the green leafy vegetables, and the nuts and seeds, so it’s important to encourage teens as well to be consuming sources of vitamin C like fruits and vegetables along with those food items where the iron is less available to them, so to get the most benefit when they are eating those foods. 

Another nutrient or group of nutrients that's important to be seeking out daily is calcium and vitamin D for their bone health as they are experiencing increases in their height, or wanting to make sure that they are fueling that with plenty of calcium and vitamin D, and good sources of those vitamins are milk, other dairy foods, dark green vegetables, along with fortified foods like fortified juice, cereal and bread.

Other important nutrients as well to think about are making sure they're getting plenty of zinc and lean protein sources as well as folate just as another nutrient that’s needed to fuel the increases in growth during this period of time. 

What are some telltale physical or behavioral signs that a teen isn't getting the necessary nutrients she or he needs? 

Telltale signs of anemia that might result from not getting enough iron are going to be fatigue and poor exercise tolerance. If you think about just having an overall lack of energy or not getting enough energy to build up body fat storage during this period. This could lead in more extreme cases to compromised linear growth or a delay of puberty and sexual maturation. 

Concerns among adolescents that is excessive in regards to their body size or shape is certainly an important risk factor to pay attention to in that young people who tend to be excessively concerned may be restricting energy or their food intake to the point where they are missing out on the key nutrients they are going to need to fuel their development during this period. 

Along those lines, what are some of the long-term consequences health-wise of not practicing good nutrition in your teenage years? 

There’s probably some impact in terms of what you're eating now in terms of your risk for chronic disease, and then also thinking about the cumulative impact as you might tend to carry those eating behaviors with you over time, and as you are not eating well over the adult years as well, there's certainly an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes and overweight. 

For parents who are struggling to get their teen children to eat better, what are some examples of food items they can buy or meals they can try to make to make sure their teens are getting their recommended nutrients? 

An easy message for parents is try to make making healthy choices for meals the easier choice for their teens coming home, so while you don't want to restrict less healthy choices, like candy or higher calorie snacks and soda, just not having them in the home all the time makes it easier to reach for the healthier options, and making fruits and vegetables then easy for them to eat by either preparing those foods in advance and making them really visible in the refrigerator or on the counter or buying fruits and vegetables that are really convenient to take with you, such as, you know, pre-washed and kind of carrots or sliced apples.

In terms of getting enough calcium and vitamin D, keeping things like lower fat string cheese and yogurt right there in the fridge. In terms of getting iron and getting whole grains, having some low fat granola bars, fortified breakfast cereals, and whole grain crackers right there easy to grab is another way of encouraging healthy choices. 

Becoming a teen means gaining more independence, which means parents can't always police what they eat. Fast food and high-calorie food in general may be more tempting, so what are some tips you have for teens to practice moderation and in finding healthier alternatives? 

When they're out and about making those choices on their own, ordering at a restaurant, some little things they can keep in mind to make sure they're getting the nutrients they need and not getting too much excess energy that could lead to weight gain is thinking about ordering milk instead of a sugar-sweetened beverage with their meals; to try and order meals that include a fruit or vegetable, a side salad, maybe meals with pre-cut apples that I think are sometimes served at sandwich restaurants, getting a yogurt with their meal instead of a milkshake; trying to order smaller portions, maybe it's easier to order off the kids' menu than the regular menu to make sure you're getting a smaller portion, and kind of looking for key words that indicate a healthier version of a sandwich or a menu item, like choosing a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a crispy chicken sandwich. 

Nicole Larson, thank you so much for taking out the time to talk.  I really appreciate it.

Good speaking with you.