Strength Training
Strength training is a vital part of a balanced exercise routine that includes aerobic activity and flexibility exercises.
Regular aerobic exercise, such as running or using a stationary bike, makes your muscles use oxygen more efficiently and strengthens your heart and lungs. When you strength train with weights, you're using your muscles to work against the extra pounds (this concept is called resistance). This strengthens and increases the amount of muscle mass in your body by making your muscles work harder than they're used to.
Most people who work out with weights typically use two different kinds: free weights (including barbells, dumbbells, and hand weights) and weight machines. Free weights usually work a group of muscles at the same time; weight machines typically are designed to help you isolate and work on a specific muscle.
For instance, you can do a squat using free weights by placing a barbell across the back of your shoulders and squatting down like a baseball catcher. (Keep your feet flat on the ground and your chest up.) This type of exercise works and tones multiple muscles, including the quadriceps (the front of the thigh), the hamstring (the back of the thigh), and even your butt. When you do a leg extension on a muscle isolation machine, you sit in a chair with your knee bent at 90 degrees and slowly straighten your leg against the padded bar. This particular exercise isolates and works the quadriceps muscle.
Most gyms or weight rooms set up their machines in a circuit, or group, of exercises that you perform to strengthen different groups of muscles.
People can also use resistance bands and even their own body weight (as in pushups) for strength training.
Many people tend to lump all types of weightlifting together, but there's a big difference between strength training, powerlifting, and competitive bodybuilding!
Strength training uses resistance methods like free weights, weight machines, resistance bands, or a person's own weight to build muscles and strength. Olympic lifting, or powerlifting, which people often think of when they think of weightlifting, concentrates on how much weight a person can lift at one time. Competitive bodybuilding involves evaluating muscle definition and symmetry, as well as size.
Powerlifting, competitive weightlifting, and bodybuilding are not recommended for people in their early teens who are still maturing. That's because these types of activity can cause serious injuries to growing bones, muscles, and joints.
Getting Started
If you've started puberty, your body will have begun making the hormones necessary to help build muscle in response to weight training. If you haven't started puberty, though, you'll still be able to get stronger — you just won't see your muscles getting bigger.
Before you start strength training, you should be checked out by your doctor to make sure it's safe for you to lift weights.
Any time you start a new sport or activity, start out slowly so that your body gets used to the increase in activity. Even if you think you're not exerting yourself very much, if you've never pumped iron before, your muscles may be sore when you wake up the next day. And, because of something called delayed onset muscle soreness, the pain may be at its worst 2 or 3 days after you first exercise.
Before you begin any type of strength training routine, get some guidance and expert advice. Your coach or trainer can give you advice on how many times a week you should lift and what kinds of warm-up and cool-down activities you should do before and after lifting to avoid soreness or injury. Many trainers who work at schools, gyms, and in weight rooms are knowledgeable about strength training, but it's best to get advice from someone who is a certified fitness expert and experienced working with teens.
When lifting weights — either free weights or on a machine — make sure that there's always someone nearby to supervise, or spot, you. This person, called a spotter, encourages you and also can act as your coach, telling you if you're not doing a particular exercise correctly.
Having a spotter nearby is particularly important when using free weights. Even someone in great shape sometimes just can't make that last rep. It's no big deal if you're doing bicep curls; all you'll have to do is drop the weight onto the floor. But if you're in the middle of a bench press — a chest exercise where you're lying on a bench and pushing a loaded barbell away from your chest — it's easy to become trapped under a heavy weight. A spotter can keep you from dropping the barbell onto your chest.
Many schools offer weight or circuit training as units in their gym classes. Check to see if you can sign up. Don't be afraid to ask for pointers and tips about how much weight to start with, how to develop a routine, and nutrition advice.
What Are Some Dangers of Strength Training?
You may love the challenge of lifting, especially if you and your friends do it together. You'll definitely see results over a few months in your ability to progressively lift more weight. But there are a few things to look out for.
Because your bones, joints, and tendons are still growing and developing, it's easy to overdo it and strain or even permanently damage them. When you're in the middle of a strength-training session and something doesn't feel right to you, you feel pain, or if you hear or feel a "pop" when you're in the middle of a workout, stop what you're doing and have a doctor check it out before you resume training. It's possible you may need to modify your training or even stop lifting weights for a while to allow the injury to heal.
Another danger surrounding strength training is the use of anabolic steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs and preparations that supposedly help muscles develop. Steroid use is widespread in many sports — including swimming, track and field, and baseball. But because many of their long-term effects on the body are still unknown (and because they are linked to health problems like cancer, heart disease, and sterility), resist the urge to try them. The benefit is definitely not worth the risk!
What Is a Healthy Routine?
If you take a few minutes to watch the guys and girls pump iron at your school, you'll see there are lots of different ways to train with weights. Try a few good basic routines that you can modify as you start to train harder later on.
If you're just starting out in the weight room, most fitness experts recommend you begin by training three sessions a week, ranging from 20 minutes to 1 hour (including warm-up and cool-down periods), allowing at least a day off between sessions. It's best to work only two or three muscle groups during each session. For example, you can work your leg muscles one day, your chest, shoulders, and triceps at the next session, and your back and biceps on the last.
Before you head for the weight bench, warm up your muscles by spending 5–10 minutes pedaling on a stationary bicycle or by taking a brisk walk around the gym. After finishing your workout, cool down by stretching all the major muscle groups to avoid injuries and keep your muscles flexible.
You can use many different exercises for each body part, but the basics — like bench presses, lat pull-downs, and squats — are great to start with. Learn proper technique first, without any added weight. Perform three sets of 8–10 repetitions (or reps) of each exercise, starting out with a light weight to warm up and increasing the weight slightly with the second and third sets. (Add more weight only after you can successfully perform 8–15 repetitions in good form.) Perform two to three different exercises for each body part to make sure you work each muscle in the group effectively.
Here are some basic rules to follow in strength training:
1. Start with body weight exercises for a few weeks (such as sit-ups, pushups, and pull-ups) before using weights.
2. Work out with weights about three times a week. Avoid weight training on back-to-back days.
3. Warm up for 5–10 minutes before each session.
4. Spend no more than 40 minutes in the weight room to avoid fatigue or boredom.
5. Work more reps; avoid maximum lifts. (A coach or teacher can give you specifics based upon your needs.)
6. Ensure you're using proper technique through supervision. Improper technique may result in injuries, particularly in the shoulder and back.
7. Cool down for 5–10 minutes after each session, stretching the muscles you worked out.
Don't rely on strength training as your only form of exercise. You still need to get your heart and lungs working harder by doing some kind of additional aerobic exercise for a minimum of 20–30 minutes per session. Doctors recommend an hour a day of moderate to vigorous activity — so on days when you're not lifting weights, you may want to get more aerobic activity.
Strength training is a great way to improve strength, endurance, and muscle tone. But remember to start slowly, use proper form, avoid heavy weights, and increase workouts gradually to prevent injury. Just a few short sessions a week will really pay off — besides better muscle tone and definition, you may find that you have more energy and focus in both sports and school.
Your Secrets to Healthy Snacking
Everyone knows that some foods are better snacking choices than others. What's not so easy in real life is putting all the stuff we know about healthy snacking into practice. In other words, it's tough to balance those "oops, I know I should only have a little bit of this but I just ate the whole bag" munchies with the healthy foods we know we should be eating.
We decided to ask our readers how they make healthy choices and avoid out-of-control snacking. More than 1,000 13- to 18-year-olds took our online snacking survey in October, 2005. They told us how they manage to snack in a healthy way, even when it's hard to do. Here are their tips.
Knowing What to Eat
More than two thirds of the readers who took our survey said that when they choose a snack they think about how healthy it is (or isn't). That's impressive. Awareness of what's good for you and thinking about your choices are the first steps in making healthy snacking choices.
Plenty of people are doing more than just thinking about healthy snacking choices, though - they're making them, too. More than a third of our survey-takers said the snacks they choose most often are health-conscious ones (such as whole-grain crackers, yogurt, fruits, and veggies).
But lots of the people who said they think about what they're choosing still find it's not always possible to eat the healthiest snack. That's understandable. Unfortunately, it can be all too easy to give in to a craving or to eat what's easiest to get your hands on when you're really hungry.
Some of our readers said that planning ahead and making sure they have the right stuff on hand can help them make healthy choices when their snacking willpower is low.
Sally, 16, says, "Stocking your fridge with healthy foods will help you get to or stay at a healthy weight. Pigging out on healthy foods feels a lot better than pigging out on cake or another food that is supposed to be eaten in moderation."
Rosie, 14, offers this advice: "Instead of eating unhealthy foods because it's convenient, plan ahead and prepare tasty, healthy foods."
Alena, 16, agrees. "If you have food with you and plan when you will eat, you don't get as hungry and aren't tempted to resort to convenience food from vending machines or fast food."
For many of you, managing your munchies may come down to managing your parents: "A lot of parents buy their kids bad food," says Stephanie, 13. "Ask them to get some healthy food you will enjoy just as much."
Knowing How to Eat
Some of these successful snackers make it sound easy. But it's not always a piece of cake (ha ha!) to snack well. Most of our survey-takers fessed up and revealed that the types of snacks they like most often are sweet or salty junk foods (such as cookies, ice cream, candy or chips, popcorn, and pretzels).
So how do you begin to snack smarter when there's so much temptation out there?
Many readers talk about giving in - but in moderation. Karni, 14, says, "It's okay to eat unhealthy snacks once in a while, but make sure you balance and eat healthy snacks too."
Lots of people agree with Karni that it's important to treat yourself to the fun stuff - as long as you don't overdo it. And they're right. Thinking of foods as "bad" or "off limits" can even lead to eating problems. Everyone deserves to indulge occasionally.
Angelica, 16, says, "Eat healthy. But from time to time, give yourself something less healthy that you really like. If you deny yourself everything that doesn't meet a healthy standard, you won't be happy, and one day you're going to come home and pig out."
George, 13, offers this idea: "Eat healthy Monday to Friday, then on the weekends you can eat treats."
Lindsay, 14, offers a work-for-your-snacks approach. "Only take one at a time, that way you have to walk over to get another one every time."
Tia, 13, thinks about how her food choices relate to her fitness and performance. "I don't eat that much junk food because I play sports. Junk food just makes me hungry and gain more weight."
When it comes to smart snacking, thinking about how much you're eating as well as what you're eating is wise. More than half of the people in our survey (57%) said they think about the amount they're eating when they snack.
Many of you also know that people tend to eat less if they really focus on what they're eating. As Hannah, 13, says, "Slow down! Enjoy the food that you are consuming!"
Good advice! So appreciate every bite. Focus on taste, texture, and temperature. Notice how spicy a food is. Or how fruity it tastes. That way you'll really enjoy how smooth (or crunchy), how tangy (or naturally sweet), or how refreshingly cold (or soothingly warm) the food you're eating is. And when you slow down you'll also notice when you start to feel full.
Bryan, 14, advises, "Before you eat, ask yourself, 'Am I really hungry?' Don't eat directly out of the bag/box. Pour some of your snack into a bowl (or put it on a plate) and put the bag/box away. Eat the snack out of the bowl instead of out of the bag. This will help limit the amount you eat."
Knowing Why You Eat
Like lots of readers, Bryan recognizes that people eat for reasons other than hunger. Knowing why you're snacking - because you're bored, for example, or because you've skipped a meal and let yourself get way too hungry - can help to rein in overeating.
Is It Hunger - or Something Else?
About half of the people who took our survey told us they usually snack because they're hungry, which is great. But the other half said they snack for emotional reasons, like boredom, stress, or anger (42%), or because they're hanging out with snackaholic friends (4%).
Kara, 13, says she eats because "I'm bored and everyone else is eating."
Most of you realize that eating for emotional reasons isn't a great idea. "Snacking because of boredom is a good way to add some bad pounds, so be careful what you eat, when you eat, and why you eat it," says Naomi, 13.
Krystin, 13, says, "Don't eat out of boredom or stress. I eat because of stress sometimes and I am fat for my age."
Claire, 13, says, "The most important thing to do is not just eat out of boredom. If you are bored, go outside and do something!"
Getting variety in your diet is one way to avoid overeating. As Isadora, 14, says, "Be creative, it keeps you from being bored."
Becky, 15, offers this advice: "Learn to think of food as fuel, not comfort."
Are You Too Hungry?
Just about all of our survey takers said they snack after school - either when they get home (77%) or before their after-school activities like practice, games, or lessons (22%).
After-school snacks are a good idea, especially if you had an early lunch or dinner is hours away. If you choose right, snacks can help you focus on your homework - not your grumbling tummy. But if you come home from school so ravenous that you reach for the first thing in sight, that can be a problem.
People who skip meals or wait until they're too hungry often eat more than they actually need to satisfy their hunger. And this can lead to weight gain. Healthy snacking between meals can come in handy as a way to manage hunger before it gets totally out of control.
Tia says she snacks when she's "not that hungry but hungry enough to eat something little."
Austin, 14, says, "Eat smaller meals throughout the day, then you don't binge eat all at once."
What's the best way to manage hunger? Having three meals a day and a snack (if needed) at regular set times, such as after school.
Are You Multitasking?
Blair, 14, says that snacking "gives me something to do with homework." Unfortunately, eating at the same time as doing something else is a bad idea. As with any kind of multitasking (doing more than one thing at a time), you're not really focused on your food. And that can lead people to eat way more than they intended.
Emily, 16, says, "Do NOT eat in front of the TV. And try to limit your overall TV watching."
"Television usually makes kids hungry," says Krystal, 13.
What about when you're hanging out with friends? Heather, 14, says, "If I do snack when I'm out with friends, I try to follow the two limit rule, like only taking two bites, or taking only two cookies, so that I'm not eating when I'm not hungry."
Your Choice? An Apple a Day!
So what are our survey takers' healthy faves? When it's time to pick something healthy to snack on, the apple came out a hands-down favorite. Even those who don't see themselves as healthy snackers can deal with apples - like Wesley, 13, who admits, "I don't eat too many healthy snacks (blush!). But when I do select something healthy I usually pick an apple or a yogurt."
Marshelle, 13, wrote that her favorite snack is "apples with a little bit of peanut butter on them."
This snack turns out to be a favorite for many of you. And people who choose apples with peanut butter get a round of applause from nutrition experts. Not only do these two foods offer some great nutritional benefits, but combining proteins (like peanut butter) with carbohydrates (like fruit) offers more staying power. That's because protein can keep you energized long after the carbs are used up.
Shaaziya, 14, chooses "fruit, yogurt, and cereal," which is another great way to balance protein and carbs.
Rafael, 13, says, "I usually choose a banana or a green apple. Sometimes I eat an orange. I'm not into vegetables that much."
Many of you do like vegetables, though. Cut-up vegetables like carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower were a popular snack when drizzled with low-fat dressing or paired with low-fat dip. Vegetables even satisfy Matthew, 15, who admits that for him, "Eating vegetables is not fun. Sometimes they can be gross. However, selecting a favorite topping and dip really puts flavor into the vegetable and satisfies hunger."
Snacking on fruits and vegetables is a great way to make sure you get the five servings a day that you're supposed to.
Many of the people who took our survey said they enjoyed smoothies, cereal, granola bars, protein bars, and nuts. These foods can all be healthy choices. But if you're snacking on them, be careful. Foods like cereal, granola bars, or energy bars can be loaded with fat or sugar. Check the label for information to see how much you can realistically eat. And if you're making your own smoothies, choose low-fat milk and hold the sugar - if you add fruit, it'll be naturally sweet.
Enjoy It!
Perhaps these snacking ideas give you some inspiration on new things to try. Go ahead and experiment. You may discover new likes - along with some definite dislikes. Courtney, 13, tried a little extreme experimentation and sent us this advice: "Never eat pickles and milk. Yuck!"
Jared, 16, sums it all up nicely. "If you want to stay healthy, just stay smart! Know what to eat and when you should eat - for example, what nutrients you need each day. This is a lifelong process. Start learning."
Dietary Supplements: Facts vs. Fads
You've seen the ads: "Natural herbs melt pounds away — without diet or exercise!" or "Amazing new discovery boosts athletic performance!" They usually claim that a doctor has discovered a new dietary supplement, a miracle substance that will make you thinner, stronger, smarter, or better at whatever you do. Best of all, you're told, this supplement works without any real effort. All you have to do is send in your money and swallow what they send you.
Having trouble believing these ads? You're right to be skeptical. There's little evidence that dietary supplements have the effects that they claim — and there is evidence that some supplements can cause serious damage to a user's health, especially when that user is a teen.
What Are Dietary Supplements?
Dietary supplements are products that include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, or botanicals (plants) — or any concentration, extract, or combination of these — as part of their ingredients. You can purchase dietary supplements in pill, gel capsule, liquid, or powder forms.
How safe are they? In many cases, no one really knows. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which normally checks out the safety of foods and medicines before they come on the market, does not check on the safety of dietary supplements before they're sold. The FDA has to wait until it receives reports of problems caused by supplements before it can investigate and ban a dietary supplement. This is what happened with the herb ephedra (also called ma huang or herbal fen-phen) in 2003 when the FDA pulled the supplement from the U.S. market after it was linked to the death of a well-known baseball player.
This means that if you take an untested supplement, you are serving as the manufacturer's unpaid guinea pig and risking your own health.
Can Supplements Make Me a Better Athlete?
Some athletes take dietary supplements believing that they improve performance. However, claims for these improvements are often exaggerated or not based on scientific evidence.
And some supplements may be hazardous to teens. Anabolic steroids (manmade hormones similar to the male hormone testosterone) are unsafe and illegal. That's because the large quantities of these steroids that are found in the supplements can have devastating side effects on the body, including heart damage, kidney damage, and bone problems. Studies also show that steroids may be addictive, and that even small doses can interfere with growth in teens.
Because sports supplements like creatine are unregulated, there is no standard dose. So users have no way of knowing what levels, if any, are safe, especially for teens who are still growing. The same goes for androstenedione, the supplement that gained attention because professional baseball player Mark McGwire used it. Research suggests that this hormone supplement may lead to health problems such as acne, gynecomastia (breast enlargement in guys), and heart problems.
Some people think that taking amino acid powders is helpful for increasing their muscle mass, but these powders don't actually have any special muscle-building effects. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Although it's scientifically true that they're necessary to build muscle (along with enough exercise), the human body can easily get all the amino acids it needs from the protein in food. So, if you work out properly and eat a balanced diet with enough protein, taking amino acid supplements won't actually do anything for you — except maybe empty your wallet.
Energy bars are also often used as a dietary supplement. These high-calorie, fortified treats should be used with caution, though. They may serve a purpose for athletes who burn lots of calories in high-intensity activities, like competitive cycling. But for most people they can add unwanted calories to the diet, and they're not particularly filling as a meal replacement.
Can Supplements Help Me Lose Weight?
If you'd like to lose a few pounds, you might be tempted to try some of the many herbal weight-loss products available today. But none of these herbal remedies work. And some (like ephedra, the banned weight-loss supplement mentioned above) can have serious side effects.
Herbs like chickweed, ginseng, kelp, and bee pollen, often included in diet aids, do nothing to promote weight loss — and some can be harmful or deadly in large doses. The only safe and effective way to take off excess pounds remains healthy eating and exercise. If you are concerned about your weight, talk to a doctor or dietitian. He or she can help you get to a healthy weight.
What About Vitamin and Mineral Supplements?
The best way to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals is from food. Although there's usually nothing wrong with a teen taking a basic multivitamin, if you're eating well, you probably don't need one. If you do choose to take a multivitamin, stick with a basic supplement and avoid brands that contain higher doses than 100% of the RDA for any vitamin or mineral. Some vitamins can build up in the human system and cause problems when taken in excess amounts.
Talk to your doctor about additional vitamin and mineral supplements. If you can't eat dairy products for example, you might need a calcium supplement. Vegetarians might want to take vitamin B12 (a vitamin that is found mainly in food that comes from animals and may be missing in a vegetarian diet). Teens whose doctors have put them on weight-loss diets of less than 1,200 calories a day or teens with food allergies should also discuss vitamin and mineral needs with their doctors.
Supplement Warning Signals
Check with your doctor before you take any dietary supplement, including vitamins and minerals. If your doctor starts you on a supplement, watch for warning signals that could indicate problems: stomach discomfort, pain, headache, rashes, or even vague symptoms like tiredness, dizziness, or lethargy.
Because it's not always clear what goes into some supplements, people with food allergies should be particularly wary. Some supplements contain ingredients from shellfish and other potential allergens, and you just don't know how you'll react to them.
When it comes to supplements, be a skeptical consumer. We'd all love to think there's a quick fix. But if it looks too easy, it probably is.
Healthy Dining Hall Eating
Maybe you started out with healthy goals at dinnertime: some steamed vegetables with your lasagna, a heaping bowl of greens from the salad bar. But as you headed to a table, the fries caught your eye. Then you decided you'd better hit the desserts now, because who knows what will be left when you're done with dinner?Sound familiar? You're away at college, and your parents are no longer looking over your shoulder to make sure you eat your vegetables. This and many other new freedoms might feel great. But they may not be good news for your body.
While some students stock up on fruits and vegetables in the dining hall, most fill their trays with things they like without paying much attention to what their bodies need. Even someone with the best intentions probably finds it difficult to resist the less-healthy options.
Your waistline's not the only thing at stake. The foods you choose affect your energy, concentration, and memory, because your body and brain need the right nutrition to function properly. So before you reach for a soda or another slice of pizza, remember that smart choices from the different food groups will help you feel your best.
What Does Your Body Need?
Nutritional requirements vary from person to person, depending on age, sex, size, level of activity, and other factors. For specific recommendations suited to your needs, talk to a doctor, registered dietitian, or your student health office or nutritional counselor at your university. In general, however, your diet should provide you with a balance of protein, dairy products, carbohydrates, vegetables, and fruits.
Many nutritional experts recommend that the majority of a person's diet come from grains, vegetables, and whole fruit.
Whole-grain carbohydrates — such as brown rice and whole-grain breads, cereals, and pasta — are better choices than their more processed counterparts (like white bread and regular pasta) because they retain more vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Canned or frozen vegetables and fruits sometimes contain added salt, sauces, or sugar, so read the labels carefully or choose fresh vegetables and fruits. And even though fruit and vegetables are often referred to as one food group, don't skip your vegetables in favor of fruit. (You should actually eat more vegetables than fruit for an ideal balance.)
Protein is another essential part of any diet that should not be overlooked. You can get protein from meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or nonanimal sources such as dry beans (kidney beans, chick peas, and lentils, to name a few) and nuts.
Dairy products like cheese, yogurt, and milk also provide protein, as well as much-needed calcium. Eating a few servings of low-fat dairy such as yogurt or skim milk and two to three servings of additional lean protein-rich foods every day will give you nutritional benefits without too much fat and cholesterol. Watch out for snack foods that tend to be high in sugar, fats, and calories. You may not eliminate them completely, but they should only play a small role in your overall diet.
Snack Attacks
Sometimes, though, those fatty or sugary foods are just what you crave. When you've been up for hours studying, you might look to sugar, a fried treat, or caffeine because you think they'll give you a boost. Plus, they're readily available and easy to grab. But you may want to consider healthier alternatives that can give you more energy with fewer negative consequences.
If you need a solid snack, consider a lean munchie like popcorn (but watch out for too much butter or salt). Or if you're really hungry, a combination of protein and carbohydrates will satisfy you longer than high-fat or sugary snacks. Try an apple and peanut butter, yogurt mixed with low-fat granola, or a tortilla with cheese, heated in the microwave and topped with salsa.
Meeting Special Dietary Needs
Eating well is difficult for everyone, but some people face an even greater challenge than others. Like lots of students, Brian, a sophomore at the University of Virginia and a vegetarian, sometimes finds it tough to focus on nutrition. "The dining halls try to serve veggie stuff, but a lot of the time it looks pretty unappealing," he says. "Sometimes it's downright nasty, and you can't find many other options." That means on some days he ends up eating peanut butter and jelly for three meals in a row. Because Brian has little money to supplement his dining hall meal plan, he always grabs a healthy snack for later, usually a ripe piece of fruit.
Yet Brian is no stranger to nutrition and taking care of his body. He's an avid runner and became a certified personal trainer in high school. To make up for his occasional ruts, he works hard to give his body the variety of food it needs.
Vegetarians and students with food alergies, medical conditions like diabetes, or special religious requirements may find it harder to get by in a dining hall, but most schools make an effort to meet their needs. Dining hall meals typically feature several choices for a main course, one of which is usually vegetarian.
Vegetarian meals often help meet the needs of both vegetarians and students with religious requirements. Another option is to make a meal out of side dishes. Combine a baked potato topped with low-fat cheese, some steamed vegetables, and peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese on wheat toast for a filling meal. Sample salad, soup, fruit, yogurt, pasta, and other foods for more selections.
If you have special dietary requirements — especially medical ones — you may need to talk to the manager of the dining hall or to someone in student services to request certain foods. Students with food allergies need to know the ingredients that go into the dishes they enjoy — not to mention they have to be careful about ensuring that foods haven't been cross-contaminated with possible allergens like nuts or shellfish.
Most schools offer nutrition counseling through dining services or the student health center. Check your school's telephone directory or website for information.
Overcoming Common Dining Hall Mistakes
Even when they know what their bodies need, the most attentive diners can still make mistakes while filling their plates. For the best results at mealtime, follow a few simple guidelines:
Take the right approach to food. Don't feel guilty if you have a burger or a piece of cake. Instead of thinking of foods as "bad" or "good," most experts say moderation is the key. No food is off-limits — just pay attention to the size of the portions you take and how often you eat that food. Try not to get caught up in counting every calorie. It's more important to concentrate on getting the nutrients you need by eating a wide variety of food and including plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and lean proteins.
Check your fluids. Sometimes it's easy to confuse hunger and thirst. You may think you're hungry when your body actually needs more liquid. Be sure you stay hydrated throughout the day — and several cups of coffee or servings of soda don't count. The caffeine in sodas and coffee is a diuretic (which means it makes you urinate more) and sodas, juice drinks, and sports drinks are loaded with sugar, which can add up to extra pounds. Instead, drink plenty of water.
Go for variety. Frozen yogurt tastes great, but it shouldn't be a staple of your diet. Try not to eat the same one or two foods all the time or always take three of your food groups from the dessert counter. It's healthier to focus on getting a variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. A salad of raw vegetables, dark leafy greens, and beans, topped with some nuts and fruit, delivers the different nutrients your body needs. Or add some chicken and a little cheese to a green salad and you have a whole meal. (Plus, this is a great way to help you get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.)
Watch your portions. Our bodies can't always tell us when enough is enough: One study found that people given larger portions tend to eat more food, no matter how hungry they are. So pay attention to what you're eating and stop when you start to feel full.
The appropriate amount of food a person should eat depends on age, gender, and activity level. A portion is the amount of food a person chooses to eat, and as a general rule it should not be larger than a fist.
If you're concerned about your weight you may want to stick to the following serving size guidelines:
- Keep protein portions about the size of your palm.
- A serving of milk is 8 fluid ounces (1 cup).
- A grain serving is the equivalent of one piece of bread or half a bagel. So when you eat a sandwich you are actually getting two servings of grain.
- A recommended serving of pasta is only ½ cup (although most people may eat two or three times this amount).
- Limit nuts and other snack foods to a few tablespoons — about the amount that fits into a cupped hand (the recommended average serving is ¼ cup).
- Fill up on vegetables. A serving of vegetables is only ½ cup. But because most are low in calories and high in nutrients, you can pile on the veggies and be on your way to getting the recommended number of servings each day.
Do what you can to stick to these recommendations. The more you put on your plate, the more you are likely to eat.
Also:
Don't linger. Dining halls are like endless buffets. You can sit for hours, and the longer you sit the more you can eat. Try to avoid hanging out in the dining hall for too long so you don't eat more than your body needs.
Stock up on healthy snacks. Most dining halls will let you take fruit or other healthy snacks with you when you leave. Slip an apple or an orange into your bag to help you resist the late-night lure of the vending machine later on.
Beyond the dining hall, learning more about nutrition can help you make better choices about what you put in your body. Talk to a nutrition counselor or someone on the school's health services staff for suggestions. When you turn to the Web for facts, choose carefully. Some sites concentrate on nutritional fads or promote information that is incorrect. Your school's website may be a good place to start. Many universities offer online health and nutrition information tailored to students.
As you educate yourself about nutrition, making smart choices in the dining hall will become second nature. While you're paying attention to food, think about fitness, too. Make an effort to work in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day (like walking, jogging, swimming, or working out at the gym). Pairing exercise with healthy foods will help fuel both your body and your mind.
Food & Fitness > Nutrition Basics > Energy Drinks and Food Bars: Power or Hype?
A typical day for Javier starts early and ends late, and he often finds his energy flagging at key times. So he relies on power drinks and energy bars to get him through school, sports practice, his job, and then homework. Although Javier is usually exhausted by the time he falls into bed, he’s also noticed lately that he’s sometimes too jittery and wired to sleep. He wonders if all those power products are giving him a little too much energy.
Energy drinks and nutrition bars often make big promises. Some say they’ll increase energy and alertness, others offer extra nutrition, and some even claim to boost your athletic performance or powers of concentration. But once you cut through the hype and look past the flashy packaging on energy products, chances are what you’re mostly getting is a stiff dose of sugar and caffeine.
So should you eat or drink these products? As with everything, they’re OK in moderation. The occasional energy drink is fine, and a protein bar in the morning is a better choice than not getting any breakfast at all. But people like Javier — who usually has about three or four energy drinks and a couple of protein bars every day — are overdoing it.
Make Smart Choices
With so much going on in our lives, lots of people feel tired and run down. And many of us find ourselves skipping a meal sometimes. So it’s not surprising that nutrition, protein, and energy drinks and food bars have flooded the market, offering us the convenience of energy on the go.
Sometimes, this can be good news — like for the person who has to skip breakfast or the athlete who needs an energy boost before practice. Food bars will never beat a well-balanced meal or snack when it comes to meeting our nutrition needs. But many of them do contain more nutrients than a candy bar or a bag of chips. Likewise, some of the sports or energy drinks on the market today contain some vitamins and minerals.
Know the Downsides
So the occasional power drink or food bar can be a good choice. But as with anything else, it’s possible to get too much of a good thing.
Here are some facts to keep in mind when it comes to food bars or energy drinks.
They contain excessive sugar and calories. Did you know that some energy bars and drinks contain hundreds of calories? That may be OK for athletes who burn lots of calories in high-intensity activities, like competitive cycling. But for many teens the extra sugar and calories just contribute to weight gain, not to mention tooth decay.
Energy drinks are often full of caffeine. Caffeine may be legal, but it is a stimulant drug. It can cause side effects like jitteriness, upset stomach, headaches, and sleep problems — all of which drag you down, not power you up! Plus, taking certain medications or supplements can make caffeine's side effects seem even worse.
Food bars don’t make good meal replacements. You never really see someone eat an energy bar for dinner and then sit back with a satisfied grin. Nothing beats a real meal for both that well-fed feeling and the nutritional satisfaction your body needs.
Although lots of energy drinks and nutrition bars have some vitamins and minerals added, they can’t give you all the different nutrients your body needs to grow, develop, play sports, and handle all the other stuff on your schedule. The only way to get that is through eating a balanced diet and not skipping meals.
They may contain mysterious ingredients. In addition to caffeine and sugar, some brands of energy drinks and food bars can have ingredients whose safety or effectiveness hasn’t been tested — things like guarana (a source of caffeine) and taurine (an amino acid thought to enhance caffeine’s effect). Some contain herbal supplements that are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), such as ginseng.
These kinds of ingredients may cause problems for people who are taking certain medications or have a health condition. So play it safe. Always check the label carefully before you eat or drink any kind of energy supplement.
They’re expensive. Though energy bars and drinks are everywhere these days, they don’t come cheap. At about $3 a pop, you can get a better (and cheaper) energy boost by eating a whole-wheat bagel with cream cheese. And you can get better hydration by drinking 8 ounces of tap water. Other on-the-go foods that provide plenty of nutritional bang for the buck include trail mix, fresh or dried fruits, and whole-wheat breads and cereals.
Cutting Through the Hype
There’s some clever marketing behind energy bars and drinks, and you've got to be a pretty savvy consumer to see through it. So be critical when reading labels. As with everything, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If energy bars and drinks are becoming their own food group in your diet, remember — “all things in moderation.” These products aren’t harmful if you have them occasionally, but they’re not the healthy choices the advertising hype makes them out to be either.
The truth is, the best energy boost comes from healthy living. People who eat well, drink water, and get enough physical activity and rest will have plenty of energy — the natural way.
Food & Fitness > Healthy Weight > How Much Food Should I Eat?
Cookies as big as frisbees. Muffins the size of flower pots. Bowls of pasta so deep, your fork can barely find the bottom. One reason people's waistlines have expanded over the past few decades is because food portions have too.
Portion Distortion
People today eat way more than they used to — and way more than they need to. This means that they're constantly taking in more calories than their bodies can burn. Unfortunately, lots of us don't realize that we're eating too much because we've become so used to seeing (and eating!) large portions.
Portion sizes began to increase in the 1980s and have been ballooning ever since. Take bagels, for example: 20 years ago, the average bagel had a 3-inch diameter and 140 calories. Today, bagels have a 6-inch diameter and 350 calories. One bagel that size actually contains half a person's recommended number of grain servings for an entire day!
The price of such overabundance is high. It's common knowledge that people who consistently overeat are likely to become overweight. But they also risk getting a number of medical problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, breathing and sleeping problems, and even depression. Later in life, people who overeat are at greater risk for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.
It's easy to understand why the food industry tends to serve way more food than is necessary: Customers love to feel like they're getting the best value for their money! But the value meal is no deal when it triples our calories and sets the stage for health problems.
So what can you do to take back control? A good place to start is knowing about two things that can help you eat smart: serving sizes and recommended amounts of different foods.
Help Yourself: The Truth About Serving Sizes
Look at the label on any product package and you'll see a nutrition information section that gives a serving size for that food. Contrary to popular belief, this serving size is not telling you the amount you should be eating. It's simply a guide to help you see how many calories and nutrients — as well as how much fat, sugar, and salt — you get from eating a specific quantity of that food.
Sometimes the serving size on a package will be a lot less than you are used to eating. In some cases, it's perfectly OK (and even a good idea) to eat more than the serving size listed on the package. For example, if you're cooking frozen vegetables and see the serving size is 1 cup, it's no problem to eat more because most vegetables are low in calories and fat yet high in nutrition.
But when it comes to foods that are high in calories, sugar, or fat, the serving size can alert you that you may be getting more than is healthy. If you buy a 20-ounce bottle of soda and drink it all at once, the amount you consumed is 20 ounces. But if the label shows the serving size is 8 ounces, not only did you have 2½ servings, you also had 2½ times the listed calories as well as 2½ times the sugar.
Eat Smart: What's Recommended
Serving sizes tell you how much nutrition you're getting from a particular food but they don't tell you which foods you need to stay healthy — and how much of those foods you should eat. That's where the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid comes in.
MyPyramid divides foods into six groups:
- grains
- vegetables
- fruits
- oils
- dairy
- meat and beans
MyPyramid then offers guidelines to help people figure out how much of these foods they should eat based on age, gender, and activity level.
Once we know the types of foods and quantities we should be eating, it's easier to figure out how much of that heaping plate of food our bodies actually need as opposed to how much they want. Instead of going along with what your school cafeteria or favorite restaurant puts on your plate, you can take control by eating only the amount you need.
Using Visual Cues
Serving sizes on food labels and recommended amounts on MyPyramid are usually given in grams, ounces, or cups. Of course, most of us don't carry around food scales and measuring cups. So how can we translate those amounts into quantities we can relate to? That's where the following visual cues come in. (Just be warned: Some might seem small, especially to recovering super-sizers!)
One easy way to size up portions if you don't have any measurements is to take a look at your hand. A clenched fist is about a cup — and a cup is the amount experts recommend for a portion of pasta, rice, cereal, vegetables, and fruit. A meat portion should be about as big as your palm. And limit the amount of added fats (like butter, mayo, or salad dressing) to the size of the top of your thumb.
Another great way to visualize appropriate portions is to use the concept of the "divided plate." Think of your plate as divided into four equal sections. Use one of the top quarters for protein. Use the other top quarter for starch, preferably a whole grain. Then fill the bottom half with veggies. None of the foods should overlap — or be piled high! Not only will dividing your plate like this help you keep portions under control, it can also help you to balance your meals.
Portion-Control Tips
Being aware of realistic portion sizes and visualizing portions or using the "divided plate" concept will help you avoid overeating. But sometimes these visual cues can be hard — especially when foods are difficult to measure, like a sandwich, or they're foods like chips and cookies that we tend to eat right out of the bag.
More tips for portion control:
- Eat your meals on a smaller plate so your meal looks larger. A sandwich on a dinner-size plate looks lost; on an appetizer plate it looks downright hefty.
- Avoid taking an entire bag of chips or a container of ice cream to the couch. You're far less likely to overdo it if you serve yourself a portion in the kitchen first.
- Try single-serving size foods (like those cute little 8-ounce cans of soda!) to help your body learn what an appropriate portion size is. These days all kinds of snacks and beverages are available in "100-calorie" portions. Of course, the key is to eat just one!
- Eat three well-rounded meals (with vegetables, proteins, and carbs) and one or two healthy snacks at regular times throughout the day. Skipping meals or waiting too long between them can make you more likely to overdo it at the next meal.
- Add more salads and fruit to your diet, especially at the start of a meal. This can help control hunger and give a sense of fullness while controlling calorie intake.
- Try not to rush through your meals. Eat slowly and chew well — giving yourself a chance to feel full before you take more. If you do want seconds, go for more salad or veggies.
- Be aware that most restaurant portions are three or four times the right serving size. Try sharing meals with friends, ordering an appetizer as a main dish, or packing up the extra to take home before you begin to eat.
- Don't be tempted to go for the giant value meal or the jumbo drink just because they're only a few cents more than the regular size.
Most important, make it a habit to let your stomach rather than your eyes tell you when you're done with a meal. The key to maintaining a healthy weight is to listen to your body's natural signals about when it's hungry and when it's full. Sometimes these signals can be confused by constant overeating or constant dieting, which is why it pays to watch portion sizes and make smart food choices.
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