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Health Education:

Nutrition in adolescence

By Evelina Mahler

When you are about to buy or consume a product, do you ever look at

these labels? Do you even know what to look at? Do you know what they

mean or what they want to communicate? Do you take a look at the

ingredients?

If you are reading this and you are an adult, it is likely that the answer is yes

(in case you don´t forget your glasses when you go to the supermarket).

Paying attention to calories, excess cholesterol, saturated fats or high sodium

might be something that determines your choice, depending on your special

needs.

But what about adolescent nutrition?

Do they have the same needs than adults? The answer is no: adolescents are

still growing and have special needs. In our Health Education classes we have

been talking about nutrition. Most of the students don´t read or don´t know

what the nutritional labels mean. We talked about the importance of the

source of the three macronutrients: fats, carbohydrates and proteins. About

the increased needs of iron, zinc and calcium at this age and about how they

have a window of opportunity to decide to go for good habits.

After watching a TED-talk of the famous cook Narda Lepes ("Pequeñas

decisiones y 20 minutos"), this is what students reflected about what they

could change: