Tips for Feeding Tweens & Teens

Older children are getting out in the world—going to school, participating in after-school activities, or just hanging out with friends. They’re also making more and more of their own food choices.

For ‘tweens and teens, healthful eating habits are as important as ever for good nutrition, to fuel their growth, and to help ensure that they’re gaining weight appropriately—not too little and not to much. Building a foundation of healthful eating habits when they’re little equips them to make their own good choices as they get older. The tips below can help guide them along.

  • Keep “home base” stocked with nutritious snacks (Smart Snacking for Kids) and prepare balanced meals. Eat together as often as possible because children tend to eat more nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, and fewer soft drinks and fried foods when they dine with their families.

  • Make time for breakfast, even if it means waking your child 15 minutes earlier. Breakfast is an ideal time for your child to get important nutrients like calcium from Milk Group foods, fiber in whole-grain breads and cereals, and iron in fortified breakfast cereals. To beat the morning rush, consider grab-no-go breakfast items or even a PB&J sandwich made the night before so they can eat on the bus if they don’t have time to sit down for a meal.

  • Send your child to school with a well-balanced lunch—a sandwich, raw vegetables, and a piece of fruit—or encourage eating the lunch served at school. Encourage your child to drink the milk served at school. If you pack a lunch, occasionally include a treat, like a small bag of chips, a couple of cookies, or a pudding cup.

  • To help meet calcium recommendations, MyPyramid recommends two cups of Milk Group foods daily for kids ages two through eight, and three cups for kids ages nine through 18. Yet, two out of three kids don't get enough calcium. Some tempting ideas are to serve hot cocoa made with milk, a bagel topped with melted reduced fat cheese, a yogurt parfait layered with fruit and crunchy cereal, or a milkshake blended with low fat or fat free milk and a favorite flavor of “light” ice cream. Get more calcium tips for kids.

  • Add vegetables to favorite quick meals. Top pizza with broccoli or red peppers, stir mixed vegetables into pasta sauce, or toss chopped tomatoes into macaroni and cheese.

  • When you cook, make extra servings to freeze in sealable plastic containers. These individual portions are quick to heat up for kids who get home late from after-school sports or activities.

  • Get ‘tweens and teens involved in meal and snack preparation. They’re more likely to eat a well-balanced meal or snack when they help prepare it. Learn about the benefits of Cooking with Kids.

  • Talk about nutritious options for “eating out” in the school cafeteria, at fast food restaurants, from vending machines or the corner store. Grilled chicken sandwiches, vegetable or bean soups, salads, whole-wheat crackers, fruit, yogurt, low fat or fat free milk and 100% fruit juices are just a few choices.

  • Prepare them for peer pressure. It’s natural for ‘tweens and teens to feel pressured to eat the same—and sometimes less nutritious—foods their friends eat, or to feel “different” if their lunch or snack is “healthier” than others’. Let your child know it’s okay to enjoy more healthful options and that eating well can help them look good and feel good—information they might want to share with their friends! Also, try packing lunches and backpacks with “cool-looking” nutritious items, such as cereal bars, whole-grain crackers and cookies such as NABISCO OREO 100-CALORIE PACKS, small bags of nuts or dried fruit, and bottles of 100% fruit juice. And keep in mind that it’s fine for kids to have treats like candy and soft drinks once in a while when the portion size is reasonable.

  • Encourage physical activities your children enjoy. Activity helps kids stay fit and burn off their boundless energy! As children go through their teen years, a combination of portion control and regular physical activity will help them stay at a healthy weight.

  • Help your child develop a healthy, realistic body image that’s not too thin or too muscular. Encourage sensible, balanced eating and activity.

Click here for tips on feeding toddlers and preschoolers.