Page 185 - MHF-FeedingMinds-final.indd
P. 185
176 6.2 Nutrition for Adolescents
Table 6.2.1 Portion sizes of foods for adolescents
Food groups Suggested foods
2–4 slices wholegrain or white bread, muffin, roll or pancake
Group 1: Bread, rice, potatoes, Large bowl (7–9 tbsp) breakfast cereal
pasta and other starchy foods
Large bowl (10–16 tbsp) of hot cereals like porridge made up with milk
5–10 tbsp of rice or pasta
1–3 egg-sized potatoes or 3–8 tbsp of mashed potato
2–5 crispbreads or crackers
Group 2: Fruit and vegetables 1–2 apples, oranges, pears, bananas
6–15 small berries or grapes
4–8 tbsp freshly cooked, stewed or mashed fruit
4–6 tbsp raw or cooked vegetables
Group 3: Milk, cheese and yogurt 200–250 mL whole cow’s milk as a drink
2 small pots (125 mL) yogurt or fromage frais
4–8 tbsp grated cheese
Cheese in a sandwich or on a piece of pizza
150–200 mL custard or a milk pudding
Group 4: Meat, fish, eggs, nuts and 5–8 tbsp ground, chopped or cubed lean meats, fish or poultry
pulses 1–2 whole eggs
4–10 tbsp whole or mashed pulses (peas, beans, lentils, hummus, dhal)
1–2 tbsp peanut butter or 2–4 tbsp ground nuts
Group 5: Foods high in fat and/or 2–3 digestive biscuits or 2–4 small biscuits
sugar 1 medium slice cake
2 tsp jam, honey or sugar
5–8 crisps or sweets
2 small fun-sized chocolate bars
The measures used are 1 tbsp = one 15 mL tablespoon and 1 tsp = one 5 mL teaspoon. These are the spoons found within
a set of spoons for standard recipe measures.
adequate amounts of certain vitamins and Fifty per cent of girls 11–18 years old had folate
minerals. Only 3 per cent of a population are intakes below the RNI of 200 µg/day and 5 per
expected to eat less than the Lower Reference cent had intakes below the LRNI. Nine per cent of
Nutrient Intake (LRNI), but the percentages of girls over 11 years had a red cell folate level
adolescents in the UK who eat less than the LRNI indicative of deficiency. The risk of low folate
for several vitamins and minerals are very high status is significant in this age group where
(Table 6.2.3). unplanned pregnancies are increasingly common.
