• Eat three solid meals a day.
• make breakfast part of your daily schedule. Eating breakfast gears your body up and awakens your mind in it’s best form for the day ahead. It provides glucose to your brain which is required for proper functioning of the brain.
• Try to keep away from greasy, fatty foods. These foods are hard to digest, as well as being very fattening, and will clog up your system and make you sleepy.
• Use self-restraint when eating sweets, candy, ice cream, etc.
• After many teens realize that they are overweight , they think, ” I’ll just go on a diet for a month or two to take off the extra pounds.”

why this plan is faulty: Diets don’t work. when you begin a diet, your caloric intake is much less than normal. Because of this radical change, your body immediately responds with, “Help! I need more energy than this!” and begins using up stored calories.

When your body enters “starvation mode”, it conserves all the body fat it can to protect itself, and instead burns more calories stored in muscle tissue to make up for the difference. So, yes, you may start losing weight when on a diet. But it’s the wrong type of weight! As soon as the diet ends and you slacken your calorie intake standards, your body starts craving the foods that you’ve been keeping off of. If at this point you return to the eating habits that you had before you started the diet, where will the extra calories end up?

So, if dieting doesn’t work, what does?. The only proven method is to make a change in your lifestyle. Your lifestyle is the underlying thinking behind your daily actions.Changing your lifestyle means a concious change in your outlook on eating habits. Remember: reducing your weight and increasing your health is a long-term investment. That losing weight is only one of the many advantages of eating healthily. A few of the other favorable changes you’ll experience are:
• Greatly increased amounts of energy to apply.
• Heightened perception and ability to concentrate.
• Exceedingly diminished risks of heart disease and cancer.
• Independence from reliance on junk food for “that extra boost”.

Your immune system will function much better, and be able to fight off colds and flus more effectively. In 1992, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) introduced the Food Guide Pyramid. This was designed to show practical applications for selecting dietary food types and portions. In the pyramid, foods are grouped by their nutritional content, as well as how the body digests and processes them.

Because individual needs vary for different types of people, the Food Guide Pyramid is only a recommendation of appropriate portions and quantities for the average person. Teenagers especially should augment fiber-rich foods near the base of the pyramid. If you have special nutritional needs, consult a doctor before implementing dietary changes.

The Food Pyramid

WATER

Few people realize the importance of drinking water and it’s direct effect on your health. Drinking six to eight glasses of water a day can dramatically increase the efficiency of your digestion and metabolic functions.

water is used for many basic functions. If the body runs into a shortage of water, it can cause dehydration or exhaustion. Drinking water also helps for these additional reasons:

• When you drink water during the day, you curb your appetite and are less likely to overeat at meals.
• When your body is dehydrated and you need water, you usually feel tired or hungry. However, the normal reactionary response of eating snacks or other foods does nothing to help the root problem.
• Muscular content: only 25% of excess fat is made up of water, compared to 75% of muscle. Drinking plenty of water helps the effectiveness of exercise.
• When you drink plenty of water or juice, it flushes the impurities out of your system, so your internal workings have freedom to operate more effectively without being bogged down with unnecessary baggage.
• Try to drink your water throughout the day instead of at one or two sittings.

Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight
A healthy lifestyle involves many choices. Among them, choosing a balanced diet or eating plan is one . What is a healthy eating plan:

According to the Dietary Guidelines, a healthy eating plan:
• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
• Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
• Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars
• Stays within your daily calorie needs

Eat Healthy and Enjoy It!
A healthy eating plan that helps you manage your weight includes a variety of foods you may not have considered.—
• Fresh fruits
• Fresh vegetables ― try something new. You may find that you love grilled vegetables or steamed vegetables with an herb you haven’t tried like rosemary. You can sauté vegetables in a non-stick pan with a small amount of cooking spray. Or try frozen or canned vegetables for a quick side dish — just microwave and serve. Commit to going to the produce department and trying a new vegetable each week.
• Calcium-rich foods
• A new twist on an old favorite ― try baking/grilling
• Do I have to give up my favourite food?

No! Healthy eating is all about balance. The key is eating them only once in a while and balance them out with healthier foods and more physical activity.

Some general tips for comfort foods:
• Consume them less often
• Eat smaller amounts.
• Try a lower-calorie version..

Being consistently healthy in your eating choices is the key. Making the same healthy eating choices over time can lead to better eating habits. By thinking more positively and focusing on what you can have, you’ll help yourself establish healthy eating habits.