Teenagers can be the most difficult bunch of people to feed. They are very opinionated and often ‘know’ what it is they want to eat. Unfortunately, their choices are all wrong. It may be impossible to stop them from eating all the junk they nibble on, but when it comes to meal times, you can try to compensate their bad eating habits by providing well balanced meals.

Provide as much minerals as possible. The latest survey results show that most teenagers (11-18 years old), both boys and girls, are not getting enough potassium and magnesium. Girls further lacked enough iodine, zinc and calcium. Magnesium is necessary for the building of strong bones and boosting muscle health. Potassium maintains muscle strength and keeps us alert. Iodine promotes a healthy thyroid, zinc makes the immune system stronger and calcium is what builds bone density.

Here are some good sources of the above minerals:
-    Magnesium can be found in wholegrain cereals, seeds, nuts and peanut butter.
-    Potassium can be found in most fruits and vegetables. Good sources include spinach, bananas, peppers, papayas and parsnips.
-    For zinc, red meat, oily fish and pumpkin seeds are good sources.
-    Iodine can be sourced from seafood.
-    Calcium can be found in dark green vegetables, sesame seeds, yogurt, milk and sardines.

Get more information from the source article.