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WIN Weight-control Information NetworkA T eenager ’s Guide to Better Health

of Your

Take 

CHARGE

health!

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

NIDDK

National Institute of Diabetes and

Digestive and Kidney Diseases

NIH Publication No. 01-4328

December 2001
1

As a teenager, you are going 

through a lot of changes.

Your body is changing and growing. 

Have you noticed that every year, you

can’t seem to fit into your old shoes

anymore? Or that your favorite jeans are

now tighter or 3 inches too short? Your

body is on its way to becoming its 

adult size.

Along with your physical changes, you are

also becoming more independent. You are

starting to make more choices

about your life. You are relying less on

your parents and more on yourself and

your friends when making decisions. Some

of the biggest choices that you face are

those about your health. 

of Your

Take

A Teenager’s

Guide to Better

Health

CHARGE

health!
To learn more about your 

health, start by looking at your

family.

Are your parents, 

brothers, or sisters 

overweight? Do any of

them have health 

problems related to their

weight, such as type 2

diabetes? Your family’s

gene pool, eating habits,

and activities can all play a role in your

health and the way you look. Type 2 diabetes is increasing in adoles

-

cents and teenagers who are overweight.

Diabetes means that blood glucose (blood

sugar) is too high. Diabetes is serious. It

can hurt your eyes, kidneys, heart and

blood vessels, gums, and teeth. 

Even if members of your family have type

2 diabetes or other health problems, it

doesn’t mean that you will have the same

problems. To lower your chances of devel-

oping them, eat healthy foods, get moving,

and talk to your family or health care

provider if you are concerned about your

weight or health. 

Even if health

problems run in

your family, it

doesn’t mean

that you will

have the same

problems...

Why should you care about your

health? Well, there are lots of

reasons—like feeling good, looking good,

and getting stronger. Doing well in school,

work, or other activities (like sports) is

another reason. Believe it or

not, these can all be

affected by your health!

Healthy eating and being active now may

also help prevent diabetes, high blood

pressure, heart disease,

osteoporosis, stroke, and

some forms of cancer when

you are older.

Some teenagers are not

very physically active and

some do not get the foods

that their growing bodies

need. 

Now is the time to take

charge of your

health by eating better

and being more physically

active. Even small changes will

help you look and feel your best!

23

Family

Matters
4 5

Being active means moving 

more every day. You can

choose activities that are fun

and do them on your own or with your

friends. 

Being more active will make you feel

better and give you more

energy. It can

also help you

think and

concentrate better, 

which will help you 

in school or at work.

Activity can help you 

feel less bored and

depressed, and help 

you handle stress. 

So don’t wait—start

today. Begin slowly

and make small changes in your 

daily routine, like

u spending less time in front of the TV

u taking the stairs instead of the elevator

u walking to school instead of taking the

bus (or if you drive, parking further

away on the school parking lot).

What you choose to do is up to you. Just

pick something that you like to do and

keep it up. Have fun while being active

each day to stay healthy and fit.

Remember, you don’t have to give up the

video games—just make sure that you also

fit activity into your day.

The road to better health

starts with good eating and

physical activity habits.

Being aware of your habits will help

you learn where you need to make

changes. 

Do you normally watch a lot of TV or play a lot of video games?

These activities can be relaxing, but you don’t need to move much

to do them. Spending too much time not moving around can make

you feel tired and lazy, and lead to poor muscle tone. You can be

active every day and still have time to do other things you enjoy,

like playing video games!

So,Where

Do I

Start?

Physical

Activity 

–It Doesn’t

Have

to be a

Chore!
Get Moving!

u Walk—to school, to work, to your

friend’s house, to the mall. 

u Ride your bike.

u Skateboard.

u Rollerblade.

u Walk with a friend or family 

member—make it “quality time”!

u Play basketball.

u Join a school sports team or club.

u Walk the family dog. If you don’t

have one, find a neighbor who

does.

u Go dancing.

u Go for a hike.

u Go for a swim.

u Wash the car.

u Clean the house.

u Mow the lawn. 

6 7

Take a look at your eating habits.

What you eat, where you eat,

and why you eat are important

to your health. As a teen, you need to 

eat a variety of foods that give you the 

nutrients your growing body needs. Eating

better and being more active can make

you feel better and think more clearly.

What do you

eat?

If you eat a lot of burgers

and fries or pizza loaded

with toppings—plus an

extra helping of

dessert—your

diet is probably

not balanced. 

There’s nothing

wrong with

eating these

foods—you just need to eat

smaller amounts and balance them with other foods.

Where do you

usually eat?

If you eat in places such as

your room or in front of the

TV, you may want to

change that habit.

Eating while doing other

things makes it easy to lose

track of how much you’ve

already eaten. 

By eating meals and snacks

at a table, you can pay

more attention to what

you’re eating so

that you don’t

overeat.

(If you want to

snack while watching TV,

take a small amount of food

with you—such as a handful of pretzels or a couple

of cookies—not the whole

bag.)

(OK, the last

three aren’t

fun, but your

parents will

appreciate you

doing them!)

You Are

What 

You Eat!
Why do you eat? To see if you need to change your eating

habits, let’s look at why you eat. For most 

people, reasons to eat are: / Time of day / Hunger / Food looks tempting / Everyone else is eating / Boredom, frustration, 

nervousness, or sadness

The best reason to eat is because

your body tells you that you are hungry. If you

are eating when you are not hungry, try doing

something else to get food off of your mind.

Call a friend, exercise, read, or work on a

craft. These activities can help you to cut back

on eating when you are feeling bored, upset,

or stressed. To improve

your eating

habits, try to

eat the 

suggested

number of 

servings from

each food

group in the

Food Guide

Pyramid 

(next page). 

89

Fats, oils, &

sweets

Use sparingly

Milk, yogurt, &

cheese group

2-3 servings

Meat, poultry,

fish, dry beans,

eggs, & nuts group

2-3 servings

Fruit

group

2-4 servings Vegetable

group

3-5 servings

Bread, cereal,

rice, & pasta group

6-11 servings

What Counts as a Serving? 

Bread, Cereal,

Rice, & Pasta

Group ■ 1 slice of bread ■ 1 ounce of ready-to-eat

cereal 

■

1

/2 cup of cooked 

cereal, rice, or pasta

Vegetable

Group ■ 1 cup of raw leafy 

vegetables 

■

1

/2 cup of other vegeta

-

bles—cooked or chopped

raw

■

3

/4 cup of vegetable juice

Fruit Group ■ 1 medium apple, banana,

or orange

■

1

/2 cup of chopped,

cooked, or canned fruit

■

3

/4 cup of fruit juice

Milk, Yogurt, &

Cheese Group ■ 1 cup of milk or yogurt ■ 11/2 ounces of 

natural cheese

■ 2 ounces of processed

cheese (1 ounce is about

the size of your thumb)

Meat, Poultry,

Fish, Dry

Beans, Eggs, 

& Nuts Group ■ 2-3 ounces of cooked lean

meat, poultry, or fish

(3 ounces is about the

size of a deck of cards)

■

1

/2 cup of cooked dry

beans or 1 egg counts as

1 ounce of lean meat. Two tablespoons of

peanut butter or 

1

/3 cup of

nuts counts as 1 ounce of

meat.

Note: 

A range of 

servings is given for

each group. The

smaller number is for

people who con-

sume about 1,600

calories 

a day, such as inactive women. The

larger number is for those who eat about

2,800 calories a

day, such as

teenage boys, active

men, and very active women. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services
• Baked potato chips or tortilla chips with salsa

• Pretzels (lightly salted or unsalted)

• Bagels with tomato sauce and lowfat cheese

• Flavored rice cakes (like caramel or apple cinnamon)

• Popcorn—air popped or lowfat microwave

• Veggies with lowfat or fat-free dip 

• Lowfat cottage cheese topped with fruit or spread on whole-wheat crackers

• Ice milk, lowfat frozen or regular yogurt (add skim milk, orange or pineapple juice,

and sliced bananas or strawberries to make a lowfat milk shake)

• Frozen fruit bars

• Vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, graham crackers, animal crackers, fig bars, raisins

• Angel food cake topped with strawberries or raspberries and lowfat whipped cream

• String cheese

Let’s Talk About Health

• Get moving. Activity can make you stronger and more

flexible.

• Eat healthy every day. Choose fruits, vegetables,

breads, cereals, lean meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, and lowfat

or nonfat milk and cheeses.

• Eat slowly. You will be able to tell when you are full

before you eat too much.

• Eat less fats, oils, and sweets. Butter, margarine,

oils, candy, high-fat salad dressings, and soft drinks offer 

little or no protein, vitamins, or minerals.

• Eat when you are hungry. Your body will tell you

when it’s hungry. Snacking is OK, but try to go for a variety of

nutritious snacks. (See the ideas in the Snack Attack box.)

10

Snack

Attack

11

For a healthy

diet, eat

daily—

Breads, Cereals,

Rice, and Pasta

(at least 6 servings daily)

Breads: whole-grain, 

whole-wheat, cracked wheat,

multigrain, or oatmeal. (Go

easy on high-fat spreads like

butter.)

Cereals: whole-grain, hot and

cold. 

Rice and pasta: brown rice,

whole-wheat or enriched pasta.

(Try tomato sauces, which are

lower in calories than cream

sauces.)

Fruits

(at least 2 servings daily)

All kinds: fresh, canned, 

or frozen.

Vegetables

(at least 3 servings

daily)

All kinds: fresh,

canned, frozen, boiled,

steamed, or baked.

Milk, Yogurt, and

Cheese

(at least 2 servings daily)

Nonfat or lowfat milk, yogurt,

and cheeses. (Foods from this

group contain calcium, which is

very important in a growing

body.)

Meat, Poultry, Fish,

Dry Beans, Eggs, and

Nuts

(at least 2 servings daily)

Meat, poultry, and fish:

lean,

skinless,

broiled, 

roasted, or simmered instead of

breaded and fried. (Or try dry

beans and peas, which are

lower in fat.)
If you are concerned about

your eating habits or the

way you look, it’s important

to talk to someone you

trust. Try talking to a 

parent, friend, doctor,

teacher, or counselor at

your school.

Being happy with who

you are and what you

look like is important

for a healthy body and

mind. You don’t have

to be an athlete,

supermodel, or movie

star to like who you

are and to stay fit

and healthy. You can take

charge of your health by making

small changes in your 

eating and physical activity habits. These

changes will help you feel and look better

now and be healthier for the rest of 

your life!

12 13

Staying Healthy

and Happy Being a teenager can be tough, and

sometimes teens who are healthy try

to lose weight even though they don’t need

to. You may feel a lot of 

pressure to look a certain

way. Acting on this pressure

may lead to eating disorders

like anorexia nervosa or 

bulimia nervosa. 

Anorexia nervosa is a form 

of self-starvation where a

person does not eat enough

food to keep healthy and does not 

maintain a healthy weight. 

Bulimia nervosa is when a person 

eats a lot of food and then vomits or 

uses other methods, such as fasting or 

overexercising, to avoid gaining weight

after overeating. 

If you would like to learn more about 

eating disorders, see the list of resources 

at the end of this booklet.
14

The American Dietetic

Association

216 West Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60606-6995

1-800-366-1655

www.eatright.org

International Food

Information Council

Foundation

1100 Connecticut Ave. NW,

Suite 430

Washington, DC 20036

(202) 296-6540

www.ific.org

National Diabetes

Education Program

1 Diabetes Way

Bethesda, MD 20892-3560

1-800-860-8747

http://ndep.nih.gov

National Diabetes

Information Clearinghouse

1 Information Way

Bethesda, MD 20892-3560

1-800-860-8747 or

(301) 654-3327

www.niddk.nih.gov/health/

diabetes/ndic.htm

National Eating 

Disorders Association

603 Stewart St.

Suite 803

Seattle, WA 98101

1-800-931-2237

www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

Overeaters Anonymous

Headquarters

World Services Office

P.O. Box 44020

Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4020

(505) 891-2664

http://overeatersanonymous.org

President’s Council 

on Physical Fitness 

and Sports

200 Independence Ave. SW,

Room 738H

Washington, DC 20201-0004

(202) 690-9000

www.fitness.gov

Resources and 

Organizations

10 Tips to Healthy Eating

and Physical Activity For

You. (Brochure), 1998.

International Food Information

Council Foundation

1100 Connecticut Ave., NW

Suite 430

Washington, DC 20036

(202) 296-6540

www.ific.org/food/child.vtml

Binge Eating Disorder.

National Institute of Diabetes

and Digestive and Kidney

Diseases (NIDDK/WIN), NIH

publication no. 99-3589, 

May 2000. Available from

WIN.

Everything You Need to

Know About Eating

Disorders: Anorexia and

Bulimia. R. Kubersky, The

Rosen Publishing Group, 

Inc.: New York, NY. 1999.

Healthy Teens: Facing the

Challenges of Young Lives.

A. McCarthy, Bridge

Communications, Inc.:

Birmingham, MI. 2000.

Overweight Teenagers:

Don’t Bear the Burden

Alone. M. Lebow, Perseus

Publishing: Cambridge, MA.

1995.

The Teenage Body Book.

K. McCoy and C. Wibbelsman,

Penguin Putnam Inc.: New York,

NY. 1999.

“Teen-Directed Weight

Management,” by K. French

and E. Strenkowski, in 

The Weight Control Digest. pp.

499-500, Jan./Feb. 1996.

Additional 

Reading

15

Inclusion of resources is for information only and does not 

imply endorsement by NIDDK or WIN.
Weight-control Information Network

1 WIN WAY

BETHESDA, MD 20892-3665

Phone: (202) 828-1025

FAX: (202) 828-1028

Email: WIN@info.niddk.nih.gov

Internet: www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/nutrit.htm

Toll-free number: 1-877-946-4627

The Weight-control Information Network (WIN) is a

national service of the National Institute of Diabetes and

Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of

Health, which is the Federal Government’s lead agency

responsible for biomedical research on nutrition and

obesity. Authorized by Congress (Public Law 103-43), WIN

provides the general public, health professionals, the media,

and Congress with up-to-date, science-based health

information on weight control, obesity, physical activity, and

related nutritional issues. 

WIN answers inquiries, develops and distributes

publications, and works closely with professional and patient

organizations and Government agencies to coordinate

resources about weight control and related issues.

This publication is not copyrighted. WIN encourages 

unlimited duplication and distribution of this booklet.

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