Introduction

The athletic and active teenager is very common in this generation of kids. One of the main problems of the growing teen is the different kind of dietary plans that are out in the world. Unfortunately, scientists cannot prove whether vegiterian is better than a balanced diet, or if you should eat double your weight in protein daily. I don't know, and nobody noes right now, so Steven, Ryan,  and I have put together a blog to show what we know for sure active teens need to have in order to grow up with a strong foundation. (Steven and Ryan did the work, but sent it to me to post, so it looks like I did all the work, but they helped with a lot.)

Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats

Proteins

There are many different theories about how much protein a male and female athlete should intake per day, but two major theories stand out the most. The first theory about protein is to get half your weight in grams of protein per day. The second theory is to intake 90-100% of your weight in grams of protein per day. There are many pros and cons for these two ideas, because 100% of your weight in protein grams would be too much, causing some types of kidney failure and causing your kidneys to do too much work. Protein creates toxic ketones, which need to be flushed out of your body through your kidneys each day. When you have too much protein, your kidneys try to flush out all the ketones as fast as possible, causing the person to lose lots of water, vitamins, and minerals in the process. On the other hand, people say if you only get 1/2 your weight in protein grams, you're not getting enough protein. In reality, the food and nutrition board says you only need .36 of your weight in protein grams, so 50% is already too much to consume. Our group decided that eating 30-50% of your weight in protein would be beneficiary to an active and athletic teen. 

Fats

Most new diets say that fat is the enemy, because it'll make you thicker and cause you to gain excess weight. The thing is, your body needs fat so it can function correctly. Fat keeps your organs in place, so they don't move around in your body, and can supply you with vast amounts of energy when you need it. The fats doctors and scientists want you to avoid is saturated and trans fats. It may seem like 2 grams isn't that much fat, but trans fat and saturated fat is around 10 times worse as normal fat. It's bad for your body and can have bad impacts too. Polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats are very good for your body because they are fats without saturated fats (UNsaturated). 

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the first thing your body looks for when it needs energy. Carbs are meant to be used fast in order to get your moving and having your body function correctly. When your body uses all the carbohydrates in your body, it will then turn to fats for energy. Fats supply you with double the amount of energy as carbohydrates, but shouldn't be used for daily supplying. Fats have a purpose in the body, to keep organs in place. Carbs only have one job in the body-to give people energy. The thing about carbs is, most people use all the carbohydrates within 90 minutes of physical training, or doing a sport, so that's why the phrase "Carbo loading" came into place. People need lots of carbs if they're doing strenuous work for over 90 minutes. Eating lots of carbs won't make you fat or obese because it's only job is to provide energy. 

3 Day Diet Plan-By Ryan

Major Minerals Needed Everyday

Key Minerals Needed Everyday

Calcium- Strengthens bones, teeth, and nerve function. 

Iron- Activates haemoglobin blood cells (red). Helps transport blood and oxygen throughout the body. Very key for heart strength. 

Magnesium- Very key for muscle tone and enzyme activation. 

Potassium- Balances body fluids throughout the day. Helps membrane function, muscle and nerve functions, and reduces blood pressure. 

Sodium- Replenishes and regulates body fluids when energy is released. Helps muscle and nerve functions, along with increasing blood pressure. 

Zinc- Key in growth, bone metabolism, helps release vitamin A from the liver, and a taste and insulin storage. 

Daily Vitamins

Major Vitamins Needed Everyday

Vitamin A- Key for eye strength. Helps eyesight in places where lighting is dim. Skin tissues need Vitamin A for keeping the skin healthy. It helps prevent infections and is necessary for the

 immune system

Vitamin C- Helps maintains connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Very important for healing wounds, hormone production, important in immune strength, and protects Vitamin A and E. 

Vitamin D- Helps regulate calcium and the amount used in bone and teeth strength

Vitamin E- Protects the cell membrane and fat from oxygen damage. Helps protect immune and nervous system. 

Conclusion

The main point of this blog is to show that active athletic teens need to eat lots of food with the vitamins and minerals listed above. Female athletes need about 3000 calories a day and male athletes need around 4000-6000. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are the necessary ingredients in a healthy body, regardless athletic, vegetarian, etc.