Healthy Food Chart

One in five U.S. teens is now overweight–an increase of almost 100% percent in the last fifteen years.  In this month's Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers report on the strategies used by teens who are trying to lose weight.

Here's what seems to have worked best:

• drinking less soda
• getting more exercise
• monitoring their weight (weighing themselves)
• eating more protein
• spending less time watching television
• employing several healthy strategies at once

These aren't complicated, rigidly-structured, or restrictive dietary regimens. These are simple behavior changes that most teens can easily understand. 

How many of you readers have access to teens–as parents, teachers, counselors, or in other relationships? Is there some way we could better promote these healthy behaviors to our teens?

Are we modeling them?