In my practice as a Holistic Nutritionist, here’s what I see time and time again with regards to reduced symptoms, improved health, vitality & energy, clearer focus & awareness, and a reduction in anxiety & depression: PLANT BASED FOOD!

In the field of Holistic Health, what we continue to see in our research, time and time again, with regards to treating disease and even REVERSING it: PLANT BASED FOOD!

And so, I believe that it’s high time we begin to educade & work hard towards helping to prevent the onset of more disease and who better to start with than our teens? The teenage years are intense times, there is much to manage on a psychological & social level, but equally as much on a physiological level as well. If you have a teen at home, or have one in your life, you are well familiarized with the hormonal injections & fluctuations, the evolving & roller coaster ride of social dynamics, the rising rates of anxiety & depression in this age group, and the pressures of school & society to succeed, to be awesome, to work hard, and develop a solid plan for the future.
It’s a lot.

As parents & educators, adult role models & mentors, it is our job to be there for them in every way that we can; to support them through the toughest times, to give them independance & guidance continuously, and to be their outlet for security & inspiration, even when they are acting like hormonal jerks 😉

Good food is one of the BEST ways to support them in all that they are dealing with and in setting them up for a better life moving forward and into a future of growing responsibility & autonomy.

Why Plant Based?

The nutrient quantity in plant based food surpasses that of processed and animal foods by an absolute landslide. Part of the issues we are dealing with in regards to continued rising rates in disease in North America is toxicity. Due to a shocking increase in the amount of chemical additives in our food, synthetic hormones, pesticides, herbicides, msg and chemical preservations, as well as a continued decrease in nutrition, and thus, an increase in nutrient deficiencies, the food industry continues to support the onset of all disease. The tantalizing convenience of non-food options that come off of grocery store shelves, sets our teens up for over-consumption of nutrient-void, disease promoting food.
A plant based approach naturally discourages reliance on processed foods. More plant intake encourages more nutrients to feed & fuel the cells, creating less needs & desires for processed junk & refined sugars. For teens, increasing their plant intake can support them in ALL THE AREAS that they may struggle, including reduced use of medications or negative coping strategies.

Ways Plant Based Food Can Benefit Teens:

✔️ Helps to stabilize fluctuating hormones, encourages proper elimination of hormone related toxins, and supports a more stable mood & energy level
✔️ Prevents anxiety, depression, and sleep issues, by promoting stable blood sugars, microbiome balance, and decreased chemical intake
✔️ Decreases levels of toxicity exposure and prevents excess free radical formation
✔️ Nutrient density supports better brain development, ability to focus, mental clarity, and adaptability
✔️ Aids with stress reduction, adaptability, and management, through increased nutrient levels and decreased chemicals
✔️ Promotes a better relationship with food, the earth, and the environment
✔️ Is supportive of a future with reduced toxicity & reduced emissions due to industrialized food & farming practices
✔️ Reduces inflammation in the body, which is a key player in all disease formation and a multitude of symptoms
✔️ Increased plant consumption naturally increases fiber intakes which support better digestion & elimination, which support all other bodily processes
✔️ Supports a deeper connection with food & the earth that encourages better spiritual growth & understanding
✔️ Encourages positive body image through this deeper connection with food, the earth, the environment, & the universe; it helps them find purpose within the connection between food and body in a positive way

The arguments for Plant Based benefits are just beginning to become more well understood and scientifically supported. We are truly at the beginning of a revolution with the food industry and all that we have been taught by them over the last few centuries. Educating our teens: the ones most motivated by ideas and change and cultivating new practices, just makes absolute sense.

Teaching Youth About Plant Based Options

WATCH DOCUMENTARIES: Teens love to glue themselves to screens anyhow, so introduce them to a few Food Industry documentaries. Watch them together, use critical thinking to brainstorm ideas about a future that is different than what it looks like now. Allow them the opportunity to find more education through the inspirational projects of those in the film industry! Some of my favourites: Hungry for Change, Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead, Food Inc., Food Fight, The Magic Pill, Forks Over Knives. There are just so many! And many are available through Netflix or Youtube.
MAKE MEATLESS MEALS AT HOME: The biggest influence you have as a parent is to model. If you incorporate more meatless meals at home, your teens will naturally begin to develop & expand their palate and become increasingly accustomed to meals that are meat-free and/or plant focused. If you feel this will be a challenge, then start small and go for just 1 meatless meal per week and expand from there. Remember that you can always ADD IN vegetables in volume & variety without changing too much else in the beginning. Need inspiration? Check out my recipe section!
GET THEM IN THE KITCHEN (and the garden): I can’t say this enough! Get those teens in your kitchen as often as possible! Show them how to shop, how to use a knife properly, teach different preparation methods, and give options for different meals & snacks. If you have a garden, enlist their help. Start early and continue as long as they are in your home. The better equipped they are for their future as an eater and a meal creator, the healthier they will be in all areas of life. Looking for outside influence? Watch for my kids/teen classes!
TRY A MONTH LONG EXPERIMENT: Especially if your teen has a health complaint (acne, indigestion, anxiety, sleep issues, body odour, etc.), offer to support them in a gentle dietary challenge. Can they give up processed food for a few weeks, or remove energy drinks/caffeine? Could they try a gentle cleanse or a guided detox? If you try this approach, do the challenge with them, and ideally, enlist the help of a professional - this will encourage better success, more education, and more long-term results.
EXPOSE THEM TO POSITIVE ONLINE INFLUENCERS: Teens love the online world, it feels like an extension of themselves in many ways, and, as long as the influencers are positive and supportive, it can work to their advantage. Find some influencers out there that appeal to your teen (where they are at developmentally and who they are personality-wise) and encourage them to follow that person. The internet can be a powerful influencer, use it to your advantage wherever possible. Check this Foodie Teen’s blog out!

There is no wrong or right way to raise teenagers. As every parent knows, it’s all one big experiment. As long as we continue to learn, to grow together with our kids, and to be open to adapting & evolving as we go, our kids are going to be ok. Feeding them well is just one thing that’s relatively easy to do and will affect them forever. I’m here to help you as much as I can!

As my own son enters the teenage realm, I will continue to educate myself on raising a grounded & healthy teenager.
I aim to share all that I learn along this journey.
Want to read more?
I recently wrote a blog on Feeding the Ravenous Teenager, check it out!

It was just yesterday that my son was small enough to scoop up into my arms, snuggling my face into that soft spot on his neck as I swung him around the kitchen making snacks together. I now have to chase him down to snag a hug before he goes off into the world for hours or even days on end, and I am left to trust and work hard to let go just enough to give him more independence and autonomy as the days move forward. As with all change in parenting, simultaneously, my heart grows with pride and breaks with loss, but I believe in him deeply and can’t wait to see who he becomes in the years to come.

Sigh.

And.
Holy Gawd CAN THIS KID EAT!!!
The eating is just never ending. NEVER ENDING! If you are just entering the teenage realm, are deep in it, or are glimpsing the coming teenage eater in your sprouting preteen, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
They are hungry!
ALL.
THE.
TIME!
It’s no surprise as they are growing like a banana tree on steroids: they have increased physiological demands that scream at them tirelessly for extra nutrition. During the teenage years, their hormones are changing, organ and tissue development are increased, they are building bones and muscles, they are building their immune system, and sending large amounts of nutrients up to the brain for tissue development, nerve formation & transmission, hormone regulation, and to protect the brain from oxidative stress. It is an intense time in ALL THE WAYS: physiological, biological, psychological, and social.
Feeding them really good food is just one way to help them through.

I know what you’re thinking: BUT GOOD FOOD COSTS SO MUCH MONEY!!!
True. Frustratingly true! But let me ask you something: what is more important to you - spending extra money on trivial things: a fancy vehicle or condo, dinners at restaurants, a Starbucks coffee a day, seasonal new clothes, a weekend at a fancy resort, OR strong long term health (and disease prevention: cancer, diabetes, heart disease, mental illness, autoimmune disease) for your growing child? Never mind what you will teach them by choosing their health over material things. Will it be a financial output for a handful of years? Absolutely! But evaluating your priorities is an important step in managing the food cost struggle.
AND. AND there are many things we can do to try to keep the grocery bill down while feeding these ravenous teens well.

The Trick

We CAN fill our fridges and teenagers’ bellies without taking a second mortgage out on the house, but it takes effort and dedication (like any health related lifestyle choice 😉). Here are some ideas:

Shop Bulk: This is the smart, 20th Century way to feed a family, hands down. Firstly, organize your house in such a way to allow for bulk shopping, but keep your refills in a different location than your kitchen. Why? Because if the kids see that there are 100 Lara bars, they may feel it’s ok to take 5 to school every day and there goes your stash. Also, shop whole foods bulk as much as possible, rather than relying on processed foods. Think: nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, canned tomatoes, etc. Processed food WILL NOT fill up your growing sprout, but instead teach the body that it needs to rely on sugar for fuel, not actual nutrients (more on this below).

Comparison Shopping: Do your homework. It used to be called coupon shopping and now it’s all about who’s got the lowest slashes. I would honestly rather see people shopping locally, at Farmers markets in the summer, and through the local food suppliers during the winter months instead of buying from the heavy hitters in the Food Industry whose sole purpose is about making money NOT the health of its consumers. How much of your grocery bill can you contribute towards local suppliers? Is there a distributor near by that considers health over mass consumption? Can you buy meat from a local farm? Or buy bulk squashes in the Fall and store them to last you through the winter? How you buy food has as much to do with health as what you eat, consider this when you are planning your shops.

Beans & Legumes: POWER HOUSE FOODS are the way to go with growing, nutrient-ravenous teenagers, and beans & legumes can save you in the financial department too. Buy these babies in bulk, soak & sprout them to increase nutrient value and digestion/assimilation, then add them to soups, stews, veggie burgers, as side dishes, in spaghetti sauce, anywhere you can, bulk up your meals with these nutrient packed beauties! They are super cheap and super high in fibre, protein, low glycemic index carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins, and satisfy the hungry belly for long periods of time. Here’s one of my son’s favourite lentil stews!

Oats & Whole Grains: Buy these in bulk also and teach your growing teens how to cook them. A bowl of brown rice + tamari + nutritional yeast + hemp hearts can go a LONG way when the body needs immediate energy (carbohydrates). Better yet, make extra the next time you use a grain as a side dish, then show your teen that they can just warm it up in a frying pan with a little oil and build a snack or meal around a warm grain. PRO TIP: rotate your grains to keep diversity & variety in the diet, this will ensure more nutrient variety as well.

Think QUALITY not Quantity: Have you ever noticed how your teen might be able to chow down an entire box of puffed rice in a day or so, but give that kid a real, solid smoothie and they stay out of the kitchen for hours? This is because if a body is given processed foods that are virtually nutrient VOID, it will ask for more food. This is why we have a tendency to overeat when we rely on crackers, chips, cereal, bread, etc. for fuel. BUT if you give the body what it needs: NUTRIENTS, then it will feel satiated with nutrients and be able to function for more hours without needing a continuous top up. Believe me when I say this: you are doing your child NO FAVOURS by feeding them processed food. Sometimes, yes, ok, for sure, but all the time, this is the trap. The poor thing is also much more likely to suffer more mood swings, acne, body odor, and depression, when fuelled by non-foods, laced with chemicals and refined sugar. Now, I know we are not all perfect in this department, and that using whole foods 100% of the time means a LOT of time in the kitchen, but here’s your chance to teach your kids how to make their own food sooner than later (more on this below).

So now that we’ve gotten a few shopping tips out of the way, here’s what I really want to share with you: HOW YOU FEED YOUR RAVENOUS TEEN WILL TEACH THEM LONGTERM HOW TO FEED THEMSELVES. They are ready. They are not only ravenous for food; they are ravenous for independence, for autonomy, for knowledge; they are ravenous for the skills to be their own person. Here are some ways you can support them:

Feeding the Ravenous Teenager

Smoothies: Smoothies are saving us around here these days. As many times a week as I can, I make my son a smoothie for after school and I load it with protein, good carbs, nut/seed butter, some spinach or a greens powder, and coconut water or almond milk, and I’m telling you: on the days he gets a smoothie, he’s an entirely different human than on the days we forget. He can also make it himself, so if I’m not around, or am busy, he knows how to throw together a yummy, simple smoothie, and likes to jazz it up a little too. Here are some kid loving smoothies to try.

Food at Regular Intervals: Kids need food every 2-3 hours. Well, we all do, but growing bodies particularly. If this is a struggle for them, find creative ways to support them in making this a priority - set a timer on their phone, or put homemade granola bars in their pockets, and bananas in their hands as they run out the door. Too much time in between meals is a detrimental trap, especially for teenage bodies. When the blood sugars bottom out, this is when we make bad decisions about food, reach for sugar, and/or become a raging moody monster (you know exactly what I mean 😉). Talk to them about keeping their blood sugars stabilized and how this will affect their health, their mood, their mind, and the way they interact with the world.

Batch Cooking: As much as you can, have good food on hand. If there are homemade banana oat bars on the counter, a bowl of nuts on the table, and cut up veggies in the fridge beside the hummus, then your kids will reach for those. Yes, it’s extra work, but enlist their help on the weekends, put in an extra few minutes every night, and you may notice that it’s not as hard as you think. Better yet, jump in on my seasonal Batch Cooking classes and see how many amazing meals & snacks we can pull off in a weekend!

Nutrient Packed Snacks: As mentioned above, aim for snacks that are nutrient-dense, not just full of calories. Store bought anything is going to have a lesser nutrient value than something you make, but I realize it’s difficult to make everything from scratch. Choose wisely. Have fresh fruit, frozen berries, nut & seed mixes, muesli, coconut yogourt, etc. as options instead of too many boxes of 100+ unrecognizable ingredient non-foods. Teach your kids the difference and make suggestions for snacks so that they know what to reach for and when. My son knows exactly what the options are when he’s hungry before bed: banana, cashew yogourt + frozen berries, apple + almond butter, etc., so he doesn’t find himself staring into the fridge or slapping globs of honey onto a 4th piece of bread (Gah! 🙄).

Kids in the Kitchen: I cannot say this enough: teach them about good food, how to make good food, how to read food labels and consider macronutrient balance (carbs + protein + fat). Even if they seem uninterested, what you say and what you do inevitably will ring through for them in some ways. It’s worth the effort. Ask for their help with food preparation, set them to the task of chopping or stirring or making meal decisions. Better yet, let them make dinner once a month or once a week and watch their creative side flourish. Check out my kids classes if you think your teen might benefit from learning from someone other than you, we have a lot of fun and the kids really learn a lot & beam with pride afterwards!

Well, if you’ve made it to the end: GOOD FOR YOU!! I know this was a long blog, but hey, I am so passionate about feeding our kids well and setting them up for positive relationships with food, that I’ll talk about it until those purple cows come home. As my pre-teen moves into the teen years, expect to hear more from me about feeding ravenous teens 😊