Let’s face it; with all the difficulties faced by teens in this day and age, there is no sense in adding ‘being fat’ to the list. If you are a teenager or have a teenager in your life, it pays to begin working toward a healthy weight now or maintaining a healthy weight if your particular teenager is at a healthy weight already.

As with any other subject, peer pressure about weight loss, fat loss, or body image in general can influence teens; whether that influence results in good or bad habits remains to be seen, and as parents and members of society, we should all try to help our teens reach maturity in as good health as possible.

The best way for teens to reach and/or maintain a healthy weight is to enjoy a healthy diet and exercise. Fortunately for most teens, this is easier than it sounds. With youth come three major advantages: strength, agility, and energy. Putting those three natural abilities to work can help ensure that you – the teenaged reader – or the beloved young adult in your life – can be healthy and at a reasonable body weight.

One of the most important ways to get or remain healthy is to get exercise. Again, this is not really all that difficult for most teens. Schools all have extra-curricular activities available, and the great majority of them involve sports or other active participation. If you are a teen who wants to reach a healthy weight or make sure you don’t get too fat, one of the best things you an do for yourself is get involved in soccer or softball or basketball or some other action-related extra-curricular activities.

The next thing you should really do is learn about proper nutrition and then put that knowledge to work for you. That is not to say that you can absolutely never cross through the golden arches and indulge in some French fries. Everyone knows that teenagers are going to sometimes eat fast food, but the key is to limit that kind of food consumption. Going for the greasy burger or pepperoni pizza every once in a while is okay, but don’t forget that vegetables and lean meats are also delicious and good for you, too.

Combining healthy foods like green veggies, lean meats like chicken, and high fiber cereals with an active lifestyle is the best way for teens to break the Goldilocks syndrome. Your weight won’t be too low or too high; it can be just right.

A fair amount of dieters often make the mistake of thinking that if they remove the meat, they remove the calories. Unfortunately, many often substitute nuts, nut butters and high fat cheese for protein. Without the meat, it’s very hard to get enough iron and zinc – 2 vital nutrients that help you maintain your energy and performance levels. Don’t short-change yourself when making nutritionally unhelpful sacrifices. Always shop smart instead.

1.  In beef, some of the leanest cuts are flank, sirloin, and tenderloin. The leanest cut of pork is fresh, cured, canned, and boiled ham; Canadian side bacon; pork tenderloin; rib chops; and roast. Lean cuts of lamb includes roasts, legs and chops; white meat poultry is lower in fat than dark meat.

2.  Any meat labeled “select” is a leaner cut than meat graded as “choice.”

3.  Both ground turkey and ground chicken can contain the skin, which makes it high in fat & calories. Always look for ground chicken or turkey meat for the lowest amount of fat. While ground turkey breast is lower then both.

4.  It isn’t necessary to remove the skin of chicken before cooking, which sacrifices juiciness. The chicken will not absorb the fat or calories. But always be sure to remove the skin before eating

5.  Turkeys that are self-basting have the fat injected into the meat. These types of meat are best avoided by dieters.

6.  Always buy water packed tuna and sardines rather than those that are packed in oil.