Expert: Ryan Hale - 4/7/2009

Question
QUESTION: I'm 13 and I do eat but when we eat meals I don't eat a lot. But in between
meals I eat snacks very small snacks.


ANSWER: Courtney- You don't give me a lot of details about your eating to go on...but, here is some advice.  At 13 you are building your body to be healthy.  It may not seem important now, but the calcium needed for your skeleton is being made strong now.  It is only made strong during your teenage years and has to last you the rest of your life!  You are also developing health habits that you will carry with you into your twenties.

Eating small meals and snaking a bit in between is fine (as long as the meals aren't too tiny#.  Our bodies are actually made to accommodate many different kinds of food and to eat little meals throughout the day.  So don't restrict foods and make sure you are snaking between meals.  You don't have to eat a ton at meal time but make sure you are eating an amount at least the size of your hand and that it is at least a few bites of this and a few bites of that.  So mix it up.  One thing my nutritionist friend told me is to see how many different colors you can eat in one meal.  I used to think it was a dumb idea, but now my friends and I actually have a contest when we fix meals together, to see how many different colors we can fix #I always choose salads to fix because I can add 3 or 4 different leafy veggies, carrots, raw beets, 4 different colored peppers, some grilled chicken or turkey, tofu or nuts...I always win and its fun to see how many different colors you can really come up with#!

You should also be finding activities you like.  If you are out for team sports that's great...if you aren't into playing sports or being on a team, summer time is right around the corner and that means lots of city recreation departments will be offering new activities.  For a small amount, you can take golf lessons, tennis, swimming, dance, yoga, or you can get out on your bike, jog or walk, etc.  Don't try to put your self on a workout program, just find something you like to do and do it for fun...the fitness will just sort of happen on its own.  I knew a girl who had put herself on many diets and with no success.  Finally, she came to my office and it was obvious she had lost weight.  I asked her what she had done and she couldn't' think of anything...she hadn't even changed her eating habits.  I asked her what was new with her life and she told me she had rescued a dog from the local shelter.  She reported that after school she would walk and walk the dog all around her community...to the park, around the neighborhood, all over the place.  Well, that was the difference!  She was off the couch walking.  She found an activity she enjoyed and didn't even realize it was exercise!

My daughter recently joined a kids swimming team.  I realized that the only way I could find time to work out #since I was sitting and waiting for her to swim each day# was to start swimming too.  So a few times a week I swim laps #quite poorly I might add# at the other end while she is practicing with her team.  I never knew I liked swimming since I never did it but it's good fun even though I'm not setting any records.

So, use your resources in you community and get online or go to the city rec department and see what's being offered.  Talk to your folks about wanting to eat healthy and seeing if they can include you on the choices for food at the store.  Tell them what your are interested in  and see if you can take part in deciding and picking it out.  You're old enough at 13 to even pick a night of the week and cook for everyone #it doesn't matter if they like it or not...they should still support you#.  If they know you are wanting to eat and be healthy they will worry less and if they are complaining about your eating habits, they will most likely back off because they see you are taking an active role in your health.

If you think you have a problem with food, your school's counselor, your family physician, or even a health teacher can point you in the right direction so you can see an eating disorders counselor and/or a nutritionist.  let me know if I can answer any other questions for you!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I bake and I cheer 6days a week and in the summer I volenteer at the
community library. But sometimes I don't even eat. Just because I'm not
hungry.

Answer
Courtney- the cheering is fine for activity.  There are also activities you can do to help the activity you enjoy.  For example, I said in my first letter that you should do something you enjoy and it won't seem like work right?  Well, there are also activities that may not be as fun as your favorite but will help you do your favorite activity and therefore won't seem so bad.  For instance, I love cycling.  I don't love lifting weights or running as much as I like cycling.  However, in the winter and on days with bad weather, I know that I can stay fit with a short run or I can be a better cyclist if I lift weights on occasion.  So, find something to go along with the cheering, when you aren't cheering: yoga, dance, lifting weights.

For the library job, ride your bike, jog, or walk to get there.  If it's too far, have your folks drop you off part way or take the bus part way to get there and then walk or jog.

As for your eating, when you aren't burning a lot of calories, you may not feel hungry on those days.  Your body is like a machine though and you need to fuel it properly.  When you are doing cheer, you need to eat.  I hear a lot of people who have an eating disorder that they "just forgot to eat," or it made their stomach hurt to eat.  Those are excuses used because people don't think anyone would expect them to eat if their stomach hurt right?  Or if you simply forgot then that's a honest mistake.  Bull sh..  Those are just excuses!

Remember too, you skin and complexion will benefit from a clean and healthy diet.  Where do you think your skin cells get their nutrients?  I had a friend who had a horrible diet and spent a ton of money on beauty products and skin care products.  Finally, a skin care specialist asked about her diet and was surprised to find out that she ate horribly.  The specialist said that her skin was a mirror for what was going on inside her body as well.  So keep that in mind too.

You work at a library and to bake?  I'll bet there are all kinds of cook books there, even ones on vegetarian or healthy eating.  If not, there is a whole section of Barnes and Noble and Borders that is dedicated to healthy eating.  You should tell you cheer squad teammates you'll cook for them sometime...or better yet have each of them kick in $5 or $10 to help pay for the groceries and make it a team ritual to have dinner once a week at your house or someone else's house.  Make it known that everything will be from the "healthy" side of the menu.  

There are even kits that have all the stuff to make your own sushi, there are options for healthy homemade pizza (I'll bet with your baking skills you could make a really great whole wheat crust), salads, fajitas and tacos.  The possibilities are endless.

I am concerned though...is there anyone on the team with an eating disorder?  Be honest.  I find that athletes who have eating disorders are on teams with teammates who have eating disorders.  It can be like a cancer on a team and it is a very toxic situation you need to watch out for!