For a human being, there is a different time span called different names. The teenage years are from 10 years to 19 years. These years are extremely important for a child to build up their body because it is the stage of childhood and adulthood going through building muscle, puberty, growing taller, becoming more independent, and learning important skills.
Most teens don’t have a proper routine for their meals. Some eat too much, and many others don’t have adequate access to healthy foods. But they have to understand that it’s an important phase of life to eat enough calories each day to have proper growth, daily activities, and learning.
Normally the amount of calories depends on age, gender, and activity level. A 14-year-old female needs about 2000 calories per day, and for a male, it would be 2400 calories per day. But again, these amounts can increase depending on activity level.
This article will help you understand how much a 14-year-old teen should eat and eat better for optimum growth and nourishment.
How Much Food Should 14-year-old Eat?
There are a lot of charts you can follow and create your food routine. You can find calorie estimates for teenagers based on age, activity level, and gender. You can add extra food items according to your level.
There is no need to follow these charts strictly as a teenager. Different teens have different diet plans for them, but these charts can help you get started on the right path. At the age of 14, a teen doesn’t need to track calories very hardly. They have to take as much nutritious food they can have.
Recommended Calorie Intakes for Teenagers:
Boys Calorie Recommendations:
| Age | Not Active | Moderately Active | Active |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 2,000 | 2,200 | 2,600 |
| 14-15 | 2,000 – 2,200 | 2,400 – 2,600 | 2,800 – 3,000 |
| 16-18 | 2,400 | 2,800 | 3,200 |
| 19 | 2,600 | 2,800 | 3,000 |
Girls Calorie Recommendations:
| Age | Not Active | Moderately Active | Active |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1,600 | 2,000 | 2,200 |
| 14-18 | 1,800 | 2,000 | 2,400 |
| 19 | 2,000 | 2,200 | 2,400 |
Activity Levels:
- Not Active – People who done minimum activity, similar to daily movements (walking, stairs, chores, etc.).
- Moderately Active – People who do normal daily activities plus 30-40 minutes of physical activity.
- Active – People who do standard daily activities and thereupon done the physical activity of 40+ minutes.
Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020
How Many Calories Does 14-Year-Old Need Per Day?
Again, Teens have to know that the necessity of calories depends on the various conditions of the teenager. Around 2,400 to 2,600 calories are needed for a moderately active 14-year old male per day, and about 2,000 calories need a female of 14-years old per day. These amounts are just made based on different researches, and it should be accurate with a maximum teen of 14-year old. More or fewer calories are needed, supported physical activity amounts per day.
What 2000-2400 calories looks like in a day:
At the age of 14, teens mostly take meals their home. They will take help from their family, make a proper food plan, and obtain the needed amount of calories. It would be better to divide the calorie recommendations into 3 meals and 1-3 snacks per day to stay up with their calorie and nutrient needs. Meals could be about 500-700 calories each, and snacks could be about 100-300 calories.
In this guide, we have added a one-day sample menu plan idea. After reading this, you will know what the amount of calories looks like in a day from a balance of healthy and delicious food.
Here’s a Sample Meal Plan For 14-Year Old Girl at 2,000 Calories:
- Breakfast: 1 tablespoon peanut butter and 1/2 cup oatmeal made with 1 tablespoon chia seeds, plus 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 cup of 1% milk, and1 banana. 534 calories.
- Lunch: 1/2 cup pretzels, Chicken pesto wrap, 1/2 cup cucumbers. 511 calories.
- Snack: 6 whole wheat crackers, 1/4 cup hummus, and 1 cup celery baby/sticks carrots. 190 calories
- Dinner: 1 cup green salad with 1 tablespoon dressing, two slices of veggie pizza, orange slices, and 1 cup of 1% milk. 599 calories.
- Snack: 8 oz low-fat Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup mixed berries and 2 tablespoons granola. 173 calories
- Total: You will have 2,007 calories and a protein of 126 grams.
Sample Menu Plan For 14-Year-Old Boy at 2,400 Calories:
- Breakfast: Just 2 cups veggie/fruit smoothie, 2 eggs, and 2 slices of whole-wheat toast with avocado. (561 calories)
- Lunch: 1/2 cup sugar snap peas, 1/2 cup grapes, chicken salad sandwich on a whole wheat bun. (630 calories)
- Snack: PB&J sandwich. (350 calories)
- Dinner: veggie lasagna and 1 cup meat, one slice garlic bread, 1 cup skim milk, 1 cup broccoli. (705 calories)
- Snack: dried fruit and a small handful of trail mix. (173 calories)
- Total: You will gain about 2,419 calories.
What are the proper foods for 14-year-old teen?
The diet plan is normally made based on teenage, physical ability, and many other things. But there is some constant food item that will help teens build up their bodies with proper nutrients, such as fruits and vegetables, dairy or dairy alternatives, whole grains, healthy fats, and protein foods. A teen can make his meal plan with this food and have these foods at different times regularly. Some foods need to avoid for a teen and maintain a diet of high nutrients. A teen needs to take a high amount of minerals, vitamins, and fiber and take a low amount of salt, saturated fats, and sugars.
A Healthy, Balanced Diet for Teenagers Includes:
Whole Grains and Starchy Foods: You can have 6-8 servings per day. A serving means 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup of cooked grains, etc. Whole-wheat bread/pasta/crackers, sweet potatoes, oats, brown rice, quinoa also you can choose.
Dairy Products: 2-3 servings per day is enough. A serving size is about 1 cup. Low-fat dairy products (skim or 1% fat) of milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese are the best ones to choose from for dairy. You can also have fortified dairy alternatives.
Fruit and Vegetables: You must have 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruits in a day. The size of one’s fist or 1 cup is a serving size. Don’t take the same fruits and vegetables every time. Try different colors and types, and textures of food every day.
Protein foods: 4-7 servings per day. 1 ounce of cooked meat, 1/4 cup cooked beans, 1/2 ounce seeds or nuts, or 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 egg, is equal to a serving.
Limited amount of sodium, sugar, and saturated fat: These items make you stronger, but only if you take these at a limit. There are some bad effects also. Your fat will increase if you take it more than your limitation. A teen should limit foods with too much sugar, fat, salt, and highly processed foods. These food items need to be taken as an occasional food items, not regular. Except that, it would create more problems than benefits.
How Parents Can Help Their 14-Year-Old Teen Eat Better
It is hard, and parents need to be very active to give proper food to their children. It is important to give so many nutrients to the teen at this age. But kids don’t know any information about nutrients and calories. That’s why it’s an important duty for the parents to confirm their kids get enough nutrients. Parents must understand that teen’s bones are strengthening at these times, and other specific parts of the body are developing like brains are sharpening, muscles are growing, etc. To do these actions, teens need a lot of nutrients and calories.
Try your best to feed your teenager at a balance of proper healthy food. There are no foods to stop eating but give less processed snacks and treats and fatty foods. It would work better if parents can balance occasional food like burgers, pizza, and fries with healthier foods like fruits and vegetables.
How Can 14-Year-Old Gain Weight?
Some high-calorie food could be added to their diet by an underweight teenager to gain weight. Any physician must recommend these foods. But you can’t take any extra fatty foods like ice cream or pizza. You can choose full-fat milk food items like cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, milk, nuts, nut butter, seeds, and avocados.
- Make a plan to eat 3 meals per day and 1-3 snacks. Try not to skip meals.
- Make meals with starchy carbohydrates like grains, potatoes, rice.
- It would be better to include protein at each meal, such as eggs, beans, lean meat, fish.
- If there are underlying medical, emotional, or mental problems, check in with a doctor or dietitian.
- 5 servings of vegetables and fruits each day you must try to eat.
How Can 14-Year-Old Gain Muscle?
The same recommendation goes for the teen who wants to build muscle from this age. He has to eat most nutrients foods in every meal and snack. Lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and starchy carbs must be on focus with a balanced diet. For every meal and snack, he must take protein to gain strength in his body.
Gain muscle is not a very easy task to do. A teen needs to be very determined because he has to maintain his life in a routine. Besides food, he has to exercise more and more to get e good shape of his body. He can exercise regularly, including some strength training, cardio, and stretches. At this age, a teen doesn’t need to take any protein powder or any supplements.
But you need more protein; you can make protein in your home. You only need Greek yogurt, flax, nut butter, chia seeds, and milk to make homemade protein shakes.
How Can 14-Year-Old Lose Weight?
For a teenager, there is no matter of tension about his weight. Their goal must be to keep their weight up according to their age. It would be best for a teen to manage a doctor or a dietitian to track his weight regularly. If his weight graph is going downwards, then it would be a matter of tension.
Teenagers shouldn’t restrict themselves to take more calories or nutrients. It could cause harm to their growth and development. Because in these years, a teen’s body is started to grow, and a teen gain strength. If a teen becomes overweight, he should contact a physician or dietitian to make a proper diet plan to focus on nutritious foods. He must have to do more physical activity and have to eat a proper amount of food.
Eating smart is a good way to build up a teenager’s body. There is no need to eating less or more if he can maintain eating smartly. There are some cases where a teen needs to lower his weight, but he needs to do it after getting a recommendation from a doctor or a physician.
There is so much task for the parents of overweight teenagers. They must healthy changes for the whole family, without targetting only the overweight teen. Teenage time is a great time learning for teenagers to make a good habit of taking proper foods. Teenagers also can learn to make healthier food for themselves on their own.
Tips for Parents of Overweight Teens:
- Encourage every one of the family to do exercise every day.
- Never make your child more depressed by talking negatively about their weight and encouraging avoiding dieting before your family.
- Fruits and vegetables must be on hand as quick snacks that teens can easily access to eat.
- Make healthier options for quick meals and snacks such as single-servings of hummus, yogurt, cheese, trail mix, etc.
- Please encourage your children by Talking with them about body image. It doesn’t matter how their body size is or weight.
- All the family members, including children, must be there and it would be better if they are helping their parents.
- Stop buying junk foods for the family. Look after the foods that are bought from the grocery store and come into the home. Try to buy more nutritious foods from the store and make a habit to their children to eat them.
How Much Sugar Should 14-Year-Old Eat?
Teens must ensure that they shouldn’t take more than 25 grams of added sugar per day because the American Heart Association recommends not to have more than 25 grams equal to 6 teaspoons worth. There can be hidden sugar in many foods like dips, sauces, yogurt, bread, etc. Teens and their parents must take steps to maintain the recommended sugar to their teens.
Here are some examples of what 6 teaspoons of sugar looks like (a whole day’s worth):
- 6 Oreo cookies
- 44 M&M candies
- 8 oz of soda
- 3/4 cup vanilla ice cream
- 3 tablespoons of pancake syrup
- 2 (6 oz) containers Yoplait yogurt
This list shows that it is not so difficult to hit the recommended mark of 6 teaspoons. You don’t have to eat too many sweets to get the proper sugar. There is no need to eat all these listed food items in one day; rather, eat any one of them in one day. It will be enough for the teen to have 25 grams of sugar a day. It is tricky to have added sugars, but taking less processed foods will lower your sugar intake.
You must check the labels of added sugar and look at ingredient lists of the food before buying any foods that have include sugar. Many food items have included sugar, such as corn syrup, high fructose, fruit juice concentrate, honey, molasses, sucrose, maltose, agave, high fructose, cane sugar, etc.
Related Questions:
How Much Protein Does 14-Year-Old Need in a Day?
Teenagers who are active in physical activity need about 0.45 to 0.6 grams of protein according to per pound of body weight each day. And those who are less active should take about 0.3 to 0.4 grams of protein according to per pound of body weight each day. The scientist said after much research that if teens regularly eat 3 times a day, it will be enough for a teen to have his recommended protein.
If you want to find the actual amount of protein you need in a day, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.45 or 0.6. It is not very hard to take their protein recommendations for teenagers.
How Many Calories Should Teenagers Eat?
Normally the amount of calories is calculated based on the teen’s age, activity level, size, and gender. But about 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day is recommended for the average teenager. You can look at the chart at the top of this article to have a specific recommendation.
How Can Teenagers Bulk Up?
There is no way to get bulk up from teenage without leading a routine life. Teens need to have a healthy eating pattern, and they should focus more on starchy carbohydrates, lean proteins, and vegetables and fruits. With that, teens must do daily extreme exercise. It is so much important to keep your body fit according to age and weight. They need to eat about 15 grams of snacks and 20 to 30 grams of protein at every meal.
You have to follow more articles, guides, or magazines to know more about bodybuilding and fitness. Teenagers need to give more attention to gyms and training than taking more protein. They can take help and know about it from their trainer or physician. Above all, teens must remember that protein supplements are not necessary than exercise.
What are the Best Foods for Teenage Boys?
There are a lot of foods around to eat for teenagers. But to be in good shape and fit for the rest of life, teenagers need to select foods and eat carefully. Some of the best food items are fish, lean meats, eggs, beans and legumes, oatmeal, yogurt, nuts, seeds, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, avocados, and various colorful fruits.
References: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020
-our editorial board has reviewed this article and has been approved for publication according to our editorial policy.
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