Fad Diet Danger – Why Teens MUST Avoid These At All Costs

Low carb, no carb, low fat, no fat, grapefruit only, anything but grapefruit….who can keep track?!?  There are so many diet fads out there and the list grows by a few hundred every day.  It seems not a minute goes by without someone coming up with yet another way to lose weight…albeit temporary…by recommending you either restrict certain parts of your diet or eat particular thing in excess.  

What ever happened to “everything in moderation?”

Well, if the fact that tens of millions of Americans are unsuccessfully riding this wave of diet misinformation isn’t bad enough, the recently disturbing rise in teens following in their parents footsteps is even worse.  Now, not to dismiss my parents and coaches out there reading this but I’m sure you can understand that my heightened concern for this in the kids is justified.  

You guys will be alright.  With the exception of that “one guy” that we all know that still thinks it’s cool to party with their teens friends as if it were his first visit to a frat house…most of us are already fully developed biologically and capable of making decisions that we are responsible for.  If you want to follow the Atkins diet (even though you’re destined to fail since you’re depriving your brain of the number one source of fuel it needs in it’s natural form!) then go right ahead.  You’re big boys and girls.  

Just remember…when you can’t take another day of eating bacon and eggs and hamburgers without the buns…and you start to have visions of white bread dancing in your head at night, you will have heard it from me first!

But that’s not the point.  What is is the fact that teens following this same bad advice is incredibly disturbing…for many reasons. The worst is the fact that during the teenage years, the body is undergoing it’s most significant developmental  and hormonal changes, and at the quickest rate (including infancy!).  Screwing with this delicate internal lab experiment in ANY way is probably going to result in the same kind of chaos as when you and your buddy thought it was a good idea to see who could get the bigger flame on their Bunsen Burner (or was that just me?!?).

Anway, back to the matter at hand.  If there was ever a time to GET IT RIGHT with your nutrition it’s NOW…in your teenage years!

The stage for many of your body’s long term developments are set during these crucial 6-7 years.  Making continued mistakes as a teenager can doom you to a life of repercussions that can make adulthood much different than it was intended to be.  For instance, there’s no more crucial time to build bone density than during your teens with adequate nutritional supplies of calcium and Vitamin D.  

Even though you may not ever experience one hint of backlash for falling short in getting these nutrients as say a fifteen year old, your 45 year old version of yourself is going to be cursing you out as being “young and stupid” every day they get out of bed and their knees, ankles and back resemble the joints of a person twice their age.

Same with iron.  Ignoring the right foods to get your minimal supply of daily iron can lead to anemia, lack of energy, decreased strength, and about a million other things that would top the “What NOT to do if you’re an Athlete” list.

And it goes the other way as well…with teens erring to the side of excess as well.  I can’t tell you what a growing problem doing TOO MUCH rather than too little has become in the teens I am put in contact with for training.  Workouts are being done sometimes 7 days a week, and if you’d believe….sometimes even twice a day during the Summer when they have the time?!?  

Crazy and utterly nonproductive to getting results.  But we live in the era of “more is better” and “faster is best”.  Everything is instant.  Instant oatmeal.  Instant Messages.  Instant pudding!  I mean, would you be caught dead on a dial-up modem now?!?

Didn’t think so.  But in some cases, the wait is worth it and when it comes to teen development (that’s responsible for setting up a lifetime of living healthy) it’s critical.  

It’s funny….I even get asked now at least 10 times a day how to get 8 pack abs!  Since when did a 6 pack become a bad thing?  Since Taylor Lautner showed off his extra 2 on the freaking teen vampire movies and now all hell broke loose!  The worst part is that some of the dietary restrictions that kids are now attempting to try and strip the fat fast enough to look good at their buddies pool party and show off his “8 pack in waiting” are leaving long term developmental scars that will be impossible to recover from.

I guess I’m just saying that as we move further and further into the era of instant gratification the need to slooooowww down the tendency of teens to follow this practice in their nutritional habits has never been greater.  Stop looking for shortcuts in crazy diets and dangerous supplements, and instead learn what long term solutions you can start implementing NOW that will give you not only a boost in your performance  in this weekend’s upcoming game, but more importantly….set the stage for you to enjoy the opportunity to try and relive those moments well into adulthood as you stay active, energetic and strong for years to come!

Stay Strong,

Jeff