The Christmas holidays are approaching, with talk of turkey, brussels sprouts, and all the trimmings.
But for thousands of teenagers, their minds (and stomachs) are less focussed on traditional festive fare and more on burgers, pizzas, flavoured yoghurts and sugary cereals: in short, the kind of junk food which has surged in popularity in recent years thanks to aggressive marketing of cheap ultra-processed food. Ultra-processed foods are understood to be "highly-processed convenience foods and snacks, often energy-dense, poor in nutrients, and inclusive of various synthetic additives such as emulsifiers, colors, artificial sweeteners, and/or flavor enhancers".
A new report from the Centre for Young Lives has found that since 1995, young people are eating fewer fruit and vegetables, and more processed foods – therefore diets which are lacking in essential nutrition. 82% of 5 to 15-year-olds do not consume the recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables, and children aged 4 to 10 are consuming almost double their recommended daily sugar limits.
The report also highlights the challenges facing schools as they try to provide healthy food on limited budgets. As one researcher commented: “The closest thing you get to fruit is jelly.”
So far, so familiar. For the past five years, I have been running well-being workshops for teenagers and their parents in my role as an ambassador for SANE and Rethink Mental Illness. It has become clear to me, like so many others, that we need to encourage healthier eating among young people, not to mention more physical activity, as crucial routes to well-being and good mental health. This is particularly important as the Mental Health Foundation finds that 50% of mental health problems are established by the age of 14, and 75 per cent by the age of 24.
What is to be done?
Some change needs to be led by the government. As Henry Dimbleby, the former government food tsar and author of the National Food Strategy, has said, "We need the government to take decisive action to make healthy and sustainable food affordable, stem the constant flow of junk food and to realise that investing in children’s health is an investment in the future of the country".
But parents can make a difference too. How can we tempt our children away from junk food? It’s tough to encourage our teenagers to eat healthily. Parents are tired. Teenagers like junk food which 'hijacks' their taste buds with high levels of fats, sugars and oils, and they often feed themselves, out of our sight.
What’s the answer? Not to beat ourselves up about our limited ability to influence them through this period. We are no longer deciding what food they eat in the way we once did. We can reassure ourselves that this is a time of change, and their eating habits will too. I have learnt our best bet through this period is to be an example of someone who tries to eat healthily ourselves and avoids judging their food choices.
Just as we are trying to avoid value judgements around food choices for ourselves, we want to avoid judgement around our teenagers’ bodies and their food choices. Bodies are all different and all worthy of being respected. From my experience, if we say no to a particular food, our teenagers are likely either to rebel and eat more of it, or to become more anxious around that type of food.
Trust adolescents to choose what they want to eat; to have their own likes and dislikes; to choose when they have had enough; so that they get to know themselves and their own bodies. It follows that we want to be wary about promoting any new popular diets around the kitchen table, with lots of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’. Additionally, trying to avoid completely cutting out a food group, or ‘clean eating’, which recommends choosing organic foods in their less processed states, but which can be taken to an extreme whereby advocates aim to avoid all traces of any artificial colours or added sugar. Overly demonising ultra-processed foods only makes them more enticing.
Given the world in which we live, it’s inevitable that they will sometimes eat junk food (as will we). If we disparage unhealthy food, they will either rebel and eat more of it, or become anxious around it, which can lead to eating disorders, which are on the rise in teenage girls. A study published in 2023 found that since March 2020 the number of teenage girls with eating disorders was 42% higher than would be expected before the pandemic in those aged 13-16, and 32% higher in those aged 17-19.
Instead of berating them, and ourselves, for lapsing when we hungrily fall on a pizza, I have found focussing on balance helps to encourage a healthy diet. For example, I like to follow the 80 per cent rule. Try and provide healthy food 80 per cent of the time. Share with teenagers the joy of a ripe tomato exploding on their palate. We can provide at home the kind of mood-boosting fishcakes, sardines, salmon, mackerel, maybe some fish oil supplements, as well as nuts, seeds, live yoghurt and avocado. Put vegetables on the table first when teenagers are hungriest. Given the popularity of plant-based diets among teenagers, aim for a vegan base of beans or vegetables; then people can add eggs, meat or fish.
We can tempt them with recipes: here are two from my “Happy Kitchen: Good Mood Food” book that I’ve found tend to appeal to adolescents - they look tempting, and they soothe frazzled teenage nerves. First up is my jewelled guacamole and roasted peppers on rye bread, and second a calming green broth. Enjoy, and season’s greetings for a nourishing Christmas to all!
JEWELLED GUACAMOLE AND ROASTED PEPPERS ON RYE BREAD
This recipe brings out the best in the vegetables it contains. The peppers are deliciously sweet and the pomegranates add sparkle to the dish. What’s more, they are bursting with vitamin C and rich in fibre, which supports a healthy gut. You can normally find small pots of them in supermarkets, or buy the fruit and scoop out the seeds yourself. I have found it is another practice to do mindfully and with focus as a way of calming myself down. Don’t panic if you don’t have time or can’t get hold of any, though – the dish tastes good without them.
– Serves 1, with leftovers –
2 red, yellow or orange peppers, deseeded and sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 large ripe avocado
1⁄2 garlic clove, crushed
Squeeze of lemon juice
Handful of pomegranate seeds
2 slices of toasted rye bread, with added seeds if possible
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil and a little chopped parsley. Bake them for 20 minutes, turning them halfway through. We like them slightly charred on the outside.
3. Scoop out the avocado flesh and mash it together with the garlic paste and a dash of olive oil. We prefer it a little lumpy, but if you want a smooth consistency, mash away to your heart’s content.
4. Add a squeeze of lemon (not too much) and mix in the pomegranate seeds.
5. Once the peppers are cooked, you are ready to serve. Drizzle olive or hempseed oil over the hot toast, and then spread on the guacamole. Place the roasted peppers on top and add a sprinkle of parsley. The guacamole can be stored in the fridge but may go a little brown as the avocado oxidises, so it is better eaten the same day.
And second my calming green broth, which seems to have a soothing effect on me and my five children, possibly thanks to the magnesium the recipe contrains.
CALMING GREEN BROTH
You can be flexible with the green vegetables you use. Cauliflower, for example, works as well as broccoli, and you can replace the cavolo nero, which is Italian for black cabbage, with kale or cabbage. If you can’t find a bouquet garni, bundle up any spare bay, rosemary or thyme with string and make your own.
– Serves 2 –
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, roughly chopped
1 courgette, roughly chopped
100g broccoli, roughly chopped
Handful of fresh parsley,
Roughly chopped 4 garlic cloves,
500ml vegetable stock
1 bouquet garni
100g cavolo nero, kale or spring greens
100g spinach leaves
Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon tamari (optional)
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the leek, courgette and broccoli with the parsley and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the stock and bouquet garni.
3. Chop the greens or cavolo nero into strips (the broth won’t be blended, so keep them quite small) and add them to the pan too. Don't stir them in – let them sit on top.
4. Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down to low and leave it to simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. About 4 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the spinach leaves. These will wilt quickly.
6. If you like a little more spice, you can add the tamari and chilli flakes. Remember to take out the bouquet garni before serving.