Dietary tips for active teenage boys

Boys experience an average height growth of 30cm during puberty, reaching their final height at about 18 years. Some boys in their early teen years are concerned that they are too skinny and want to build up more muscle.

Unfortunately, weight training may not have a huge impact on muscle growth for young teens as boys don’t tend to start bulking up and building muscle until the later part of puberty (sometime between 15 and 18 years, depending on when puberty starts). The bulking up process is helped by the large amounts of testosterone being pumped out at that age.

Active teenage boys who are concerned they may be too thin need to make sure they are getting enough protein and good fats in their diet. Foods high in protein include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, legumes and beans. Good fats include olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and oily fish.

I’m not a big fan of protein bars as they often have a fair few synthetic ingredients added (hint: a long ingredients list is a red flag!). A quality protein powder is a better option for boys who would like to increase their protein intake and maintain muscle mass. Protein powders can be added to smoothies – a great combination is protein powder, banana, avocado, a handful of cashews, frozen fruit or a medjool date, a spoonful of chia seeds and water or milk. A couple of brands I like are Vital Protein and Amazonia Raw.

You could also get your teenager to have a go at making some protein-rich bliss balls!

Reference:

Viner RM, Allen NB & Patton GC, 2017, Child and adolescent health and development (3rd ed), Disease Control Priorities, Washington.