When gaining weight is a natural part of adolescent development, for some teenagers it is a real challenge. Gaining weight during the teenage years can be a real problem due to various factors like high metabolism, picky eating habits, or medical conditions. That is why focusing on healthy habits is more important than solely gaining weight. In this blog, let’s discover more about the causes, remedial measures, and some dos and don’ts. Als,o find out more on some of the healthy alternatives to gain weight.
Reasons Why Weight Gain Is a Challenge for Teens
Teens may struggle to gain weight due to some combined factors like high metabolism, intense physical activity, underlying medical conditions, or mental health issues like eating disorders and depression, which can affect the appetite and eating habits. Here are some of the potential causes.
- High Metabolism – Teens who naturally have faster metabolism can burn more calories even at rest, which makes it hard for them to gain weight.
- High Physical Activity – Athletes or individuals who engage in frequen,t intense exercise and burn more calories than they consume may find it difficult to gain weight.
- Poor Diet – Teens may not be consuming enough calories or nutrients to support healthy weight gain. They often skip meals, eat unhealthily, and lack essential nutrients in their diet.
- Medical Conditions – Sometimes medical conditions like celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, hormonal imbalances, diabetes, infections or other chronic illnesses can interfere with weight gain.
- Malabsorption – A condition in which the body has an inferior ability to absorb essential nutrients needed for healthy weight management, can also be a potential challenge in adults.
- Regular Medications – If teens are on regular medication for underlying health issues, it may interfere with their ability to gain weight.
- Eating Disorders – Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and other eating disorders can have a great impact on weight and growth. This may lead to malnutrition
- Family Genetics – Some teens may have a genetic predisposition to a naturally lean body type, making it hard for gain weight.
- Depression and Anxiety – Mental health conditions like depression and anxiety can affect appetite and eating habits, leading to weight loss and weight gain.
- Body positive – Teens often struggle with their body image issues and start to develop unhealthy behaviours to control their weight, which directly leads to poor weight gain.
- Other Hardships – limited access to nutritious food and health care because of family situations and social hardships can also impact the ability to gain weight.
Dos and Don’ts
Do’s
- Gradually introduce new foods in small portions until they get used to it.
- Include more starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, bread, or rice in meals.
- Slowly increase the intake of healthy fats such as grated cheese to meals, and also porridge with milk.
- You can give them high-calorie drinks like smoothies or milkshakes in between their meals.
- Encourage your kids to eat healthy, but make the food look more attractive for them, try it.
- Include healthy snacks like yoghurts, breadsticks, and small sandwiches for them to eat in between meals.
- Make sure they get enough vitamins like A, C, and D.
Dont’s
- Do not stop them from having physical activities, it will strengthen and develop their bones and muscles.
- Do not rely on unhealthy foods for weight gain, you can swap cakes and chips with banana or cheese on crackers.
- Do not give them any other drinks or snacks before eating, cause they might get too full and eat fewer nutrients.
- Do not get frustrated when they are not able to eat everything that is given to them.
What to Do
- Consult a Doctor – If you are worried about your teen’s growth, it’s essential to visit a doctor and take healthcare advice.
- Be supportive and understanding – Create an environment for your child to feel supported and comfortable where they can discuss how they are feeling and the problems that they are facing.
- Encourage healthy eating habits – Make sure your teen has a balanced diet with the needed calories and nutrients.
- Motivate Them to Have Physical Activities – Encourage your child to have moderate physical activities, which would support their overall health and well-being.
Address Their Mental Health Concerns – talk to your kids when they are feeling down and sad. And this would lessen their mental stress and make them feel at ease.