provide a variety of healthful foods at home and to
make family mealtimes a priority.
In the average adolescent’s diet, the intake of fo-
late, iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamins A and B6 is in-
adequate. Consumption of green leafy and dark
orange vegetables, whole grains, lean meat and forti-
fied breakfast cereals, and low-fat dairy products will
provide these nutrients and should be advocated. Al-
though vitamin and mineral supplements can appear
to be an easy solution, these do not provide other nu-
trients, such as fiber, which are found naturally in
food. The best insurance for good health is to eat a
variety of foods and enough to meet daily needs. In-
take of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and
sugar tends to be excessive. Obesity is an increasingly
prevalent problem among adolescents and is contrib-
uted to by little physical activity and intake of high ca-
loric, low-nutrient foods. Other nutritional concerns
include inadequate intake of fruits, vegetables, and
calcium-rich foods; excessive intake of soft drinks; un-
safe weight loss practices; iron-deficiency anemia in
girls; eating disorders; and hyperlipidemia, including
high blood cholesterol.
Government Nutrition Assistance
Programs
There are several government nutrition assis-
tance programs that are available in health centers or
clinics, schools, child-care centers, and licensed day-
care homes. These programs assist families in meet-
ing the nutritional needs of their children.
The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Low
Income Women, Infants, and Children is a govern-
ment program that provides nutrition education,
vouchers for food, and referral for services for eligible
women and children. Eligibility includes having a nu-
tritional risk and an income that is less than the pov-
erty level multiplied by 1.85.
The Child and Adult Care Food Program pro-
vides reimbursement to child-care providers—child-
care centers and family day-care homes—for each
child to have two meals and a snack. The provider
must follow menu guidelines and report the menus in
order to be reimbursed.
The National School Meal Program (NSMP),
which includes lunch, breakfast, and special milk, is
offered in almost every school in the country. The
lunch provides one-third of a child’s daily nutrient re-
quirements; when breakfast is also provided, 40 per-
cent of the requirements are met. If a school does not
have a cafeteria, food may be brought in from a cen-
tral kitchen or at least the special milk program will
be available. With the increase of after-school pro-
grams, the NSMP is assisting in providing snacks for
those programs. In the summer when school is not in
session, day camps, recreation centers, and schools
can sponsor the Summer Food Program, which pro-
vides lunches for children to eligible programs.
The Food Stamp Program was designed to pro-
vide coupons or electronic benefits to people with low
incomes for the purchase of eligible food items. In-
come, household size, assets, housing costs, work re-
quirements, and other factors determine eligibility
and allotments. A study of data gathered in fiscal year
1998 found that 52.8 percent of all participants were
children (age eighteen or younger).
See also: EXERCISE; MALNUTRITION; OBESITY;
WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDRENBibliography
Clark, Nancy. Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 2nd edition.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1996.
Dietz, William H., and Lorraine Stern, eds. Guide to Your Child’s Nu-
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Habits for Life. New York: Villard, 1989.
‘‘Frequently Asked Questions [about Food Stamps].’’ In the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service [web
site]. Washington, DC, 2001. Available from http://
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/menu/faqs/faqs.htm; INTERNET.
Story, Mary, Katrina Holt, and Denise Sofka, eds. Bright Futures in
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U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and
Promotion. Tips for Using the Food Guide Pyramid for Young Chil-
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of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion,
1999.
‘‘Your Guide to Nutrition and Health Information on Federal Gov-
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INTERNET.
Stacy L. Dubit
Janice Dodds
Nicole B. Knee286 NUTRITION