FRESH SOLUTIONS
SWAPPING JUNK FOOD FOR FRUIT AND VEGIES CAN CUT TEENS’ RISK OF GETTING THE BLUES, WRITES SUE DUNLEVY
Teenagers who slash the amount of sugary drinks they consume and swap junk food for fruit and vegetables could cut their risk of depression and anxiety.
It would also provide the protein and calcium they need for the huge growth spurt they experience during these years.
“During adolescence, it’s equivalent to the first 1000 days of life. Every body system is changing and growing and maturing, and they really need to eat well during that time to be able to develop as best as they can for the rest of their lives,” University of Sydney dietitian Dr Stephanie Partridge said.
Her team is researching ways to help teens improve their diet using tech.
DIET DON’TS
Forty-one per cent of Aussies teens’ energy intake comes from junk foods, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Only 2 per cent of male teens and 7 per cent of teenage girls eat the five and a half serves of vegetables they need each day, while seven in 10 teenagers are drinking sugarsweetened drinks.
Obesity is a problem for more than a quarter of teens.
In Dr Kean-Seng Lim’s western Sydney clinic, the figure is closer to 60 per cent.
On the flip side, adolescence is a period where some teens become vulnerable to eating disorders such as anorexia.
Monash University eating disorder expert Associate Professor Gemma Sharp said “people around young people should be looking out for any major changes in eating habits”.
“Big increases in exercise, being overly focused on their bodies and ‘health’, changes in appearance and clothing style, becoming more anxious, depressed and withdrawn … those kinds of issues tend to indicate that this young person needs help,” she said.
Prof Sharp recommends seeing a doctor as soon as these warning signs appear.
MIND AND BODY IMPACT
Australian research, which followed young adults for 15 years, linked junk food diets to Australia’s surging mental health problems.
“The more ultra-processed foods you eat, the more your risk for developing depression and anxiety over time,” Deakin University’s nutritional psychiatry researcher Dr Melissa Lane said.
“Australians who ate the most ultraprocessed food had about a 23 per cent higher risk of depression.” Ultra-processed foods generally contain emulsifiers, non-sugar sweeteners and other ingredients typically not used in home cooking.
Fruit juices, flavoured yoghurts, margarine, pre-made food packets, ready-to-heat-and-eat pasta dishes – even diet shakes and bars – these all fall into that category and all put you at risk, Dr Lane said.