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Happy Tummy Expert

1 year ago

Hi Alok,

Thank you for your question.

Adolescence or teen age is a critical period of our lives in which our body undergoes rapid changes, growth and development. It is very essential to consume a healthy balanced diet with adequate amount of protein and other nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin D etc., which will help support growth, development, pubertal changes and strong bones. 

Reference ideal body weight for 17-year-old male can be considered as 56.5 kg with 170 cm height. 

In any weight management programme, it is very essential to consume a healthy diversified balanced diet with few dietary modifications and regular physical activity. For weight gain it is essential to focus on your daily balanced diet with high calorie, high protein and regular meals. With any weight gain diet, changes take time to reflect as your body requires sufficient time to adapt to the changes in order to show results.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of protein for 16-18-year old male is 55g per day. Here are some vegetarian sources of protein  

• Legumes: lentils, beans (chickpeas, kidney, mung, pinto etc.), peas (green, split, etc.), soybeans (and products made from soy: tofu, tempeh, etc.), peanuts.

• Nuts and Seeds: almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, hemp seeds, squash and pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds.
• Whole Grains:  wheat, quinoa, rice, wild rice, millet, oats, buckwheat,
• Other: while many vegetables and fruits contain some level of protein, it’s generally in smaller amounts than the other plant-based foods. Some examples with higher protein quantities include corn, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, and artichokes.

Here are few guidelines that can be considered

• Having a Healthy Diversified Balanced Diet that includes all the food groups in the right quantity which thereby provides you with all the essential macro and micro nutrients that your body requires daily for proper functioning. Include energy dense foods, keeping in mind the daily needs.
• Maintain a positive energy balance where the calorie intake should be more than the energy expenditure.
• Include energy dense foods, keeping in mind the daily needs. Some of the energy dense foods include Whole wheat, Multigrain, millets, colocasia leaves, banana, raisins, apricots etc. 
• Do not skip meals. Eat small frequent meals. 
• Three major meals a day with healthy nutritious snacks in between is preferred.
• Try to increase the serving size and portion size gradually and systematically 
• Include healthy fats from nuts and seeds.
• Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day to maintain hydration
• Indulging physical activity can help in increasing the appetite and give a feeling of hunger. 
• Try to follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and quality. 

For a customised and personalised meal plan for specific conditions, please contact your Health care professional.

Hope we have answered your query.

Wishing you a great day ahead.

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