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Duidelijke relatie tussen voeding en gezondheid bij tieners*
Uit een Amerikaanse studie onder ruim 2.000 17-18 jarigen blijkt dat de gezondheid van de longen bij deze tieners duidelijk gerelateerd is aan de voeding. Voeding met weinig fruit, weinig vitamine C en E en weinig omega-3 vetzuren geven duidelijk meer longproblemen. De niet optimale ontwikkeling van de longen geeft later in het leven duidelijk meer kans op ziektes en een vroegere dood. Vooral tieners die in de groei zijn hebben veel gezonde stoffen nodig om te groeien, te ontwikkelen en niet ziek te worden. Af en toe eens chips en koekjes zijn geen probleem doch het beste is onbewerkte voeding zoals vers fruit, verse groenten, volkoren granen, mager vlees, vis en kip. Uit de studie bleek dat minder fruit leiden tot longproblemen zoals astma en bronchitis evenals minder omega-3 vetzuren. Roken leiden duidelijk tot minder vitamine C inname en meer problemen met de ademhalingsorganen.
Tips om de tieners aan gezonde voeding te krijgen:
· Leg altijd vers fruit, duidelijk zichtbaar, klaar.
· Gebruik veel gedroogd fruit.
· Maak regelmatig smoothies met vers of fruit uit de diepvries met yoghurt of kwark.
· Vul de lunch aan met een portie (verse) appelmoes.
· Geef alleen 100% fruitsap (zonder toevoeging van suiker).
· Geef als bijgerecht van het warme eten een chutney (op basis van een vruchtenpuree met kruiden zoals azijn, tamarinde, gember, mosterdzaad, knoflook, peper en ui, fenegriek, koriander en komijn).
· Meng gekookte groenten met een rode saus.
· Bak zelf brood met bijv. courgette en wortelen.
· Geef als tussendoortje, gesneden rauwe groenten (bijv. worteltjes) met een vetarme dressing.
· Verstop heel fijn gesneden groenten in gehakt of hamburgers.
· Serveer een groente saus. 
· Als ze geen vis lusten geef dan bijv. walnoten of eieren met extra omega-3.
Teens' Lung Health Is Linked to Their Diet
Teenage junk-food addicts aren't doing their bodies any favors, and their lungs are no exception.
Researchers have found that diets lower in fruit, vitamins C and E, and omega-3 fatty acids are associated with lower pulmonary function in adolescents.
Jane S. Burns, a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, said the clinical effects may not be obvious to teens or their doctors. "However, it is a matter for concern, because it suggests these children are not developing their optimal, potential lung function," she said. "Later in life, this may have an effect, as lower lung function is linked with earlier morbidity and mortality."
What's more, several studies have reinforced the importance of fruit and antioxidants in the diet for reducing wheeze among asthmatic children, Burns added.
Adolescence is a period of rapid physical change, so it should be no surprise that teens require additional nutrients to grow, develop and stay healthy.
Potato chips and cookies are OK once in a while, says TeensHealth, a project of the Nemours Foundation. But the best choices are whole or unprocessed foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish and poultry.
Christine Karpinski, a sports nutritionist in West Chester, Pa., says that certain nutrients, including those found in fruits and fish, are thought to protect the lungs from cell and tissue damage caused by inflammation.
"The lung contains many inherent antioxidant defenses to combat this," she said. "However, there may be an increased need for these nutrients with asthma."
To find out how diet affects lung function in teens, researchers examined data from more then 2,000 12th-grade students in the United States and Canada. The students took lung-function tests and answered questions about their respiratory health.
Eating less than a quarter of a serving of fruit a day was linked to lower-than-average lung function and a greater incidence of chronic bronchitis symptoms and asthma.
Low intake of omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish, was associated with an increased likelihood of chronic bronchitis symptoms, wheeze and asthma.
Teens who smoked and who had lower vitamin C intake had greater odds of respiratory symptoms than did smokers who had consumed more vitamin C.
"Smoking still remains one of the greatest threats to both respiratory and general health, and health messages geared toward teenagers should also focus on smoking prevention and cessation," Burns said.
"That being said," she added, "adolescents in this country do not consume adequate amounts of important nutrients, which we think has deleterious effects on respiratory health."
The federal government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans, updated in 2005, increased the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables from five servings a day combined to nine servings a day -- or 2½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit, Karpinski noted.
Feeding Your Teen Healthy Helpings 
To sneak more fruits and veggies into your teen's diet, nutritionist Christine Karpinski suggests:

• Having fresh fruit available and visible for snacking.
• Adding dried fruit to whole-grain muffins, trail mix and the like.
• Making smoothies with fresh or frozen fruit and milk or yogurt.
• Adding single-serving fruit cups or applesauce to lunches.
• Serving 100 percent fruit juice (with no added sugar).
• Having chutney as a side dish at dinner.
• Puréeing cooked vegetables into red sauces.
• Baking quick bread or muffins with shredded zucchini or carrots.
• Offering cut veggies (or baby carrots) for dipping in a low-fat creamy dressing.
• Sneaking finely grated vegetables into meatloaf or hamburgers.
• Serving vegetable juice.
• And to boost omega-3 dietary intake, you can add walnuts and eggs enriched with omega-3 if your teen is not a fish lover.

(April 2009)