From the time a child is born and through the elementary years, a lot of focus is put on their nutritional health and ensuring they are growing, gaining weight, and hitting their physical milestones for their age. But, as kids get older and become teens, their nutritional needs change from when they were younger. Teens can go through a variety of different phases where they never seem interested in eating at all, or they can't seem to eat enough, leaving many parents to wonder how many calories should a teenager eat in a day.
Just like every young child is different, so too are teens, which means their caloric needs are also different. This also means there's no one answer as to how many calories a teen should eat in a day. Diet culture and disordered eating are also things parents need to be aware of when discussing a teen's diet, especially if obesity or weight is an issue. Helping teens focus on healthy eating habits is the key to ensuring they are eating enough calories a day, as well as maintaining a healthy weight, and ensuring they are developing a good relationship with food.
