How to Feed Your Hungry Teenager: Healthy Meal & Snack Ideas
Feeding teenagers can be tough! Here are some snack and meal ideas for teens, plus strategies to keep them well-nourished.
My teenager was wandering the kitchen recently, opening the refrigerator, freezer, and cupboard doors, when he said something that drove home what teen hunger feels like: “What happens is that I’m hungry, so I eat something and feel full. Then 10 minutes later I’m hungry again, and it’s like I’ve eaten nothing. And that keeps repeating forever and ever.”
The teen appetite surge is no joke. And feeding teenagers can be tough. It’s not always easy to make sure your teenager is satisfying their hunger with (mostly) nourishing foods.
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What Nutrients Do Teens Need?
Among all kids, diet quality is lowest among those ages 14-18, according to the most recent Dietary Guidelines For Americans. That means they’re at risk for not getting the nutrients they need. Here are nutrients teens may be lacking, according to a scientific report–plus food sources that can help fill the gap:
- Iron (girls): Fortified cereal, beans, lentils, beef, tofu
- Protein (girls): Beans, quinoa, yogurt, beef, tofu
- Folate (girls): Enriched grains, spinach, broccoli, oranges, bananas
- Vitamin B6 (girls): Chickpeas, potatoes, beef, chicken, cottage cheese
- Vitamin B12 (girls): Nutritional yeast, salmon, beef, milk, yogurt
- Phosphorus (girls & boys): Yogurt, cheese, lentils, cashews, brown rice
- Magnesium (girls & boys): Chia seeds, almonds, edamame, peanut butter, potatoes
- Choline (girls & boys): Eggs, beef, chicken, beans, Brussels sprouts
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Why is Feeding Teenagers So Tough?
Why is diet quality sub par among teenagers? Though their appetites may be big, a few things conspire to make it tougher for them to get what they need:
- More independence: They’re making more food decisions independently, with their own money–and those choices are often influenced by what their friends eat too.
- Marketing: Fast food, soda, and sweets are all heavily marketed to teenagers, including on the online platforms they use every day.
- Busy schedules: Between homework, sports, clubs, and social lives, teenagers are less willing and able to sit down to eat meals and snacks. That means more grab-and-go convenience foods.
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Meal and Snack Ideas For Teenagers: Foods Your Teen Will Actually Enjoy
Last year I took steps to make nourishing foods easier and more convenient for my teenager to choose at home. I dubbed it “Operation: Feed The Hungry Teen“. Here’s a round-up of those ideas–I hope they will help you too!
1. Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches or Burritos
Make a big batch to tuck into your freezer and reheat for an easy, hearty breakfast, lunch, or snack. Here’s how to make these Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches (the post includes instructions for reheating them too). You can do the same with burritos. These are filled with scrambled egg, sausage, cheese, and some cooked diced peppers.
2. Jars of Trail Mix
Fill a jar with a combo of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, cereal pieces, chocolate chips, granola, pretzels, popcorn, or whatever else your kids like. They can shake out a handful of the filling mixture when hunger strikes.
3. Prepped Lunches
Make extra food at dinnertime and portion it into heat-and-serve containers (I got my containers at Costco but these glass food prep containers look similar). Need more healthy lunch ideas for teens? Check out 40 Easy Lunch Ideas For Kids At Home
4. Homemade Bars + Snack Bites
Make a batch on Sunday so your teen can grab them all week. Check out these simple kid-approved recipes:
- Nut-Free Chocolate Chips Oat Bars
- Nut-Free Snack Balls
- Chocolate Granola Bars
- No-Baked Peanut Butter Balls
- Peanut Butter Quinoa Bars
- 26 Healthy Recipes for No-Bake Snack Balls
5. Pick-Me-Up Plates
Sometimes I just hand my kid food, assuming he’s hungry (he usually is). I started making “Pick Me Up Plates” this past year when my kids were doing school online. The plates are a mix of protein, carbs, and fats and include things like crackers, cheese, nuts, fruit, and veggies. It’s basically a small, nourishing snack on a plate–with a fun name.
6. Smoothie Packets
Make it easy for your teenager to make a smoothie by assembling bags (ziptop or reusable bags like these) with everything but the liquid. Your kid can empty the contents into the blender and add milk (dairy or non-dairy) and a dollop of yogurt. Or freeze cubes of yogurt to includes in your smoothie bags (here’s the food-grade ice cube tray I have and love). Too much effort for your tired teen? Blend up a smoothie and pour it into ice pop molds like these to freeze.
7. Satisfying Packaged Foods
Despite what you may have heard, there’s nothing wrong with buying food in packages. I don’t know how anyone could have teenagers in the house and NOT stock packaged foods! (I like to corral the shelf-stable ones in a container on the counter so they’re easy to spot and grab.) Here are some ideas for healthy packaged foods for teens:
- Frozen burritos
- Frozen waffles
- Meatless burgers and patties (we like Morningstar Farms Chik Patties)
- Cheese sticks
- Yogurt
- Bars (we like Perfect and Clif)
- Whole grain crackers (we like Triscuits and Wasa)
- Granola (for trail mix or making yogurt parfaits)
- Beef and turkey jerky
- Dried and freeze-dried fruit
- Nuts and seeds
- Whole grain cereal (we like shredded wheat and Cheerios)
- Instant oatmeal packets
- Single-serve nut and seed butter packets
- Fruit cups (packed in juice)
- Tubs of hummus and guacamole
- Roasted chickpeas
- Shelf-stable boxes of plain and flavored milk
More Ideas for Feeding Teens
- Dinner Ideas for Teens
- Lunch Ideas for Teens
- Breakfast Ideas for Teens
- 10 Best Foods for Teens & How to Serve Them
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When my brother was a teenager, he’d grab the biggest bowl my mom had, the largest spoon that would fit in his mouth, a whole box of cereal, and an entire half gallon of milk–and that was just his after school snack! He did it every day–even taught the kid next door to do it. When he got his first paying job and had to buy his own food, he stopped doing it. I guess he realized just how expensive cereal and milk were. And this was in the ’80s!
Shari, that is so funny!! Cereal is a great snack…though a box a day could definitely become an expensive habit!
My boys are five and one, this will be in my arsenal when they are teens! These are great ideas and encouraging about pre-packaged snacks. Thank you
Kathleen–so glad it’s useful to you!
Ours swing between ravenous & disinterested so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. Friends & fads don’t help much either – with different types of food coming and going out of fashion before we can figure it out. Thanks for the ideas, would really appreciate more healthy eating quick-pick-up snacks too!
Kameel–I can relate to all of that! Yes, makes it challenging at times!
I’ve been looking for more healthy snacks, lunches, and breakfasts for on the go with school and sports to keep up my energy, and these have helped me so much! Not to mention I feel less tired and overall my mood has improved. Who would have thought the right foods can help with so much!
I have the Yuka app. When I scan things that are supposed to be healthy like cheese sticks and yogurt, it list all of the hazordous ingredients in them. Even some of the organic foods. So, then what? For example, many of your cereals have Phosphates which can lead to heart disease, bone loss and kidney problems for my son if he is eating these cereals on a daily basis. Some of the convenience foods have up to eight hazardous ingredients and are banned in the EU, but not here. I write letters to our government agencies, but they are on the side of these companies. So, isn’t it better to try to stick to foods closest to its source and stay away from processed foods?
You should eat the foods that make you feel good and that you feel good about–if you choose to avoid certain ingredients, that’s totally fine. I typically look for shorter ingredient lists when possible, but not always. That system works for me. I also know that worrying too much about this can cause me to have unhealthy fixations and fears around perfectly healthy foods (like yogurt and cheese). Here are a couple of things I’ve written about this that may be helpful in understanding where I am coming from. Again, this is just how I shop and eat. You are welcome to shot and eat in a different way.
Preservatives in cereal: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/is-cereal-healthy-for-kids/#cereal-myth-youve-heard-cereal-has-unhealthy-preservatives
Stressing out about grocery shopping: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/grocery-shopping/
All the best to you!