Adolescence is the golden period both for the physical and mental development. Nutrition is the material basis to guarantee the normal growth and development of the body. During the adolescence, the endocrine and metabolism of the body is very active. According to some data, it is showed that from 12 to 18 years old, the weight of the teenagers will increase by about 20 to 30 kilograms in average, and their height will increase by about 28 to 30 centimeters. In order to adapt and meet this demand, and to keep the body healthy, it mainly depends on whether the supply of nutrients is adequate, or whether the collocation of nutrition is reasonable, so as to ensure the healthy growth and development of their body.

The nutritional requirement for teenagers is a complex problem. It is different with the nutritional needs for adults. Besides meeting the basic physiological needs, the energy and nutrients for teenagers also have to satisfy the need of the growth and development of their body, both physically and mentally. If parents do not pay attention to their special physical situation and needs, it will directly influence or hinder their normal growth, and even lead to some deficiency diseases, thus damaging their body type and appearance, while these damages can not be repaired overnight, and some damages can even affect their whole life.

For example, if there is not enough protein, heat and calcium in the diet for a long time, it can cause the dysplasia of limbs and yellow hair; and lack of vitamin A may lead to skin roughness. Other vitamins, such as riboflavin (vitamin B2), nicotinic acid (vitamin PP), vitamin C and vitamin E, all play an important role in the protection of the skin. As a result, lack of these nutrients will cause many kinds of skin symptoms. What's more, different kinds of minerals and trace elements have different effects on human body. For example, iron deficiency can cause anemia; lack of zinc will hinder the development of the body and lead to short stature; and insufficient intake of fluorine will easily lead to dental caries.

The main reasons causing nutritional imbalance include: insufficient food supply, poor eating habits, lack of physical exercise, and so on. As a result, parents should pay special attention to these problems in daily life, to provide their children with a healthy and balanced diet, ask them to form correct eating habits and take adequate exercise. In such a case, teenagers can grow and develop healthily.