The other day, I walked into my fifteen-year-old son's room and beheld a sea of wrappers on the floor: fruit snacks, cookies, chips, chocolate bars, sour candies, snack muffins...it was a veritable ocean of unhealthy, overprocessed, over preserved snack foods and confections that would make any reasonably healthy adult's stomach overturn. Benny is a bottomless pit, and while it would seem that this endless intake of junk would have deleterious effects on his health, he somehow has boundless energy and appetite. Thankfully, he also eats balanced and nutritious meals; but no matter what I do, the vending machines and grocery store snack and candy aisles have an irresistible allure to his snacking urges. As he grows, these snack habits will be sure to negatively impact his health and vitality. Like most parents, I want my children to crave better food choices, but how?
Teenagers and Nutrition
While it may seem as if teenagers are a bit like tiger sharks--you know--they can eat anything and be just fine--good nutrition is as important during this phase of life as it is in any other. In fact, in some ways teens are more at risk of being nutritionally deficient because junk food is habit-forming. They are bombarded with junk food at every turn, and advertisers capitalize on this by making unhealthy foods attractively packaged and promoted to appeal to all the things teens hold dear, from appearing cool to getting instant boosts of energy (that don't last).
But teens are in a stage of very rapid growth and metabolism, so while junk food can add the calories they need, it is almost always at the expense of the critical nutrients necessary for brain health, muscle and bone development, and sustained energy. To make matters worse, the habit-forming nature of junk food can last well into adulthood, setting the stage for lifelong and progressive health dysfunctions.
A Suprise Delivery
It's Honeybell season, and when a surprise gift delivery of these sweet and juicy treats came to my door from Florida Fruit Shippers last week, my impulse to share them was immediate. "Benny!" I called out to him as I opened the box. "Look what just arrived! You have to try one of these!"
He ambled over to the box, taking a moment to admire the splash of vibrant, bulbous, golden-orange shapes nestled in crinkly green wrapping paper:
"What interesting looking oranges," he observed.
"Actually, they aren't oranges," I corrected him knowingly. "They are called Golden Honeybells, and they are a type of mandarin orange that are in season now. They are similar to, but not quite the same as Classic Honeybells, which are cross between a tangerine and a Duncan grapefruit. The classic ones will be in season in about two weeks. They are also called Honeybell Tangelos, since 'pomelo' is another name for grapefruit. There is another type of Honeybell too, called Baby Bells, which are cute mini versions of the Classic Honeybells."
Benny listened with interest, surely impressed by my considerable expertise in pomology. He then picked up one of the pomelos almost tenderly, marveling at its unique shape with a "honeybell" crown, the firm, colorful, porous skin, and its perfect, palm-sized dimensions:
After a moment of reflection, he picked up a second one, and I rejoiced: he's interested! Snack win! But instead of his usual hand-to-mouth pattern of eating anything, well, edible, he said, "Check this out, mom."
And then he did this:
"Stop, son!" I pleaded with him. "Those aren't your everyday citrus! Those are HONEYBELLS. You can't get them just anywhere, and they are only in season for a couple of short months. They are NOT to be juggled, thrown, or in any way played with, young man!""Well, what am I supposed to do with them, then, mom?" His question was almost innocent.
"Here's an idea, son: Why not EAT them?"
He eyed them curiously. "Okay, I'm game." He opened his mouth:
"Wait!" I exclaimed as he raised the entire fruit to his mouth. "You have to peel them first, silly."
Benny rolled his eyes. "Auuuuughhh! That's why I don't eat a lot of citrus fruits, mom; they're way too much work to peel."
"Just try, son. Honeybells are different than most other citrus types. They are very easy to peel."
Sure enough, it took little effort for him to get the sweet edible inside of the Golden Honeybell out of its "wrapper," so to speak. We didn't waste the peel pieces: they were divided between the compost bin and my saucepan for a quick and easy aromatherapy treatment for our home. About five seconds later, the entire fruit was consumed by a surprised and happy teenager. "MMMMM! Those are delicious!" He exclaimed. "Can you put them in my lunches this week?"
"By all means," I beamed, savoring the sweet moment. After all, instead of junk food, my son was now craving a new nutrition-packed snack replete with Vitamin C, flavonoids, fiber, and antioxidants! "Dap me up, son," I said with hand raised (for those without teenagers, this is the new term for a sort of angled high five that makes an especially loud sound). He raised his hand and as our palms met, my hand got stuck. "Oh, sweetheart, you are going to need to wash your hands. Honeybells are super juicy and full of natural fruit sugars, and it made your hands sticky."
"No need, mom. I've got it," he replied reassuringly, and simply licked all of his fingers and wiped them on his shirt. I stifled a protest...after all, my teenage son now loves Honeybells, and that's a major nutrition (and parenting) win.
SOURCES:
Healthy Eating for Teens: What You Need to Know
What Causes Fast Food Addiction and How Can I Break It?
Citrus Fruits: Nutrition, Health Benefits, Risks, and More
