By Harriet Goode

By Harriet Goode

Improving Teenagers Diet

That teenager of yours may be at the “hollow leg" stage, where there’s no filling him up. However, that’s no assurance he is getting an adequate diet. Parents need to be concerned about quality as well as quantity, says Miss Jo Anne Barton, nutritionist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. It might be revealing to make a study of just what he eats in a day. Does he include: four or more servings of bread or cereal; two or more servings of meat; four glasses of milk; one citrus fruit or other source of vitamin C; one dark green or deep yellow vegetable or fruit as a source of vitamin A; and two other fruits or vegetables? If your younster is a typical teenager, you’ll probably find he slights the fruit, vegetables and milk says Miss Barton; So, what can you do about this? First of all, set a good example. If you don’t eat these" Foods, how can you expect your child to eat them? Plan, prepare and serve three regular meals each day. Good eating habits are formed, not inherited. A youngster that eats three good meals a day is less likely to need or want lots of between meal snacks. Another idea is to keep on hand snack foods which are nutritious as well as satisfying Encourage the use of milk or milk products, fresh fruits, and vegetables as snack foods, Discourage fried foods such as potato chips, french fries, carbonated beverages and candy. Teenagers try hard to gain Independence, but they still look to their parents for guidance. Encourage good eating habits and recognize a job well done! Don’t preach. Give them the Facts, provide nutritious foods For meals and snacks, set a good example, and let theteerv ager make the final decision.

• , * Homemaking Hints Flower seeds held from one year to the next, are generally no saving, says specialists in the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Seeds of most kinds lose much of their vitality when stored under hoysehold