Style: December 10, 2021

76 Style Teen | Wellbeing
Levelling up
Omega 3, obtained from food or supplements, is important for
helping us to study and learn effectively and also helps to reduce
the incidence of depression.
Adequate omega 3 levels also improve skin health and support
healthy reproductive hormones.
There are hundreds of studies supporting the use of omega 3
fish oil supplements for children with learning difficulties, such as
dyslexia and ADHD.
• Food sources include: sardines, salmon, walnuts, pecans, hemp
seeds, chia seeds, algae.
• A 140g salmon fillet each week would meet the
recommended requirements for a developing teenage brain.
The wonder of exercise
The Sport New Zealand Active NZ Survey 2019 found
that only seven per cent of five to 17 year olds met
the Ministry of Health guidelines of at least one hour of
moderate-to-vigorous activity a day.
Dr John J. Ratey has written a wonderful book, Spark,
about his research findings on the effects of exercise
on high school-age students. The students had to do
moderate-to-high intensity exercise before school each
day for a year. He found that those with higher physical
fitness had higher test scores, with better attention,
working memory and processing speed. Plus, the
incidence of physical altercations dropped by 95 per
cent over the school year.
Exercise improves neuroplasticity of the brain so aids
learning, mood, energy, immunity, quality of sleep and
overall wellbeing.
Ironing out anaemia
Anaemia is common for all females, but
often first appears in the teen years.
It can be from heavy blood loss during
menstruation, as well as poor absorption
and/or poor intake of iron-rich foods.
Iron deficiency results in fatigue, pale
skin, poor concentration, dark circles
under the eyes, muscle weakness,
broken bones, frequent infections and/
or irritability.
• Healthy gut bacteria are critical
for iron absorption, so probiotics
and lactoferrin greatly enhance
this. A naturopath can recommend
appropriate products and dosages
for these.
• Some iron-containing foods (from
highest to lowest) include: paua,
mussels, lamb and beef liver and
kidneys, red meat, egg, tofu, figs,
pumpkin seeds, marmite, molasses.
• The Recommended Daily Intake
(RDI) for teen girls is 15mg (e.g.
1 cup broccoli, 100g beef and two
paua fritters); for teen boys it is
10mg.
Deanna Copland is a naturopath
and nutritionist whose favourite
cuisine is Asian fusion.
She is happiest outdoors, exploring
Central Otago with her family.