absorbs nutrients
much better from whole
foods than from a pill.
Foods That Can Fool You
Respecting your body is as much about keeping bad things out of it as it is
about putting good things in. Junk food doesn’t help you grow in a healthy way,
and it sometimes leaves you feeling tired or can lead to stomach aches. Some
junk foods are obvious: candy, cakes, ice cream, and fried foods (such as chips
and French fries). But the ones that can fool you are usually drinks!
Soda, vitamin-enriched water, and sports drinks are usually packed with sugars,
artificial flavorings, and fake colors. They add calories to your body without
bringing any nutrition. Unless you are an elite athlete, you don’t need a sports
drink after a game—water is better. Some of these drinks also have caffeine,
a chemical that can keep you up at night or interrupt your sleep, potentially
making you moody and slowing your growth.
Even though you might know which foods aren’t good for you, cravings still
creep up. The best rule is to keep junk foods to a minimum. This means that
if you have already eaten something junky, you should be done with treats for
the day. And when you choose a food that you know isn’t great for you, eat a
reasonable amount and don’t overdo it!
In addition to junk food, it’s also important to stay away from cigarettes, alcohol,
and drugs. Each can hurt your body in different ways and can make you think
unclearly or act foolishly. If your doctor gives you a prescription medicine, it is
meant for you and only you—don’t ever offer your medicine to someone else,
and don’t take someone else’s medicine yourself.
When in Doubt, Keep It Out!
When you walk through the grocery store or pharmacy, you will see lots of
different vitamins and supplements promising all sorts of results. The bottle
may say, “Take this and lose weight!” or “Build strong muscles!” Or the label may
have a picture of a person who looks the way you would like to look. Don’t
believe everything that is advertised! Many of these products won’t do what
they say they will. Even worse, some are dangerous to a growing, changing body
like yours. Talk to your parents and a doctor about what supplements are safe
and healthy for your body. And when in doubt, keep it out!
Your New Look
As your body matures, get ready to grow in different
directions.
Figure Facts
You may start to notice new curves where you never had
them—particularly around your thighs, hips, waist, and
breasts. Your body may look bigger than it used to, or
your pants may feel tighter in some places. All of these
changes are normal. But curves aren’t required! It’s com-
mon for your body to begin to look more like the bodies
of other women in your family. So if your mom is long,
lean, and less curvy, you might shape up the same way.
Body shapes are meant to be different, and just because
you’re developing faster than your friend is or slower than
your older sister did, it doesn’t mean there is anything
wrong with you. Girls can grow tall before they gain
weight, or they can gain weight before they grow tall.
In most cases, in order to grow into a taller, healthy
teenager, you need to gain weight. And to gain weight,
you need to increase the amount of food you eat. That’s
because it takes a lot of energy for your body to stretch
and grow, and food provides this fuel. Sometimes girls are
nervous about gaining weight, thinking that it means they
are becoming overweight and unhealthy. But the truth is
that healthy weight gain is normal and important.
Good Growing
Your doctor will weigh and measure you each year and
will let you know whether you are gaining at the right
pace for you. To do this, your doctor will use a mathemat-
ical equation called body mass index, or BMI, which bases your weight on your height.
You don’t need to worry about doing the math; that’s the
doctor’s job. The most important lesson is to know that
when it comes to your weight, you’re not alone. If your
doctor has concerns—if your weight is too low or too
high—then you will work together with your doctor
and your parents to make a healthy plan. It’s usually
not necessary to check your weight at home, and for
this reason most doctors recommend that families get
rid of their scales.
Reaching New Heights
Get ready to grow!
Ready, Set, Grow!
Since toddler age, you’ve grown about two inches every
year. But at some point, usually around age 9 or 10,
you’ll enter a growth spurt and grow faster than ever
before. The average girl grows three and a half inches per
year during this time. And whether it happens earlier or
later during puberty (the time when the body begins to develop and change), it almost always lasts about two to three years.
But your body may grow in unpredictable ways. You could
grow fast when you’re young, and then stop growing
before other girls even begin their growth spurts, making
you the tallest girl in elementary school but one of the
shorter girls in high school. Or maybe you’ll have your
growth spurt much later, surprising friends in high school
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