ABOUT THIS BOOK Going through puberty means you're going through a series of dazzling physical, intellectual, and emotional changes called the
growth spurt. But it's really not a spurt. It actually takes a few years.
If you're going through puberty, you're in the process of gaining half of your adult bone mass and weight, the last inches of your height, and the ability to reproduce.
At the same time, you're beginning to think more critically. You're acquiring the intellectual and emotional ability to make decisions, including healthy food and lifestyle choices.
AND ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING AT ONCE! In order to support this rapid growth, you have very specific needs for food and physical activity.
Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great will help you understand the basic information you need to stay healthy and fit.
And feel great.
AND HAVE A GOOD TIME DOING IT Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great gives you the lowdown on how your body uses food; ideas for boosting the nutritional value of what you love to eat, choosing from a fast-food menu, and shopping for food; information on how to link food and physical activity with fun and friendship; and advice on how to think positively and keep your spirits up, how to initiate change by advocating for yourself and friends, and how, when, and where to ask for help when you need it.
DO! Involve your friends, family, teachers, and health care professionals (physician, pediatrician, nurse, registered dietitian) in evaluating the information in these pages and putting it to work for you in the context of your own cultural traditions, family structure, school environment, economic circumstances, and community.
SOUND GOOD? Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great will help you
• Have more energy
• Improve your ability in sports, exercise, and active games
• Focus and concentrate better in school
• Reduce stress and worries
• Boost your spirits
• Look your best
• Appreciate yourself for who you are
• Counter the negative influence of the media (like TV and magazines and websites) on your food choices and your self-image
• Work toward getting more nutritious food and more choices for safe, fun physical activity in your school
• Up your chances of being healthy as an adult
• Establish and maintain a beautiful, powerful presence as you move through the world
• Care for our planet by making choices that are good for the environment
YOU READY?
Copyright © 2003 by Mavis Jukes and Lilian W. Y. Cheung; illustrated by Debra Ziss. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
