One in three teenage girls on starvation diets

According to new research, one out of every three teenage girls in the UK is on a starvation diet . The poll, conducted for Sainsbury’s, indicates that almost half of 13-18 year old girls ate under 1,200 calories a day . The recommended daily amount is 2,000 calories.
Although boys were more likely to receive the right amount of calories, around a quarter were found to be consuming under 800 calories per day. To glean the results, almost 540 teenagers were questioned to find out what constituted a healthy diet . Small percentages were found to be eating relevant amounts of fruit and vegetables.
A nutritionist at Sainsbury’s, Charlotte Parker, reportedly commented: “These results show that teenagers struggle to understand what constitutes a balanced diet . When this knowledge is combined with the issue of childhood obesity in the UK, it is clear that we need to help both teenagers and their families to achieve a healthy balanced lifestyle .”