Jukes Mavis - Be healthy! its a girl thing: food, fitness, and feeling great

THIS ISA BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

Text copyright 2003, 2010 by Mavis Jukes and Lilian Cheung, D.Sc., R.D.
Illustrations copyright 2003 by Debra Ziss
Cover art copyright 2010 by Linzie Hunter

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Childrens Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in slightly different form in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of Random House Childrens Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, in 2003.

Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jukes, Mavis.
Be healthy! its a girl thing: food, fitness, and feeling great / Mavis Jukes, Lilian Cheung.
p. cm.
Summary: A guide for adolescent girls on how to stay healthy and fit, with information on nutrition and exercise.
eISBN: 978-0-307-55455-0
1. GirlsHealth and hygieneJuvenile literature. 2. GirlsNutritionJuvenile literature. 3. Physical fitness for youthJuvenile literature. [1. Teenage girlsHealth and hygiene. 2. Health. 3. Teenage girlsNutrition. 4. Nutrition. 5. Physical fitness.] I. Cheung, Lilian. II. Title.
RA777.25.J85 2003
613.04243dc21
2003010114

October 2010

Random House Childrens Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

v3.1

For the legendary Marilyn Marlow:
Thank you for who you are, for all youve done.
Love, Mavis

For my parents, my husband, and our sonsthank you.
Love, Lilian

The authors acknowledge and appreciate those who are dedicating their lives to researching critical issues related to the health and well-being of adolescent girls.

We are especially indebted to the researchers in nutrition and physical activity at the Harvard School of Public Health. We acknowledge the insights and information gained from Eat Well & Keep Moving, second edition (by Dr. Lilian W. Y. Cheung, Hank Dart, Sari Kalin, and Dr. Steven L. Gortmaker; Human Kinetics, Inc.) and Planet Health, second edition (by Jill Carter, Dr. Jean Wiecha, Dr. Karen Peterson, Suzanne Nobrega, and Dr. Steven L. Gortmaker; Human Kinetics, Inc.).

We thank our colleagues Dr. David Arond, Dr. Bryn Austin, Dr. Patricia Burke, Jill Carter, Dr. Alison Field, Dr. Teresa Fung, Dr. Frank Hu, Dr. Kelly Jackson, Sari Kalin, Dr. David Ludwig, Kathy McManus, Judy Phillips, Suzanne Rostler, Lela Silverstein, Dr. Walter Willett, and Anne Wolf for their critical input. We thank Sandy Gooch, Deborah Keir, and our young reviewers, Alivia Carter, Cency Middleton, Hannah Poor, Amanda Strominger, Hannah Williams, and Lindsay Williams, for their comments. We thank Erin Boyd and Kacey Wardle for their help in the preparation of the manuscript.

Going through puberty means youre going through a series of dazzling physical, intellectual, and emotional changes called the growth spurt.

But its really not a spurt. It actually takes a few years.

If youre going through puberty, youre 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, youre beginning to think more critically. Youre acquiring the intellectual and emotional ability to make decisions, including healthy food and lifestyle choices.

In order to support this rapid growth, you have very specific needs for food and physical activity.

Be Healthy! Its 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.

Be Healthy! Its 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.

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.

Be Healthy! Its 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 choicesand 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

Even if you live in the middle of a city and are surrounded by concrete and buildings, youre connected to the earth.

Above your head the moon rises and the sky sizzles with stars, whether you can see them or not.

Below your feet the ground brings forth life in the form of plantsplants that enrich the air you breathe, plants with beautiful, delicate flowers, plants that can fascinate and shade and feed you.

Plants provide food and shelter for animalsanimals that gallop or stroll across the land and moo or oink, quack and flap their wings and lay eggs, flip from streams, glide in the sky, ride the tide, cling to the rocks onshore.