What a Growing Body Actually Needs
Learn how to build a balanced diet for a growth spurt, the hygiene that matters during adolescence, healthy ways to handle mood swings, and how to stay safe online.
Why does an adolescent need more food than a younger child?
Because the body is building itself quickly. During the growth spurt, bones lengthen, muscles develop and blood volume increases, and all of that material has to come from food. So nutritional needs rise during adolescence rather than staying the same.
This page covers everything in the CBSE Class 7 Science chapter's second half: planning a balanced diet, personal hygiene, coping with emotional changes, and making safe choices about substances and the internet.
This page covers everything in the CBSE Class 7 Science chapter's second half: planning a balanced diet, personal hygiene, coping with emotional changes, and making safe choices about substances and the internet.
How do you plan a balanced diet for a growth spurt?
A balanced diet supplies every nutrient in the right proportion. Four matter especially during rapid growth.
Proteins build and repair muscle and tissue. Sources: dal and other pulses, rajma, chana, milk, curd, paneer, eggs, fish, groundnuts.
Calcium builds bone, which is lengthening fast at this stage. Sources: milk, curd, paneer, ragi, sesame seeds (til), green leafy vegetables.
Iron makes haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood — and the need rises for girls once menstruation begins. Sources: green leafy vegetables such as spinach, jaggery, dates, pulses, and wholegrains.
Vitamins keep the body's processes working. Sources: fruits such as amla, guava and citrus for vitamin C, carrots and papaya for vitamin A.
A simple day's plan might be roti or rice with dal and a vegetable, a glass of milk or a bowl of curd, a seasonal fruit, and a handful of groundnuts or chana as a snack.
The common mistake is treating packaged snacks as food. Chips and fizzy drinks give energy but almost none of the protein, calcium, iron or vitamins that a growing body actually needs — so they crowd out real meals rather than adding to them.
Proteins build and repair muscle and tissue. Sources: dal and other pulses, rajma, chana, milk, curd, paneer, eggs, fish, groundnuts.
Calcium builds bone, which is lengthening fast at this stage. Sources: milk, curd, paneer, ragi, sesame seeds (til), green leafy vegetables.
Iron makes haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood — and the need rises for girls once menstruation begins. Sources: green leafy vegetables such as spinach, jaggery, dates, pulses, and wholegrains.
Vitamins keep the body's processes working. Sources: fruits such as amla, guava and citrus for vitamin C, carrots and papaya for vitamin A.
A simple day's plan might be roti or rice with dal and a vegetable, a glass of milk or a bowl of curd, a seasonal fruit, and a handful of groundnuts or chana as a snack.
The common mistake is treating packaged snacks as food. Chips and fizzy drinks give energy but almost none of the protein, calcium, iron or vitamins that a growing body actually needs — so they crowd out real meals rather than adding to them.
What personal hygiene matters during adolescence?
The skin glands become more active at puberty, producing more oil and sweat, so hygiene needs more attention than before.
Bathe daily, and wash the face two or three times a day with plain water and mild soap to remove excess oil. This helps with pimples, which are caused by blocked oil glands — squeezing them makes matters worse and can leave marks, so leave them alone.
Wash and change clothes daily, especially anything worn while playing or sweating, and keep nails short and clean.
During menstruation, hygiene is straightforward and important: change a sanitary pad regularly through the day, wash the area with plain water, and dispose of used pads by wrapping them and putting them in a waste bin — never flushed down a toilet, which blocks drains.
For example, carrying a spare pad and a small paper bag in a school bag makes managing a period at school simple and private.
Hygiene is not about being ashamed of the body's changes. It is ordinary care, in the same way brushing teeth is.
Bathe daily, and wash the face two or three times a day with plain water and mild soap to remove excess oil. This helps with pimples, which are caused by blocked oil glands — squeezing them makes matters worse and can leave marks, so leave them alone.
Wash and change clothes daily, especially anything worn while playing or sweating, and keep nails short and clean.
During menstruation, hygiene is straightforward and important: change a sanitary pad regularly through the day, wash the area with plain water, and dispose of used pads by wrapping them and putting them in a waste bin — never flushed down a toilet, which blocks drains.
For example, carrying a spare pad and a small paper bag in a school bag makes managing a period at school simple and private.
Hygiene is not about being ashamed of the body's changes. It is ordinary care, in the same way brushing teeth is.
How do you cope with mood swings and pressure from friends?
Emotional changes are as real a part of adolescence as physical ones. Hormones affect mood, so feelings can shift quickly — excitement, irritation, self-consciousness or low mood, sometimes without an obvious cause.
Friends also matter more at this stage than they did before, which cuts both ways. Good friends offer support and confidence; pressure from a group can push someone into choices they would not make alone.
Healthy ways of coping:
- Physical activity — playing a sport, cycling or even a daily walk genuinely improves mood
- Hobbies — music, drawing, reading or building something gives attention somewhere rewarding
- Talking to a trusted adult — a parent, an older sibling, a teacher or a school counsellor
- Regular sleep, since tiredness makes every emotion harder to manage
For example, if a group of friends is pressing you to do something that feels wrong, saying "I don't want to" is a complete answer and needs no further justification.
The important correction: mood swings are not a character flaw or a sign of weakness. They are part of a physical process, and feeling low for long stretches is worth telling a trusted adult about rather than hiding.
Friends also matter more at this stage than they did before, which cuts both ways. Good friends offer support and confidence; pressure from a group can push someone into choices they would not make alone.
Healthy ways of coping:
- Physical activity — playing a sport, cycling or even a daily walk genuinely improves mood
- Hobbies — music, drawing, reading or building something gives attention somewhere rewarding
- Talking to a trusted adult — a parent, an older sibling, a teacher or a school counsellor
- Regular sleep, since tiredness makes every emotion harder to manage
For example, if a group of friends is pressing you to do something that feels wrong, saying "I don't want to" is a complete answer and needs no further justification.
The important correction: mood swings are not a character flaw or a sign of weakness. They are part of a physical process, and feeling low for long stretches is worth telling a trusted adult about rather than hiding.
Why should adolescents say no to tobacco, alcohol and drugs?
Because the body and brain are still developing, and these substances interfere directly with that development.
Tobacco, whether smoked or chewed, damages the lungs and mouth and causes serious long-term disease. Alcohol affects the liver and the brain, and impairs judgement and coordination immediately. Other drugs act on the brain, and dependence can build quickly, making stopping very hard.
All of them are addictive: they change the body so that it demands more, which is why refusing at the start is far easier than stopping later. Curiosity and pressure from a group are the usual routes in, so recognising that pressure is itself a defence.
Responsible behaviour online follows similar reasoning. Do not share personal details — full address, school, phone number or passwords — with anyone online. Do not meet in person someone known only from the internet. Think before posting, since anything shared can spread beyond your control.
If you face cyberbullying: do not reply, take a screenshot as evidence, block and report the account, and tell a trusted adult. Staying silent is what allows it to continue, and it is never the fault of the person being targeted.
Tobacco, whether smoked or chewed, damages the lungs and mouth and causes serious long-term disease. Alcohol affects the liver and the brain, and impairs judgement and coordination immediately. Other drugs act on the brain, and dependence can build quickly, making stopping very hard.
All of them are addictive: they change the body so that it demands more, which is why refusing at the start is far easier than stopping later. Curiosity and pressure from a group are the usual routes in, so recognising that pressure is itself a defence.
Responsible behaviour online follows similar reasoning. Do not share personal details — full address, school, phone number or passwords — with anyone online. Do not meet in person someone known only from the internet. Think before posting, since anything shared can spread beyond your control.
If you face cyberbullying: do not reply, take a screenshot as evidence, block and report the account, and tell a trusted adult. Staying silent is what allows it to continue, and it is never the fault of the person being targeted.
Exam tip
Exam tip: naming the nutrient and its source together
Diet questions ask for more than a list of foods. "Adolescents should eat healthy food" scores nothing.
Answer with the nutrient, its job, and a specific source: iron is needed to make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood, and is found in green leafy vegetables, jaggery and pulses.
Use Indian foods you actually know rather than generic ones — dal, curd, ragi, amla, jaggery, chana. And when a question asks you to plan a day's meals, write out actual meals rather than nutrient names, then note which nutrient each supplies. That structure earns the marks the question is designed to award.
Answer with the nutrient, its job, and a specific source: iron is needed to make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood, and is found in green leafy vegetables, jaggery and pulses.
Use Indian foods you actually know rather than generic ones — dal, curd, ragi, amla, jaggery, chana. And when a question asks you to plan a day's meals, write out actual meals rather than nutrient names, then note which nutrient each supplies. That structure earns the marks the question is designed to award.
Did you know
Why does the need for iron rise during adolescence?
Iron is used to make haemoglobin, the substance in blood that carries oxygen. During the growth spurt the body's blood volume increases, so more haemoglobin — and therefore more iron — is required.
For girls, some iron is also lost with each period, which raises the requirement further. That is why green leafy vegetables and jaggery are so often recommended at this stage.
For girls, some iron is also lost with each period, which raises the requirement further. That is why green leafy vegetables and jaggery are so often recommended at this stage.
Key takeaways
Adolescent health: quick revision
- Nutritional needs rise during the growth spurt: proteins for tissue, calcium for bone, iron for haemoglobin and vitamins for body processes.
- Packaged snacks supply energy but little of what a growing body needs, so they crowd out real meals.
- More active skin glands mean daily bathing, washing the face, clean clothes, not squeezing pimples, and regular changing and safe wrapped disposal of sanitary pads.
- Mood swings come from hormones, not weakness; physical activity, hobbies, sleep and talking to a trusted adult all genuinely help.
- Tobacco, alcohol and drugs are addictive and harm a still-developing body; online, guard personal details and respond to cyberbullying by saving evidence, blocking, reporting and telling a trusted adult.
You will remember all of this far better after answering five questions on it than after reading it twice.
- Packaged snacks supply energy but little of what a growing body needs, so they crowd out real meals.
- More active skin glands mean daily bathing, washing the face, clean clothes, not squeezing pimples, and regular changing and safe wrapped disposal of sanitary pads.
- Mood swings come from hormones, not weakness; physical activity, hobbies, sleep and talking to a trusted adult all genuinely help.
- Tobacco, alcohol and drugs are addictive and harm a still-developing body; online, guard personal details and respond to cyberbullying by saving evidence, blocking, reporting and telling a trusted adult.
You will remember all of this far better after answering five questions on it than after reading it twice.