It may seem like mission impossible, but there are ways to get your teenager to ditch the Big Macs and start eating 'proper' food

Good nutrition is important during adolescence, when children's minds and bodies need the right fuel to sustain growth and support them through energy-draining days. Yet so many detour onto the fast-food track during these formative years, leaving the basic food groups far behind.

Many parents, tired of turning every meal into a food fight, surrender to the food whims of their children. 'I know I should be cooking nutritional foods for my kids, but they never seem to like what I put on the table,' confesses one mother. 'Often I resort to takeaways. Last week our bin was filled with pizza boxes. Now I feel guilty.'

While adolescents have earned their status as poor eaters, these years are an optimal time to stress nutrition. Young people care about their appearance. They are preoccupied with how tall they will be. Many hit growth spurts from ages 10 to 15, adding three to five inches to their height. Many are into sports and exercise. Once they understand that there is a connection between looking good, performing well and eating right, they will be less resistant to change bad habits.

Be realistic, however, particularly if Big Macs and fries have been menu mainstays at your home. You won't be able to turn your fast-food junkies into gourmets overnight. Yet by slowly introducing simple changes into their diet over time, you will make progress.

Scrutinise your own eating habits. Adolescents are great at spotting hypocrisy in adults. Before you start talking about healthy foods, evaluate your own habits. Do you miss breakfast then overeat at lunch? Is your afternoon snack a Snickers or a handful of almonds? Were you able to pass on that piece of chocolate cake and eat an apple instead? Your children are watching.

Call for backup. Remember that your adolescent's brainpower is growing. He may no longer be satisfied with the explanation, 'Because it's good for you'. Be specific. 'If your teen sees some of his peers growing at a faster rate, take this opportunity to talk with him about calcium-rich foods and how soft drinks contain phosphoric acid, which can rob him of calcium that interferes with bone growth,' say Dr William Sears and Martha Sears, nutritionist, in The Family Nutrition Book: Everything You Need to Know about Feeding Your Children - From Birth through Adolescence.

Limit time spent watching, not doing. 'My son is overweight and eats constantly,' complains one parent. 'He doesn't like to exercise and is always glued to the TV.' TV not only distracts children from calorie-burning activities but also reinforces bad eating habits. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health reports that groups of students in Boston and Baltimore who reduced their TV viewing by four hours each week were eating healthier and exercising more at the end of two years.

Encourage label reading. Discovering that her chewy fruit snacks contain 'maltodextrin, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, and artificial colours red 40, blue 1 and yellow 5' may encourage your adolescent to eat a handful of raisins instead.

Visit the local farmers' market. Adolescents are keenly interested in the environment and, with a little background information, can begin to understand the benefits of supporting local farmers.

Pack lunch foods that carry well. One mother reports: 'I cleaned out my 12-year-old son's rucksack and found several mouldy packed lunches. When I confronted him, he said he just isn't hungry at lunchtime.'

Also, sandwiches can go dry or soggy by lunchtime. Buy inexpensive plastic containers and use cold packs to keep foods fresher. Another idea is to pack the sandwich filling (tuna fish, for example) in a plastic container, wrap the bread, and have your child put them together himself.

Keep cut-up vegetables in the refrigerator. Also look for ways to make them appealing. Fresh vegetables may be dipped in yoghurt, for example.

Make fruit smoothies. Kids love to create their own by tossing bananas, strawberries and juice in a blender. Just make sure not to negate the drink's health benefits with chocolate syrup, whole milk or sugar.

Make sure your vegetarian child gets enough protein. 'My 13-year-old daughter has decided she is a vegetarian, and I am concerned that she will not get enough protein and other nutrients for her still growing body,' one father says. Try the iVillage Food Channel for recipe ideas.