A balanced diet means that at each meal about one-third of your plate will include starchy carbohydrates, such as potato, pasta or rice; one-third fruit and vegetables and the remaining third, protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, beans, eggs, or dairy. Fats and sugars should be kept to a minimum and enjoyed mainly as treats!
As teenagers, your body will be going through a growth spurt - building muscle and bone mass and laying down extra fat. The increase in fat is greatest in girls, due to a hormone called oestrogen, which rises between about 10-14 years (puberty). Whilst this may not sound very attractive, in your ancestors' day, this extra fat would protect developing babies in pregnant women in times of famine.
In girls, growth is normally greatest between ages 13 and 15, and in boys at around 15 years. This means that you need extra energy (calories). The recommended daily intake for girls between 11 and 18 years is 1845-2110 calories, whilst boys need around 2200-2755 calories.
So how much is this in terms of food? If you eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full and you're a healthy weight you're probably eating the right amount of calories. You can learn more about calories by reading the Nutrition Information boxes on food packets, where you'll see which nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fat and sugar, for example) your calories are coming from.
Reference: http://health.asda.com
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