The kids have multiplied!

My brother and his family from the UK are here, meaning that we have four teens (or almost teens) under one roof. At 15, 14, 13 and 12 they are quite the gang and the house ricochets between very loud hilarity (with a lot of crashing and banging) and intense moments of silence as they all lose themselves in their phones.

They have been cliff-jumping at Blue Hole, spent hours at Horseshoe, explored Dockyard, taken the trip to St George’s and generally been pretty active. Good thing too as we also had brunch at The Reefs (I had forgotten how amazing that is!) and the amount of biscuits (please say that in your best British accent) being consumed is impressive.

Before their arrival I bought a week’s supply at the grocery store and three days later, bought another week’s supply. Those disappeared in 24 hours. I wasn’t being the nutrition police, I really did buy a lot, I just forgot how hungry they get – and how much they really, really, love biscuits.

The biscuit obsession appears to be genetic. My brother famously polished off 21 biscuits at a church gathering when he was a teenager. He then went home and had dinner, and then five satsumas afterwards – and he remained as thin as a rake!

The voracity of the teen appetite is something to behold …. So much energy goes in to growth during this period.

But just because our teens need lots of calories for growth, does it mean that the quality of those calories doesn’t matter? Well no, the quality is super important as vitamins, minerals and other nutrients (such as omega 3s) are so crucial for their immune function, brain development, mood, energy levels, bone density, ability to focus …. the list goes on!

But just because they can get away with it from a weight perspective, doesn’t mean that endless junk is OK. (Of course, some teens don’t get away with it. They begin accumulating weight earlier than their peers – an especially rough deal of the hand at an age when they are so vulnerable to body confidence issues.)

So does that mean that the biscuits are a bad idea? I’m not saying that a biscuit free-for-all is the smartest move, but I have found huge reassurance in the kids’ consumption of fruit, vegetables and quality proteins. If they are eating really good quality meals, then the cookies on top won’t cause such a big problem. And, teaching kids the “protein first” approach to biscuits/cookies (eg have a handful of nuts first) is a great way to introduce the concept of lower glycemic snacking. This is a habit that will serve them so well as an adult.

Protein first helps to steady energy (sugar) release from the carbs that they eat – meaning longer lasting energy and less pressure on the insulin response. Of course, fruit and nuts is better than cookies and nuts but we have to be realistic. Kids will be kids, and especially teens will be teens (because we have so much less control at that point).

Last night at dinner, I looked around and watched them all demolishing teriyaki salmon bowls with a big dose of broccoli. It made me happy to see them getting in the good stuff, even if it was followed by a rush for an ice cream sandwich. These salmon bowls are so quick and easy, but really nourishing and tasty too. Here’s how we make ours.

Teriyaki Salmon Bowls (serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets

1 bottle Teriyaki sauce (I like Annie Chun’s which is gluten-free)

4 servings basmati rice (ideally brown but white is OK)

6 cups fresh broccoli florets

1 bunch spring onions

4 tsps toasted sesame seeds

2 tsps sesame oil

Sriracha sauce (optional)

Gimme seaweed sheets (lightly salted)

Method:

1, Preheat the oven to 400F.

2, Ideally cook, cool and then chill your rice for at least 20 minutes prior to serving. The cooling/chilling helps create resistant starch that acts like fibre in the body, slowing the release of sugars from your carbs (the rice). If you don’t have time for this step no problem, try and do it next time!

3, Take the skin off the salmon and dice the salmon into cubes. Place it in a dish and toss the cubes in half the bottle of teriyaki sauce. Marinate for 20 minutes if you have time.

4, Meanwhile, prep your broccoli florets and place in a steamer. Steam until tender.

5, Finely chop the spring onions and set them aside in a bowl.

6, Place the salmon cubes on a baking sheet/dish and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender and cooked through.

7, Either drain your rice or, if you chilled it, reheat your rice.

8, Have everyone assemble their bowls: rice first, broccoli and salmon on top. Drizzle with a little extra teriyaki sauce or sriracha if desired (and you like things spicy)! Drizzle with a very small amount of sesame oil (approximately ½ tsp per person). Sprinkle with the spring onions and sesame seeds.

9, Dive in! My kids like to place forkfuls in seaweed sheets and roll them up. Messy but fun and very tasty.

• Always consult your GP with health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified clinical nutritionist. Follow Nutrifit & Natural Nutrition Bermuda on Facebook and @naturalbda on Instagram