Teen Boys, Gym Culture and Food: A Dietitian’s Honest Take

I was recently approached by a colleague to answer some questions for a journalist looking into teen male trends in dieting and exercise. I thought I’d share my thoughts with you. As a side note: alongside the work I do in the fitness space, I also work as a consultant dietitian in the eating disorder space. While I don’t claim to have all the answers to every question, a lot of the following is both experience- and evidence-based. Hope it helps.

---

What’s the ideal diet for teenage boys and young men (14–24)?

With such a broad age bracket, providing a specific “ideal” is challenging. A more appropriate way to answer might be to share some of the points we consider when assessing whether a diet is nutritionally adequate.

We first look at the body and what its measurements tell us it requires in nutrients — this can be as simple as weight and height, or as complex as a body composition scan. We then look at biochemistry and what the blood is telling us. The third consideration is any relevant clinical diagnosis, medications, allergies, intolerances or dislikes, along with the frequency of urination and bowel movements. Finally, we assess current intake alongside the environment the person lives in — work, school, living situation and, importantly, activity levels and when those activities happen.

As a teen, we’re still expecting height growth, so we must ensure adequate nourishment throughout the day to provide that capability on top of their basal metabolic rate and activity factors. Looking at food groups specifically, we’re always looking for a contribution from each across the diet, with cereals and grains making up the most significant energy contributor. Often appetite, thirst and rate of perceived exertion are a good opportunity for more intuitive insight into whether a meal is adequate at that particular time of day for the specific activity. For these reasons, many of us as dietitians are reluctant to say “this is a one-size-fits-all meal plan.”

---

What are the downsides of a simple, “bland” high-protein diet at that age?

Weightlifting in the right environment can be a confidence-building opportunity for young men and women who enjoy the pursuit and see their progress and strength develop as they do.

Unfortunately, when the aesthetic pursuit supersedes the performance of the weightlifter, we can see the eating patterns you’ve suggested arise — lots of plain rice, lots of chicken breast. Interestingly, the body can only metabolise 20–30g of protein at a time, which is where the regular blocks of rice, chicken and broccoli in many of the influencers’ stories come from. Any time we have such a heavy bias toward one particular meal, we lose out on the opportunity that multiple eating occasions provide.

With only broccoli as veg, we still need significant amounts of the vitamins and minerals other vegetables offer. With rice as the only carbohydrate source, we lose out on the impact of different fibre types on the microbiome — an intriguing area of research suggesting a wide variety of nutrients allows for higher-quality outcomes (still early days, plenty more to come).

The protein-heavy bias will always be the ding-dong battle in this space. From a performance perspective, we see time and time again the improvement in individual output — growth, performance, recovery — when we liberalise carbohydrates in the diet. It’s our best fuel source, and you’ll lift better, deliver more stimulus to the muscle, and therefore get stronger faster with its use.

Overall, the short-term negatives of such a bias equate to micronutrient deficiencies: reduced immunity, prolonged recovery times between sessions, and increased injury risk. And if maintained, this “strictness” is where we see the potential for disordered eating patterns to begin. Ultimately the behaviour has drifted from an interest into an obsession, and “strictness” has become a way of life — rigid food rules and uncompromising anti-social behaviours under the cover of “discipline and sacrifice” can become the norm.

---

What are the consequences of calorie and macro counting for young men?

Calorie counting turns what is inherently a normal human behaviour — satisfying our hunger — into a calculation. It often teaches us to override our natural tendency to stop when satisfied, and to overeat or, in others, undereat. For some individuals it presents no issues; for others, it becomes a pass/fail.

The daily grind of being “good enough” to meet the calories, and rhetoric like “you need to eat to beat the old you,” becomes the daily battleground of food and body. In its most extreme form, I’ve worked with young men who place such pressure on themselves to get “the calories in” that they experience reflux as they attempt to eat.

It’s a very grey area we work within. On one hand, we applaud discipline and sacrifice and see these qualities as aligned to resilience — and as a body “transforms,” the pats on the back reinforce those sacrifices. On the other hand, as the sacrifices continue, that transformation is often never enough mentally for a young person trying to rationalise their place in the world. We quickly drift from what those around us view as healthy into a very unhealthy mental space. Worth is placed on external validation, and pursuing it can mean even more restriction or consumption — which also causes more social isolation, because we need to do more to continue such “progress.” Physically, the body starts to respond negatively to further restriction or increased load: injuries, frustration at a reduced pace, or a perceived plateau. It’s a vicious cycle of “not enough.”

---

What are the risks of turning to fast food to hit high calorie goals?

In our undergraduate years as health professionals, the quality of health outcomes is heavily emphasised. When I take a quality view of the diet, I look at every eating occasion as a chance to proactively invest in someone’s health. When we react — out of convenience, for high-calorie gain, or because we were unprepared — I see that as an opportunity missed to invest in appropriate nourishment.

Context matters, though. If a takeaway meal is consumed as part of a normal diet in a social setting, or as an option tied to celebration, ritual or a school/work event, then it’s completely normal and okay. But if it’s consumed purely “to get calories,” we’re often filling up on saturated fat, high salt and high sugar — foods that would be considered low quality in terms of their impact on gaining strength.

---

Should parents worry about teens cooking and eating alone?

Welcome to the real battleground for parents. It’s a tricky situation. The young man at 14 is craving independence and showing interest in his health, but is suddenly “too good to eat with us.” I see this often.

As a practitioner, any time a client shows a level of distress around sharing the eating experience with their family, it’s a red flag. Research from as young as 2–3 supports that families dining together leads to better health outcomes for everyone. It’s tricky for mums and dads, who often feel like they’re on eggshells and can’t do much right.

My question in sessions often relates to why. Why can’t your meal be shared with the family? Why couldn’t you take the time to cook for others if you’re cooking for yourself? Often this is met with awkward silence — a silence many parents are used to. Sometimes it’s a sign of progression when a meal can finally be shared, but it may take some time.

If I can encourage one thing for those of you reading this: if you can prioritise the time to eat together as a family, everyone’s health will benefit. I understand it’s difficult and can’t be an everyday thing — the fabric of the Australian family is a cluster of competing timetables — but as much as you can, eat together.

---

What about the “GOMAD” (gallon of milk a day) approach?

It’s so interesting you bring this up. In my undergraduate years, I did some research on this specific diet. One of the significant influencers in the “skinny to strong” space built a whole website around it — blogs, FAQs, the whole shooting match. In one section, called “excuses,” the tone was aggressive: “suck it up,” “if you want results, you need to push through,” “just do it.” All this language sat right alongside the common symptoms: diarrhoea, reflux, acne and bloating.

I’ll try not to get on my high horse, but I’ve been in fitness for nearly 15 years now and helped hundreds of people become the strongest they’ve ever been — deadlift beyond double their body weight, squat 1.5 times their body weight, bench beyond their expectations. To powerlift correctly, you can’t be fighting bloating, suffering reflux, and certainly not deadlifting heavy with any diarrhoea lingering.

Any time your body communicates with symptoms like this, we need to listen — something we’re doing, consuming or thinking is not aligned with our health. I’m surprised the conversation is still maturing in this space, but it doesn’t have to be an either-or discussion. You don’t have to have negative health outcomes to get strong. It’s the opposite: with a focus on enjoying the performance element and patience in the process, we can create the consistency required to get where we want to go — and keep building from there.

Yours in Health and Strength,
Sean Cornish

---

---