By Gary Kracoff and John Walczyk/Daily News Correspondents

Three things come to mind when looking back on our teenage years: the cool scent of Noxzema, the burn of Oxy pads and the white residue of Clearasil.

Pimples and oily skin were our worst enemies, and we were desperate to zap them all away with solutions and medicated pads that were probably powerful enough to wipe down the high school cafeteria table.

Our battle strategy was to attack – pimples and everything else – from the outside. Acne was wiped with benzoyl peroxide, drowsiness was countered with soda, and hunger pangs were met with burgers and fries from the drive-through.

But we should have been nourishing ourselves from the inside. If we only knew then what we know now about health, we wouldn’t have had half the problems we had – or thought we had – back then. We also would have started a lifetime of good habits to take us into adulthood.

Parents, now is the time to set your teens on a path toward growing up healthy, happy and confident. You can teach them that radiant skin, strong bodies and a clearer mind come from the inside out, not the other way around. You can also combat problems, such as obesity and poor diet, which start young. Did you know many doctors suspect the hardening of arteries may actually begin in childhood?

Yet, living a healthy lifestyle is actually quite easy for many teens. Here some ways to start:

The first step to good health for your children is simply sleep. Nearly seven in 10 teenagers are sleep deprived, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet, during this period in their lives they are changing rapidly in every way – physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually – and they need rest for their bodies to repair, restore and grow.

The CDC recommends teens get about nine to 10 hours of shut-eye a night. Growing research also shows that sleep promotes healthy brains, and some dermatologists see a clear connection between a lack of sleep and acne.

The second most important habit for teens to start is simple, too: Drink plenty of water, at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day. When drinking water it is important to sip it, because gulping large quantities makes it harder for the body to absorb and results in more frequent urination.

Just as they lack sleep, our kids also lack hydration. More than half of U.S. teens don’t drink enough, according to a study published a few years ago in the American Journal of Public Health.

To make matters worse, many teens drink coffee, caffeine-filled energy drinks and soda, which can all act as diuretics, flushing out water, minerals and other nutrients. Not only do our cells, tissues and organs rely on water to work properly, so does our skin. With too little water, skin will become flaky, dry, tight and more prone to wrinkles, creases and other blemishes.

The third thing is diet. If you find your child is filling up on junk foods and soda, there’s a reason for that. Kids, especially teen boys, need more calories during this stage of development. Larger, active high school-age boys, for example, may need as many as 3,200 calories a day. Their bodies crave foods dense with fuel, and, unfortunately, kids too often rely on fast foods, which lack vitamins, minerals and other key nutrients.

Fast food – and processed foods like candy bars, doughnuts, and frozen pizza – also typically have high amounts of saturated fats, corn syrups, salt and bleached flour. Think kids can get away with this kind of diet because they’re young? Think again. More than 20 percent of boys and girls ages 12 to 19 are obese, according to the CDC.

We encourage parents not to focus on the weight of their children, but instead promote better food choices and exercise. Offer them lean proteins from fish, beans and meats like white chicken; fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables of a variety of colors; good fats from olive oils, nuts, avocados and oily fish; whole grains from oats and whole wheat; and fiber from beans and legumes. These foods will also contribute to better looking skin, as well as help them increase their energy levels and ability to focus.

For teens who play sports, sound nutrition and staying hydrated is even more important, and so is avoiding highly sweetened energy drinks that may, in rare cases, contribute to cardiovascular problems and other health dangers.

Teens can benefit, however from some supplements. Because our high schoolers’ diets can be unpredictable, we advise a quality multi-vitamin and multi-mineral. We also suggest a good probiotic – especially if they’re not eating foods like yogurt, kefir or kimchi daily. Probiotics provide many benefits, such as improved immune function and smoother digestion. The good bacteria also likely help prevent pimples, according to recent research from dermatologists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center and State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, who found that reducing stress and consuming probiotics appear to prevent outbreaks.

One word of caution: For teens taking protein supplements, water is critically important. Lack of proper hydration can eventually result in kidney stones.

Finally, get your kids a high-quality fish oil high in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and with a good DHA ratio. Your teen’s brain is developing and cramming in lots of new information (like for that upcoming calculus exam), and it needs good fuel. These fatty oils support hair, skin, nails and nervous system and have also been found to help reduce blood pressure and heart disease, and they work as an anti-inflammatory.

Most kids will outgrow the need for a medicine cabinet full of Noxzema bottles and Oxy pads, but good nutrition and health habits are something that they can keep throughout their lives.

Gary Kracoff has a degree in naturopathic medicine and is a registered pharmacist and John Walczyk is a compounding pharmacist at Johnson Compounding & Wellness in Waltham, Mass. For more information, visit www.naturalcompounder.com. Readers with questions about natural or homeopathic medicine, compounded medications, or health in general can e-mail gary@naturalcompounder.com or call 781-893-3870.