Teen diet care now could prevent problems later
Quick and affordable– Sophomores Tyler Redcap, Steven Elias and Jeremiah Harms inhale a pizza at Dominos for lunch.
After school, junior Aaron Espinoza came home from school, tossed his bag aside, and went straight to the kitchen in search of some way to curb his hunger pangs.
“When I get home around five o’clock after swim practice, I start looking for something to eat,” Espinoza said. “I don’t really think about what it is I’m eating, I just want to fill my stomach.”
A study done by NaturalNews.com found that out of 100,000 teenagers polled, only 13 percent eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. This means that one in 10 teenagers does not get the proper nutrients they need to maintain a healthy body. Often, teen lives do not provide the time, willpower or knowledge to make healthy habits happen.
“I don’t really watch what I eat because I like food that’s not healthy,” senior Lindsey Wimmer said. “Right now my thought process is that I’ll eat all of this while I still can.”
Teens rarely think about the effects their diet now will have on their futures. Health conditions in adult life can stem from choices made as teenagers.
In an article by HelpGuide.org, a guideline of healthy eating is shown for both children and teenagers. The amount of calories, protein, calcium and iron a person should have daily is important when considering one’s health.
“I worry about not eating too much sugars and fats,” freshman Gatlin Jones said. “Getting bad knees and cancer scares me, so I try to make healthier choices.”
Often, time is the biggest enemy when dealing with teen health, giving way to convenience instead.
“Sometimes I like to watch what I eat, but when you’re in a rush, you just throw all preconceived notions out the window,” Espinoza said. “You start to worry about getting something that’s good, not necessarily good for you.”
Wimmer said she exercises regularly to make sure she does not get unhealthy when she goes to college.
“Because I enjoy exercising, I really don’t worry much over my health even in the future,” Wimmer said. “A lot of people gain that weight because they are drinking, but I’m not going to be doing that.”
Espinoza said he still makes an effort to maintain a healthy body when he has the opportunity.
“When I have the chance to eat healthy, I really do want to try,” Espinoza said. “I don’t want to be morbidly obese by 30.”
Worrying about health today may be the key to preventing complications in the future. Students who begin watching what they eat now, considering a careful diet now instead of a convenient one, could live a longer, healthier life.
