Healthy eating can be really hard. Many young people would rather grab a bag of chips than an apple. The reason why many teens suffer from a poor diet is because they either don’t have the time to eat right or because most of the foods that are nutritious aren’t as desirable as a bag of chips.

Because nutritious foods are so important for a healthy body, I try to eat healthy as much as I can. An apple makes a great snack, and water keeps me full throughout the school days. I also try and help my friends eat healthier. I think that if I show them my healthy eating habits, it will rub off on them and they will start eating healthy too.

I think that eating healthy is important because it makes me feel great and it has a long lasting effect on my body. I started eating healthy because I saw my mother doing it and I could see how much better it made her feel and how energetic she was, and I wanted that for myself. At first it was hard because there are so many fast food places and lots of stores that only sell candy, chips, etc. I kept telling myself that I wanted to look and feel better, so I ignored all the fast food places and started eating healthier foods and doing my 30 minutes of walking every day. Now I feel and look better than ever before!

So how did I start? I cut down on how much junk food I ate every day. I made a plan for myself (for example, I decided to only eat junk food once every two weeks.) There are also lots of healthy, enjoyable recipes that I tried out. I asked my mom to buy delicious fruits like apples, strawberries, mangos and bananas, so I could make smoothies (way better than soda and juice!) There are many delicious, healthy treats that are out there.

Eating healthy can be challenging, but I think that if you have someone encouraging you on, it will make it feel much easier!

-Astrid