Food. It plays a huge role in the day to day life of every teenager. They cannot function without it. In fact no one can function without it.

Most teens eat three meals a day, possibly even more. Some students will eat anything that gets put in front of them. Some students follow a strict regime of healthy foods. Of course, no one is perfect and even if a student is dieting they are likely to cheat.

But dieting is often done the wrong way and this can lead to problems.

“If you are looking to diet, avoid crash diets. They are unhealthy and unsafe,” school nurse Marla Rate said. “Work on portion control and exercise. Make sure to eat lots of fruit and vegetables and drink plenty of water.”

These options are a much better alternative to crash diets if you are looking to stay healthy, lose weight, or just change your eating habits.

If a student is looking for a good example they can refer to “The Portion Plate.” On the plate it says that half of the plate should be fruits and vegetables. One fourth of the plate should be whole grain. Another one fourth should be lean meat. One should always drink at least eight glasses of water a day and be sure to limit sugary drinks.

Some students, however, have different feelings about being told how to eat.

“You should be able to do whatever you want and no one should bother you for it because that’s stupid,” Chevy Kalpin, a junior said.  He only thinks teens should diet “if they want to.”

Kalpin added criticism of one diet however when he talked about the Keto diet.

“The ketogenic diet is not healthy and people on keto are stupid. It’s a high fat, low sugar diet, it’s also dairy heavy and dairy is not good for you.”

There are diets that should be avoided and some that are safe to follow. It depends on the person because everyone’s body is different.

Kalpin who is vegan, is among a rising number of teens that are avoiding animal products.

“I don’t consume animal products unless it’s honey. I eat honey because honey’s good for you.”

Being vegan is what Kalpin feels is best for him.  But obviously there isn’t one diet that “fits all.”  Everyone has their preferences.  The most important thing to remember is to try to eat what is good for your body in reasonable portions.