Eating Healthy Food is Difficult for Teenagers, Not Impossible

by Arva Pierce

In today’s society, it is very difficult for teenagers, as well as adults, to eat healthy. I personally think it is not fair that we as consumers have to pay more to get healthy food. We turn to fast food corporations like McDonald’s and Burger King because they make it very convenient to eat out. We, as teenagers, in some sense are not given a choice of what we want to eat. It is so much easier to just go to McDonald’s then it is to go to an organic market to buy fresh and healthy food. What can be done about this unfair situation? If there were more places where healthy food could be bought at an affordable price, like farmer’s markets, we would be able to purchase healthy food without burning a hole through our pockets.



Generally everyone likes to complain, but only a few would step up and deal with their problem or concern head on. Others want to confront their problem, but do not know how to do so. I believe most people are aware of what kind of food they are putting into their bodies and how food affects them. However, in today’s economy, many of us are concerned about having enough money to feed our families not whether it is healthy for us or not. Consequently we are starving ourselves. Our bodies aren’t receiving the vitamins and nutrients provided naturally from plant based foods. As a result, many people today suffer from a kind of malnutrition.


Most people who suffer from malnutrition are portrayed as excessively thin and on the verge of being anorexic. However, those who are the most malnourished are obese and eat fast food and processed foods habitually. “When most people think of hunger in America the images that leap to mind are of ragged toddlers in Appalachia or rail thin children in dingy apartments reaching for empty bottles of milk” (“The Obesity – Hunger Paradox,” New York Times, March 12, 2010). Hunger and obesity are often indicators of undernourishment. The Bronx has the city’s highest rate of obesity, and yet it is almost guaranteed that you will see at least one McDonald’s or Burger King on your way to work or school. The Bronx also faces stubborn hunger problems. According to the survey by the Food Research and Action Center, many people lack money to buy food at some point in the past year. When these people who live in areas such as the South Bronx get their hands on small amounts of money, they instantly turn to the fast food corporations to satisfy their hunger.


When people are not indulging themselves on greasy burgers, they are most likely standing in line at a local supermarket. Full-service reasonably priced supermarkets are not as common in poorer neighborhoods. The grocery stores in poorer neighborhoods tend to provide more processed foods than seasonal fruits and vegetables. I witness this first-hand. I am currently a cashier in a supermarket and I see how and where people spend their money. Of course there will always be that big family with two shopping carts filled with processed foods such as ground beef chuck and high content sugar items such as cupcakes and cookies. Most of these people receive a month’s supply of food stamps worth about two hundred dollars. To get the most out of the money they are given they either buy in bulk or buy what is on sale which is almost all the time highly processed foods. Then there are the rare few who spend their hard-earned cash on healthy and organic foods such as the “Nature’s Promise” brand. Fortunately, the City of New York offers a Health Bucks Program that encourages people to spend their food stamps at farmer’s markets by giving them an extra two dollar coupon for every five dollars they spend there. I think this is a great idea and it helps persuade people to purchase healthier food. But, how can they do so if the availability of farmers’ markets in the city are so limited?


Teenagers are among the people who suffer from malnutrition. It is too common to witness a teenager eating at a fast food establishment after school because they have to return to school for team practice. We become so accustomed to this lifestyle that we essentially don’t care about what we put into our mouths and what it is doing to our bodies. “Eating healthy is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and is something that should be taught at a young age” (Healthy Eating for Teens). Since most children today, as well as teenagers now, are or were introduced to the “Happy Meal” as young as two year’s old, they have conformed to poor eating habits. Good eating habits include: eating three meals a day with healthy snacks, drinking a lot of water, eating balanced meals, baking more and frying less, eating fruits and vegetables for a snack, decreasing the use of butter and heavy gravies, and eating more chicken and fish.


As we all know, eating poorly can lead to serious health problems. These problems include obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Eating healthy is important during adolescence because body changes that take place during this time affect an individual’s nutritional and dietary needs. Adolescence is about growing, maturing, and making decisions without the direct influence from parent figures. Many adolescents experience a growth spurt and an increase in appetite and need healthy foods to meet their specific growth needs. Adolescents often eat more meals away from home than younger children. We are also influenced by our peers which results in eating too many of the wrong kinds of foods: soft-drinks, fast-food, and processed foods.


Farmers’ Markets in New York City are not very common, but if determined anyone could make use of the ones that are available. Of course, the obvious reason why people, including myself, don’t eat healthy is because we can’t afford to. Personally, eating healthy for me is extremely difficult. I wake up every morning at about six o’clock to leave my house before seven. I almost never eat anything before I leave so by the time I get off the train by my school I’m starving. I usually run to McDonald’s for breakfast or buy a buttered bagel at the deli. That lasts me for about four periods and by twelve noon I’m hungry all over again. By this time I find myself on my school’s cafeteria snack line buying snacks such as baked chips or chocolate chip cookies. This holds me off until I get out of school at three in the afternoon. Most of the time I go straight to work from school and I have no time to have a nutritious balanced meal. If I have a few dollars to spare, I spend it on a slice of pizza or worse: I end up back on the line at McDonald’s. Honestly, I hate it. I can’t stand eating fast food. I think, “Wow I’m killing myself. I don’t even want this junk, but I’m hungry and I have to eat before I go to work so…”


I realize that my situation and that of every other person struggling to eat healthy is very difficult. However, there are several options available for those who feel that eating healthy is close to impossible. Although the availability of farmer’s markets in the city is limited, there are some available. In the Bronx, you can locate The Hunt’s Point Farmer’s Market, Harvest Home Co-op City Market, and the Poe Park Greenmarket. At these markets you can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables that were grown right here in New York. We can also substitute fruits and vegetables for those sweets we love so much such as: cake, cookies, candy, etc. The amount of nutrition we obtain from the food we eat is essential because we need certain vitamins and minerals for our bodies to run efficiently. Most of the time we attain protein from the meats: chicken, fish and red meat. Instead of eating these all the time, we can also substitute beans, rice, and peanut butter for the meat protein. Drinking more water would benefit us as it is also proven to allay hunger. Then there is also the option of making your own lunch at home so you won’t be tempted to buy fast food. There are many ways for us to incorporate these healthier choices into our daily diets. With sources such as the internet and the media the possibilities of the different recipes and dishes that can be made are endless. We just need to be determined to change how we eat.


Eating healthier should be a goal that everyone should want to achieve. But this won’t be possible if people are ignorant or choose to ignore the facts. Eating fast foods and highly processed foods harm our bodies. We only get one voice, one body, and one chance to decide to live our lives as healthy and safe as possible. Shouldn’t we take advantage of this opportunity?