Controlling your diet is important. Parents have control over their child’s diet. It is not until the pre-teen and teenage years when they are venturing off on their own and making their own food choices. Junk food can have an effect on your appearance. During the teen years is when you are trying to take pride in yourself physically. This is the time when you are developing certain features. Consuming junk takes a huge toll on one’s development and does not quite cooperate well with the body. One’s appearance also affects a person emotionally also.
“Junk food makes you fat and then you become depressed so you don’t care about how you appear. So now you have a bad appearance that’s not quite fit, and you are sad about it also because it is not quite where you want to be physically.” says Andrianna Blades, 16. Andrianna is a high school student who takes pride in her appearance. She cut back on snacks and even became a vegetarian.
Not everyone may feel the same way or care what an affect junk food may have on them. “It depends on the person. If a person is aware of what consequences junk food has on their body, it will affect them emotionally because they don’t want to gain weight or get acne. But most people don’t notice what junk food does to them or care to know.” says High School student Arishna Marshall , 17.
The teen years are tough. Everyone has an image to portray, and eating all of these bad foods does not help that image. Junk food affects the appearance which leads to a not so fit body physically which may lead to being teased and bullied in school.
“I believe that junk food can affect a teen mentally and emotionally because of the outcome of it that affects them physically. It can lead to depression and suicidal thoughts, and getting teased in school which makes them have mental problems that leads them to being gullible and falling into peer pressure easily and even turning to more junk food snacks.” says High School student Abrea Nelson, 15.
There are several reasons to why teens are turning to junk food.
- Convenience – Junk foods are more available than any other type of food.
- Taste- People want what is delightful to their taste buds.
- Affordable – Eating healthy is costly. Teens want what is available easily and affordable to their pockets.
Junk food does not have to be taken completely out of one’s diet. Treating yourself to a little is fine. It is when you become obsessed with it and cannot live without it is when it becomes a problem and affecting your health. The youth has to watch what they are consuming because they have their entire lives ahead of them, and it should be a healthy life.