Why do you eat?
To see if you need to change your eating habits, let’s look at why you eat.
For most people, reasons to eat are:
Time of day
Hunger
Food looks tempting
Everyone else is eating
Boredom, frustration, nervousness, or sadness
The best reason to eat is because your body tells you that you are hungry. If you are eating when you are not hungry, try doing something else to get food off of your mind. Call a friend, exercise, read, or work on a craft. These activities can help you to cut back on eating when you are feeling bored, upset, or stressed.
To improve your eating habits, try to eat the suggested number of servings from each food group in the Food Guide Pyramid.
Get Moving!
Walk—to school, to work, to your friend’s house, to the mall.
Ride your bike.
Skateboard.
Rollerblade.
Walk with a friend or family member—make it “quality time”!
Play basketball.
Join a school sports team or club.
Walk the family dog. If you don’t have one, find a neighbor who does.
Go dancing.
Go for a hike.
Go for a swim.
Wash the car.
Clean the house.
You Are What You Eat!
Take a look at your eating habits. What you eat, where you eat, and why you eat are important to your health. As a teen, you need to eat a variety of foods that give you the nutrients your growing body needs. Eating better and being more active can make you feel better and think more clearly.
