March is National Nutrition Month, but who cares? Well we should, we all know about the food pyramid and why it is important to eat your veggies and drink your milk. Therefore, we don’t think it’s important to pay attention, but what some of you don’t know is that the food pyramid is no longer accurate. 

According to Kaydee Jensen, a dietician at Primary Children’s Hospital, they now follow MyPlate, which is a simple way of understanding the correct portions that should be eaten as well as the types of food that should be put into our bodies. For more on MyPlate and a MyPlate plan, you can go to www.choosemyplate.gov.  

Utahns and Americans as a whole often don’t know a lot about nutrition therefore our obesity rate is going up. Obesity isn’t the only negative outcome of an unhealthy diet, there is also the risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic diseases, health complications, overall energy and the way you feel. There are also numerous amount of studies showing that employers are less likely to hire applicants who are obese due to their limitations. This shows that obesity can affect us in many ways that we aren’t even aware of. 

As a teenager, it can be hard to make healthy decisions because you want to go out to eat ice cream with friends or get snacks at the movie theatres, but there are small things we can do that will make a big difference. Jensen believes that teens can start by drinking more water, choosing the healthier options at mealtimes and making sure to stay active. By doing all these things it will positively affect our health in so many ways. 

In this day and age, there are so many easy ways for teens to stay active: whether it’s playing basketball at the park, or taking the stairs when it’s possible. It can be very easy to slip into a lazy and negative mindset, but by making tiny changes in our life we can stay fit while still living a fun and fulfilling life.