A new study has found that letting teenagers make their own diet choices can help them feel better about themselves. A healthy lifestyle is important for everyone’s health and wellness, and now just physically. Making good food choices and getting exercise can also benefit our mental health. Parents try and make sure that their children are eating good foods, and when their children grow into teenagers, they continue to hope that they make good choices. Teenagers may be known for making some not-so-healthy choices, and mom may find it tempting to give her advice on what they should eat, but maybe it is time to trust our teens a bit more.According to Medical Xpress, a new study was done that showed that a teenager who makes their own diet decisions may lead to them feeling better about themselves. Body image has been shown to be a large problem with youth, specifically girls, and it can be dangerous and harmful.This study was done by Flinders University, and it can be read in full here. The study involved 27 high school students, from various socioeconomic backgrounds, and it found that they were “generally well aware” of setting their own goals and what is a healthy food choice.This showed researchers that healthy food messages and setting boundaries works when it comes to teenagers making healthy food choices. Researchers asked 12 to 17-year-old’s what their beliefs were on healthy eating, and what their perceptions of it were. They found that food choices that are established during childhood are important and can lay a foundation for them to later make healthy choices. They were also surprised to find that this was the same across all socioeconomic backgrounds, because it is widely assumed that children from lower-income homes have a less healthy lifestyle.
The study also found that the teenagers were interested in learning more about healthy eating, and that they wanted to be informed so that they could make their own food choices. This shows that youth can be trusted to make healthy choices, if we give them the chance, and we should not assume that they do not have the information they need. However, policymakers still need to make sure that they are sending the information out there about what makes food healthy, and the harms of too much junk food because the youth are listening.
Sources: Medical Xpress, Science Direct