Negative aspects of your favorite treats

Tasty treats could be a reason for teens struggling in school as well as being behind in growth. The consumption of sugar greatly impacts the teen lifestyle.

Student Will Baldwin prefers unhealthy snacks because it is what he craves during the day and is what is regularly available.

Many teens are drawn to sweets not only for the taste but because of the price and availability. Sugar filled snacks are more widely available for purchase where teens are. This includes school, home, and stores.

Because teens are rapidly consuming sugary foods it becomes a habit. If you come home every day from school and eat cookies or something similar to this, it will become a part of your daily schedule. It is difficult to switch to healthy style or pick a healthier options.

Brain research associate Amy Reichelt says “Easy access to cheap junk foods and increasingly sedentary lifestyles outweighs the protection from growth spurts.”

Students Brooke Dubensky says, “Even though I know it's bad for me I still sometimes tend to pick unhealthy snacks because it is more efficient for my busy daily schedule.”

These regularly available snacks are not only bad for your body physically but also mentally. It can slow down brain processing making it harder for teens to concentrate during school. It negatively affects areas of the brain necessary for memory processes.

Reichelt found that “Neurons in brain regions, including the hippocampus, that encodes memories, no longer work efficiently, leading to poorer learning”

It is crucial to promote healthy eating in high schools so that students will see choosing healthy options as a positive aspect and motivate them to do so.

Teenagers associate actions with reward and it is easy for junk food to become a reward that they use often. This could mean going to a restaurant or eating candy and snacks at home. Unhealthy snacks become a positive reward.

Reichelt discovered that “Teenagers are particularly drawn to rewards, including eating tasty foods high in fat and sugar.”

Almost everyone is more inclined to choose a snack that tastes good in the short run rather than what makes us feel good and healthy in the long run.

Researcher Jillian Kubala found that the most common negative aspects of sugar on the body include: weight gain, increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, acne, increase cellular aging, energy drainage, and fatty liver.