McDonald’s, Burger King, Jack in the Box, and the almighty Taco Bell.

These are household names that practically every person in America knows. And what is it these fine establishments sell? Deep fried, rolled in fat, cheap food that has become a quick easyto consume on a low budget.

The holy “Dollar Menu” located at McDonald’s has sparked the idea of the cheap, easy fix of a greasy meal in under five minutes. But these fast, easy, greasy fixes do not supply the needed nutrition for a growing teenager.

“The prevalence of overweight in adolescents’ ages 12–19 increased from 6.1 percent in 1971-74 to 18.4 percent in 2009-10,” the American Heart Association stated. This growing number of unhealthy teens is startling.

Studies show that guys should drink about 13 cups of water to live a healthier life and girls should drink about 9 cups. Since water makes up 60% of the human body, it certainly makes sense to drink plenty of it throughout the day. A lack of water in your daily diet can lead to dehydration, where your body is running on little water. This causes a person to become tired, sluggish and lack the energy needed to go about their day.

Drinking water isn’t the only thing a teen can do to live a healthy life. Teens should also follow the “Teen Food Pyramid”. The pyramid states that a teen should eat:

6-11 servings of bread, rice, cereal, and pasta

3-5 servings of veggies

2-4 servings of fruit

2-3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese

2-3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts

And when it comes to fats, oils and sweets, we should always eat them sparingly

If you sprinkle on a little bit of exercise and plenty of sleep each week on top of the water and healthy food, the result will be a healthy, happy, and energized teenager. This burst of energy will also cause a teenagers grades to sky rocket due to the fact that they will be able to pay attention in class and interact with their classmates and teacher, allowing them to obtain better grades

Coach Sloan, football defensive coordinator and girls’ assistant track coach, shared health advice he gives his athletes and encourages other teens to follow:

” Number one, try to eat right, drink lots of water, and get some form of exercise 3-4 days a week,” Sloan said. “Secondly, I talk to my athletes about the right things they should be putting in their body. I provide them with opportunities to learn about the positives of avoiding negative factors like junk food and alcohol. And I encourage them to get extra work in the weight room or on the field so they are healthier. Third, the most challenging part of being healthy as an adult is finding time to work out and making sure I am eating healthy. It’s easier to grab something at a drive-thru than to plan to cook a healthy meal. Fourth, my healthy goal that I really try to focus on is just to make sure that I am getting 3-4 workouts of some sort in a week. I also try to drink plenty of water and avoid things like soft drinks and junk food as much as possible. Fifth, when dealing with teens and exercise, being active is the main thing. Not everyone has to be involved with a sport here on campus to be active. Go for a walk in the afternoon with some friends, you could even get some exercise of some sort in while you are watching television at the house. For example, every time there is a commercial get in:

20 push ups

20 body squats

20 crunches

“My final advice for how teens should live a healthy life is to be active; the more you sit around the harder it is to get started.”

Keeping this advice in mind, it’s easy to see how simple obtaining teenage health is: Getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water, eating the right amount of the proper foods, exercising a little each week, and avoiding that easy, greasy fix at your local McDonald’s.

It’s as simple as that.