For teenagers, image is everything. Looks can be the death of your social career if they aren’t perfect. One thing I’ve noticed among my friends is that they are watching their weight. Girls at the age of 13 are now going to the gym every single day, so they can eat whatever they want, or sometimes nothing at all.  They are constantly calling themselves fat, and crying every night because they don’t look like the models in the Victoria’s Secret magazines.

This makes me wonder: is this a good thing, or a bad thing? On one hand, obesity is on the rise. Heart disease and diabetes has been an increasing risk in the average home, and something like teenagers beginning to watch themselves, may not be a bad thing. But, on the other hand, over-exercising and putting the continuous stress on yourself that you are imperfect and will never improve causes serious harm to your self-esteem.

Not only that, but eating habits aren’t changing. None of my friends really change their poor eating habits. They load an app on their phone to monitor how many calories they eat in a day, but not where those calories are coming from. You can eat a donut, 2 slices of pizza, and some ice cream in 1 day and still not consume too many calories, but all of these foods contain MSG, extra sugar, sodium, and trans fats. Just because you stay under your calorie limit, doesn’t mean that you’re making healthy choices. If you want to become healthy and stay fit, make wise food choices. And remember, we can all have a treat once in a while, and don’t beat yourself up if you have a cookie or a piece of cake at a birthday party. Indulge, but don’t over-indulge every day. 13-year-old girls shouldn’t be dieting, but they should learn at an early age how to create healthy meal plans.